Firewire / iMac question

I've been reading the forums for a while and I saw some topics about firewire and whatnot... im not too technical when it comes to these things...
From what I gather, it wouldn't be wise to capture from my camera (hooked up to the firewire connections on my iMac) to my external firewire HD?

I'm looking into purchase of a camcorder and thought Cannon was the Mac cam of choice?<<</div>
I can't imagine where you heard that ... from a Canon sales rep, perhaps?
The truth is, there is no such thing as a "Mac cam of choice" and even if there was, I seriously doubt it would be a Canon product. In all reality, if you're talking about consumer/prosumer type camcorders, I imagine Sony would lead the pack if you compare shear number of units sold and in use.
Not that Canon doesn't make decent camcorders; its their loose adherence to the Firewire standard that seems to create problems with FCP. With most camcorders, you can use FCP's device control setting of Firewire NTSC (in NTSC land, of course). But with Canon, most people have better luck with the device setting in FCP at "Firewire Basic" and even then, many have problems. Note that this problem doesn't occur nearly as much when using another brand for capturing footage shot in a Canon camcorder.
Don't get me wrong though, many people will swear by their Canon gear and may never have a problem. And they do make a very good camcorder - I owned 6 L1's and L2's back in the early days of Hi8 and loved them. But after you read post after post about "dropped frames" problems on this board and others for a few years, you'll soon find that the majority of the people with those problems are using a Canon camcorder as a capture device.
OPINION: I don't own or normally use any of the small camcorders on the market, but I have had gigs shooting with several models and then editing the footage. These included Canon's GL1 and GL2, XL1; Sony's VX2000 and 2100, the PD150 and DSR200 and 250 and Panasonic's DVX100. While I don't really like shooting with a small camcorder (I'm too use to shooting full manual with real lenses that have real iris, focus and zoom controls), there are times when nothing else will do the job that they can. And in this business, its all about using the right tools for each job you do.
My personal recommendation for a DV only, prosumer type camcorder would be the Panasonic AG-DVX100 - hands down. In terms of image quality, it will more closely match the vibrant image of many larger chip cameras equipped with a pro lens.
The image produced by small the Sonys (up to the DSR-250) and Canons tend to be a little of the soft side for my liking and the colors a bit flat as well. But as I indicated, this is only my opinion - nothing more.
-DH

Similar Messages

FireWire 800 questions

I have a few FireWire 800 questions:
Do all FireWire 800 connections use a 9-pin connector cable? Can the FireWire 800 with 9-pin connector also be used to power devices just like with a FireWire 400 port using a 6-pin connector? And lastly, what type of devices are generally used with a FireWire 800 port?

As far as I know yes.
You can get Firewire cables with changeable ends so that you can use the same cable 3 ways: 6 pin to 6 pin, 4 pin to 4 pin, and 4 pin to 6 pin. But never seen any that changes any of the above to 9 pin.
I have a Maxtor 300GB external HD that uses Firewire 800. It is just a bit faster and nowadays with the express cards even if you have the 15" MBP you still can use this option as opposed to FW400.
Hope this helps

Firewire Connection Question (HEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPP!!!)

OK. So I am relatively new to the mac world. I have a question regarding firewire connection. So I had an imac prior to my new macbook. I wanted to transfer my stuff over through firewire but there's a problem. The screen on my Imac stopped working. It still powers up and everything, but no screen. Could someone tell me is there a way to get the hard drive of my Imac up on my macbook screen WITHOUT using the Imac screen? If no, what could/should I do? HEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPP!!!
Thanks guys!
James, extreme newbie.

