I have been working with audio production on computers for years, starting with Reaktor 3, Max 4/Pluggo & Cubase in 2001.
While I do think a XITE-1 is probably a likelihood for my Windows 10 machine at some point in the future, at the moment I am focused on building out a PowerMac G4/Mac OS9-based system. Although I've tried to do a diligent search of the forum archives & Google, I have a few questions I am hoping more experienced users can help me with. My apologies if some of these questions seem like they have obvious answers...
Also, I want to be clear - I realize that it may be easier to run Scope on other platforms, but right now I am focused on building out my G4 MDD OS9 PowerMac. Embracing the constraints (including the lack of support) is part of the process for me, I just want to know precisely what those constraints are in regards to this platform. At any rate, here are my questions:
- What PCI cards are compatible with the G4/OS9 ? Perhaps the better question is, which PCI cards are NOT compatible?
- Is Scope 4.5 the last version available for OS9? Is it the recommended version for OS9?
- I know that commercial plugins are locked to a specific card. Will I only be able to run the plugins that come with the cards I acquire, or is it still possible to purchase 4.5-compatible plugins by say, purchasing the most recent version and then asking SC support (or a 3rd-party vendor) to give you a 4.5-compatible download link & key?
- Is there a chart anywhere of available plugins for the Scope platform, and what Scope versions they will run on?
- Say that I start with a PCI card that comes with X number of plugins locked to it, and I acquire another card with different plugins locked to it. Will the plugins be able to employ the combined DSP of both cards, or will they be constrained to running on the card they are locked to?
- I am currently using a Metric Halo 2882 FW interface, will Scope play nicely with it or should I strive to use the audio I/O on the Scope cards? Clearly using the 2882 will require using Scope in ASIO mode, which introduces latency, but are there other drawbacks?
- It seems that the wordclock options for Scope PCI cards (I think this is called the "Sync Plate") are somewhat difficult to find. Is it possible to sync a clock signal via the ADAT ports on the card?
- Is there anything I should look out for when purchasing a used card?