Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Tristan,

there are reasons why this took so long. The most important one being exact reproducibility. Obviously this was not a problem on each and every such system (else this thread would be much longer...), and in some cases 64-bit kernel boot or some of the intermediate drivers did help already. Another reason was apparently a certain lack of direct support from Apple.

We would have certainly liked to find a solution earlier, and MC has repeatedly stated that we're not exactly happy with the situation... The delay in finding a fix is definitely regretted.

Kind regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

with a bit more communication we would not be so frustrated !

http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/tristankleinuniversalmojo.html

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

I kind of like the Japanese approach.  Fix the problem, not the blame.  I'm sure this has been a thorn in RME's side and they were anxious to fix it.  Bad word of mouth makes if much harder to sell products.  Maybe we can focus on any remaining issue rather than scolding RME?

One thing, as users have reported that 'changing the sample rate' fixes the problem of 'no sound' after disconnecting and re-connecting - would it be possible for RME to fix this one last thing?  Very minor thing to me, I don't ever turn it off until after I shut down my Mac.

Or - as a temporary 'fix' add a button that would essentially 'change the frame rate' and get sound back again?

Also, is the problem totally fixed so that the FF400 can be turned on (for the first time) after the Mac Pro has booted?

Thanks!

454

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Thanx RME. FF800 works again.
I have been testing it last two days and everything works just fine.
:-)

iMac 2.93 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4 GB 1067 MHz DD3
OSX 10.6.3

455

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

hey, RME)
thnx for new driver, but i have two kernel panics in last one day.
one was when itunes was working and im tried to start ableton in same time... Kernel panic.
another one was when my mac wake up after sleep, and no freezes and also no sound. i started itunes with built in output - it plays, then changed output to ff400 - no sound. When im tried to change sample rate - kernel panic...
then appear logs that i was sent to apple. if you need them, where to send it?

macbook pro(early 2008), 4gb ram, 10.6.3, ff400

http://ilyasobol.com

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Finally... :-)

I'm going to install this driver tonight.
I'll report back later.

RME Fireface UFX
Mac Mini 2.6 GHz 16 GB Ram Areca RAID | MacBook Pro 2,2 GHz 16 GB Ram | OS 10.10.5

457

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

scottkrk wrote:

PS There are still some bugs i.e. if the FF800 is turned on when iTunes is playing sound is heard for a couple of seconds and is then muted. Not a major issue.

I fail to see how this is a bug nor why someone should do something as crazy as desribed (pull the cable during playback, plug in again and expect everything just to continue).

Whatever, if you want to do that use driver 2.72:

https://archiv.rme-audio.de/download/fi … 86_272.zip

cool

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

458

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

2.72 has been released that also fixes the Preset button shift. See website.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

459

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

scottkrk wrote:

BTW It may be a cross-cultural difference but to a native english speaker your tone comes across as really aggressive and the cool emoticon comes across as smug.

Probably not the best way to treat your customers... HeadScratch

No no, as a German I can assure you that I neither am used to nor like be adressed like that.

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

scottkrk wrote:

Please reread what I wrote, I never said anything about pulling any plugs, simply switching the power-on while audio was playing in iTunes.

I think you might be confusing me with MacProFF400User in post #470?

Scott

Actually, I said that was a very minor thing that wouldn't affect me.  I just made the suggestion as I can tell that a number of folks are going to want to go down that path.  It seemed important to them.   Whether they are right or wrong isn't important.  Happy customers recommend hardware, unhappy customers go bonkers!  As I own RME products, I'd like to see them do well.

BTW - one reason why I'd never pull the plug on the firewire cable, is I heard that this can rarely destroy the chip inside the Mac (or maybe inside the FF400/800).  Is this true?

I can envision in the future wanting to run the FF400 thru a firewire switch http://www.signvideo.com/firewire-switch-ieee-1394.htm so that I could switch the FF400 between a MacPro and a Win7 box.

I hadn't intended to switch while either unit was turned on.

Is this possible (with the units off), and would I I be heading for a world of hurt (if I tried to switch while the units were on)?

461 (edited by misterharrison 2010-06-10 15:56:21)

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

MC wrote:

2.72 has been released that also fixes the Preset button shift. See website.

Is there any benefit updating to this latest version if I'm still on 10.5.8?
I'm using 2.62a as that's what seems to be recommended on the driver download page for 10.5 systems.
Thanks

-FF400-
2.53GHz MacBook Pro 10.5.8

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Thanks for the updates, hope they will fix all the problems. But I agree about the tone, is there a need to be condescending? We are customers who bought the product. For me at least it is important with a good support that feels like they take our opinions seriously. To be honest, nowadays we have a lot of good options when it comes to interfaces, and I will decide my next purchase depending on the support I get.

Mac Pro 8-core (Early 2008), 6 GB RAM. Fireface 800. Logic 9.1.1, OS X 10.6.3

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

MC wrote:

2.72 has been released that also fixes the Preset button shift. See website.

Great stuff Matthias, working great here!!

----------------
Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
----------------

464

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Phew, ok, I can put my travel plans to ozzy land back on schedule then.

:-)

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Please do MC... I probably owe you a beer, anyway! :-)

----------------
Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
----------------

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

StressedOut wrote:

Thanks for the updates, hope they will fix all the problems. But I agree about the tone, is there a need to be condescending? We are customers who bought the product. For me at least it is important with a good support that feels like they take our opinions seriously. To be honest, nowadays we have a lot of good options when it comes to interfaces, and I will decide my next purchase depending on the support I get.

same for me and RME is already out of my plans.

http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/tristankleinuniversalmojo.html

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

ye wrote:

I gave the new driver a short try.
The good news.. no freezes  (up to now).

I still get a problem when I pull the firewire cable during playback (say itunes or something like that):
- sound swtsches to internal speakers.
- I plug in the firewire cable again ... I get sound-output for a fraction of a second on the gear attached to the Fireface.
- mixer and settings windows relaunch and silence. No way to get the sound back. Not by quiting and relaunching the applications. Not by loging out and back in, only after restart Sound is back on the FF.

OS 10.6.3 MacBook Pro 13" 4GB FF800

This is a very weird use of an expensive piece of kit

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

misterharrison wrote:
MC wrote:

2.72 has been released that also fixes the Preset button shift. See website.

Is there any benefit updating to this latest version if I'm still on 10.5.8?

Anyone?
Is there any point updating for Leopard users?

-FF400-
2.53GHz MacBook Pro 10.5.8

469 (edited by ye 2010-06-11 11:56:54)

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

david_morin wrote:
ye wrote:

I gave the new driver a short try.
The good news.. no freezes  (up to now).

I still get a problem when I pull the firewire cable during playback (say itunes or something like that):
- sound swtsches to internal speakers.
- I plug in the firewire cable again ... I get sound-output for a fraction of a second on the gear attached to the Fireface.
- mixer and settings windows relaunch and silence. No way to get the sound back. Not by quiting and relaunching the applications. Not by loging out and back in, only after restart Sound is back on the FF.

OS 10.6.3 MacBook Pro 13" 4GB FF800

This is a very weird use of an expensive piece of kit

Thats's Plug and Play :-) The plug was more reachable than the power switch of the FF.

Being serious: After loosing the content of a firewire hard disk, and lot of time and done work by freezes at very inconvenient time, I consider it as quite natural to to some stress test under controlled circumstances (i.e. while no real work is endangered) with the new driver before "trusting" it again and dare to keep the FF connected to the working machine.

P.S. according the Tech Specs of Firewire according to Wikipedia:

"It is designed to support Plug and play and hot swapping."

470

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

You imply that it is possible (or makes sense) to exchange devices while you read or write data to/from them. Hot swapping obviously requires the specific unit to enter a defined state first - and that is an inactive state.

Apart from that there are numerous posts in this forum plus a special paper in each box shipped that explicitely warn from pulling the cable, as the FireWire chip of the FF or the computer might get damaged. An effect that has not been invented by RME.

To misterharrison: yes, the old driver is mostly aimed at 10.4 users now that 2.72 works so well. But as 2.62a is still compatible to 10.5 the download description will not be changed.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

http://www.rme-audio.de/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3385

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

MC wrote:

To misterharrison: yes, the old driver is mostly aimed at 10.4 users now that 2.72 works so well. But as 2.62a is still compatible to 10.5 the download description will not be changed.

Thank you.
I'll update to the new one then - I'll get the new skin that way too, won't I?
Do I need to go through that process on the other thread for deleting the old driver files?

-FF400-
2.53GHz MacBook Pro 10.5.8

473

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Better that is....

