AmigaOS 4.1 Update 3 Released

[redrumloa]

And it looks like bug riddled garbage.

Installed and ran into problems

On first boot USB mouse/kb stopped working and this Guru flashed up:

http://i.imgur.com/h7lgt.jpg

Second hard boot, kb/mouse worked for a minute then locked up.

Any ideas?

Hardware, A1XE G4, 1 gig ram, usb PCI card.

Just rebooted, same Guru again

Rebooted again without keyboard/mouse plugged in, fine, as soon as I plug them into the usb port though, the guru pops up.

I use an Apple kb and mighty mouse.

 

[Robert]

I still have my A1 (and my Peg1) but don't see me getting this any time soon.

Be a shame if it is as bad as described. OS4.0 final update was rock solid and incredibly nippy. In fact, if I could run my audio software on it, I'd still be using it.

 

[redrumloa]

In fact, if I could run my audio software on it, I'd still be using it.

Why not get a 2nd hand Mac and run your Audio software on MorphOS? While not exactly a world beater, PPC Macs are dirt cheap and MorphOS actually runs Amiga software (that don't bang the custom chips).

 

[Karlos]

Presently running 4.1 update 2 on my A1 still. Contrary to the usual litany of problems, it's never given me the slightest bother. Bog standard motherboard IDE in UDMA mode, onboard LAN, AGP Radeon 9250, almost daily usage for the last few months as I use it for compiling stuff for OS4 targets.

If every claim were to be believed, it should be crashing every time I build anything because all the source code files it compiles and the binaries it generates are actually on a network share, whereas the compiler and supporting tools are on the hard disk and never the twain shall be accessed at the same time or the world will end...

 

[Karlos]

Why not get a 2nd hand Mac and run your Audio software on MorphOS? While not exactly a world beater, PPC Macs are dirt cheap and MorphOS actually runs Amiga software (that don't bang the custom chips).

Apparently, it doesn't run OctaMED Sound Studio, which for me is my primary sequencer. If it doesn't have hex digits scrolling vertically in a big window for each "channel", it's of nay use to me

 

[redrumloa]

Presently running 4.1 update 2 on my A1 still. Contrary to the usual litany of problems, it's never given me the slightest bother. Bog standard motherboard IDE in UDMA mode, onboard LAN, AGP Radeon 9250, almost daily usage for the last few months as I use it for compiling stuff for OS4 targets.

If every claim were to be believed, it should be crashing every time I build anything because all the source code files it compiles and the binaries it generates are actually on a network share, whereas the compiler and supporting tools are on the hard disk and never the twain shall be accessed at the same time or the world will end...

What about Update 3? Do you get USB 2.0 speeds?

 

[redrumloa]

Apparently, it doesn't run OctaMED Sound Studio, which for me is my primary sequencer. If it doesn't have hex digits scrolling vertically in a big window for each "channel", it's of nay use to me

Does it hit Paula?

 

[Robert]

Why not get a 2nd hand Mac

Way ahead of you there, Jim; I'm typing this on a 2nd hand Mac Book Pro.

and run your Audio software on MorphOS?

I mostly use Logic these days - OSX only. And if it's not Logic it's either Reason or Pro Tools. None of this runs on MorphOS (or OS4 for that matter.)

While not exactly a world beater, PPC Macs are dirt cheap and MorphOS actually runs Amiga software (that don't bang the custom chips).

I ran Pro Station Audio and HD-Rec on my Pegasos for awhile. I also ran HD-Rec on my A1. HD-Rec is a wonderful piece of Amiga sotware and could still be developed into an even more capable DAW. It ran slightly better* on OS4 than MorphOS but it worked well on both, up to a point.

Unfortunately neither OS4 or MOS are capable of integrating my audio and MIDI equipment with HD-Rec anywhere near as well as OSX is with Logic.

Even if they could, HD-Rec is too far behind the curve in it's current state for me to go back to.

-
* this may simply have been due to the difference in CPU speed; 600MHz G3 v 800MHz G4.

 

[Robert]

Apparently, it doesn't run OctaMED Sound Studio, which for me is my primary sequencer. If it doesn't have hex digits scrolling vertically in a big window for each "channel", it's of nay use to me

Ahhh - OctaMED. The computer programme that changed my life. Also the reason I started using Amiga computers and, ultimately, ended up joining this site. </wipes away nostalgic tear>

I managed to get OctaMED running via UAE on both OS4 and MorphOS but could never get the MIDI to work so it couldn't do what my A1200-OctaMED combo could do. It was around this time that I got an iBook. A few months later I got Logic Express. A few months later I stopped trying to keep my audio work Amiga-centric.

 

[Robert]

Does it hit Paula?

Yip.

 

[cecilia]

Ahhh - OctaMED. The computer programme that changed my life.

yeah, that's how I feel about Deluxe Paint.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

yeah, that's how I feel about Deluxe Paint.

That's how I felt about AmigaBasic. Up until that point I thought line numbers were cool. And then someone bought me Manx Aztec C. Memories.

 

[Karlos]

What about Update 3? Do you get USB 2.0 speeds?

I'll let you know when I install it. Though, I'm pretty sure the A1's onboard USB isn't 2.0 anyway, it's unlikely. I tend to use networking for external storage, so it doesn't really matter to me either way.

