AudioMIDI Setup won't remember settings (warning: *ancient* Mac OS and DP version ahead!) - RESOLVED

[ed belknap]

(I briefly considered piggybacking this question on the macOS & 2 X Motu MIDI XT's - Odd Behaviour thread because it seems like some of my symptoms may be similar...but I suspect it's a unique enough situation that I didn't want to detract from the OP's hunt in that thread)

I haven't updated my DAW in decades, in part because I didn't even use it for the last 10 years. So I'm still running DP 4.61 on a Mac G4 using OSX 10.3.9 (Panther)
But 10+ years ago, everything worked fine.
I recently dug it all out of mothballs, reconnected it, fired up some old sessions, created some new ones...and unfortunately it is not working as seamlessly as it did the last time it was all fired up.

Here's what I'm encountering:
- Audio MIDI Setup is not remembering the settings/configuration from session to session, or day to day. Every time I launch DP, I need to reconfigure the MIDI routing in the Audio MIDI Setup application.
- I only have (1) MOTU MIDI Express XT USB connected. But every time I launch a new (or reopen an old) DP session I notice that none of the synthesizer assignments are active, and if I go to the Audio MIDI Setup application it now shows several MOTU MIDI Express XT USB connected...but my MIDI modules only appear connected to one of those XTs, and it's not the one that's currently active (or "online").
- so every time I launch DP it's creating a new phantom MIDI Express (or several), making one of these new interfaces the active one, and inactivating the one that all my sound modules are connected to! I can't change the status of the inactive one to "online" so I have to delete all the XTs that aren't considered "online" and repatch all the MIDI connections to the one new XT that is "online"

Infuriating!

Any ideas? (Besides "get a new Mac and a current version of DP"?) Thanks.

[mikehalloran]

(I briefly considered piggybacking this question on the macOS & 2 X Motu MIDI XT's - Odd Behaviour thread because it seems like some of my symptoms may be similar...but I suspect it's a unique enough situation that I didn't want to detract from the OP's hunt in that thread)

I haven't updated my DAW in decades, in part because I didn't even use it for the last 10 years. So I'm still running DP 4.61 on a Mac G4 using OSX 10.3.9 (Panther)
But 10+ years ago, everything worked fine.
I recently dug it all out of mothballs, reconnected it, fired up some old sessions, created some new ones...and unfortunately it is not working as seamlessly as it did the last time it was all fired up.

Here's what I'm encountering:
- Audio MIDI Setup is not remembering the settings/configuration from session to session, or day to day. Every time I launch DP, I need to reconfigure the MIDI routing in the Audio MIDI Setup application.
- I only have (1) MOTU MIDI Express XT USB connected. But every time I launch a new (or reopen an old) DP session I notice that none of the synthesizer assignments are active, and if I go to the Audio MIDI Setup application it now shows several MOTU MIDI Express XT USB connected...but my MIDI modules only appear connected to one of those XTs, and it's not the one that's currently active (or "online").
- so every time I launch DP it's creating a new phantom MIDI Express (or several), making one of these new interfaces the active one, and inactivating the one that all my sound modules are connected to! I can't change the status of the inactive one to "online" so I have to delete all the XTs that aren't considered "online" and repatch all the MIDI connections to the one new XT that is "online"

Infuriating!

Any ideas? (Besides "get a new Mac and a current version of DP"?) Thanks.

Yes. It’s the Mac or your XTs or all three.

MOTU made more than one XT. Although the current units do not use a settings battery, older ones use a CR2032 battery to maintain settings. Available everywhere as it’s also the battery that medical devices use.

https://www.amazon.com/Procter-Gamble- ... ref=sr_1_6

It’s a good idea to replace them every 7 years or so.

If your G4 is a tower, it uses this PRAM battery for the same purpose.

https://www.amazon.com/Brand-LS14250-L ... ref=sr_1_1

A few G4s used different batteries. Most laptops used none at all.

[ed belknap]

MOTU made more than one XT. Although the current units do not use a settings battery, older ones use a CR2032 battery to maintain settings. ...[snip]...
It’s a good idea to replace them every 7 years or so.

Ah, good intel, thanks! I'll check my MIDI Express XT to see if it has a battery. If it does, it's definitely overdue to be changed; fortunately I keep plenty of CR2032s around all the time since all the gagdets on our bicycles require those.

I replaced the PRAM battery in my G4 maybe 5 years ago so it's probably not that...but if it is, I have couple extra batteries for that too.

[mikehalloran]

I have some of those PRAM batteries, too. Unfortunately, my wife sent both of my G4s to recycling without asking me first.



A failing PRAM battery often shows up looking like a bad GPU with a horrid looking or black screen. Always replace the battery first when that happens.

[ed belknap]

@mikehalloran thanks again for the tip: I replaced the CR2032 battery in my MIDI Express XT-USB and now all the connections in my Audio MIDI Setup seem to be retained from session to session! Whoo-hoo!