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Apple’s OS X:
Audio and MIDI finally have a place at Apple’s
Core
With the release of
OS X 10.2, also known as Jaguar, Apple provided
a foundation for the future of audio and music
creation on the Mac. Of course, leaving OS 9 and
jumping to OS X isn’t necessarily without
hurdles. This is due to the fact that OS X is
a completely different animal -utilizing a Unix
core and a completely redesigned GUI. Of course,
the potential payoff for any one working with
audio, or anything on a computer for that matter,
may outweigh the process of adapting to a new
system. This is because Apple has provided a stable
and powerful operating system that has the potential
to take users to a new level of ease of use.
In this article we will cover
some general ideas behind OS X in general and then
look at some specific considerations for running
an audio system under OS X. Any reference to OS
X in this article refers only for OS X version 10.2
and beyond (Currently OS X is at version 10.2.6).
OS X - An Overview
There are a few benefits at
the core level of OS X over OS 9 that help with
the stability and functionality of your Mac. These
general improvements hold benefits for any audio
system and programs you might run.
Memory Allocation
In OS 9 it was necessary to
piece out and keep a reference of how much memory
was dedicated to any one program. This is known
as manual memory management. For instance, if you
don’t give a program like Reason enough memory
it may choke when loading samples. OS X on the other
hand, has Dynamic Memory management as well as protected
memory. This means OS X automatically takes care
of allocating memory to programs. In OS X you will
no longer see the dreaded, “out of memory” error
message while you still have free memory available.
Force Quit
OS X is a very stable OS, but
applications will crash from time to time. In OS
9 if an application crashed it could freeze up your
computer entirely. If the crash didn’t freeze
up your system you could Force Quit the application
-but even if this worked you were prompted to restart
your computer. In OS X, with it’s protected
memory, you can force quit out of an application
without affecting other applications or having to
restart your computer. This is a godsend for those
of us working with audio. No longer are the days
of Reason being in Rewire Mode, crashing or freezing
up, and having to completely reboot without being
able to save whatever you you might have done in
the Rewire host program (ie DP3).
Unix
OS X , while having a stellar
graphical user interface, has as it’s foundation
Darwin, the unix core of the OS. Unix is known for
being designed to run servers 24/7 without a glitch.
This translates to a very stable and powerful system.
Multiprocessor
For those of you out there
with multiprocessor Macs you no longer need to worry
if a program is “multi-processor aware”.
OS X takes advantage of multiprocessors at the level
of the OS so every application you run can benefit
from multi-processors.
Audio Midi Setup -The
New Sound manager
OS X no longer has the
16bit ,44.1kHZ Sound Manager program. Core Audio
and Core MIDI provides, at the level of the OS
-24bit 96kHZMulti channel sound with 32bit floating
point calculation, built in MIDI support, and
a Native plug-in architecture, as well as soft
synths. All this is handled at the level of the
OS -no more OMS or Free-MIDI, no more need for
third party developers having to create protocols
for getting multi-channel audio into and out of
the Mac.
What do all of these qualities
of OS X add up to... Well, with OS X Apple has created
a performance environment that can handle audio
systems from the consumer side all the way up to
power users and professionals, without sacrificing
ease of use or power. In a word OS X is robust.
Audio and MIDI under
OS X
Let’s take a look at
some of the specifics of audio and MIDI under OS
X. As Apple put it in their Core Audio PDF. “In
creating this new architecture on Mac OS X, Apple’s
objective in the audio space has been twofold. The
primary goal is to deliver a high-quality, superior
audio experience for Macintosh users. The second
objective reflects a shift in emphasis from developers
having to establish their own audio and MIDI protocols
in their applications to Apple moving ahead to assume
responsibility or these services on the Macintosh
platform.” Quite the task, let’s see
how Apple is accomplishing this.
Where Do I Look?
