#228

Apologies if this retreads old ground, but what is the current state of Catalina in terms of audio software? My partner has been sticking with Mojave, but may need to upgrade for work. I was aware of the major issues caused by the discontinuation of 32 bit applications when Catalina came along last year, but I haven’t kept up with what has happened since then.

Are applications like Pro Tools and Logic now running in Catalina or are there still issues? Thanks

#229

just a quick note - I don’t currently use Catalina although I will be changing soon. I think the usual biggest problems tend to come with audio interfaces - so before I upgrade I will be checking the drivers there - that is what I would start with make sure all the devices connected will upgrade also.
protools looks ok, ableton is ok and Logic should be ok with latest versions.

#230

I haven’t had any issues with any of the software I use regularly — Logic, UAD, Soubdtoys, Cecilia, Supercollider, Max, etc. My MOTU usb interface and UAD thunderbolt both work perfectly.

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#231

No issues here with a gazillion plugins (except the 32-bit plugs but I expected that), Reaper, Plogue Bidule, multiple MOTU interfaces. Brief issue with a TS3+ thunderbolt hub, solved by upgrading firmware.
Occasional USB issues (disconnects) under Mojave disappeared with the upgrade!
Have not yet tested Kyma/Pacarana but not expecting any issues there either since FW>TB2>TB3 adapter seems to work fine.

#232

same. Even my old Apogee Symphony MK I works fine, and UAD satellite thunderbolt 2. Eventide, DMG, and u-he to add to working plugins.

edit: the one thing I did notice on my fusion drive iMac is worse performance bugs off hard drive recording multi-track sessions at higher sample rates than with High Sierra or whatever it was running.

Consequently, I just used a Macbook Pro hand-me-down with SSD for live sessions and have had no problems.

#233

I posted this a while ago in another thread, but just wanted to call attention to this again, for those us unfortunate enough to own the 2016 macbooks.

I finally got around to sending mine in and received an entire new bottom to the machine.

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#234

my job has one of the new cheesegrader macs that costs more than a car. don’t normally work with it except one key piece of software i use is on it.

this thing is up there with the worst user experiences i have ever had in my 20+ years of “using a computer.” i am sure probably all of the problems i experience with it are compounding examples of user error, but man…

after a certain amount of time, connecting to a server randomly appends -1 or -2 to servername. all this is hidden from the user in finder, you only ever see “servername”. with catalina sandboxing, this means the app i need to run is not allowed access to the folders it needs, because it’s impossible to whitelist directories on the “servername-1” server—you can only whitelist “servername” directories.

so i have to restart the whole computer. this is shockingly complicated. sometimes it will not shut down. otherwise it will not turn on. the button press on the computer to power on is slightly different than every other computer i’ve ever used, and it’s not always clear that it worked. you just have to give it a minute and see if it seems like it’s doing anything.

after the computer is on, only one of the screens works until you’ve logged in (hopefully it’s turned on). bluetooth also apparently does not work at this point, including the keyboard and mouse. this lead me to another restart, which automatically put me into recovery mode where i’m prompted to say why i can’t remember the password. but i can’t explain that i know the password because i can’t type or move the mouse.

at this point, i was convinced i had somehow broken this machine until i discovered a second, wired mouse discreetly tucked away behind the monitor next to an extra unconnected cable for the keyboard, apparently for this specific purpose.

this rant brought to you by the amount of time it takes to fully restart a 2020 mac pro (all good now…)

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#235

Thanks for the advice / info all. Sounds fairly manageable then.

#236

you will get some benefits (slight change to the envelopes) but not the benefits you’re after (cooler-running laptop) - 4k external display is extra work for the GPU and is either slow (iGPU) or generates heat (dGPU). I’ve observed the heat issue on 2010 mbp and 2015 mbp. Expect newer models to be better, but then you have keyboard to avoid, and they’re thinner (lower heat budget).

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#237

Thanks for the advice, I’ll save myself some hassle and give it a miss. Hopefully Apple silicon will be solid by the time I upgrade.

#238

Full disclosure, I’ve been a certified Apple repair tech / ASP for over 10 years. I currently support over 600 Macs in my current role and do use them myself daily…

That said, I built a really crazy PC for music production really recommend it. Could not see myself spending a ton of coin on a Mac Pro for audio work so I grabbed a really nice Z490 board with integrated Thunderbolt and am still running my MOTU AVB interfaces with 0 compatibility issues.

I’m a Logic-certified trainer and have been using that as my primary DAW for longer than I’d like to admit, so switching away from Logic (to Bitwig) was kinda a learning process. It definitely took me a minute to reach the point of Bitwig usage/navigation becoming second-nature. But, it can be done, and now I have the benefit of being able to work on the couch with a MacBook Pro and just pick right up on the production machine in the studio (and vice-versa).

