General Help , SAath , Troubleshooting

2b. macOS Optimization Guide for Recording (step 2)

Posted On12/12/2019
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Once your Mac is optimized, the next thing to do is configure your external devices and music production software. Audio and MIDI devices often require driver installation and hardware configuration. DAWs typically need to be set up and synchronized with the audio and MIDI devices.

If your hardware or software is not supported on macOS 10.15 Catalina their performance cannot be guaranteed. That means they could work just fine or not at all. Losing functionality of a DAW or audio interface can be a real damper, and you may have to reinstall another version of macOS to get back up and running. Before upgrading to macOS 10.15 Catalina or purchasing a new Mac or device, check to see that it is supported by the manufacturer.

Audio and MIDI device settings

Compatibility and system requirements:

Audio and MIDI devices each have requirements for connecting with your Mac and synchronizing with your software. First of all, the device must be compatible with your version of macOS. The next most important step is to install the device’s driver. If it does not have a driver, then it will use the built-in macOS driver to connect and is considered class-compliant.

Connections and connectivity:

Depending on how they’re made, there may be a few ways to connect and configure your audio and MIDI devices. External devices prefer to be connected directly to your Mac. This is especially true for bus-powered devices that do not have a power supply adapter and draw power from their USB connection. Some devices can be daisy-chained, like Thunderbolt or Firewire connections.

  • If a USB hub is required, make sure to use one with its own power supply adapter. These hubs don’t take power from the computer and are better able to distribute power to connected devices.
  • Remove unused MIDI devices in the AMS window or create a new default configuration.

DAW software settings

Compatibility and system requirements

Your Mac must meet the DAW’s minimum system requirements to run successfully. That means your macOS version, RAM (memory), and processor must be compatible with your DAW version, otherwise, the software may not run correctly or in some cases not even launch. Check with the software manufacturer’s product page or support area for up-to-date system requirements information.

Audio playback settings

Most DAW or virtual instrument software uses your audio device’s settings to record audio. The audio device must first be selected in the audio software. To make sure your DAW and audio device are configured properly, they both must use the sample rate.  If the settings don’t match you may hear pops, clicks, distorted audio, or even silence. You must also make sure the audio is correctly routed between the software and hardware. That means audio leaving the software needs to go to the correct audio device outputs, and input signals must be routed to the correct input channel and track.

Once a DAW and audio device are configured for each other, they will retain their settings until configured differently. Most DAW’s and newer audio interfaces have saveable and recallable routing or input/output settings. Consider saving these settings to a dedicated studio folder for easy recall and as a backup.

MIDI devices and Audio MIDI Setup configuration

MIDI devices connect like audio devices but use MIDI data instead of audio. The best way to optimize them is to refresh your MIDI device list and retitle any unspecified MIDI ports you’re using. For example, if you connect something via MIDI cable to your MIDI or audio interface’s MIDI port, it will show up as the MIDI port instead of the actual device’s name. Use the Audio MIDI Setup app to refresh your MIDI device list and create a new configuration.

 

Inputs from: Google, SweetCare

 

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