MOTUnation.com

Hi folks, looking for some guidance on buying Unisyn. I'm looking for a version that will run on OS 8.6, given the choice I'd like a retail version with discs and manual.


If I buy the currenty available retail packages, they say "Fully compatible with Mac OS X Version 10.2 or later" but don't indicate if that will run on older systems.

Any ideas? Alternately, anyone have a legit copy for sale?

Thanks, Scott

sloiselle wrote:
If I buy the currenty available retail packages, they say "Fully compatible with Mac OS X Version 10.2 or later" but don't indicate if that will run on older systems.

Unfortunately, this is no longer true, because Unisyn only runs on PPC or Rosetta equipped computers. I would think the MOTU site would be more clear about this.

When I purchased my OSX version, an OS9 version was included, but that was about eight years ago.

cuttime wrote: Unfortunately, this is no longer true, because Unisyn only runs on PPC or Rosetta equipped computers.

Pardon my ignorance but I'm not quite cleat on what you're saying. I want to run it on a Powermac 7100, is that a PPC? Might that mean that if a currently available retail package has a non-OSX version included, that it could run on the 7100? I don't mind spending the $ but would be bummed out to do that and then have it not run!

Thanks, Scott

Have you actually tried contacting MOTU directly and asked?

Yes, after initially getting nowhere, I did (just now) receive a call from Magic Dave who could not have been more helpful - great guy and very knowledgeable. He said the retail packs do (or are supposed to) come with both OSX and OS<X versions and that, if I buy one and it doesn't have the old version, to contact him and he'd take care of it.

I realize it's essentially a dead product and some regard it as next-to-abandonware but it does what I need. All my synths are old (like me).

Thanks folks, Scott

Magic Dave is the MAN!!



I'm glad this is resolved,its great hearing another example of MOTU tech support being 1st class.

I saw one suggestion that you can re-run the Rosetta installer from the Snow Leopard CD and that MIGHT fix it. I'm not sure if it will work, but it seems like the best thing to try first.

Still hoping for an update here. My purchased copy hasn't left the box it came in yet.

I sure could use it; it'd be a significant time saver for lil' ol' me.

monkey man wrote:Still hoping for an update here. My purchased copy hasn't left the box it came in yet.

I sure could use it; it'd be a significant time saver for lil' ol' me.

You must have hardware synths in your Monkey Lair.

I still use hardware synths too, and have kept Unisyn on an older machine for that purpose. I keep toying with the idea of just giving in and grabbing MIDI Quest as a replacement as it looks more and more unlikely we'll ever see an update of Uni.

I want to run it on a Powermac 7100, is that a PPC?

No.

The PowerPC Consortium was a partnership between Motorola and IBM. They developed the G3, G4 and G5 CPUs that Apple used.

The PPC was abandoned because it eventually ran too hot (the last G5s were liquid cooled!) and there was no promise of increased performance in the near future. Around that time, Intel demonstrated new chips that ran a lot cooler, much faster with promise of greater performance over time.

When Apple abandoned the G5, there was no need for the PPC Consortium to continue.

There was quite an energy savings when I took my G5 out of service in 2010. Between the lower power consumption and savings on air conditioning, the new 27" iMac easily paid for itself within three years.

mikehalloran wrote:

I want to run it on a Powermac 7100, is that a PPC?

No.

Mactracker lists the processor for the Powermac7100 as the PowerPC 601. So wouldn't that be a PPC? It doesn't look like a Motorola 68XXX that preceded the PowerPC.

bayswater wrote:

mikehalloran wrote:

I want to run it on a Powermac 7100, is that a PPC?

No.

Mactracker lists the processor for the Powermac7100 as the PowerPC 601. So wouldn't that be a PPC? It doesn't look like a Motorola 68XXX that preceded the PowerPC.

You're right. That's what I get for remembering instead of looking it up first. I had a few 601 (Performa 6100 and 6200) and a 603 (Motorola Starmax 5000) that I upgraded to a G3 with something I got from OWC.

That was the other part of the PPC deal. It was going to supply clones. Although there were a few 601 clones, I think that only Motorola released a 603 before the plug was pulled on that program.

billf wrote:

monkey man wrote:Still hoping for an update here. My purchased copy hasn't left the box it came in yet.

I sure could use it; it'd be a significant time saver for lil' ol' me.

You must have hardware synths in your Monkey Lair.

Damned straight, Billy. They're not goin' anywhere in a hurry either.

I've been sus on VIs since day dot, and so far have caved in to M5 only. I don't use it (yet), but figure it'll be handy to own nevertheless.

MIDI Quest just looks like too much of a headache for me, mate. I love(d) the way UniSyn was / is supposed to integrate into DP. I'll stick with the synths, no matter how tricky and time-consuming they become to use, purely because they'll work with any OS on any platform... anywhere that supplies electricity. Oh, and they don't require licenses to drive.

C'mon MOTU... please bring back UniSyn for all we old-school die-hards, land lubbers and luddites!

monkey man wrote:Damned straight, Billy. They're not goin' anywhere in a hurry either.

I've been sus on VIs since day dot, and so far have caved in to M5 only. I don't use it (yet), but figure it'll be handy to own nevertheless.

MIDI Quest just looks like too much of a headache for me, mate. I love(d) the way UniSyn was / is supposed to integrate into DP. I'll stick with the synths, no matter how tricky and time-consuming they become to use, purely because they'll work with any OS on any platform... anywhere that supplies electricity. Oh, and they don't require licenses to drive.

C'mon MOTU... please bring back UniSyn for all we old-school die-hards, land lubbers and luddites!

I hear you Nicky, I have hardware synths too (although I do have VI's such as MachFive, Komplete, and Omnisphere). I'd love to see a new Unisyn, and if the MOTU gods were to grant our wish, add auto-sampling to it that would integrate seamlessly with MachFive. Perhaps it is just a pipe dream, but maybe they will surprise us.

Fingers numb from having been crossed on this one for years, mate.

Still, like you, I'll not give up on the idea. There's a tonne of assets already in the bag for MOTU, what with all those profiles they've already created. IMHO, it'd be comparatively little work to add the subsequent hardware releases to the pool and bring this baby up to date.

Fingers crossed, Billy...