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

MC wrote:

2.72 has been released that also fixes the Preset button shift. See website.

great ....seems to work ...did some connect/disconnect tries and it works ...no sleeping issues ....thx a lot ...

MAC PRO 4.1 2.26x8 11GB / MACBOOK PRO 15" 3.1 / FF400 2.72 / SL 10.6.4

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

MacProFF400User wrote:

BTW - one reason why I'd never pull the plug on the firewire cable, is I heard that this can rarely destroy the chip inside the Mac (or maybe inside the FF400/800).  Is this true?

i pull the firewire cables all the time , never got issues via firewire 400 and 800    ... maybe it is a MAC thing ....the burnt out photo seems to be a via..  ...i dont know ...for everything is a first time smile

MAC PRO 4.1 2.26x8 11GB / MACBOOK PRO 15" 3.1 / FF400 2.72 / SL 10.6.4

476

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

MC wrote:

Apart from that there are numerous posts in this forum plus a special paper in each box shipped that explicitely warn from pulling the cable, as the FireWire chip of the FF or the computer might get damaged. An effect that has not been invented by RME.

No, I agree, RME is not responsible of everything that goes wrong in the world :-)
On the other hand in the Firewire Design Guide, Section 9.2, it clearly is stated that this failure is not a "designed feature" but accidentally can happen with ... worn or bad cables, extremal angle while connecting ... and bus-powered FW400 setups are much more likely to be affected. So with my FF800 I feel not too hazardous.  ... By the way there are also design suggestion (not looking too costly) to protect the device against this.

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Didn't have an issue with the old driver, but I'm loving the new look of Total Mix and so far 2.72 is working just as well. Glad to see that the problem is understood and fixed at any rate. cool

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

After installing 2.72.

The about dialog in Fireface Settings gives the following info:

Mac OS X Driver 2.72
Kernel Driver 2.71

Is this correct or should the Kernel Driver also show 2.72?

/K

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Did you uninstall before updating to 2.72?


Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

You RME guys kill me.  Kalbinsson asked a simple question.  Why can't you just answer it!
I happen to be interested in the answer also.  Sheesh!

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

You know what? I don't know the answer... :-O
I'm sitting here recording a live concert in my free time (no, I don't have a 24/7 contract...), and I don't happen to have access to an Intel Mac with a Fireface where I am. So I choose to ask whether the driver was uninstalled first. If not, this might just help, and if it doesn't, then maybe it's only a cosmetic issue. We'll look into it on Monday.

Guess I should stop trying to help outside office hours... rant :roll

Regards,
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

482

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

My Kernel Driver is 2.71.  I deleted the files before installation of 2.72.

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Minor cosmetic issue, I'd say. I'll forward it.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Thank you guys for the new driver!!!

I don't know what are all the changes in detail since 2.65, or if its only the memory management that was changed, anyways the 2.71/2.72 fixes finally my random audio stuttering when i use the fireface with ni traktor. that made traktor unusable with the fireface in the last months for me, but now its working like a charm again.

Greetings Urknall

Mac Pro Early 2008 2,8 Octo 10 GB RAM, OSX 10.7.4, FF 400 (v3.08 / 1.71)

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

scottkrk,


i think its not right what you are doing here.
first of all it is not true that the problem was reproducible.
i have seen it on an imac and a macpro but many other 10.6x users
never experienced any trouble throughout this 9 month.
yes, rme was not behaving as we where used to, maybe this was the first time
that they have been unsure about what is going on with their product (thats daily business at motu for example).
but we have seen them working constantly on fixing the problem.
your advice to buyers of an audio device is resultung from pure anger it seems to me.
i have seen metric halo cases where users where not able to work with their device for almost a year.
and metric halo was just saying : we are waiting for spare parts from usa.
want a apogee example ? well i guess every user who bought an early ensemble could start the same thread in their forums.
if your posting at GS was caused by emotional reasons, please think about editing the spikes.

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

scottkrk wrote:

1. If RME believes hot plugging powered FW is unsafe why don't you say it on the product page?

Because this is not a product specific issue. It affects FW in general.


3. Please provide more information about how the damage was caused to the circuit board in the picture?

All the information is in the link I provided.

I would hope that RME would want to diagnose the cause and inform its customers?

There is nothing to diagnose, really - and no RME gear was involved.