Honestly grew tired of hitting the processing ceiling on top-end machines, sick of the constant wine of shitty fans and a steady stream of “repair extension programs” for brand new hardware, year after year.

I am finishing a ton more music faster and with way less CPU-strain related interruption.

6 Likes
#239

So, I’m looking to upgrade my computer in the near future to get back into Ableton after a nice long deep dive into eurorack and hardware. I’m excited to pull my studio back together and start making actual songs again. I’ve been a mac guy for a long time now, but I’m finally ready to make the jump to a desktop from my MacBook pro.

First, anyone have thoughts on iMac vs iMac Pro. I’ve been reading that you get almost the same thing if you soup up the iMac, but for less money. I’d probably upgrade the iMac Pro too though, so I’m wondering what people think would be best for fairly intensive Ableton sessions. Going full Mac Pro is out of my budget, and also not something I’m interested in since this really is just a hobby.

I’m open to being convinced to stick with a Laptop as well, but at this point in my life, portability really doesn’t matter too much to me. I’m also open to being convinced to go PC, but I think that will be stretch, just since I know Mac so well at this point and I feel like Ableton is really seamless on Mac.

#240

iMac Pro is a bit out of date at this point and with all the new processors on the way and the regular iMac bring newer has most the same specs minus some ports so i would hold off on that but who know when they will actually upgrade it. I have switched from laptop to Desktop and it’s the way to go. A stock Mac mini can go a long way for an internet computer if you do t mad it out and save the $ for later.

#241

Oh interesting. You think it’s worth holding off on even the regular iMac?

#242

My thinking is if your panning on buying a full on upgraded one i would wait if you not investing to much its not a bad time…where going to soon be entering the new processors on macs and there is going to be a software point your going to reach that you cant upgrade but if you dont need new os’s and so on your be fine…just remembering how the last time went around with the processes and a lot of music diy and other fun stuff got lost to the weather…could be sooner or later with mac who knows.

#243

I looked into it a little bit ago. The iMac Pro’s processor is catered towards workloads that require a high cpu count, where as DAWs performer better with processors that cater towards single core clock speed (i.e. the i9 option in the iMac bests the pro). It seems the internals are optimized better in the pro though…the fans are supposed to be very quiet. Where as the recent iMac’s have people complaining of fan noise.

I have a 2018 15" MBP with base specs…DAW performance is great (much better than my base specs mid-2014 15" retina MBP), fans are very loud on both.

IMO there is not a mac out there that is optimized for DAW work, there are trade-offs with every option

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#244

That’s a good callout. Actually, part of the reason I was thinking of making the change now was to do my upgrade BEFORE the new hardware, or Big Sur is released. I figure that Catalina seems pretty stable now, so if I can get the best computer I can on Catalina, that will last me will into the Mac hardware release without needing an upgrade. I’m totally fine not upgrading software. I’m still on high Sierra now, and only upgraded to that about a year ago. Basically, I want to go as long as possible before needing to upgrade to one of these Apple produced processors, so I can make an educated decision of what I need at that point.

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#245

Anyone else have thoughts about this? I’ve been thinking about picking up a Mac mini as a studio machine but don’t want to be an early adopter of Big Sur. I also expect we’re a few years out of seeing the new chips in the Minis but I’d be curious if someone has more informed thoughts about this.

#246

It seems to me that the iMac would be a great Mac to buy now. It was very recently released and as has been said, with an i9 it could roughly equal any Pro Mac for speed for a DAW. I would stay away from the iMac Pro since it’s overdue for an upgrade, unless you want to take your chances and wait for it to be updated. It will be much more expensive.

I haven’t looked into the state of the Mac Mini lately, but it too could be good. Are they quieter than the iMacs?

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#247

Not sure if this is the right thread, but I just wanted to give a tip in case anyone wants to try going from Mojave to Catalina. Which I finally decided to do because aside from a few older 32-bit apps (rip Akaizer :frowning: ), it seems like compatibility is pretty good. But of course, Apple’s made it near impossible to find the Catalina installer now that Big Sur is out.

After a bunch of looking around, I finally found this and can confirm I’ve gotten the installer (TBD if it actually works, I’m going to restart my computer which is supposed to start the installer after I send this). https://github.com/munki/macadmin-scripts

I just ran the install script with no options, picked the latest catalina item in the choices it prompts, and it did a bunch of downloading and packaging to create a disk image you can click on to start the install process.

Hope this saves anyone who wants to try this time.

EDIT: just use the apple supported ones as mentioned by @robotboot :sweat_smile: