Using Mac with Windows

[Larry Elliott]

To those using Windows on a Mac are you using Bootcamp or a Virtual Machine application?
Thanks
Larry

[fl]

Boot Camp.

I have always believed that there would be difficulties running a virtual machine on top of a fully running OS, when it comes to accessing things like ASIO audio interfaces or trying to keep DPC interruptions to a minimum.

[Larry Elliott]

That was my thought too Frank, but was interested to see if anyone did use a virtual machine. Thanks

[mjbennett]

bootcamp on mac working successfully here - both editing (MacBook Pro) and recording (MacMini). Unless you need to access both mac and windows ui at the same time then bootcamp seems the most stable option.
Matthew

[Larry Elliott]

Thanks Matthew. I would be interested in your MacMini configuration as I have just ordered one for recording rig.
Larry

[Thomas Grubb]

While I only use Sequoia for recording, I have had no problems using Windows 7 and Bootcamp, even though my version of Sequoia (8) isn't officially supported on Win7. XP needed tweaking but Win7 ran 'out of the box' with only disabling wireless. It's good to keep the systems totally separate anyway!

One day I may be lucky enough to get a Horus and try it with PMX!

Cheers
Tom

[phaseboy]

To those using Windows on a Mac are you using Bootcamp or a Virtual Machine application?
Thanks
Larry

Disregarding performance concerns - Pyramix won't run in a virtual machine anyway - the security manager will fault.

Best,

Mark

[Larry Elliott]

Thanks to all for the responses
Larry

[Julian Gough]

A few years back I used to run PMX v5.1 on Win XP via Bootcamp. I've also run PMX using Parallels, Windows in a window. It was using the Bootcamp Windows installation. I've only used it to edit and playback simple stereo tracks. This was is on a very old MacBook (one of the first Intel varieties) and I didn't want to stress it out with anything important.

Julian

[jlamar]

I would also like to know the definitive answer to Larry's question; most folks I know who use PMX on a Mac run Bootcamp but one person I know says he has never run it on anything but Parallels. I'm just getting ready to install Windows 7 and PMX and want to know the pros and cons of either approach. Under Paralleles my understanding is that the system will see mac formatted drives just fine, but I am assuming this is not the case for Bootcamp. This would make parallels the more useful scenario for and anyone who wishes not to have to shuttle files from mac-formatted drives to NTFS drives just so PMX can access them, which would be a laborious and time-consuming hassle at the beginning of each project.

[fl]

Under Paralleles my understanding is that the system will see mac formatted drives just fine, but I am assuming this is not the case for Bootcamp.

Not so. Since Bootcamp version 3, which came with Mac OS 10.6, Windows installations are able to read HFS+ formatted (Mac OS) disks, and writing capability is easily added with the 3rd party program "MacDrive" - http://www.mediafour.com/products/macdrive
or Paragon's HFS for Windows -
http://www.paragon-software.com/home/hfs-windows/

I'd be really curious to learn how your Parallels using friend runs Pyramix, particularly with regard to how he accesses his audio interface (ASIO?), assuming that he runs a Native version.

It's always been my view that running Pyramix from within an operating system running within an emulator within yet another operating system ('doze within Parallels within the Mac OS), is a bad idea as it imposes a lot of unnecessary system load on something that is supposed to run optimally in real-time with low DPC latencies.

If writing to Mac disks is your only hang-up, I'd say get either of the programs mentioned above and be done. In reality, I've found that for the most part, just having the native ability of both the Mac OS and Windows to read the other's disks is sufficient, in that any file transferring I have to do is a simple matter of "pulling" it over from the other side. It's only when you need to "push" that having one of those 3rd party programs becomes necessary. Since Pyramix is my main audio axe, I have very few problems having all my projects and their files on big NTFS formatted disks, and the few rare occasions where I want to work with one on the Mac, are accommodated by simply copying the files over, leaving the originals untouched.

[jlamar]

Thanks so much for your response Frank! It's great to know I should be able to see mac-formatted drives in bootcamp. I installed windows 7 professional yesterday and will post some new questions in a separate thread. I am grateful to this forum for being such a helpful resource.

I'd be really curious to learn how your Parallels using friend runs Pyramix, particularly with regard to how he accesses his audio interface (ASIO?), assuming that he runs a Native version.

Good question - I'll ask him and report back.

[Graemme]

Parallels creates a virtual Windows sound driver, no ASIO here...unless you bodge in 'ASIO4All', in which case you'd have my sympathies.

I've had Pyramix working within Parallels a few versions back but it was more of a novelty, like 'Gee it works at all...' and isn't really a prime-time option, in my opinion, due to it's lack of responsiveness and the lack of real drivers thing.

Mark may have more recent experience than I did; if he says it doesn't work at all, then that's a just a good thing... ;->

Graemme