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Building a Protools 8 Hd 2 compatible Leopard machine - Please review


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carbon copy cloner should work great for an OSX install volume itself.

 

where I'm a little fuzzy regarding Carbon Copy Cloner and hackintoshes is when dealing with the volume containing chameleon, be it located on the EFI partition, on an external USB (flash) drive or on your OSX install volume itself.

 

If you used an install method that places chameleon on EFI or on your OSX install volume I'm unsure if CCC will successfuly back them up & restore a bootable bootloader.

 

I have yet to attempt restoring the image I made of my chameleon USB stick onto a fresh stick, thus far I've only used the image as a backup, and manually did the whole chameleon install magic part via terminal

 

It seems to have worked. It, being Carbon Copy Pro. I just cloned the drive and now when I boot, if I hit a key when Chameleon loads, it gives me a choice of two OS X volumes to start from. Pretty Cool!

 

Now I have to test it by removing the original drive and just starting the computer up with one drive in the machine, to simulate a drive failure.

 

I've been pretty lucky. So far I've only had one software conflict, and I think that is to do with this particular software's incompatibility with Snow Leopard.

 

I'm using a plugin called Liquid Mix HD. Which ever version of this plugin I load first (There are stereo and mono versions) prevents the other version from loading up. I get both a DAE error and a fatal error warning. Very strange, but I'm noticed on focusrite's site that they don't list Liquid Mix HD among the plugins that has been tested with Snow Leopard.

 

I wrote them an email to see if they can suggest anything as a work around. Of course I can just use routing to get around the problem myself anyway.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi all, I have the PC EFI 10.5 and I have a retail 10.6 disk, do I a diff disk?

 

I am going to build a system EXACTLY the same as Noizyboyz (it seems to work !)

 

Just a little cloudy on the install procedure, If anyone can chime in I would appreciate it!

 

Thanks in advance

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Hi all, I have the PC EFI 10.5 and I have a retail 10.6 disk, do I a diff disk?

 

I am going to build a system EXACTLY the same as Noizyboyz (it seems to work !)

 

Just a little cloudy on the install procedure, If anyone can chime in I would appreciate it!

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

I actually used PC EFI 10.3, but it shouldn't make a difference.

 

You'll also need OSx86 tools for the graphics string and a kext for the audio, unless these are now included in PC EFI 10.5. Also, you may just want to use the 'X58 Mobo script' that's floating around here somewhere. This will simplify things significantly.

 

 

N

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I actually used PC EFI 10.3, but it shouldn't make a difference.

 

You'll also need OSx86 tools for the graphics string and a kext for the audio, unless these are now included in PC EFI 10.5. Also, you may just want to use the 'X58 Mobo script' that's floating around here somewhere. This will simplify things significantly.

 

 

N

 

Hey,

 

OK system built using PC EFI 10.5 (via Digital Dreamers EX58 script and the standard DSDT file with it) , all working (Nvidia GT120 GFX is showing as 9500GT but I am fine with that for now)

 

ethernet is good (but will not show for remote desktop or screen sharing at all, but internet is fine and I can connect to server fine)

 

NOT WORKING :

 

No sound (Noizyboy which one did you use, can you share a link please?)

 

No Sleep, will not wake up at all (Noizyboy same as above please;)

 

Everything else seems to be spot on and it will geekbench at about 8400 (with NO O/C, may try not sure)

 

Will install 2 x Digi HD PCI cards now and see what their like (fingers crossed!!!)

 

Report back later.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BTW I have the BIOS set to ACHI but when I boot the board runs the startup and then the ACHI bios but yet it quickly shows error "nothing connected", then shows my SSD and SATA DVDRW and asks me to push any button, then starts PC EFI 10.5 no problem?

 

Is it maybe the SSD that causes the error message? Not overly bothered as it works fine (system has been burning in for 3 days now and works perfectly, it will just become slightly annoying after a few weeks!)