@discounteggroll...
I have found this to be the solution to connecting macs via firewire... but I have yet to see my imac show up as a hard drive on the macbook pro I am trying to send large video files to.
I have plugged, unplugged and restarted everything several times. Unplugged all other devices outside of my keyboard. Even tried making the macbook pro the 'hard drive' but nothing is working. I am using a 400 to 800 firewire cable. On the macbook I have snow leopard, and the iMac has Tiger. I don't know if the OS has to be the same or not.
I am super frustrated because I don't have the $$ to run out and get another hard drive and it seems like your solution should just work.
Any ideas on how to fix??
Thanks in advance!!
-jp

New iMac Question - Rosetta & Migration Assistant

I'm getting a new 27-inch iMac in the next few days but I have a couple of questions beforehand. I still need to use some Rosetta-based apps so will I have to install Rosetta on the new 27-inch iMac or is it already pre-installed? Seems to me that I've read somewhere that Rosetta is a "custom-install" with Snow Leopard.
This leads me to the next question about the Migration Assistant. I will need to transfer my data from the old hard drive to the new 27-inch iMac. The easiest way being with the Migration Assistant. In the past, when I've bought a new Mac and right after connecting the new Mac and my old Mac together via FireWire and starting the new Mac up for the first time, I've just transferred the data right away before even setting up a new user account on the new Mac. But if I do this now and Rosetta isn't yet installed, will my old apps and related files be transferred properly?
I guess what I'm getting at is this - should I boot the new 27-inch iMac up first, then install Rosetta (if an install is needed), then set up a user account on the new 27-inch iMac and then run the Migration Assistant to transfer data from the old hard drive? Or should I just run the Migration Assistant on the very first startup of the new 27-inch iMac and transfer the data right away?
I hope this makes sense. Thanks for any help you can offer. I'm trying to plan this out properly in advance and I don't want to mess anything up.
Gerard

I know this was long ago - a day or 2 after July 3, 2009 (purchase date of our iMac) - but here is what happened:
Connected old computer (eMac) to new iMac to start "Migration" software. Waiting for boot and recognition extremely long.
Choices came up to migrate EITHER software or files.
I swear I selected "files" but it migrated software, over an enormous time.
Takes too long to migrate, so when I discovered no files were transferred, I went to old computer to copy data to DVD and "migrate" manually.
Went through that process on eMac; DVD burned; eject DVD and take to iMac.
I "trashed" the folders from the eMac (they were not needed on the old computer).
Guess what? The DVD DID NOT burn all the folders that I told it to burn.
Data lost: Several years of tax information! Teaching files! I don't even know what else!
Best of all, after talking to a certified Apple technician who happens to be a friend, he doesn't think there is any way to recover that data.
Why in the **** would I migrate applications (is that legal?) to a new computer?! That software's FIRST focus should be to preserve DATA, also known as FILES.
I know that I made some errors in this - - ERRORS IN CONFIDENCE IN APPLE!
Can you help? Can you send me software to recover my files? Can I have it today or tomorrow? That's when I need the info for my tax filing and FAFSA applications for 2 (TWO!) children to go to college next year.

