longbongsilver Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 Hi, I'm new here. Longtime Windows user, built the computer I currently use, which I do music on. Was considering for my next setup building an OSX-compatible dual-boot. However, it seems everyone I've seen so far in lurking is talking about the built-in audio that comes with motherboards -- which is absolute {censored} for making music. If there's anyone here that uses their OSX86 rig for music, I'd like to know more about your setups, in particular what soundcards are used and how stable it is. My computer experience is such that I suspect, with patience, the hardest part would be getting the necessary parts, so I figure why not? If it works fine, then it's like I have two computers in one (and can use Logic if I want). Edit: btw, by "pro audio" I'm not talking pro tools or anything. My current box has an Emu 0404 in it, nothing fancy but it works fine. If I can get a card that good that's compatible that'd be fine. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/102549-card-for-pro-audio/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonk13 Posted May 1, 2008 Share Posted May 1, 2008 If you want to have an internal PCI interface, RME HDSP (9632 or 9652) is pretty much the only cards that works afaik. They are pro as far as project studios is concerned, but also rather expensive (+$500). Another angle is to go for an external (USB/Firewire) interface. That'll gives you more options. Decide what you need in terms of I/O connections, what price range you are willing to consider and do some research from there. The Audio Creation subforum here is very helpful: http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?&showforum=68 For example, this is a topic covering working FireWire interfaces: http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=91916 I'm using a 9632 (RME's official OSX driver) with Logic 8 without problems. The rest of my setup is listed below. It works really well, but isn't exactly the latest/greatest that's out there. On the other hand the parts should be pretty cheap now and there's a lot of info/documentation about them regarding OSx86 setups. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/102549-card-for-pro-audio/#findComment-731206 Share on other sites More sharing options...
longbongsilver Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 Thanks for the heads up. I'll look into a USB soundcard then. I have a spare motherboard already -- an Intel DQ965. Was planning on using that for the new build, if possible, figured that'd save me some money since I already have it. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/102549-card-for-pro-audio/#findComment-745968 Share on other sites More sharing options...
rexie Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 After months of fiddling and hoping, I'm pleased to share than Lynx Studios 32 bit / 192 khz cards cards work as well. The whole reason I made the plunge into the OSX86 scene was to keep my Lynx Studios L22 PCI card, which obviously would not fit into an Intel-based Mac Pro given its non-support for PCI cards . The conventional wisdom floating around here is that no PCI card will even be recognized on one of our osx86 machines. That is not correct: the RME apparently works according to several members, and with the latest driver set from Lynx Studios on April 18, so does my L22. Presumably the other cards in the family, LynxTWO and AES16, will as well as they use the same driver. This is not an audiophile forum, so I won't go into how great this card sounds relative to on-board audio or other more mainstrain cards (which with full respect to the RME, it is not) but if you research this card you will find it well received in the pro community. I'm using Leo4All V3 with a plain vanilla kernel on a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R with a Core 2 Quad Q6600 / 2.4 GHz and 8 GB of RAM. All other installs had stability problems (for me)-- Leo4All V3 is rock-solid. Sure am not missing Windows either....... Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/102549-card-for-pro-audio/#findComment-749287 Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrsdscout Posted May 17, 2008 Share Posted May 17, 2008 Since Mac Pros don't have PCI slots, companies like M-Audio aren't making Intel Mac drivers for their PCI products. However, the M-Audio MobilePre can be found for around $130-150 and allows you to record instruments and mics with low latency. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/102549-card-for-pro-audio/#findComment-749354 Share on other sites More sharing options...
longbongsilver Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 I've done some more research concerning that motherboard I've got. Looks like the most likely version to work is JaS 10.4.8 (the compatibility list for it mentions that board by name). However, I've read in other places online saying the 10.5 versions have options built in to tweak for maximum compatibility, and that in general Intel board + Intel processor takes OSX relatively easy anyway. As far as the rest of the possible setup goes, here's what I'm roughly thinking: 3 GHz Core2Duo PCI-e 7300GT (PNY) for video (I think this can do the Quartz thing Logic needs to run) Emu 0404 USB (this) for audio Not too sure about specific RAM or hard drive, except I'd like to put in at least 2 gigs of memory & plan on a 200 GB SATA drive, but either could go up if I get a damn good deal. Are Internal DVD drives a hassle with these? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/102549-card-for-pro-audio/#findComment-752950 Share on other sites More sharing options...
erf Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 Are Internal DVD drives a hassle with these? I haven't had any problems with any internal CD/DVD-RW I've tried with OSX. It never hurts to check the compatibility list on the wiki though. My M-Audio Fast Track Pro that was a complete pain in the butt to use with Vista works like a charm on my OSX install. :-) Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/102549-card-for-pro-audio/#findComment-753244 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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