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OK, cards are in (HD2 Accel PCI)

 

Digitest sees both of them and passes fine, it also sees my 192 IO. BUT with PT HD 8.0.3 it will start loading, see the ilok and cards but hang on the warning "IO not connected, connect and IO now etc" :(

 

I have the core card in the upper PCI (PCI 1) and the Accel card in the lower (PCI 2)

 

Tried restarts, turning on/off etc but same thang.

 

Any help would be grand

 

cheers

 

TDM Ribbon on wrong ports between core and Accel:))))

 

just need to get sleep and built in audio sorted and will start putting through its paces.

 

Oh and will now try dual monitors.

 

Oh and will now try dual monitors.

 

 

Work perfectly on Nvidia GT120 512MB - Great!

 

Just loaded up basic session in PT 8, opened up some audio, all good so far

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OK, cards are in (HD2 Accel PCI)

 

Digitest sees both of them and passes fine, it also sees my 192 IO. BUT with PT HD 8.0.3 it will start loading, see the ilok and cards but hang on the warning "IO not connected, connect and IO now etc" :P

 

I have the core card in the upper PCI (PCI 1) and the Accel card in the lower (PCI 2)

 

Tried restarts, turning on/off etc but same thang.

 

Any help would be grand

 

cheers

 

TDM Ribbon on wrong ports between core and Accel:))))

 

just need to get sleep and built in audio sorted and will start putting through its paces.

 

Oh and will now try dual monitors.

 

Oh and will now try dual monitors.

 

 

 

Work perfectly on Nvidia GT120 512MB - Great!

 

Just loaded up basic session in PT 8, opened up some audio, all good so far

 

 

Cool, I was just about to tell you that your tdm ribbons are backwards, but you figured it out.

 

Okay, did you get your sound, and sleep.

 

For sleep you should use the X58 script to install the sleep enabler kext. You're in 10.6 right? 10.6.1 upwards uses a newer sleepenabler kext.

 

For audio, I'm gonna have to take a look when I get to the studio tomorrow, so I can see what I used. I tried a couple of different kexts.

 

 

Verify your bios settings with this guide;

 

http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=185097

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For backing up - couldn't you just use old school DOS Ghost? Would back up everything on the HD.

 

no, on os x the bet is cc cloner, works great and completely free!

 

Going to finish build tomorrow and soundproof rackmount case. Couldn't get onboard sound going but it's very poor anyway so not too bothered. Very happy so far with build, cheaper than a magma chassis and I have a new machine!!!

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  • 2 months later...

OK... I'm looking to follow in the footsteps of this thread and also build a new rig for my HD2 PCIx. I currently do run an "efix" hack based on the Q9550 and a Gigabyte EP45 board.

 

So... this one is i7 but I love the idea of being able to go up to 12G in Ram (6G now and then 6G later when full 64 bit is in play) without resorting to 4G chips. I have been eyeing the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 board. The issue I have is that the PCI slots appear not to be contiguous so I worry that the ProTools will have issues (Will the flex cable even reach?).

 

Any one used one of these for HD2?

 

Thanks,

-Lee

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  • 2 weeks later...

Exactly!

 

I just put together a UD5 and everything looks fine 'til now.

 

But, how the hell do you solve the flex cable thing?

 

Graphic card needs to be in slot1, huh?

 

I can bend the cards together at the top to fit the cable but it's not really feng shui if you know what I mean...

 

Is there longer flex cables?

 

Please, ...it appears to be people up and running with this configuration.

How did you do it?

I guess the moment it works - you don't ever look back at this place...

 

best,

Pelle

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Exactly!

 

I just put together a UD5 and everything looks fine 'til now.

 

But, how the hell do you solve the flex cable thing?

 

Graphic card needs to be in slot1, huh?

 

I can bend the cards together at the top to fit the cable but it's not really feng shui if you know what I mean...

 

Is there longer flex cables?

 

Please, ...it appears to be people up and running with this configuration.

How did you do it?

I guess the moment it works - you don't ever look back at this place...

 

best,

Pelle

 

I've been searching for longer TDM flex cables, don't know if there are any 3rd party flex cables that might work and are a bit longer.

 

The only way I managed it was bending the cards, screwless (just like you said) and you can carefully connect the flex cable to the other card. It's not extreme bending, they should hold. The DigiLink cables still connect on the back so there shouldn't be any problem. But never use any force if they are a bit stuck and the cable doesn't reach far enough, be gentle, and they will fit :)

 

The UD3 would have been a better solution though :)

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I've been searching for longer TDM flex cables, don't know if there are any 3rd party flex cables that might work and are a bit longer.

 

The only way I managed it was bending the cards, screwless (just like you said) and you can carefully connect the flex cable to the other card. It's not extreme bending, they should hold. The DigiLink cables still connect on the back so there shouldn't be any problem. But never use any force if they are a bit stuck and the cable doesn't reach far enough, be gentle, and they will fit ;)

 

The UD3 would have been a better solution though ;)

 

 

Hmm...

 

I'll file in my report as the good forum fox I am:

 

This is my setup:

 

COMPUCASE S411 PC-CHASSI 19# 4U

ASUS GEFORCE 9500GT 1GB GDDR2 PCI-E VGA/DVI/HDM

CORSAIR 6GB DDR3 XMS3 INTEL I7 9XX PC10666 1333

CORSAIR TX 750W PSU ATX12V 2.2 / EPS12V

GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 X58 S-1366 ATX

HITACHI DESKSTAR 7K1000.C 500GB 7200RPM SATA/30

INTEL CORE I7 920 2.66GHZ 8MB S-1366

SAMSUNG DVD±R/RW/RAM DL 22X IDE

DIGIDESIGN PRO TOOLS HD2 PCIe

4 x DIGIDESIGN 192

DIGIDESIGN MIDI IO

 

I followed this:

 

 

but, with the newer EmpireEFI (empireEFIv1085.iso).

 

I couldn't sleep with the two PCIe cards leaning against each other so I tried graphic card in the second PCIe16 slot. DIGI cards in the PCIe4 and the first PCIe16.

Worked!!!

 

It runs smoothly most of the time, occasionally freezes bad.

Googled. Googled some more. Turned off hyper threading and... so far flawless.

 

I wont cheer just yet. Bad karma will bite me in the but for sure.

I can't believe the deal on this hardware compared to a Mac Pro. The rack mounted chassis makes it very professional.

 

If it keeps stable...

 

/Pelle

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  • 2 weeks later...

Will post much more soon..... have configured now two Digi/Hack rigs.....

Never got an answer on the UD5 slot issue so went with GA-EX58-UD3R instead, two PCI side by side

GA-EX58-UD3R V1.0 for one and V1.7 for the other

i7 920, Noctua cooler

6G OCZ Platinum 7,7,7,20 1600 RAM

128G Kingston SSD for OS

128G Kingston SSD for Audio recording

1.5TB WD Green.... amazing drive, feels no different than Black..... QUIET! Update.... fine for mass storage, tried as a partition on this as a clone system drive.... Yuck... just dirt slow for that!

Lowly EN8400GS Silent video on one (9800GTX+ with Scythe Musashi on other - drives Apple 30" no prob))

Modu 82+ 625W Silent P/S

Two hot swap drive bays in front panel (to G-Sata)

Sony Optiarc

All Silenx fans or better

HD2 Accel PT 8.0.3 (HD2 on one, LE on other with 003)

Behringer USB audio adapter (just use the Digital I/O anyway)

LIan Li Cases PC-60 for HD2, A17 for LE

10.6.2

Works.... Ethernet, FW, ESATA, Sleep on MyHack install)

No work..... Sleep on Digital Dreamer install, Audio (truth is haven't tried real hard - $30 USB device is too easy)

 

Goal on HD rig was 10.6.2, 8.0.3, fast and as silent as possible. So far mission accomplished! I will measure noise later today but between the silenx upgrade to my 192 and this machine I expect noise at 1m to be ~3dB above room.... ~33dBA with no equip on...... At this point I am probably there but I could also baffle the workstation just a little and get this close to 0dB additional..... I record acoustic instruments about 15 feet away and was pretty happy before..... The switch to the Green drives was all about noise, the blacks are awful in comparison.......

 

Used Digital Dreamer script for HD2, all astock but added NVEnabler. All works except for Sleep and Audio

Used MyHack V1 3/2010 and Empire EFI for LE... Amazing. My hats off to the MyHAck and Empire EFI guys.....The easiest install ever -- almost too good! Will detail soon. Update: after watching the videos tagged above I am not sure I could add much! Great info and very detailed. Will cross HD2 rig over to MyHack/EFI soon....

 

Only preliminary testing so far (4 hour tracking session, various playing around..... no probs so far, no panics, no lost communication........ So far just as solid as my old efix rig that ran HD2 for 1 year without issue.....

 

-Lee

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...Awww..

 

This is rough. It was a big step going from a rock solid PPC running Tiger, PT 7.4 and HD3 process.

 

Actually, I think it's too early for snow leopard and PT HD.

And with the whole Avid recreation it could take some time.

 

I use my new setup for mix only. It's not stable enough for tracking. Sure, if I don't touch any plug-ins I guess it's been solid.

For tracking I really need to trust my system. It's not very creative to work in fear of crashes.

 

With RTAS I've had tons of problem on the new machine. It's impossible to know at this point what to blame:

 

My Hack?

Snow Leopard?

Hyper Threading?

Integrated USB chips?

"Cheap" RAM? (Apple would say so)

Pro Tools?

Third party developers?

 

What bugs me is that I run LE on my MacBook with a 003 and it's been 100% stable. With all imaginable plug-ins.

 

/Pelle

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...Awww..

 

This is rough. It was a big step going from a rock solid PPC running Tiger, PT 7.4 and HD3 process.

 

Actually, I think it's too early for snow leopard and PT HD.

And with the whole Avid recreation it could take some time.

 

I use my new setup for mix only. It's not stable enough for tracking. Sure, if I don't touch any plug-ins I guess it's been solid.

For tracking I really need to trust my system. It's not very creative to work in fear of crashes.

 

With RTAS I've had tons of problem on the new machine. It's impossible to know at this point what to blame:

 

My Hack?

Snow Leopard?

Hyper Threading?

Integrated USB chips?

"Cheap" RAM? (Apple would say so)

Pro Tools?

Third party developers?

 

What bugs me is that I run LE on my MacBook with a 003 and it's been 100% stable. With all imaginable plug-ins.

 

/Pelle

 

A few questions.......

 

After rereading your earlier post a few times and looking up this board I think item 5 is at the heart of your matter.....

 

1) What PT rev (8.0.3 is the only one for SL as far as I know)

1a) SL version?

2) What plugins are giving you problems?

3) Freeze bad..... when do you get this? Shouldn't be happening

4) Are you sure, double sure, triple sure that every plug is the latest AND SL approved? Got a list?

5) I still get kind of queasy about the slot thing. In the good old days you had to have the cards in specific slots in a specific order. So you have PCIe HD cards -- not good old PCIx ones?? So you have the Digi Core card first and in a slot that is meant for short pinout boards. Then the Accel card in the first full size slot. The Newegg site specifically says the Graphics card has to be there if you only have one. If you try just Graphics in first full size slot and just your core card in the next full size slot (leave out Accell card) do things get a lot better? Does the PCIex4 slot really support an HD core card?

6) Test your RAM with REMBER. I had a bad stick in this build that gave me the weirdest problems.

7) Are all you bios settings for the CPU and RAM at optimized defaults? For me this dumbed my 1600 RAM down to 1066. I tested both ways with xbench (1600 and 1066) and not much difference so I left it lower for a while. Many RAM need higher voltage (or custom latency settings). Is yours set correct per the data sheet?

 

So there are a few things off the top of my head.......

 

-Lee

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