Helpneed Mackie Universal Pro Tools Driver For Mac
Mackie have updated their popular control-surface system. We find out what's new. The original Mackie Control, which evolved from the earlier Logic Control, will be familiar to many DAW users, but it has recently been replaced by a MkII version called the Mackie Control Pro.
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The same modules are available as before — the Control Universal Pro master unit, the Control Extender Pro eight-fader expander module and the Control C4 Pro 32-knob controller — but although the functionality and control layout are exactly the same as before, there are some differences worth looking at. The most obvious change is that the new units are silver rather than Mackie grey, and have a more steeply raked display section for better visibility. All the buttons and knobs have been redesigned along with the casing, and the front-to-back dimension of the units is now an inch or so less than before, so you get a bit more room on your desk for your computer keyboard.
I particularly like the new more 'weighted' jog/shuttle wheel and the straight unit sides that let multiple units sit together in a far more visually appealing way than the rounded sides of the earlier models. Perhaps the biggest practical difference is that you no longer need a separate MIDI interface to connect the units. The Control Universal Pro, the Control Expander Pro and the C4 Pro still have MIDI ports and can be connected the 'old' way if you prefer, but the Control Universal Pro also has a USB port, allowing it to be connected directly to your Mac or PC without requiring you to load any additional drivers. Three sets of MIDI In/Out ports have been added to the rear panel of the new Universal Pro, and these may be used to link to up to three expander units. In the unlikely event that you want to use more than three expanders, you'll need a separate MIDI interface. As before, each expander needs its own MIDI port — but if you don't need all three MIDI ports on the Mackie Control Universal Pro for expanders, they can be used to connect other MIDI equipment.
It appears that the motorised fader quality-control has been tightened up further, to promote better reliability and to avoid fader-calibration error messages. The external universal power supplies are also a little smaller, although they have the same output voltage and current rating as the originals. The front-panel screening is still based on Apple's Logic software, with included Lexan (tough plastic) overlays for Pro Tools, Nuendo/Cubase, Digital Performer, Sonar and Tracktion. There are three different modes of operation, the first of which is Mackie Control Universal, offering direct support for Tracktion, Ableton Live, Sonar, Samplitude and Sequoia, Digital Performer, Reason, SAW Studio, Nuendo/Cubase and Adobe Audition. The second mode is a dedicated Logic controller mode, and the third offers HUI compatibility for use with all variants of Pro Tools. To change modes on both the main unit and the expanders you need to power each of them up while holding down the Select buttons on the first two channels. Your choice is then remembered until you change it.
After I first connected the system, I powered up each module and chose Logic as my operating protocol. The Mackie Control Universal Pro was recognised instantly but I just couldn't get the expanders to show up. After some head-scratching, it turned out that my MIDI cables (you have to provide your own) were too fat to properly fit through the holes in the Mackie Control rear panels, so I solved this by slimming down the plastic outer shell of the offending plugs with a sharp knife, to expose more of the metal part. This did the trick and allowed me to push the plugs fully home, which rectified the problem.
When connected via MIDI, you can power up the units in the order in which you'd like them to show up in your DAW, but when the master unit is connected via USB it obviously has to be switched on first, so that its MIDI ports will work. In Logic you can simply drag the icons of the controllers into the correct order in the Control Surfaces Preferences setup page, and this arrangment will be remembered once you quit Logic. Other DAWs have their own way of doing things, but the end result is much the same, enabling you to set up the units in any physical arrangement you like and to have that correspond with the way the units are seen by your DAW. In all other respects, the operation of the units is exactly as in the MkI versions and differs slightly from DAW to DAW. The C4 expander is particularly useful, especially where a separate controller is needed to control plug-ins, as its 32 knobs and four display strips make it easy to keep track of what's being adjusted. Alternatively, you could have its knobs controlling the levels of 32 audio channels, or you can even configure it for tool selection or other frequently performed tasks.
Helpneed Mackie Universal Pro Tools Driver For Mac Pro
The C4 comes bundled with the C4 Commander software, as before, which facilitates 'drag and drop' C4 control mapping to your favourite MIDI hardware, plus you get a free version of Mackie's Tracktion 2.1 sequencing software. These updated units are more or less the same price as the originals, and not needing a separate MIDI interface is definitely a bonus.
Even though the competition has had a few years to catch up, the Mackie Control Pro is probably still the most elegant choice if you want an expandable DAW controller system at this price point. The Tascam controllers that were the most obvious alternatives to the Mackie Control have now been discontinued, but the slightly more costly Euphonix Artist series of control surfaces or the CM MotorMate offer impressive facilities in a somewhat smaller footprint, albeit taking a slightly different approach.
There's also the new Master Control combined controller and audio interface from Alesis. At the lower-budget end, you may like to consider the range of multi-fader/knob controllers from Behringer or the excellent single-fader controllers from Frontier Design and Presonus. All contents copyright © SOS Publications Group and/or its licensors, 1985-2018. All rights reserved. The contents of this article are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers.
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It’s a Mackie mixer! It’s an audio interface! It’s both – and now it works with Pro Tools, despite the presence of an M-Audio or Digidesign logo anywhere on the case? The Mackie Onyx-i (note that it still has a hefty bulge below the back of the mixer). It’s been one of the few constants in music technology. To use Pro Tools software, you need Pro Tools hardware – that means M-Audio interfaces for M-Powered (and now ) and Digidesign interfaces for LE and HD.
Without M-Audio or Digidesign hardware actively plugged in, the software refuses to run. And there’s no way for a third party to get their audio hardware working with the software. Or so everyone thought. Without the cooperation of Avid, Mackie says they have managed to get their Onyx-i mixer line working with Pro Tools, and they’ll even “certify” compatibility. At the end of July, a number of audio sites (including Mix and Sonic State, but not CDM) received a package with one of Mackie’s new mixers, a video, and a copy of Pro Tools M-Powered. The message: a “secret” driver provided compatibility between Mackie’s mixer-audio interface package and Pro Tools.
(See writeup.) So, what’s going on? Onyx-i – What’s “i”mproved Before I get into that, first, a word about Mackie’s new Onyx-i mixers. Viral videos aside, I already know many CDM readers don’t actually like Pro Tools, and the Onyx-i has plenty of other features to recommend it. The original Onyx was already an interesting solution, with the potential to combine a full-blown Mackie mixer with a FireWire audio interface. But the hardware was bulky, and adding FireWire support required buying and installing a separate add-in card. The Onyx-i solves both problems. The entry-level Onyx 820i model adds a compact, inexpensive (street just US$500) 8-channel by 2-channel output option.
Also, all of the new Onyx line (up to the i) have FireWire built-in – no expansion needed. The line still has a rather hefty bulge that sits below the mixers, but at least with the addition of the 820i, there’s an option I could imagine throwing in a backpack. (That’s good news, I think there are more scenarios where you might want simple mixing than need to lug around a 16×16 mixer-interface.) The cheaper Onyx-i models are also competition for the I reviewed recently. The Onyx lacks the VS control surface, flash recorder, and the Cakewalk software bundle, but if you were more interested in the mixer to begin with, the Onyx series could be worth a look. At the high end, the 1640i can stream full 16 x 16 audio channels in and out of your DAW.
The Onyx also makes “universal” compatibility a selling point, and that’s where this Pro Tools saga comes in. The Onyx-i is “qualified for use with all major DAWs,” including Logic, SONAR, Cubase, Ableton Live, and Pro Tools M-Powered 8.
Of course, the last entry was assumed to be technically impossible, and Avid has, to my knowledge, never been compatible with any hardware other than their own. (The only exception I can recall is the brief availability of something called Pro Tools FREE, which worked with standard audio drivers and cost nothing, though it had a number of other limitations.) Mackie’s announcement came with this disclaimer: The Onyx-i Series Mixers are qualified by Mackie for use with Pro Tools® M-Powered™ 8. Mackie will release a driver (via ) together with full details of how to use the Onyx-i series with Pro Tools® M-Powered™ 8 in the coming weeks. Avid has declined to comment for the time being on the Onyx-i compatibility claim, though they at least confirmed that they were not involved. Shaunna Thompson of Mackie emphasized to CDM that there was “no reverse engineering” involved in creating the Onyx-i driver for Pro Tools M-Powered, and that they were “in discussions” with Avid but could not comment further on those discussions or how Avid would respond.
