Background: Many laptop-based Mac OS X users are experiencing significant audio issues on Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard. On Tiger, the culprit appears to be the AirPort Extreme Update 2008-001 released earlier this spring. One workaround on Tiger is to simply turn off AirPort. On Leopard, the problem appears to be slightly more complex, but generally linked to 10.5.2; several software vendors are recommending music users avoid that update for now. (10.5 / 10.5.1 appear unaffected.) The issue is not universal on Leopard (some laptop Mac users report no problems), but if you are experiencing issues, the only current solution appears to be downgrading your entire system to an earlier release (via Time Machine or reinstalling).

Fortunately, on Tiger there’s a more specific temporary fix.

Tiger Fix: Musician Georgi Marinov has posted step-by-step instructions for reverting the AirPort Extreme Update to the previous release (2007-004). This fix will work only for Tiger users, apparently on specific MacBook Pro and Mac mini models.

tiger airport audio dropouts fix

I’d personally like to see Apple add some facility for uninstalling updates on all releases, as some other operating systems do. (Yes, you can use Time Machine, but that’s more of an argument for building this feature into Software Update.) But regardless, with any OS and any update (and certainly with this unsupported procedure), be sure to backup before applying any update to a critical machine.

If you do apply this, let us know if it works for you.

Previously:

Mac OS X 10.5.2: Music and Audio Problems on Apple Laptops? (Or Blame AirPort?)

Mac Audio Glitches: Serato Reports; Avoid 10.5.2, AirPort For Now

Photo: Telstar Logistics. (Hey, it was either that shot of SFO airport or another apple or tiger or something silly.)

Update: via Kris on comments, it appears the newest ("Penryn") Apple laptops are unaffected, presumably a side effect of using Broadcom chips. (That’s not to say the chip is to blame, but the software support for the different chips might be.)

Digidesign Pro Tools LE 6.9.2 now supports Mac OS X 10.4.1 Tiger (LE is the Pro Tools software that runs on Mbox and 002 hardware.) (via Harmony Central) Pro Tools TDM software already supports Tiger for Pro Tools|HD systems; non-HD systems have been unsupported for some time. So, what’s missing? There’s no support yet for Pro Tools M-Powered, the Pro Tools variant for use on M-Audio hardware; Digi promises this in an upcoming release. It’s a little confusing that M-Powered would be different enough from LE to require a separate release; it’s too bad there isn’t one LE version that supports both. How about a unified release of LE/M-Powered for Pro Tools 7, Digi?

Details and free download from Digidesign

Contrary to popular belief, Digidesign ain’t the only game in town when it comes to hardware DSP for effects and instruments. Universal Audio writes us to say that today they’ve updated their UAD-1 DSP system; version 3.9 adds support for Mac OS X Tiger. Users of Logic Pro 7.1 and the upcoming Live 5 will enjoy better support for the UAD-1 on their end, too, thanks to new latency compensation in each of those packages.

There’s a goodie in the new release, too: an emulation of the Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble stompbox, for creating analog-style, wide-stereo effects. The CE-1 was developed by UA in partnership with Roland, the first of three promised stompboxes. For those of you who sing the Song of Roland, I’m sure you’ll crave this. (The update includes a 14-day demo; you’ll have to shell out the US$99 for chorusing after that. If you’re buying a UAD-1 new, there’s a free compressor promotion through the end of June.)

By the way, two things I like about the UAD-1. First, it’s got just one, big vector chip for DSP, saving some of the typical bottlenecks on DSP cards. Second, their slogan is “Analog Ears, Digital Minds,” which seems in keeping with the spirit of CDM. Or . . . wait . . . are we more “Analog Minds, Digital Ears.” Or . . . “Analog Ears, No Mind.” Well, something like that. So, any UAD-1 aficionados out there? Give us a buzz.

Deja vu, anyone? The same day that plasq has released their solution for sending audio over a network, Wormhole2, the new Tiger-ready version of Jack is out. Unlike Wormhole, Jack is Open Source, though it’s also Mac- (and Linux-) only; no Windows. Mac users, you don’t have to choose between the two: Jack is great for connecting audio apps to one another, not just computers, so you might use Jack for inter-app audio and Wormhole2 for network audio, if, like me, you’ve got a PC around, too. Jack developer Dan Nigrin writes that the new Jack is “compatible with Tiger, including its distributed audio devices feature… and including audio-over-network capabilities as before.” Read more for full specs (and a call for developers!).

