• Registered: 2012-09-04
  • Posts: 10

Topic: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

Hi there,

I have upgraded to a 27" Retina late 2015 iMac. In the process of getting everything working. I had some trouble getting the RME Fireface 400 working. I have it connected through the Apple Thunderbolt to FW800 converter, and power it externally.

When installing the up-to-date 3.32 software, nothing happens. The installation finishes, but the Fireface Settings application, and the Totalmix both are nowhere to be found. Same thing happens with the 3.06 software.

Strangely, the 2.75 installs fine, and I do have sound at the moment. However, updated drivers would be nice smile I have tried installing the new drivers after 2.75, and the same thing happens - installation goes fine, but when I restart it opens the 2.75 Fireface Settings and mixer. It's like the new installations don't "take".

Known issue? Solutions?

  • cyrano
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Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

Is that the Thunderbolt 3 to FW 800 adapter?

The Thunderbolt 2 to FW 800 has always been reliable, AFAIK, even with the FF400.

Have you tried the usual tricks, such as chaining a good Firewire harddisk before or after the FF400?

Have you tried another (shorter, better) FW 800 to 400 cable?

Note that I've had trouble with the FW 800 to 400 adapter. Not the white cable sold by Apple. The very short plug style one. I'm not sure this one came from the Apple store. It could be a Chinese one, but it works fine with harddisks.

The white cable is either Belkin or Monster. I bought it in the Apple store.

MB Pro - 2 X FireFace 400, FF800 & DigiFace USB
ADAT gear: Korg, Behri, Fostex, Alesis...

cyrano's Website

3 Reply by Bas1983 (edited by Bas1983 2017-01-04 10:14:59)

  • Registered: 2012-09-04
  • Posts: 10

Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

The Firewire to Thunderbolt adapter is the one sold currently (2 weeks old). I pasted the full details at the end of this post.
The Firewire 800-400 cable is a 1m cable I have been using (without the adapter) for years to connect my FW800 macbook pro to the FW400 fireface400.

Chaining through a harddisk: will try that now. I don't have a shorter cable available so cannot try connecting a shorter cable. However, I don't think this is a cable/connection issue, seeing as it IS installing the old driver (and the sound card is working fine with that one), but not the new driver. So it seems more of a software issue to me.


===
firewire details from "about my mac"

Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter:

  Vendor Name:    Apple Inc.
  Device Name:    Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter
  Vendor ID:    0x1
  Device ID:    0x8004
  Device Revision:    0x1
  UID:    0x0001000301C59740
  Apple Serial Number:    DTN642404H3F494AQ
  Route String:    1
  Firmware Version:    5,6
  Port (Upstream):

  • cyrano
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Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

That is the new TB 3 to FW adapter.

MB Pro - 2 X FireFace 400, FF800 & DigiFace USB
ADAT gear: Korg, Behri, Fostex, Alesis...

cyrano's Website

5 Reply by MC

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Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

There is no TB3 to FW adapter. Even if that exists it can't be connected to a 27" Retina late 2015 iMac.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • cyrano
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Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

Yes, Matthias. Must have been asleep at the wheel when I wrote that. The new TB3 adapter is of course USB-C to TB2 adapter and that couldn't work with the OP's Mac.

Then what could be the problem with the newer RME drivers?

MB Pro - 2 X FireFace 400, FF800 & DigiFace USB
ADAT gear: Korg, Behri, Fostex, Alesis...

cyrano's Website

7 Reply by MC

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Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

I don't know as it works without a problem on our machines.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2017-01-13
  • Posts: 3

Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

Hi,
I have a similar problem getting two different FF800s working properly with my mbp retina 15" late 2013 running Sierra 10.12.2. I've installed the latest firewire drivers (3.32) and also the firmware of the soundcards is up to date. The driver installation goes fine but one sound card fails to connect to the computer most of the time. When it connects it gets recognized by software (logic, live, pro tools, max) but it fails to route audio and midi to the hardware outputs and also the total mix doesn't show analog out 1/2, but only from "analog 3/4" upwards. The other FF800 connects everytime but shows the same problems.  I'm using the standard apple thunderbolt to fw800 adapter and a fw400 to 800 cable. The cable is ok because I've tested it on other computers and it works fine. Also the ff800 are fine because they get used everyday by other users and they work ok. The problem showed up only after the update to Sierra, never had a single problem with Yosemite.  Is my thunderbolt adapter gone bad or is it a driver issue? Sierra it's not well supported yet?

9 Reply by MC

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Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

That is not similar at all. And a strange argumentation. Don't you think when everything works under Yosemite but not under Sierra that Apple might have a problem with their FireWire support? Something we can't fix because it happens on OS level?

Anyway, let me ask you: according to your description cabling seems wrong. Correct is: TB to FW800 adapter, cable FW800 to FW800 into Fireface 1, then cable FW400 from Fireface 1 to FW400 of Fireface 2. If you use a FW800 to FW400 cable right in the beginning the bus bandwidth is too limited for operation of more than one unit.