Conventional wisdom about Avid and Pro Tools has been that hardware “lock-in” – the reliance on their hardware – is good for their business. That may well be, and I do believe in hardware choice; it’s part of why Pro Tools hasn’t ever been my main DAW. I do have to point out, though, that every other audio software maker, from big developers to people maintaining open source software, will tell you compatibility is a huge pain. Massive amounts of time get spent on testing and compatibility, particularly when you start combining different operating systems and different combinations of hardware and drivers. So there’s no question that the other thing Avid has been able to do is to reduce some of that complexity, some of the additional sources of support problems, and all the costs associated with both. But that made me all the more curious about just how the Onyx-i support works.
Helpneed Mackie Universal Pro Tools Driver For Mac Download
Pro Tools M-Powered software. Q&A with Mackie CDM: Can you comment on the inclusion of Pro Tools M-Powered? Mackie: The “Ransom Packages” that were sent out as part of a viral campaign included a copy of Pro Tools ® M -Powered ™ 8.
However, the mixers do not come with a copy of Pro Tools; users will need to purchase this separately. CDM: I’m sure you can’t talk about all the details, but is there anything you can say about how the M-Powered support was reverse-engineered? Mackie: Mackie did not ‘reverse engineer’ support for Pro Tools M-Powered 8. We created a custom universal driver that enables use with all major DAWs including Pro Tools ® M -Powered ™ 8. CDM: For that matter, at the risk of asking the obvious, why would Mackie want to support Pro Tools given support for other hosts and your own DAW (Tracktion)? Mackie: The Onyx-i Series interfaces with all major DAW’s including Pro Tools ® M -Powered ™ 8 and our very own Tracktion Software.
Our customers have been telling us for years that they want a mixer that can interface with Pro Tools ® – we are simply giving our customers what they want. CDM: Aside from the Pro Tools questions, I’m a little unclear – what’s new in the '-i' versus the original Onyx predecessors? Mackie: The biggest difference is that the Onyx-i Series has deep FireWire integration. Now you don’t have to buy a separate FireWire card because it’s already built into the mixer offering a significant increase in performance and value over the older Onyx Compact Series. This effectively means you get a premium analog mixer AND an ultra-high quality digital interface.
These are the tools you need for serious computer recording. Every channel on the mixers can be routed pre- or post- EQ to the computer, allowing the user to choose whether to implement EQ to tape or not. Returns from you computer can be routed back through the channel strip for integration into the mix or for mastering the Perkins EQ. So, Does it Matter? It seems that if this had happened a few years ago, it might have been explosive news, which is not the sense I got with Mackie’s attempt to “go viral” with that guy, his little dog, and his pantyhose mask. Then again, I’d better not speak too soon, lest I wind up with 100 comments on this post For many users, people who want hardware choice may already have found DAWs with which they’re happy. Pro Tools has its loyal users, and people make great music with it – it just happens that the same can be said of Ableton Live, Apple Logic, Reaper, and many others (just in descending order of recent reader interest on this site).
And, of course, Mackie also makes their own Tracktion. Mackie actually risks overshadowing the other news here – the ability to buy a single piece of gear that’s both a Mackie mixer and a FireWire audio interface for under $500. On the other hand, it’d be a fairly significant acheivement to release this driver, and perhaps even to get Avid’s support. And while I had to ask the question above, of course, Mackie wouldn’t do this if they weren’t getting customers bugging them for it.
That’s why interoperability ultimately matters: users want certain choices, and (perhaps rightfully) don’t understand why they might be denied those choices. I’m going to place the burden on Avid on this one, for one reason: Avid claims “interoperability” is one of their new corporate goals. It’s never been entirely clear what they mean.
Some of that goal seems to have more to do with interoperability between products in their own product line. (In fairness, that seems a logical place to start!) So I hope whenever Avid and Mackie do finish their discussions, whatever Avid’s decision, we get clear communication for exactly what the “new” Avid’s interoperability goals are. If they feel they have a case for not supporting hardware like Mackie’s, that’s their prerogative. I’d just like to see clear communication from either company, to explain to their user base why they make those choices.
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And, of course, I don’t expect that communication from either Mackie or Avid will come from anyone wearing a mask and a disguised voice. I’ll be watching for the outcome of the discussions between these two industry giants.