Audio MIDI Setup is found
in your Utilities folder which resides in your
Applications folder. If you are going to jump
into the world of audio in OS X it might be a
good idea to place the Audio MIDI Setup utility
in your doc for easy accessibility. When you connect
hardware like AD/DA converters, like MOTU’s
828, or MIDI devices, like M-Audio’s Oxygen,
they will turn up here. OS X will be able to automatically
detect some interfaces and you’ll have to
install drivers for others.
There is also an Audio folder
that resides in your Library folder. The Audio folder
contains folders for your MIDI device configurations,
your MIDI Drivers, and a Plug-Ins folder which has
separate folders for MAS, VST, Digidesign, and Audio
Units (Components folder) plug-ins. Cool.
The Audio MIDI Setup utility
in OS X 10.2 isn’t just a new Sound manager.
At the heart lies Core Audio and Core MIDI. It’s
a complete recode that addresses many fundamental
issues of using various audio/MIDI hardware and
software in Mac OS X. Let’s look at some of
the features.
Core Audio
Core Audio supports 24bit/96kHZ
audio and treats all audio internally with 32
bit processing. These are some serious specs and
a huge jump from the 16 bit/44.1 kHZ world of
Sound Manager
Core Audio supports multichannel
I/O. In fact, your only limitation is your processor
speed, audio interface, application, and physical
hardware outputs.
Under Core Audio, with its multi
channel support, it is possible to route multiple
applications through one audio hardware device.
For instance, you could route six channels of drum
tracks from Cubase SX to outputs 1-6 of your device
while routing the output of your 2 channel editor
like TC Works Spark, or Bias’ Peak to channels
7 and 8. This type of routing has never before been
available at the OS level.
Latency controls are now provided
for the internal audio hardware that ships with
your Mac. It is possible to get very low latency
under OS X.
Core Audio supports Audio units,
a new plug-in architecture that exists at the system
level...meaning better performance and universal
accessibility for multiple applications. No need
to worry if you need the MAS, VST, or RTAS version
of a plug-in. Of course, VST is still very popular
as a plug-in format and it will probably be some
time before we see the universal acceptance of Audio
units.
Core MIDI
Core MIDI was developed
by Doug Wyatt, one of the developers behind OMS
from Opcode. Core MIDI takes away the need for
3rd party applications like Free MIDI and OMS.
All MIDI interfacing is now handled at the level
of the OS. This provides increased stability and
support. Also, you can utilize multiple interfaces
from multiple MIDI programs at the same time.
OMS hasn’t been updated
since the demise of Opcode and is outdated, while
Free MIDI from MOTU is not supported across the
board. With Core MIDI you get a single system integrated
within the OS and supported by all manufacturers.
This is a huge benefit for those working with MIDI
on their Macs.
Real World Application
I’ve been running
both Steinberg's Cubase SX and Ableton Live for
OS X for awhile now. Truth be told, both of these
programs have a reputation for being more stable
on the Windows side -but they have been working
great on my dual processor G4 running OS 10.2.6.
One program for OS X that's getting attention
is Emagic's Logic 6. Emagic is now owned by Apple,
and Logic is supposed to run very smooth and efficient
on OS X systems -look for an exclusive audioMIDI.com
review soon. I've also had a chance to work with
hardware interfaces from M-Audio, Edirol, and
MOTU under OS X. Most of these units have run
without a glitch and provide very low latency.
OS X is truly a revolution
in the way your Mac will handle digital audio,
but it is also a young operating system and still
not completely fleshed out with respect to audio
and MIDI. More and more support is growing for
Audio Units and late this summer Apple may be
releasing Panther, or OS 10.3. This will be a
major update, and while all the details pertaining
to audio and MIDI haven't leaked out of Cupertino
yet, Panther is said to have significant performance
gains and increased stability. Stay tuned to audioMIDI.com
for the latest news and available programs for
OS X. Also, you can check out OSXaudio.com -this
is a great resource for Mac musicians who have
or are thinking of moving their production system
into the land of OS X.
Questions about
this or related topics? Write to doug@audiomidi.com.
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