Another returning to the Mac thread...

[GlynH]

Hi there,

Well actually more like a returning to MOTU thread really...

Long story short I just posted in the PC Hardware thread about installing UltraLite MKIII Hybrid drivers on an HP Spectre under Win 10 and now I'm doing a similar thing here but for a Mac - or Macs in my case.

I have a 2010 Mac Pro dual booting 10.13.6 High Sierra and 10.14.6 Mojave and a 2013 Trash Can Mac Pro running 12.7.2 Monterey and was wondering whether it would be best connecting the UltraLite via USB or Firewire?

I also have a 2013 MacBook Air where I *think* I used to use the Apple Thunderbolt to Firewire adaptor (although I definitely did use that to connect my PreSonus 16.0.2) but there is a possibility I might have connected the UltraLite via USB also.

In addition I have a 2019 MacBook Pro running Sonoma 14.3 that I guess I would have to use an adaptor of some sort if I wanted to connect that to the UltraLite.

Not saying I will be using the UltraLite on all of these Macs but it would make sense if I standardised on connection type just to simplify cabling and make things easier for this old brain of mine...that is if the UltraLite will still work with these computers because the Mac 89555 driver package lists MacOS 11/12/13 which could rule out the older 2010 Mac Pro as that only officially supports up to 10.14.6 Mojave. I don't want to resort to any OpenCore trickery to run later MacOS versions.

I also notice MacOS Sonoma is not listed on the driver package so does that mean I might alsos be out of luck using the UltraLite on my 2019 MacBook Pro also?

As I said I will probably only use one Mac (or maybe two at most) but just wanted to get the lay of the land before I decide to set off down this road.

Appreciate any other hints/tips with regard to the Mac and UltraLite MKIII Hybrid which might also apply to my other MOTU gear such as MicroLite, MIDI Express 128 and AVB Switch if and when I decide to dig into my toy chest...

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

[mothra]

The driver works fine on Sonoma (14.4 even). Knowing MOTU, they won't update it to say 14 works until MacOS 15 comes out. I'm running my 828x in Cubase 13 almost every day without issue.

For the 2010, FW is probably better than the slower USB in that thing.

For the other two, Thunderbolt->Firewire adapter, or just plug it in USB. You probably won't notice a difference either way. Been using the 828x over USB the entire time I've had it and have no desire to try out the Thunderbolt port, USB does the job just fine (plus it will cost me like $150 just to connect it with a whopping 3-6' long cable heh). The Mac Pro is probably the same, but I always used my interfaces over FW just because I could, never tried them out over USB back when I had one of those Pros.

[GlynH]

Thanks for the reply mothra.

As I also have an Apple Thunderbolt Display for the 2013 MP that has a Firewire port on the back and the old Thunderbolt->Firewire adaptor that I used to use on the MBA I'll probably use Firewire for these Macs which if I recall correctly also powers the UltraLite to keep things simple & tidy.

I'll have to see what adaptor(s)might be available for the 2019 I already have an Apple USB-C->Thunderbolt and I could probably plug the old Thunderbolt->Firewire into that. Welcome to Dongle CIty...that was one factor that that kept me from buying any post-2013 Mac as in Jony Ive's crazy quest for slimness they dropped most of the ports I found useful which for me was a compromise too far. But here I am some years later contemplating using a 2-dongle solution to connect an old interface to a newer Mac!

That will leave me to use the USB connection for the PC along with its power supply as and when needed.

Guessing I shouldn't keep both cables connected at the same time but I'll have a read of the manual later before I ask any more questions!

I'm over the moon that my 10-year old UltraLite still works on current MacOS/Windows and so I am hoping that both my MicroLite & MIDI Express 128 will be the same? Guess there's only one way to be sure...

Just need to resolve the backlight issue on the UltraLite now and I'll be a happy chappy!

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

[mikehalloran]

Although you can connect the UltraLitemk3 via FW or USB, you want USB.

For the 2010, FW is probably better than the slower USB in that thing

Nope. The opposite is true.

The Fast USB 2 protocol is twice as fast as FW400. Although MOTU did go to the FW800 connector on some later units, they never built an interface that supported it and include the fine print in their product descriptions. Using the FW–TB Adapter keeps you at the slower speed. It's ok but your round trip latency is lower with Fast USB 2

Been using the 828x over USB the entire time I've had it and have no desire to try out the Thunderbolt port, USB does the job just fine

Although TB1 has the potential to be 16x faster, the fact that MOTU never published RTL numbers for the 828x makes me think that there's little or no difference. TB is just another way to connect.

[GlynH]

Well that flies in the face of logic (excuse the pun) that USB is faster than Firewire!

Might just leave the ULM3 connected to its PSU and use USB for everything then?

And just to clarify that I can download the Audio Installer v89555 that MOTU state is compatible with MacOS 13,, 12 & 11 for use on Sonoma 14?

And do I have to install the MOTU MIDI Installer for MicroLite & MIDI Express 128 in addition to the MOTU Audio Installer even though the UltraLite MKIII Hybrid has two built-in MIDI ports?

Thanks & kind regards,,
-=Glyn=-

[mothra]

If you're going to use the MIDI interfaces, then yes you will need to install that as well. The Firewire driver handles the built in MIDI ports on the Ultralite (my 828x, and 828MK2, etc had them), but the Microlite/MIDI Express still need their driver too.

MOTU doesn't support it officially but so far everything has been exactly the same in Sonoma as it has been in every other OS past over here. The only time I can recall actually running into an issue was during Big Sur, when the whole security permission thing kicked in with their new drivers. Worked with MOTU on why the driver wasn't popping up its prompt and wasn't launching after rebooting, but for some reason it magically started working on its own so we just said 'Uh ok then' and closed the case..

[GlynH]

Appreciate the time taken to reply to my questions.

Well I've downloaded & installed both older Audio Installer v73220 dated July 1, 2017 and MIDI Installer also v73220 but dated 31 July, 2017 on my old 2013 MacBook Air running 10.13.6 High Sierra and it recognises all of my MOTU devices when plugged in.

Next up is the 2013 Mac Pro running 12.7 Monterey and that looks to be the current Audio Installer v89555 dated October 2021 and current MIDI Installer v91217 dated 17 May 2022

Should have all Mac bases covered then and all I need to do is start connecting my gear but that's won't be a 10-minute job!

Might just connect my Proteus 2000 initially as I need to update the firmware over MIDI from its installed v1.03->v2.26 so I'll keep the MIDI chain simple for the time being.

Thanks again for the replies. No doubt you'll hear from me again when I have all my gear connected but that won't be for a while yet as lots of other stuff to do.

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-