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Mac B&W G3 and iMac FAQs
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B&W G3 FAQs
- Q. Can I use the
B&W G3 with music software?
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- A. Yes you can! Most software manufacturers have updated their software
and copy protection for the iMac. Emagic LogicAudio Gold and Platinum software
requires an ADB port for their copy protection. They also require a compatible
floppy drive to setup the software. Some dealers can assist you in this
if you don't have the necessary hardware (we do for our local clients!)
Most of the rest of the manufacturers use a challenge and response form
of copy protection. You have to have a code to authorize the software which
you can only get from the manufacturer. Until you do, you can only run
the software for a limited time or only as a demo (no save or the program
quits after a certain time period usually about 15 minutes). Some are requiring
that the Orginal CDRom be in the drive in order to run the software.
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- Q. How does MIDI
hook up to the B&W G3?
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- A. There are two possible ways.
- 1. Thru the USB port. Emagic, MidiMan and Opcode have USB MIDI interfaces
available. They range from simple 2x2 (32 MIDI channels) to 8x8 networkable
ones w/SMPTE. To use OMS USB MIDI devices you have to have the latest hardware
ROMS (they can be updated by downloading software from Apple's site if
you have an oder iMac), OS 8.6 or higher. Emagic directly supports their
USB interfaces with their software but you have to use OMS with other software.
Check our catalog for pricing and our NAMM Report for model info!
- 2. Using the Internal Modem port with a Stealth Port instead of a Internal
Modem. While you lose the internal modem you gain a true serial port for
any existing serial device including MIDI interfaces. This is great if
you're updatng your Mac system since you can keep your existing serial
port MIDI interface. At the moment (Aug 8, 1999) it's also the only way
to lock the B&W G3 to SMPTE. None of the USB SMPTE interfaces are shippng,
though Emagic's Unitor II should be this month which does SMPTE?VITC, window
burns of timecode and more. Check our catalog for pricing and our NAMM
Report for model info!
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- Q. What's FireWire?
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- A. FireWire is Apple's name for IEEE1394 (Sony uses the name i.Link
for it). It's a high speed serial standard used for Digital Video, hard
drives, CDRWs, etc. (It has 30 times more bandwidth than USB) It is a standard
for both Mac and WIndows OS platforms. It allows for up to 63 FireWire
devices to be hooked up to a computer with cablw lengths up to 14 feet.
You can plug in or unplug devices without turning the computer off. There
are no IDs or termination settings to worry about. Best of all is the speed,
it's up to 400mbps a sec (50 megs a sec)! B&W G3s have two Firewire
ports built in. You can add Firewire ports from several manufacturers like
OrangMicro, Adaptec, etc to existing Power Macs. There are also Firewire
to SCSI convertor available from OrangeMiro. Check our catalog for pricing
on cards, hard drvies, CDRW.
iMac FAQs
- Q. Can I use
the iMac with music software?
-
- A. Yes you can! Most software manufacturers have updated their software
and copy protection for the iMac. Emagic LogicAudio Gold and Platinum software
requires an ADB port for their copy protection which currently means you
can't use this software on the iMac which lacks this port. (Emagic feels
the iMac user won't be interested in using their top of the line software.)
Their MicroLogic and Logic Audio Silver can be used but require a compatible
floppy drive to setup and authorize the hard drive (Silver). Some dealers
can assist you in this if you don't have the necessary hardware (we do
for our local clients!) Most of the rest of the manufacturers use a challenge
and response form of copy protection. You have to have a code to authorize
the software which you can only get from the manufacturer. Until you do,
you can only run the software for a limited time or only as a demo (no
save or the program quits after a certain time period usually about 15
minutes). Some are requiring that the Orginal CDRom be in the drive in
order to run the software.
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- Q. How does MIDI
hook up to the iMac?
-
- A. Thru the USB port. Emagic, MidiMan and Opcode have USB MIDI interfaces
available. They range from simple 2x2 (32 MIDI channels) to 8x8 networkable
ones w/SMPTE. To use OMS USB MIDI devices you have to have the latest hardware
ROMS (they can be updated by downloading software from Apple's site if
you have an oder iMac), OS 8.6 or higher. Emagic directly supports their
USB interfaces with their software but you have to use OMS with other software.
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- Q. What is USB?
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- A. USB is short for Universal Serial Bus. It is a standard for both
Mac and WIndows OS platforms. USB supports simultaneous connection of up
to 127 devices (printers, modems, scanners, CDRWs, hard drives, etc) at
speeds up to 12 megs per second by attaching peripherals through interconnected
external hubs. When a computer's ports fill up, users simply attach a device
called a hub, which provides additional ports (usually four or seven),
and keep on plugging in more peripherals-and hubs-as needed. to be hooked
up to a computer. You can plug in or unplug devices without turning the
computer off. While you can hook up hard drives to USB, it isn't fast enough
to handle audio properly, you should use SCSI or Firewire for audio storage.
There are USB to SCSI convertors (MicroTech, Newer Tech) which will allow
you to transfer files in/out of iMacs and B&W G3s for back up, transfers,
etc. Check our catalog for pricing.
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B&W G3 
iMac