Long-awaited drivers for M-Audio’s FireWire audio hardware are now available with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger compatibility. The drivers available for download are:

M-Audio lists compatibility with “10.4.1.” Interestingly, there’s nothing in the version history that suggests what was changed for Tiger support; many users had success with the previous drivers. There are other enhancements that are not related to Tiger, so users of 10.2.8 and later should upgrade. This includes issues after waking from sleep as some CDM readers had reported (not Tiger-specific).

It’s two, two, two Cubase stories in one. Here goes:

Cubase.net forum will require USB key number: Don’t like entering serial numbers and the like when you’re installing software or talking to tech support? Now you may need them just to post to a forum. The revised forum policy on Cubase.net requires users to add their USB key number (the dongle’s identifier) to a hidden field in their user profile. Refuse to comply, and you won’t be able to post Cubase SX-related technical questions. Users of Cubase software without a key, like Cubase LE, can continue to post normally, and all the general chat is still open. But ongoing piracy lockdowns just keeping getting more annoying for those of us who have legit investments in our software. (via gearjunkies) And in other Cubase news . . .

Cubase LE/SE installers incompatible with Tiger: No, Cubase itself is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4. The problem seems to be the installers: if you’ve got a pre-installed copy of LE or SE 1.07, you’re fine, but you can’t install anew on a Tiger system. See Steinberg’s forum post. A fix is promised.

Pro Tools TDM 6.9.2 adds compatibility for Mac OS X Tiger for those with Pro Tools|HD and HD accel systems. All Digidesign and Digidesign-distributed plug-ins will work once you’ve got the new Pro Tools; no plug-in updates are needed.

Still incompatible with Tiger: Pro Tools LE 6.9, Pro Tools M-Powered 6.8, Digidesign CoreAudio Driver v6.9, and all earlier versions of Pro Tools. Digi says future upgrades will support Pro Tools LE and M-Powered, though they don’t have a date for availability.

For more on Tiger, see CDM’s Tiger Special Report, updated on an ongoing basis.

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[Updated with Tiger widget!] As Pac Man turns 25 this week, there’s sadly no mention of the game’s signature sound and music. (And PLEASE don’t mention that awful song Pac Man Fever again!)

Not only was Pac Man (aka Puckman in 1980; see the game’s history) the first game that inspired mainstream gaming, but it was the first game to feature the kind of gaming sound we now take for granted. There’s something Pavlovian about the strange, iconic sounds of the original Pac Man, with a sound and music score created by Namco’s Toshio Kai. (Note that Pavlov inspired his dogs with bells, not graphics or even, as one might assume with dogs, smell. Sound is a powerful trigger.)

Let’s see . . . there’s the endless siren noise going in the background, increasing your stress level . . . that alien sound that I assume is supposed to be “munching” . . . the satisfying blips and variations as you pick up power pellets and fruit . . . the whimsical melody that introduces each level . . . and the “death” sound, a dizzying downward spiral. Pac Man is one of those games whose sound effects alone you never forget. But enough of me talking about: go relive it:

Play Pac Man online

Great remix at VGMix by “Golden Yoshi”; more remixes at OverClocked Remix

Pac Man widget for Dashboard (OS X Tiger), including sound

Namco Classic Collection Techno Maniax CD at GameMusic.com

Wanted - History Tips: Since information is so scarce, has anyone got any more information on the history of the Pac Man sound and music and creator Toshio Kai? (Send other links if you’ve got them, too!)

A terrific, free audio tool is lurking in Mac OS X Tiger’s developer tools. AU Lab is intended for testing Audio Unit effects and instruments, but it’s feature-packed enough to be useful to end users, too. If you haven’t already, install Xcode Tools from your Tiger install disc. Then launch Developer > Applications > Audio > AU Lab, and you’re presented with a powerful mixing, hosting, and recording application — included free with Tiger. I’ve been playing around with it; here are some tips on what it can do and how to use it. (click ‘read more’)