New iMac-Questions for musicians/computer experts

Friends,
My primary reason for buying a new iMac has to do with home music recordings. (Especially w GarageBand, but other music programs as well.)
Spent the day trying to get things going with my brand new iMac. (Specs below).
Things went pretty well, except when I got to peripherals. So, for some of you musicians out there who might have encountered similar situations when upgrading computers/operating systems:
1) *Presonus Firebox* preamp. On my old iMac, all I would do was plug in the firewire to the computer and the preamp turned on. (Usually left the firewire plug into the preamp all the time.) Never used the AC adaptor. Apparently wasn't necessary. The cable was a 6-pin to 6-pin. (Meaning, I think, 400 to 400.)
a) Tried to get the preamp going on the "new" iMac. Used a new 6-pin, coming out of the PreSonus Firebox, to 9-pin, going into the new iMac firewire port, cable. Nothing happened. Firebox didn't turn on.
b) Thoughts? Why didn't it work? Do I need to go to the PreSonus Firebox web-page to download an updated driver that will work with +Snow Leopard+? (Been to that site and it said +Mac users do not need to do this+.)
c) This is critical for me. I don't want to by a new preamp to do my recordings.
2) *Yamaha DGX-305* keyboard/synthesizer. I've used this for many recording purposes...sole piano work, comping, effects, etc... bringing it in as either MIDI (via USB cable) or analog (headphone out to iMac audio line in). But...
a) when I tried to bring it into my new iMac (same way: USB cable for MIDI), nothing happened. Tried to record....settings were all the same as on the old Mac (i.e. to a MIDI track in GB, line in/out were correct after setting them on the computer)....pushed "record" button, played, marker/track moved, but nothing was recorded.
b) It would seem that I would have to go to the Yamaha web site to download the latest driver to make this work.
Following a visit to the HP site and a phone call, was told that HP stopped making the printer I have (about six years old) and, therefore, do not make drivers compatible with +Snow Leopard+. So, today, I purchased a brand new printer. Certainly did not think I would have to do that after buying a new computer. And wasn't particularly happy about it. Present printer works just fine.
I will be visiting the websites and calling +PreSonus Firebox+ and Yamaha tomorrow morning to inquire about workable updated drivers for +Snow Leopard+. My great fear is that either or both will say the same thing as HP: "Stopped making those models and do not have downloadable drivers" for my new computer/operating system.
If that would be the case, it would mean that the "critical" peripherals for my home music recordings would be obsolete. Effectively negating the usefulness of my brand new iMac.
*THE MAIN CONCERN:*
*I do not want to buy a new preamp, keyboard, or whatever to enable me to resume my recording efforts. I didn't sign up for that when I bought my new iMac.*
Anxiously awaiting your thoughts.
The only reason I bought a new iMac (the old one...which I will still keep, works perfectly fine, just pushed to capacity) was to make my home recording efforts easier. Meaning, less stress on the processor, more space available on the computer itself for those huge music files, and more speed with much more RAM.
But it never occurred to me that buying a new computer would require buying everything else to go with it: printer, preamp, keyboard, etc.
And, just a quick p.s. regarding GB: on the old version I have, GB2, when you double-clicked the "instrument" icon at the very left of the track, it brought up a window where you could adjust things, change instrument sound/audio font, turn monitor on/off etc. However, when I double-clicked the instrument icon on the new GB, nothing happened. It would seem this is a typical problem with updated programs. Nothing, or at least not enough, is where it used to be. A real problem for an old guy like me to re-learn everything. I'm sure I'll have to do a lot more exploring to find out how this new GarageBand works.
Thanks for any comments/suggestions. (If it weren't for the invaluable resource of Apple Discussion Forums, I wouldn't even have considered buying a new computer. At least I know you guys are here.)

• Firebox: There is a problem with the Firewire card in newer Macs - I have the same problem. It will not sync up with some interfaces (I have the Inspire) when they have no external power source. There's only two solutions: use the power adaptor, or chain it with an externally powered hard drive. After everything is up and running, it should be okay to unplug the power adaptor.
• Keyboard: The device that your computer is connected to is not the keyboard but the midi interface (which you call "cable"). You can plug any midi instrument into that, the Mac doesn't care. So you'll have to update your interface's driver, but you don't tell us what it is. If it's a yamaha intereface:
http://www.global.yamaha.com/download/usb_midi/
(And a note: Lengthy posts like yours, with a lot of talk about why you bought your computer etc., don't attract a lot of people to give you answers. A short but concise description of your problem - like what interface you are using - is a lot more helpful.)

Firewire imac desktop-pc bilingual (800 - 400)?

Can I connect a cable from the iMac firewire 400 to firewire 800? Is the firewire connection of desktop pc bilingual?

Yes you simply need a cable like this one from Amazon. You can find them at any Radio Shack, Best Buy, Fry's, Walmart, etc...
http://www.amazon.com/Oyen-Digital-Firewire-1394B-Cable/dp/B0027DPM1U/ref=sr_1_1 ?ie=UTF8&qid=1328460917&sr=8-1
bilingual refers to a language so I'm slightly confused by your comment. If you are asking if you can migrate information using a Firewire 400 to 800 cable from your PC to a Mac the answer is yes. You can also use How to Use Migration Assistant From PC to Mac 10.7 Lion for additional information.