Does it hit Paula?

Yes and no. It hits Paula if you use the traditional 4-8 channel modes but if you use "Mix" mode, it will output to one of a number of supported sound cards. One of these has been replaced with a shim into AHI using a tool called "The Maestrix" which I use for that.

On my A1200T (also running 4.1 as well as various versions of 3.x), of course, Paula continues to work fine. As does the CIA-banging MIDI support...

 

[redrumloa]

I'll let you know when I install it.

So far it seems most of OS4 users are having major problems, so I'd be curious how it works for you.

 

[Robert]

Yes and no. It hits Paula if you use the traditional 4-8 channel modes but if you use "Mix" mode, it will output to one of a number of supported sound cards. One of these has been replaced with a shim into AHI using a tool called "The Maestrix" which I use for that.

D'oh! My fusty, old memory strikes again. It was Maestrix I used to get OSS working on OS4 too.
I don't think I ever got Maestrix to work on MorphOS though.

On my A1200T (also running 4.1 as well as various versions of 3.x), of course, Paula continues to work fine. As does the CIA-banging MIDI support...

Did anyone ever find a way around the CIA problem for OSS MIDI on new hardware?

As an aside, am I remebering right that AHI has limitations in the number of channels it can cope with at once?

From memory that was another factor in me switching to Logic. I can simultaneously record eight audio channels (more if I buy more equipment) into Logic (or Pro Tools or Cubase or Reaper or, etc... but not anything Amiga-like) via my Yamaha 01X:

This connects to a Mac or PC via firewire.

When I was recording on my A1 or Peg1, I was limited to one audio input at a time and it went straight into the rather underwhelming 3.5mm audio jacks on the Sounblaster cards and motherboards.

If I remember right, there was no way to connect decent equipment to an A1 or Peg, either by firewire or USB.

 

[Karlos]

D'oh! My fusty, old memory strikes again. It was Maestrix I used to get OSS working on OS4 too.
I don't think I ever got Maestrix to work on MorphOS though.

That's what I've heard too, which is a shame because as a user, this is one of my "must have" packages. More than half my total Amiga usage time was spent using it.

Did anyone ever find a way around the CIA problem for OSS MIDI on new hardware?

Not entirely sure which problems those were, but IIRC, there is a 3rd party patch for OctaMED SS which replaces the ARexx interface with a native plugin capability (NSM) and may patch the MIDI to use camd.library or midi.library. Don't quote me on that though.

As an aside, am I remebering right that AHI has limitations in the number of channels it can cope with at once?

Well, from memory, it uses the device rather than library interface, so as far as AHI is concerned, OctaMED using the Maestrix is a single stereo stream source. It depends on which AHI unit you route it to as to how many channels you have available (you set that in AHI prefs for each unit independently), but all the sample mixing is done inside OctaMED so as long as you have at least 1 stereo channel available on the output AHI unit, you are good to go.

 

[Robert]

Well, from memory, it uses the device rather than library interface, so as far as AHI is concerned, OctaMED using the Maestrix is a single stereo stream source. It depends on which AHI unit you route it to as to how many channels you have available (you set that in AHI prefs for each unit independently), but all the sample mixing is done inside OctaMED so as long as you have at least 1 stereo channel available on the output AHI unit, you are good to go.

Sorry, I meant audio input channels, i.e. how many guitars, microphones, keyboards, etc, can be recorded at the same time? I never managed more than one.

 

[Karlos]

Oh right, in that case I dunno. I tend to use one input for capture as all my source audio goes through my tone gen which mixes it in with the sound it is generating (and can route it through all the same fx buses). I don't tend to play live stuff any more, I'll sample riffs from my guitar if I need to use them as sequencing is a lot easier than laying down an entire track. I'm lazy like that

 

[Robert]

Oh right, in that case I dunno. I tend to use one input for capture as all my source audio goes through my tone gen which mixes it in with the sound it is generating (and can route it through all the same fx buses). I don't tend to play live stuff any more, I'll sample riffs from my guitar if I need to use them as sequencing is a lot easier than laying down an entire track. I'm lazy like that

To be fair, I used to be exactly the same. I'd use the MIDI to control all my outboard gear but only record one input at a time. Same for guitar or vocals.

However, once I realised I could have more than one input, all sorts of previously unthought of possibilities opened up.

For example, I rarely use one microphone on vocals these days. I set up one dynamic and one condenser next to each other and record both together. Depending on the singer/song, I'll then either choose one or use a mix of both.
Same for acoustic guitar. One mic near the soundhole and one at the neck gives a nice blend.

Another is being able to have a bit of a jam and record it with someone on keys, bass, guitar and vox. That can take up five inputs but is great fun.

I don't think any of that is possible on OS4/MorphOS. (But I would love someone to prove me wrong.)

Of course, you could go through a mixer first, as I used to, but that kills the possibility to edit the tracks individually.

 

[Karlos]

Well, I don't think the limitation (if it exists) is a shortcoming of the OS, more likely just AHI itself. However, I can't say for certain. My soundcard only has basic line/mic/spdif inputs, nothing too fancy.

I'd probably be more inclined to use my PC for capturing the audio nowadays given that it has a much higher fidelity A/D converter. Not that it matters for the gash I make