4. Would RME do anything differently to support its Mac customers? Or is this the level of support Mac users should expect from RME?

Scott, FW hotplugging has nothing to do with Macs or RME specifically.


Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

487 (edited by Timur 2010-06-14 09:47:04)

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Now we are double posting on two forums... wink

scottkrk wrote:

About the only thing we agree on is that TImur, (with 1346 posts on the RME site) is a true RME enthusiast.

If you go by number of posts then I'm even more of an Ableton Live enthusiast. But given the fact that I was banned from the Ableton Forum the post-count might be quite misleading here. gooof Besides that most of my posts are trying to support other users.

Maybe you can call me an enthusiast, but I am also a demanding or say challenging customer/user. And I use to provide lots of detailed informations and not only understand how audio hardware/software works but very much understand how computers work. Because of that I became beta-tester for RME products, which obviously keeps me around their forum alot. I also beta-test lots of other audio- and non-audio related stuff.

But yes, I generally like my own RME interfaces and I want them to work properly just as much as you do. Having to wait several months for a driver to fix a problem is not an experience I like to make, but I have been waiting *alot* longer for other companies to look into their stuff with *alot* easier to fix issues. DeadHorse

Concerning Firewire hot-plugging. With my FF400 I do it all the time (often several times a day) without any problems. And that doesn't mean "if it works for me it works for anyone", it just means "the risk doesn't seem that high and I am willing to take it".

488 (edited by MacProFF400User 2010-06-14 14:35:34)

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Hey guys, RME fixed the problem.  This is good news.

There's nothing to be gained from harping on how long it took, and certainly about the hot plugging issues (which RME warns against in a separate sheet of paper when you open the box).

If you really want to hot-plug and take the risk, you might want to use a switch like this.  It might lessen the risk.   http://www.signvideo.com/firewire-switch-ieee-1394.htm

But, the RME hot-plug 'issue' is a dead issue.   I don't see RME's stance changing.  So, what's the point of continuing the discussion?

We originally bought RME because they had the best hardware. 

They had a problem with the software due to Apple or the issues of moving to 10.6 or whatever.

This happens all the time.  I'm dealing with some major problems with other companies as we speak that are much worse in perspective.  100% repeatable bugs that I can't get them to address.

RME had the worst case scenario, a bug that was intermittent and didn't exist for all users.   VERY hard to fix.

Software is always going to have revisions and bug fixes ... and bugs.

So, let's just move on and put all that behind us? 

I'm happy with RME, it's a great product.   It's an even better product as it now works with 10.6.

So - be happy folks!

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Scott,

final comments from me here...

scottkrk wrote:

1. You post RME User Forum / Firewire - handle with care..., has no details about the cable, the PCI card or what caused the shorting. To me this looks like shameless FUD against Firewire but others can click on the link and judge for themselves. If you were using a shorted cable on a poorly designed cheap PCI card what have you proven? Only that the card has no fault current protection.

This was a regular cable, but the exact details are irrelevant. It just shows that untoward things can happen with bus powered FW involved, even when doing something as harmless as connecting a cable to a FW card. Most of the time, nothing will happen, but it's possible. Hence our warning that comes with the FF.


2 What fault current and ESD protection is on FF800/400? Silent on this one.... Have used any passive or active protection as recommended in the guidelines????

I don't design hardware. If at all, MC might comment.

3. To be clearer this question relates to the topic of the thread: "After 9 months!! RME Finally Fix Fireface 800/400 Kernel Panics 10.6" Would RME do anything differently to support its Mac customers? Or is this the level of support Mac users should expect from RME?

Quote obviously, there is no way I could answer this question to your satisfaction, mostly because your biased question and definition of "this level of support", which is clearly not something we (or a lot of other customers who never even noticed this issue) would agree upon. Therefore I somehow don't even assume you actually expect an answer to this question...

Clearly I don't think RME Mac support has been acceptable and clearly RME thinks it acceptable, we will have to agree to disagree. As I stated earlier the disturbing thing to me is RME continues to deny any responsibility for the delays and continues to blame others. No apologies to users who had to endure ten months of kernel panics and potential data corruption.

I don't quite agree with these views (asexplained earlier), and will therefore refrain from commenting. Also, none of this is related to the hot-plugging issue you've brought up in the middle of this...


Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

scottkrk wrote:

As I stated earlier the disturbing thing to me is RME continues to deny any responsibility for the delays and continues to blame others. No apologies to users who had to endure ten months of kernel panics and potential data corruption.

As a Mac user I clearly wouldn't risk buying another RME device, I have linked to relevant posts in the forum and I will leave it to others to decide if RME mac support is acceptable.

100 %  agree.

http://www.grooveyardrecords.com/tristankleinuniversalmojo.html

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Okay, here's my 0.01$:

- Uninstalled everything RME with the FF800 turned off.
- Installed the new driver 2.72.
- Restarted the Mac.
- Turned on the FF800 AFTER the Mac had booted.

-> Red host light has turned off.
-> Mixer and Settings do NOT autostart! As always for months and months! They ONLY autostart when the Mac is turned on AFTER the FF
-> I had to launch Mixer and Settings manually - again.
-> Driver version reads 2.72, Kernel reads 2.71
-> Logic did NOT crash or freeze this time!

Well, I came that road before: Directly after installation and reboot, it sometimes worked. But the next day, when I cold-started everything, the problem usually was back.
Since I don't have the time for excessive tests tonight (still correcting some strange class test by 13-year-olds ;-), I'll post again tomorrow where I will try to start the Mac and THEN the FF800 once again.

But even if it works - my first wish will be for the autostart to work whenever I want it to...

Best regards,

Christian

492

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Christian, about the apps still not starting please contact Martin about that. Your computer seems to be the only one  where this happens, but we want to know why and will try to fix it.

About the kernel still labelled 2.71 - this was just the number. I uploaded a new 2.72 package where this number has been changed to 2.72, but the driver itself is unchanged, so you do not need to update again if you already did.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Hi Mathias,

thanks for getting back to me... I just tried it again after a cold start: Autostart of the apps doesn't work, but the freezes aren't happening (second attempt today, will see more in the next few days). So for now, the worst of all problems seems to be gone. Autostart would be great though.

I'll contact Martin about this.

Best regards,

Christian

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

OSX 10.6.4 is out:

* resolves an issue with noise when using some third-party FireWire audio devices  <-- interesting

greetings urknall

Mac Pro Early 2008 2,8 Octo 10 GB RAM, OSX 10.7.4, FF 400 (v3.08 / 1.71)

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

New driver (2.72) is definitely a no go here on 10.6.4, the interface appears to lose sync and glitches out randomly. Rolled back to 2.65 and the problem goes away completely. Anyone else seeing this?

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

10.6.4 installed and no problems whatsoever here. Will carry on reporting back. Cheers RME!

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Dirtboy wrote:

New driver (2.72) is definitely a no go here on 10.6.4, the interface appears to lose sync and glitches out randomly. Rolled back to 2.65 and the problem goes away completely. Anyone else seeing this?

Do you have the latest firmware update applied to the FF800?

----------------
Matt McKenzie-Smith (UFXII, UFX, Babyface) MacStudioUltra OS13.2.1
----------------

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

mattrixx wrote:
Dirtboy wrote:

New driver (2.72) is definitely a no go here on 10.6.4, the interface appears to lose sync and glitches out randomly. Rolled back to 2.65 and the problem goes away completely. Anyone else seeing this?

Do you have the latest firmware update applied to the FF800?

Hi. My firmware is listed as 1.69. AFAIK I don't see any newer firmware update on the site. Is there a later one I'm not aware of? It's a FF400 btw. Thanks.

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

Dirtboy wrote:
mattrixx wrote:
Dirtboy wrote:

New driver (2.72) is definitely a no go here on 10.6.4, the interface appears to lose sync and glitches out randomly. Rolled back to 2.65 and the problem goes away completely. Anyone else seeing this?

Do you have the latest firmware update applied to the FF800?

Hi. My firmware is listed as 1.69. AFAIK I don't see any newer firmware update on the site. Is there a later one I'm not aware of? It's a FF400 btw. Thanks.

http://www.rme-audio.de/en_downloads.ph … r_fireface

hope this helps

500 (edited by paviglianiti 2010-06-20 15:53:03)

Re: Mac OS X Test driver 2.65 for FF 400/800

SL 10.6.3,v.2.72 installed: no more freezes after sleep so far, FF Mixer & Settings auto-launch works correctly.
Good job guys. cool

Regards
Davide