Forgive me for a MBP vs iMac question

Please forgive my post as I'm sure people are tired of this question, but I'd like to ask with details about how I work.
My current MBP is an early 2010 with the following:
3.06 GHZ Core 2 Duo
8 GIG ram - 1067 MHZ DDR3
NVIDIA GoForce 9600M GT 512 MB
I bought this to edit video, and it has worked great. Just a side note, I bought this and 1 month later the new i7's came out!! Ugh.
Anyway, as I was saying, it's working fine, but now that I'm using FCPX and Motion, it's acting a bit tired, and I usually get a new computer every 2 years anyway.
My question is this, will the new TOP of the line MBP provide a noticable difference from my current MBP? Or should I be leaning towards a new iMac?
Second question is this, is the top end iMac faster than a top end MBP?
I'm interested in pure performance, so portability isn't an issue.
Thanks
Tony

Ok, so I spent some time on the phone with apple, how disappointing... I spoke with a person at the apple store, which they directed me to apple sales, and they just told me what the website said, not to mention he told me that the iMac with the upgraded processor is only for gamming and it wouldn't do anything for me for video editing... ugh...
Anyway, I'm leaning towards the maxed out 17" MBP with my 24" monitor.
http://www.macworld.com/article/157893/2011/02/2011macbookpro_benchmarks.html
Thoughts?
Thanks so much for all your help.
Tony

MacBook/Firewire/ExternalDrive Question

This is my first post on the forum, and I have kind of a convoluted question.
I have a recent MacBook with Final Cut Pro. I usually save my scratch disks to my LaCie external hard drive. Since the MacBook does not have a FireWire port
, I use a USB cable to connect the drive to the MacBook.
I was under the impression that when I was capturing footage, I could connect my camera through a FireWire cable directly into my external hard drive. However, when I do this, FCP does not recognize the camera, although the camera reads that I have the FireWire plugged in.
I been able to successfully capture footage like this on other Macs without any issues, and I'm not sure what the problem is. Is it because I have the external drive connected through a USB cable, and the camera through a FireWire? If so, is there any way for me to digitize footage onto my MacBook with a FireWire cable?

Hey Roger,
Just a little etiquette for you... you just hijacked this thread. Not a super biggy, but next time it would be better to start your own.
As for your question... As stated below, it is underlined.
Requirements to install all Final Cut Studio applications
Mac computer with an Intel processor
1GB of RAM (2GB of RAM recommended when working with compressed HD and uncompressed SD sources; 4GB of RAM recommended when working with uncompressed HD sources)
ATI or NVIDIA graphics processor _(integrated Intel graphics processors not supported)_
128MB of VRAM
Display with 1280-by-800 resolution or higher
Mac OS X v10.5.6 or later
QuickTime 7.6 or later
DVD drive for installation
4GB of disk space required to install all applications (Final Cut Pro, Color, DVD Studio Pro, Soundtrack Pro, Motion, Cinema Tools, Compressor, and Apple Qmaster)
46GB of disk space required for optional content
9GB for DVD Studio Pro content
7GB for Motion templates
22GB for audio content
8GB for LiveFonts
Message was edited by: Adam White

Firewire capabilites questions

New to Mac.
I have 4 questions related to FireWire
1 - Can both the 400 and 800 FireWire ports be used simultaneously?
2 - Can a regular fire wire device (big plug) be used (with and adapter cable) on the 800 port?
3 - Is there a 400 hub available that will allow multiple devices to connected simultaneously?
4 - Is there a 800 hub available that will allow multiple devices to connected simultaneously?
Thanks in advance for your help

New to Mac.
I have 4 questions related to FireWire
1 - Can both the 400 and 800 FireWire ports be used
simultaneously?
Yep, they're both on different channels, so in theory you can add as many devices as you like, but some devices must be powered independently cause you can't bus power everything.
2 - Can a regular fire wire device (big plug) be used
(with and adapter cable) on the 800 port?
Yup, you can buy a FW800 to FW400 converter, though they're not cheap and might take a little searching around for one.
3 - Is there a 400 hub available that will allow
multiple devices to connected simultaneously?
Yup. There is a number of devices that can act as a FirwWire hub, some are embedded into other devices. Take the Iomega MiniMax Hard Drive for example.
4 - Is there a 800 hub available that will allow
multiple devices to connected simultaneously?
Yup.. Again, they can be embedded as part of a device, though you can buy stand alone units but the price isn't cheap.
Thanks in advance for your help
Your welcome.

