Logic Pro X audio interface

thomasross20

And now even their bloody website!! 

I've had to log in about three times and it's not allowing me to take part in chat or callbacks due to some error!!

So their computer isn't working. 

I can't get in touch with their store. 

I can't get in touch via online chat or callback. 

Am I on some sort of comedy program here or something!?

thomasross20

Right THAT'S it!!

I finally got through to tech support. They can't do much. 

I was going to install the new 10.11.2 beta but all of a suddenly I need a "key chain" password at startup!? This hasn't happened before. I used all the passwords I can think of and cannot even login to the machine now! This has to be the WORST experience EVER. 

In fairness I also just tried to download an Adobe Premiere Pro demo to Windows and that didn't work. 

Completely sucks all round.

John_P

It is a bank holiday -  you might have more luck tomorrow.

I know it must be frustrating when you get a new machine and want to get stuck in but if I understand correctly, you're having trouble getting an old line6 interface to work and haven't tried a newer one yet.    

If I was in your position,  while you still have a bit of time to play with the laptop before you need to return it,  I would get a new interface that has the right amount of i/o you need and try it.    If you get problems then you can return it all  but it might work fine.

thomasross20

I don't need a new interface and this one has worked fine with two Windows OS updates in past. I'd be spending money hand over fist. I rung John Lewis just now and they're ok with the return. In fact, the guy I spoke to is VERY aware of the problem and sympathised with me. 

Yes, I'm certain I can buy a newer interface that WILL work (though remember many people WITH new interfaces are STILL having problems) but the whole experience has SERIOUSLY sucked. 

New £2k machine doesn't have USB audio working correctly. 

The main store in Edinburgh I can't even connect to. 

Having problems connecting through the website. Eventually got a callback but nothing they can do. 

And to top it all off, I now can't even log into the machine because some new "login keychain" which never appeared before, has popped up and wont accept any of my passwords. 

I'm gutted because I think it would otherwise have been a fantastic purchase.

thomasross20

CrApple.

Danny1969

 Lol

To be honest my advice to you in terms of buying a new Macbook Pro was a bit vague, when it comes to audio workstations you don't want the latest greatest unproven buggy OS, you want the older previous OS that's had all the bugs ironed out. That's why Protools certifies certain machines and OS's and won't qualify a machine or OS for running Protools until their engineers have tested the machine / OS and software config properly. You buy the machine they tell you, you use the OS they tell you and a certified interface and then it's all faultless. In the old days when PT only ran on it's own hardware it was even better. 

None of my rambling above helps you but what I might add is it took me probably a week to get the main machine up and running completely glitch less for audio, that included setting up 48 channels of HUI and a load of hardware inserts but still hours were spent tweaking and applying patchs and updates. 

Now the trick is once everything is perfect you disconnect it from the net and you ghost the harddrive. I learnt that the hard way when I had some rappers sat in the studio waiting for me to get up and running and all I was getting was the dreaded spinning wheel cos another engineer had put the Macpro online to activate some plugs and an update came down and borked PT. I looked like a twat for 2 hours and eventually had to send em home and rebuild the machine. If you have a perfect load and then ghost it you can just ghost that image back should anything go wrong. 

I suspect Thomas if you had brought the Macbook Pro running a certified OS and certified  thunderbolt audio interface running Logic or Protools your experience would be a lot different. 

Jalapeno

ProTools is specifically NOT certified for OSX 10.11, but doesn't invalidate your advice.

thomasross20

Some idiot at John Lewis told me the seal is broken so can't return it. Looked like ex army, I was gutted.

Asked to speak to a manager. I'd have to go home first and do factory reset. I could do it myself but I don't want any more bullsh!t, they want £30 and they'll reset the machine. I know, it's basically shift command R as you start up but at least it's in their hands now, and I'm only down £30 + parking fees.

Awful experience on the whole. I'd have been better buying from apple themselves

thomasross20

Cheers Danny.
I'm not aa complete stranger to this though. I've used windows machines since forever and rock solid Unix machines at work. I've never had such a bad experience out of the box.
I'm relieved it's all over

thomasross20

And to confirm, I never use a new OS unless it comes with a new machine. I've still got old versions of windows running on a server. There's no excusing the fact that apple screwed up core IO on this product.

Danny1969

Jalapeno said:

ProTools is specifically NOT certified for OSX 10.11, but doesn't invalidate your advice.

Yeah that's kind of what I was saying, I use it on Snow Lep and it's certified for that and sweet as a nut. The Windows machines I use run 7 and everything is OK there.

@thomasross20 it does sound like Apple screwed up with the new OS. They recently screwed my iPhone with their IOS9 update, I had to change the motherboard as their was no other way to get back to IOS8 ..... 

Sometimes progress it exactly the opposite

Jalapeno

... and don't for a second assume Windows 10 and new interface experirnce will be any different, it could be exactly the same.

thomasross20

I haven't touched windows 10 and won't be

Danny1969

Which is kind of ironic as "touching" Win 10 is kind of what it's all about

thomasross20

I specifically didn't get the touch screen monitor with our latest desktop

Catthan

@thomasross20, ;

I haven't followed the whole thread but why were you looking at a USB interface with your Mac and not a thunderbolt one?

I got a zoom tac 2 which is good enough for home recordings for £125 from amazon. 

I understand you were considering upgrading your interface anyway - you mentioned apogee- not necessarily keep your current one.

Unless you want to use the interface in both a pc and a mac I don't see why you need  consider a usb one in the first place.

Apologies if I'm completely off topic

thomasross20

It's OK. You're right, I could have got a thunderbolt interface. I didn't check what was available but they seemed a lot more expensive in general.
Regardless of that, I can't trust a computer giant who can't get basic usb audio right.
TBH I'm relieved it's all over. Had an actual play of my guitars tonight.

Jalapeno

thomasross20 said:

 I'm relieved it's all over.

Hope that's a commitment :P

thomasross20

Are you saying I'll go Apple in future

Actually I feel "back to normal" - no sitting in the room on a laptop... instead back to playing guitar and using this Windows machine which "just works." Maybe give it a RAM upgrade and use Movie Maker (it's really all I need) and just retain all that dosh. If I ever get a house I can get a spec'd Windows desktop for myself (probably for the cost of the MBP if not less) or maybe I'll do the album and just focus on gigging a shed-load. Doing everything related to this album is near-killing me lol, it's so much work on top of my day job!

Jalapeno

No, is this the end of the whiny thread ? :P


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