That said if I were you I would go back to Yosemite immediately. Use what works, not what might work!

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

10 Reply by donzojr (edited by donzojr 2017-01-14 15:41:46)

  • Registered: 2017-01-13
  • Posts: 3

Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

The devices weren't daysichained, but connected independently one at a time. I assume from your answer that Apple changed something very important and the thunderbolt to fw800 adapter it's not suitable anymore to connect fw audio interfaces in Sierra, because if not that's either my thunderbolt adapter gone bad or the drivers, and I tend to think the problem doesn't lie in your drivers. Anyway this is very strange because the device apparently shows up properly both in audio software,system preferences and the audio/midi configuration. I've upgraded to Sierra because I've read the announce that all your firewire drivers were compatible, I'd never upgrade without being sure the devices I'm using will function! That said, if there are no other choices I'll downgrade...

11 Reply by MC

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Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

So you use two of the standard Apple Thunderbolt to FW adapter?

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

12 Reply by donzojr (edited by donzojr 2017-01-14 16:33:12)

  • Registered: 2017-01-13
  • Posts: 3

Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

No, I own just one thunderbolt to fw800 adapter. I've never tried to use two FF800s together, not even in daisychain. These devices are not mine, they're in my school and I'm supposed to use it if I don't want to bring mine from home everytime! The fact is: I've tried one of the FF800s, it didn't function (took several tries to make it connect, no audio, no midi, ecc.) the I tried the other one and had the same problems except that it connected on the first attempt. That's all. Just wanted to know if it's a known problem or not. Sorry if I hadn't been clear in the first two posts.

13 Reply by MC

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Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

Ok, that sounds quite differently then. Currently I have this adapter running with one unit on an old MacBook Air, with the latest 10.12.2. After connection it needs about 10 seconds for the host LED to go off, but it works every time and (of course) also with audio. We will check other Macs again.

But it could also be that both Fireface 800 have a defective FireWire port. You should try both FW400 ports on them, and also the use of a full FW800 cable connection.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2012-09-04
  • Posts: 10

Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

Hi all,

My problem persists. Version 2.75 installs fine, version 3.32 does not. I can run the installer and finish installing (restarting my mac), but afterwards I'm still on version 2.75, which I can see by opening Firewire Settings, on the about page.

So still, driver version 3.x doesn't "take" on my system. I don't think it's related to the FF400 itself - even if disconnected the software does not install correctly.

  • Registered: 2012-09-04
  • Posts: 10

Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

I just copied the FireFace Settings and Totalmix app from the application folder of my macbook pro (which did upgrade without problems years ago), and threw them in the applications folder of the iMac. Miraculously, this seemed to work. I am now on version 3.27. Weird.

  • Registered: 2010-04-21
  • Posts: 16

Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

Bas1983, is your system still working with the copied-over drivers?  I had the same problem as you when trying to install 3.32 drivers in new iMac 27.  The install appears to complete but doesn't take.

I tried earlier drivers sequentially backward and finally got 2.75 to take.  I noticed that that one isn't signed and I had to do the override to install it but it seems to be working ok. (maybe there's some glitch in the signing of the newer drivers).

Now I'm nervous about try to update to the newer drivers and losing the ground I just gained.

17 Reply by MC

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Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

For users where it looks like the installer of 3.32 fails to copy over TotalMix FX and the Settings dialog: please try to copy them manually into the Applications folder. The two files are here:

https://archiv.rme-audio.de/download/ma … talmix.zip

If that helps then we will check the installer.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2010-04-21
  • Posts: 16

Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

I manually copied the FireFace settings and Total Mix FX files per MC's instructions and it's working now.

19 Reply by Bas1983 (edited by Bas1983 2017-05-27 12:57:54)

  • Registered: 2012-09-04
  • Posts: 10

Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

Hi MC,

(weirdly, I wasn't subscribed to this topic, so I missed the updates).

I tried to reinstall today, to see if the issue got better. Same thing persists: only version 2.75 "sticks". Copying over your settings makes the Totalmix available, so that's good. However, this isn't a perfect solution, I notice the autolaunch (when plugging in the Fireface) isn't always working, and another issue is that I can't change samplerate from any DAW (I need to change it from the Fireface Settings which is annoying and is something that can lead to issues if I forget).

So, an updated installer would be really appreciated!

I have a hunch that this is related to Mac Gatekeeper although I could be wrong. There is a terminal command that disables Gatekeeper - however that command also fails on my system. So I can't test without Gatekeeper.

  • Registered: 2012-09-04
  • Posts: 10

Re: Fireface drivers 3.x not installing on MacOS Sierra

Short update: Actually changing the samplerate seems to work fine in most DAWs, so take that off my problem-list. Only Premiere has trouble (changing the sample rate in Premiere gives me an error message, after I change the samplerate in Fireface Settings I'm fine). I think that might just be a Premiere problem, as it doesn't come up in any audio DAWs.

Totalmix works fine, although the RME autolaunches the older Fireface Mixer when I reconnect the Fireface. Is it safe to just throw the Fireface Mixer .app in the trash?