IMac-Questions for professional voice over recording

I'm about to purchase an iMac.Hi-I've used a PC for years recording VOs.Now I'm considering an iMac (3.20GHz Intel Core i3,4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB,1TB or 2TB Serial ATA Drive,ATI Radeon HD 5670 512MB GDDR3 SDRAM) Anyone willing to share some ideas and answer some questions I have about the eventual switch? Since I enjoy things very simple,until now I've achieved great results with a Sennheiser MD421-II mic,DBX 286A preamp/processor and Audacity on my PC. I'm a bit technically challenged when it comes down to knowing the inner workings of computers and Macs but I was told that I might need to look at the sound card that comes with the above iMac and consider upgrading it? Is this true? Is the graphics card adequate? Are the processor,Ram,hard drive adequately sized for VOs? Also...with the PC,my signal chain (if you want to even call it that: ) is mic,preamp,processor to computer via miniplug. Can I use the same with the iMac or do I need extra equipment? Thanks! So many questions....Thanks for any help or suggestions.

That computer will do everything you want and more. I have the same thing.
I haven't used the input on it yet, but the output is great minus 1 fault and that is the ground seems weak. I have two rokit8 monitors hooked up and was getting horrible ground loop noise, didn't happen in my old imac, just the new one.
Now in terms of software you are gonna be in recorders heaven. I have both garageband and logic pro 9 on mine. Garageband can be used for simple recordings, or fairly in depth recordings depending on the project and how good you become with GB. Logic pro is about as professional as you can get, a lot of the songs you hear on the radio are recorded using logic.
Now with the hardware it depends on your taste, I personally have never heard better sound from a computer then the setup I have now. And I am pretty sure I could make professional voice overs using the built in mic . But the quality of the sound card in question depends on you.
I would bet you would be content with the sound card they come with.

Latency Question and USB vs. Firewire AI question

I've got a dual quad core mac pro I'm using Logic 8 with. I've got a set of speakers attached to the Line Out and Novation USB keyboard attached to one of the USB ports.
I borrowed a friend's M-Audio Firewire 410 AI, but the drivers are terrible so I'm faced with either getting a new audio interface or just using the onboard line out. The question though is if I would experience latency by choosing not to use an external AI.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but If I understand latency correctly, it's a product of bottlenecked D-A/A-D conversion, so the more powerful the machine, the more the machine can handle before it starts to choke. Factors for this could also include multiple tracks and/or multiple plugins. If that assumption is true, how far could I realistically get before I needed an external AI? Or should I just bite the bullet? I'm thinking I should just bite the bullet, but I'd like to understand how the whole latency thing works, namely if my understanding about it is correct. If I had USB speakers instead of speakers with a minijack, would that affect latency? Would the speaker set take care of the DA with zero latency or am I off my rocker?
On the topic of AIs, is there really a difference today between a Firewire AI and a USB AI for the specific purpose of single channel in/out DA conversion? Well, maybe we'll say 4 channel in/1 out. I'll set the system sounds on one channel, Logic output on another channel and maybe a monitor on a third channel and have the fourth channel used for something else. Right now, my speakers use a minijack, so I don't need 1/4" or XLR in/outs. I have my Novation, so I don't need an AI with a human interface - I just need ports. Is USB sufficient? If so, can someone recommend something small, reliable and fairly priced?

USB is fine for small devices like mice, cameras and so on, but is not well suited for continuous, real-time transfers such as audio. You will get a few channels through USB, but I would really recommend avoiding USB audio devices completely, and going for Firewire.
Latency is not caused by "bottlenecks", it's caused by the need to buffer data coming into and out of the computer - sending everything out on a per-sample basis just imposes a huge load on the processor. Using buffers significantly reduces CPU requirements.
If you have fast processors, you can get away with lower buffer sizes and therefore less latency. Higher sample rates also reduce latency as well (but again impose a significant processor load.)
The inbuilt audio system in Macs has a pretty good latency response, but is not that great in quality (the system audio on my recent MBP is appalling - far far worse than a cheap iPod Shuffle).

