Please help me to help myself get a recording system up and running

  • Thread starter Thread starter hr advocate
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hr advocate

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I've tried to document everything you need to know about the system I bought in my blog space on this site, and it's all in my 'introduce myself' post on that forum, still the last introduction posted on page 231.

Anyways, I didn't get very far before I got stuck on the fact I need to resolve a shortage of USB Hubs needed to plug in a controller and an audio interface, along with the computer keyboard and mouse. Hoping I can get some help to get my digital recording system off the ground, and then go from there....

Mac G4 Tower has 2 USB slots in the back; 1 of those currently has the computer keyboard plugged in; The computer keyboard has 2 usb slots on it; 1 of those has the mouse plugged into it.

So I have 1 slot available on the back of the PC, and one available on the keyboard. How can I get the following connected so I can begin making noise and start messing around with the software it came with:

Roland A300 PRO controller

Quattro Audiosport USB Audio Interface (don't have the power supply)

2 Roland Cube CM-30 monitor speakers

Recommendations on upgrading the 1.1 USB on the tower/system to USB 2.0, and at the same time eliminating any future USB limitations?

Thanks!
 
Hi,
The G4 tower probably has room for pci card expansion.
I'm sure you could add a PCI USB2 card for four more high speed ports, but google it and make sure first. :)
 
Thank you...I was just googling and came across this info on everymac.com (looks like it is dated April 2009):

How many USB and Firewire ports of what type do the Power Mac G4 models have? Can you upgrade the ports to USB 2.0 and Firewire 800?

All Power Macintosh G4 models have a minimum of two external USB 1.1 ports and two external Firewire 400 ports.

The "AGP" models -- the Power Mac G4 350 (AGP), 400 (AGP), 450 (AGP), and 500 (AGP) -- also have one internal Firewire 400 port. The aptly-dubbed "Firewire 800" models -- the Power Mac G4 1.0 (FW 800), 1.25 DP (FW 800), and 1.42 DP (FW 800) -- have a single external Firewire 800 port as well as dual external USB 1.1 and Firewire 400 ports.

You can't "upgrade" the existing ports, but you certainly can install a PCI card with USB 2.0 ports or Firewire 800 ports in any of the Power Mac G4 models.

Site sponsor Operator Headgap Systems sells a PCI card with five USB 2.0 ports compatible with a Power Macintosh G4 booting MacOS X -- it will run in MacOS 9 with OHS provided drivers as well but only at the slower USB 1.1 speed -- for less than US$25 including shipping in the continential US. Site sponsor Other World Computing has a wide variety of USB 2.0, Firewire 400, and Firewire 800 PCI cards from which to choose.
 
Where in the world are you and what OS X version are you running.

NEC chipsets are the way forward in older macs.
I read somewhere that this card, for example, is cheap and compatible.
 
Steenamaroo said:
Where in the world are you and what OS X version are you running.

NEC chipsets are the way forward in older macs.
I read somewhere that this card, for example, is cheap and compatible.
Click to expand...

I'm in U.S. Here's specs copied from system info..

Mac OS X 10.4.11
Kernal version Darwin 8.11.0
CPU Type: PowerPC 60? (1.1)
Number of CPU's: 2
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512kb
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 133 MHZ
Boot ROM Version: 4.2.8fl

ATA BUS: Has a 120 GB (WDC WD1200JB) and another 30 GB (WDC WD300BB)
Both drives are 7,200 RPM (nominal)
PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-104
Built in Soundcard: Texas Instruments
Firewire bus: Max Speed Up to 400 Mb
Memory Slot: DIMM0-DIMM03/J21-J24
 
Be aware that keyboard USB ports often get a "not enough power to support device" error. The expansion card looks like a good option- sometimes there is a connector on the motherboard for more ports also.
 
I know nothing about macs but if what Wiki tells me about the G4 I doubt you have any hope of using it for music recording.

If the machine was some 5 times faster it would still be pretty slow by even poor PC standards these days but it would be ok. The USB issue would be a simple one to resolve, just get 6 port or bigger USB hub but make sure it was powered and came with a power supply.

Don't want to carp but I recently bought an E Systems laptop for my wife for £120 second hand and it would beat that G4 to death.

Dave.
 
That's true enough. G4 is in pentium II/III territory, I think.
 
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