Mac OS 12, CueMix, and 828x question

[silent k]

Hello all,

First off, some specs: iMac (late 2015) 24gb RAM, OS 10.14.6; MOTU 828x interface; DP 9

I am finally updating my 2015 iMac with Mac OS 12 (Monterey) in order to run some other software, and as I was getting the update started the installer identified CueMix FX as an application that will not run under OS 12. It's not clear from what I've seen on the MOTU website whether there's an updated version that is compatible with the 828x, although it appears that there is a newer version that's used with the UltraLite interfaces (CueMIx 5). Does anyone know if this latest version of CueMix will work with the 828x? I'm trying to get as much mileage out of my 2015 iMac as possible before needing to get a new computer and all the attendant upgrade costs associated with it. Any advice/info is welcome, and thank you!

[cuttime]

CueMix 1.6 runs just fine on my 12.6.3 machine and 828x (Driver 1.6 89555). It is also Universal, so it runs natively on Apple Silicon.

https://motu.com/en-us/download/#category=1&product=303

[silent k]

Thank you for the quick reply! That's great -- 1.6 is the version I have, too. Not sure why the installer warned me about it, but sounds like it works.

[mikehalloran]

It depends on the message (it's not an error). Normally, it reads that it won't be compatible with a future update. Ignore it.

If you have a 2015 model 27" iMac and have never replaced the System drive, you can increase the R/W speeds and the capacity for not much coin. If you have an SSD in there, the speed gain is 6x. If you have an HDD or Hybrid drive, the gains are much higher. Parts for 4TB run about $325; for 2TB, figure $100 less. Kits include SSD, adapter, tape kit, battery, plastic pizza wheel (to take it apart) plus a couple of screwdrivers. Essentially, you wind up with a 2017 model that has TB2 instead of TB3.

This won't make the CPU faster but you would certainly notice the difference. In 2015, Apple upgraded the PCI bus to 4 Lanes but used the older AHCI SSDs either alone or as part of the Fusion drive. In 2017, Apple installed a fast PCIe 3 x4 SSD blade in the iMac but those are backward compatible to the 2015 models.

[silent k]

That's very good to know. I've always used external drives for recording with this system, with no trouble. The internal drive in my iMac is an SSD, but it sounds like with a newer drive I might get a speed bump overall, which would be great.

I updated the OS to 12.6.3 yesterday, installed the MOTU software, ran DP 9 and CueMix -- so far, so good! I'm happy to see that overall the OS does not appear to be laggy, but I haven't pushed it that hard yet, either. I know that DP 11 can run on this machine, too, so an update there may be on the horizon.

Thanks for the help!