Firewire Mixer Question

I recently purchased a Phonic 18 Firewire mixer that is supposed to transfer 16 channels to the Mac, and bring 2 channels from the Mac.
Today, I connected it up and selected the mixer in the preferences and midi utility. The mixer shows up and shows the channels. However, when I try to use the mixer in Garageband (and a couple of other applications), I cannot hear anything, or see the recording levels moving very much, even with the microphone and computer gain turned to maximum.
I can hear the microphone output through the mixers headphone socket, even with the gain turned right down, and I can send iTunes output through firewire to the mixer.
I am new to this and have no idea what the problem is. Could someone please provide some advice? Is the mixer faulty or am I just missing something.
Dual Core G5, Core Duo iMac, Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Yes, I selected the mixer in the following locations:
1. Audio Preferences
2. Midi Utility
3. Garageband preferences
I then selected the channel 1&2 (stereo) setting, after which I selected the channel 1 (mono) setting to see if that worked.

Firewire 800 Question

I'm just upgrading to a Mac that only has FW800, but one of my peripherals (Apogee Duet Soundcard) only has FW400. Now I've purchased the the requisite 800 t0 400 adapter, but my question is this:
Will my soundcard (or any other peripheral) be communicating with my Mac with FW800 bandwidth or 400?
Cheers,
simon

A FireWire 400 device can only operate at FW400 speed (even if plugged into a FW800 port). Further, if you connect a device that has a pass-through and you daisy-chain devices, no device in the chain can operate faster than the one that precedes it in the chain. For example, if you attach a FW400 hard disk to the computer, and then attach a FW800 disk to the FW400 disk, both disks will run at the FW400 speed. If you attach a FW800 hard disk to the computer and then plug a FW400 disk into the FW800 drive, then the FW800 drive operates at FW800 speed, and the FW400 disk at the FW400 speed.

Old iMac Question

I have an older imac that hasn't been used in a few years. OS 10.3.9. What do I need to do to upgrade it to make it usable?

Welcome, Trailsurfer!
It very much depends on what model iMac you have. These forum covers iMacs made from their first appearance in 1998 through those made in 2005. Within are three distinct families of processors (G3, G4, and G5) with different capabilities.
The first G3 iMacs (all with "tray-loading" optical drives and some slower slot-loading drives) can run no higher than Mac OS 10.3.9. Starting with slot-loaders with FireWire ports, you can install up to OS 10.4.11. G3 iMacs look like this:
G4 iMacs with 700 and 800 mhz processors can run up to Mac OS 10.4.11. Those with 1Ghz and faster processors can run macs OS 10.5.8. That series looks like this:
The next series have G5 processors and all can run Mac OS 10.5.8. Those look like this:
No PowerPC Mac can run and OS higher than 10.5.8
NOTE: The G5 iMacs and the early Intel iMacs share the same case. To find out for sure what you have, do "About this Mac" from the Apple menu and post with it says for processor type and memory installed. That will be a good start on getting recommendations for what can/should be done in the way of upgrades.
"About this Mac" example:
Another note: If this screen says you have an Intel processor, your iMac is newer and much different from the pre-2006 iMacs covered here, and have a separate forum here:
iMac (Intel)

Windows on iMac, questions and concerns...

Hello,
I bought an iMac and unfortunately some games I want to play are only developed for windows, under those circumstances I need to install windows vista on my iMac and have it run both operating systems. I'm concerned however because a few of my friends have had system problems when doing that and I cant afford losing all my work on my current Lion operating system...
So, in the end, my questions are: What will happen when I install both operating systems on the iMac? Do I need to be careful or pay attention to any particular step of the windows vista instalation? And, is it true that some iMacs suffer system damages when sharing operating systems?
My iMac configuration is: 2.5 GHz intel core i5, 4GB 1333 DDDR3m, AMD Radeon HD 512MB.
Thanks in advance,
Guedes.

Windows on a Mac
Using Windows on a Mac via Boot Camp

Firewire / iMac question

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