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Digidesign Hardware Supplied with FWx Option
- FWx FireWire Option Card
- 4-to-6 pin FireWire Cable (12')
Digidesign Software Compatibility
- Pro Tools LE 6.7 or higher for Windows XP, including Pro Tools LE 7
- Pro Tools LE software will not work without one of the following Digidesign hardware devices connected to the computer:
- FWx Option Card
- Digi 002
- Digi 002 Rack
- Mbox 2
- Mbox
Pro Tools LE — Included and Optional Plug-Ins:
Apple QuickTime 6.5 or Higher Recommended
- Available at www.apple.com/quicktime
- Required only on systems using video
- AGP graphics card with 16 MB or more video RAM required for movie playback
- Known Issue: Apple QuickTime 7 is currently not supported with the Digidesign WaveDriver on Windows XP
FireWire Connections & Qualified 1394/FireWire PCI & CardBus Cards
- A 1394 ("FireWire") controller/interface is required to connect the FWx FireWire Option Card to your computer. Some computers have built-in 1394/FireWire controllers, while other computers require add-in 1394/FireWire PCI or PCMCIA controller cards (purchased separately)
- Some built-in 1394/FireWire ports may be incompatible with Pro Tools. if you experience FireWire-related issues or errors when using the built-in 1394/FireWire ports on your computer, Digidesign recommends installing a Digidesign-approved 1394/FireWire card.
- When using FireWire storage with the FWx FireWire Option Card, connect the FWx and the drives to separate FireWire ports if possible
- If only one FireWire port is available, connect the drives to the CPU, then connect the FWx to the drives
- Do not connect a DV video camera to the same FireWire bus as the FWx. Most CPUs with two FireWire ports still have only one FireWire bus. If you need to add an additional FireWire bus to your CPU, please see the list of qualified cards.
For more information, please see:
Performance Guidelines
- Recording to the system startup drive is not recommended
- For desktop models, a separate internal or external dedicated
audio hard drive is highly recommended for maximum performance
and track count (see Hard Drive
Minimum Requirements)
- Although limited recording and playback of audio tracks may be possible using the internal drive in laptop models, a separate external dedicated audio hard drive is highly recommended for maximum performance and track count. Digidesign recommends the use of FireWire drives for use with these computers. (see Digidesign FireWire Drive Requirements)
- For best performance on laptops, it is suggested that you set
your monitor to 256 colors
- Pentium 4 or Xeon systems with HyperThreading technology must
have "Intel HyperThreading" in the system BIOS disabled.
- Dual processor machines may need to have network cards disabled
for best performance
Known Incompatibilities
- The FWx FireWire Option will not function if any Digidesign PCI cards are installed
in the CPU. (Digi 001, Audiomedia III, TDM cards)
- Computers with motherboards containing SiS (Silicon Integrated
Systems) chipsets
- AMD K6, K6-2 or K6-III, K7 processor based computers (newer
AMD Athlon XP and AMD Athlon Thunderbird processors are supported)
- Computers with AMD Opteron™ processors are known to
be incompatible with Pro Tools. Initial testing indicates that
a future revision of Pro Tools would be required to add support
for these CPUs.
- Pentium I and Pentium II processor based computers. (Pentium
III not tested or recommended)
- Older Dell Inspiron & Latitude notebooks that run under
1ghz are not compatible with the 002. Please see recommended laptops
section.
- Laptops users need to disable integrated wireless networking
- Pro Tools does not support RAID technology. Please do not activate
this feature.
- Pro Tools will crash when pressing play if Avid XPress DV 4.1.1
is installed after PT. The workaround is to install Avid XPress
DV before installing Pro Tools. (Item #47816)
- Some HP Pavilion models do not meet the minimum requirements
as listed in these compatibility documents. Before purchasing
these or any computer, please carefully go over these documents
and the exact specifications of the computer to make certain that
all of the compatibility guidelines have been met.
Additional Compatibility Information
VENUE & FWx FireWire Option Information
Products Section
Digidesign VENUE — D-Show Documents
D-Show 2.0 & Other Current Documents
Previous Documents for D-Show 1.x
Digidesign VENUE — D-Show Downloads
DV Tookit 2 & Music Production Toolkit Options for Pro Tools LE 7.1 and higher
Maximum Track Count Information
The purchase of either of these options expand a Pro Tools LE system from 32 total voiceable tracks to up to 48 mono or 48 stereo tracks at up to 96 kHz (interface permitting*). Most desktops are capable of 48 stereo tracks at up to 96k, providing the system meets the following recommended requirements for maximum track count:
- 2GHz or higher processor
- 1GB total system RAM or more
- 2 or more hard drives dedicated for audio record and playback:
- 1 internal IDE/ATA and 1 internal SATA drive
- 2 internal SATA drives
- 2 SCSI drives
- 2 or more external FireWire drives
*Maximum Sample Rate
- Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack - 96 kHz
- Mbox 2, Mbox - 48 kHz
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Supported CPU Models & Requirements
Recommended Desktops
Turnkey/Audio Optimized Systems
Other Manufacturers or Build Your Own — Recommended Motherboards for Dual Core Processors
- ASUS P5WD2 Premium
- Pentium D Dual Core Processor
- Intel 955X chipset
- ASUS A8N-E
- AMD Athlon 64 Dual Core Processor
- nVidia nForce4 chipset
- Tyan Thunder K8WE (Model S2895)
- AMD Opteron Dual Core, Dual Processors
- nVidia nForce4 chipset
- System built by Colfax International
Desktop — Minimum Recommended Requirements
AMD Athlon 64 or 64 FX Processor
- VIA K8T800, VIA K8T800 PRO, or NVIDIA nForce3 chipset
- Socket 754 or 939 motherboard
AMD Athlon XP Processor (2000+)
- VIA KT266A or NVIDIA nForce chipset
Intel Pentium 4 or Xeon Processor (2.4GHz+)
- Asus P4C800-E motherboard
- Intel 845/845E/845PE, 850/850E, 865PE, 875P, 915GL/915GV, 925XE, 945G*/945P*, 955X* chipsets with Intel Pentium 4 processors
*Also qualified with Pentium D processors
Not Tested/No Known Issues with Digi 002
- Intel 915G/915P/915PL/925X chipsets
Recommended Laptops
The following computers are compatible with Pro Tools LE 7, but may not be able to achieve maximum track count (48 mono or 48 stereo tracks) with Music Production Toolkit or DV Toolkit 2:
Models with Intel Celeron processors are not supported, check with manufacturer before purchase.
System Software
- Windows XP Professional or Home Edition
- Not Supported:
- Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
- Windows XP Media Center Edition
- Pro Tools LE 7 is qualified with Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP1 not tested)
- If you are updating from SP1 to SP2, please read the following beforehand to help insure a smooth transition:
- Pro Tools LE 7 software can't be installed or used on systems running Windows 98, Me, 2000, NT, 95, or 3.1
- Windows XP Settings & Requirements
Windows XP SP2, Microsoft DEP and PACE InterLok Drivers Update
- if you encounter unexplained blue screens, freezes or spontaneous reboots when launching Pro Tools with Windows XP Service Pack 2, please update your PACE InterLok drivers:
- The current InterLok drivers solve the described problems without having to disable Microsoft's DEP (Data Execution Prevention) feature introduced with Windows XP Service Pack 2.
- The correct PACE InterLok drivers are included with the installation of Pro Tools 7
Total System RAM
- 512 MB minimum required**, more recommended
- More RAM increases overall system and Pro Tools performance
- More RAM suggested for sessions with high edit density, extensive use of plug-ins, or simultaneous use with MIDI sequencers
- DigiTranslator 2.0 will also require additional RAM
- Refer to motherboard manufacturer for supported RAM version
**Additional RAM Requirements — DV Tookit 2 & Music Production Toolkit Options
- The purchase of either of these options expand a Pro Tools LE system from 32 total voiceable tracks to up to 48 mono or 48 stereo tracks at up to 96 kHz (interface permitting)
- In order to reliably achieve maximum track count, 1GB RAM or more is required on Windows XP
Additional Requirements Monitor
- Minimum resolution of 1024 x 768
- 17" or larger recommended if using external monitor
Storage
How can I tell if my PC is compatible?
Find out how much RAM and which processor, chipset, and Windows XP Service Pack you have:
Additional Compatibility Information
Digidesign ASIO Driver
Digidesign WaveDriver
Pro Tools LE Product Information & Specifications
For more information, see the Pro Tools documents in the Support > Tech Support > Technical Document Library section. Also included with new systems and Pro Tools upgrade CDs.
Need Advice on a Computer Purchase?
Be sure to check out the Pro Tools LE Windows section of the Digidesign User Conference for computer recommendations from other Pro Tools LE users.
Disclaimer: Digidesign can not verify that the information in this forum will provide full functionality or performance. Please refer to these Compatibility Documents for Digidesign's official system requirements. |
