Ventura Hack for FireWire Core Audio Support on Supported MacBook Pro and others...

[mijo]

Hi all, 

 

Apple dropping on-going development for FireWire devices that were supported with the Core Audio driver standard is a catastrophe for a lot of struggling musicians who need to both keep up to date on security updates that come with new OS releases, and continue to utilise their hard earned investments in very expensive and still pristine audio devices that have been reduced to e-waste by Apple's seemingly tone-deaf ignorance in the cries for on-going support. 

 

I have one of said audio devices, and I'd like to keep using it while keeping my 2019 Intel Mac Book Pro up to date with the latest security updates and OS features. 

 

I also have a late 2015 Mac Book Pro that I've recently also updated to Ventura using the wonderful tool from the OpenCore project. I also tried to connect my Mackie 1640i desk to that computer and got the exact same result as on the 2019 MBP. 

 

Probably not the first time you gurus working on the OpenCore project have had someone make the logical leap leading to a request for something like this, but I was wondering if it might be somehow possible of shoe-horning the code used in previous versions of Mac OS that allowed the Mac to speak with the audio features of such devices to run inside the Ventura version of the OS. 

 

Would it possible? Would it involve a lot of work? I don't think I'd be the only person willing to pay a developer to come up with a third party paid application that restored this functionality. There's have to be 100's of thousands of people who would be happy to spare some cash to stop their multi-thousand dollar investment in gear to be pointlessly resigned to the scrap heap. 

 

Any comments or layman-friendly explanations as to why this couldn't happen would be gratefully received! 

 

Thanks, 

 

em

[ndungu6678]

On 12/3/2022 at 5:19 AM, mijo said:

Hi all, 

 

Apple dropping on-going development for FireWire devices that were supported with the Core Audio driver standard is a catastrophe for a lot of struggling musicians who need to both keep up to date on security updates that come with new OS releases, and continue to utilise their hard earned investments in very expensive and still pristine audio devices that have been reduced to e-waste by Apple's seemingly tone-deaf ignorance in the cries for on-going support. 

 

I have one of said audio devices, and I'd like to keep using it while keeping my 2019 Intel Mac Book Pro up to date with the latest security updates and OS features. 

 

I also have a late 2015 Mac Book Pro that I've recently also updated to Ventura using the wonderful tool from the OpenCore project. I also tried to connect my Mackie 1640i desk to that computer and got the exact same result as on the 2019 MBP. 

 

Probably not the first time you gurus working on the OpenCore project have had someone make the logical leap leading to a request for something like this, but I was wondering if it might be somehow possible of shoe-horning the code used in previous versions of Mac OS that allowed the Mac to speak with the audio features of such devices to run inside the Ventura version of the OS. 

 

Would it possible? Would it involve a lot of work? I don't think I'd be the only person willing to pay a developer to come up with a third party paid application that restored this functionality. There's have to be 100's of thousands of people who would be happy to spare some cash to stop their multi-thousand dollar investment in gear to be pointlessly resigned to the scrap heap. 

 

Any comments or layman-friendly explanations as to why this couldn't happen would be gratefully received! 

 

Thanks, 

 

em

 

Firewire support is still there in Ventura!  Does your hardware have a Texas Instrument (TI) chipset ? If so it should be recognised automatically. I made my VIA Firewire PCIE card work in Ventura Beta 4 (22C5059b). Had to make some DSDT edits for it to be recognised because of the unsupported chipset, but finally after a long struggle, got it working! Currently running OC 0.8.7 I have an old Sony HD broadcast quality Camcorder camera I still use which unfortunately can only  connect to my hack via firewire. Like you I still want to keep using good but expensive old hardware that serves my needs.

 

 

 

Part of the DSDT code used:

 

 

Build 1: iMac20,2, i5-9400F, Samsung 16GB DDR4 RAM, MSI Z390 Gaming Plus, Radeon RX 580 8GB, OC 0.8.7

Edited December 7, 2022 by ndungu6678

[mijo]

FireWire disks are still supported, and my device is being seen, but the Core Audio component of the support for this protocol is removed and I'm being told elsewhere, is not going to ever be restored in future versions of the OS. If there was a third-party piece of code that could provide the missing gap, I'd happily pay money for it. 

Edited December 10, 2022 by mijo

[J Lamp]

I know this thread has gone stale, but the other day I pulled out my old Apogee Duet (Version 1) and was sorely disappointed when I plugged it into my x299 hack (Sequoia as an iMacPro) and got absolutely nothing.

 

Google to the rescue;

https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/721151?page=1#742212022

https://gearspace.com/board/showpost.php?p=16346223&postcount=46

https://www.reddit.com/r/iOSProgramming/comments/zb89oo/ventura_hack_for_firewire_core_audio_support_on/

 

This is all thanks to the good work of matt09, who kindly modified the Apple kext that does the trick. Download links are posted in every one of his posts above.

 

The kext in question is AppleFWAudio.kext, which has been removed since Ventura.

 

I installed his kext (the original one from Monterey that his is based on does not work) in /Library/Extensions/, fixed permissions, set SIP to allow untrusted and unsigned kexts and my old Firewire Duet is working.

 

I can see that the binaries in his kext have been modified. I have not spoken with him and have no idea what changes he has made, but I can see that there are a few of them in Hex Fiend.

 

Running this in Sequoia is not without some quirkiness, I have to unplug then replug in the Duet to reach the desktop at first boot. That may be more about my 6600 graphics card, it's been a little flakey since I installed it.

 

Anyhow, just thought I'd share the info.

 

 

[Safer Valant]

On 10/21/2024 at 1:50 AM, J Lamp said:

I know this thread has gone stale, but the other day I pulled out my old Apogee Duet (Version 1) and was sorely disappointed when I plugged it into my x299 hack (Sequoia as an iMacPro) and got absolutely nothing.

 

Google to the rescue;

https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/721151?page=1#742212022

https://gearspace.com/board/showpost.php?p=16346223&postcount=46

https://www.reddit.com/r/iOSProgramming/comments/zb89oo/ventura_hack_for_firewire_core_audio_support_on/

 

This is all thanks to the good work of matt09, who kindly modified the Apple kext that does the trick. Download links are posted in every one of his posts above.

 

The kext in question is AppleFWAudio.kext, which has been removed since Ventura.

 

I installed his kext (the original one from Monterey that his is based on does not work) in /Library/Extensions/, fixed permissions, set SIP to allow untrusted and unsigned kexts and my old Firewire Duet is working.

 

I can see that the binaries in his kext have been modified. I have not spoken with him and have no idea what changes he has made, but I can see that there are a few of them in Hex Fiend.

 

Running this in Sequoia is not without some quirkiness, I have to unplug then replug in the Duet to reach the desktop at first boot. That may be more about my 6600 graphics card, it's been a little flakey since I installed it.

 

Anyhow, just thought I'd share the info.

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Thanks for sharing this. I actually needed exactly this for a client's Mac Pro 5,1  studio build running Sequoia. We were trying to revive a legacy Focusrite Saffire PRO 40 (FireWire) and your kext solution was the only thing that worked. I searched the forums for a fix and couldn't find one, so I'm leaving this here for anyone else trying to save their old FireWire gear.