Time for plugin warnings - Big Sur OS 11

[KuruPrionz]

Got 2 today, one from Eventide and one from Native Instruments.

They are not ready yet.

 

I expect to get several more. I may not update at all, I've got Preferences set so it is not automatic.

Probably getting closer to the time when this computer goes offline and I get something that is good enough to surf the Interwebz just for that purpose.

[Anderton]

Deja vu...seems this happens with every Mac update.

[KuruPrionz]

I went for a few iterations but Catalina prompted ALL the plugin companies and Big Sur probably will too.

 

Everything is running fine right now. Eventually browsers will kick Catalina to the curb but that is probably a couple of system upgrades down the line at this point.

I always wait until at least the .2 iteration and for Catalina I waited until .6 - which is usually the last .x update until a new version comes out.

[KuruPrionz]

And now Waves...

[Mighty Motif Max]

Eventide, Softube, Akai, and Line6 as well.

[KuruPrionz]

Instead of Big Sur warnings, IK and Arturia are offering their products at sale prices.

 

Maybe they have new versions ready and want to flip as much of the old product as they can.

Will be an "interesting" transition...

[Joe Muscara]

Meh. Every DAW and plug-in maker always takes a long time to officially support the latest macOS (and probably Windows, but I wouldn't know) because they have a matrix of testing they do to make sure things are working. A lot of times, the things actually do work, or mostly. But do so at your own risk until they tell you it's okay.

 

OTOH, this thread at UAD Forums has Drew, the UAD guy, saying he installed the then-current beta of Big Sur and his UAD stuff was working fine so far. Of course, the thread ended back in August and there have been a few Big Sur releases since then, so things could have broken in the interim. Also, it wasn't the official test, just one employee playing around and having a look. I'm sure it will be a while before UAD announces compatibility with Big Sur officially.

 

I've got Preferences set so it is not automatic.

It is unfortunate that people don't understand the distinction. System Preferences will never upgrade your version of macOS automatically. With the setting on, it will update your current version of macOS automatically. IOW, it won't upgrade you from Mojave to Catalina or Catalina to Big Sur automatically. It will update your version of Mojave/Catalina/Big Sur to the latest version of that version of macOS automatically.

 

I have a drive with Mojave with automatic updates turned on and it's been turned on since forever, and it's never upgraded me to Catalina. My main Catalina drive is also set to automatically update but I'd have to choose Upgrade Now to move it to Big Sur.

 

Update = minor, same macOS version

Upgrade = major, next macOS version.

 

Apple probably should put Upgrade in a different pane than Software Update.

[Rusty Mike]

Instead of Big Sur warnings, IK and Arturia are offering their products at sale prices.

 

Maybe they have new versions ready and want to flip as much of the old product as they can.

Will be an "interesting" transition...

 

Good time to hop on the V Collection train. I was deciding between a few of the synths, and my customer price is $199 for the whole package. That's the price of the OB-Xa V by itself normally.

 

Don't many of these companies offer Black Friday sales anyway? Is this just a timing coincidence?

 

I'll wait on Big Sur until the apps are ready. I do have some IK stuff, but I use the Waves plug-ins a lot. No rush to move on.

[Anderton]

Meh. Every DAW and plug-in maker always takes a long time to officially support the latest macOS (and probably Windows, but I wouldn't know) because they have a matrix of testing they do to make sure things are working..

 

Windows had its existential 64-bit crisis in the 2000s, so at this point, pretty much everyone using Windows (except for government agencies and such tied to legacy software) are using 64-bit Windows. It's been an interesting role reversal - usually it's Apple that makes the sudden changes like dropping port or peripheral support, with Microsoft putting a premium on backward compatibility. But it was the reverse with the transition to 64-bit operating systems. I still run 20-year-old plug-ins, as long as they were updated to 64-bit operation at some point.

 

Currently Windows 10 is pretty stable, and just gets updates. What breaks during a Windows update will usually be something like graphics card compatibility or wireless issue, or screwing up some aspect of search, which eventually gets patched. Music programs don't deal with that part of Windows all that much.

 

The Mac is about to embark on a giant shift, on top of the "64-bit only" shift that happened with Catalina, because of Arm. So the Mac will probably be like Windows was in 2004, with disruption for a couple years as everything falls into place. However I suspect that the conversion with Mac will happen over a shorter period of time, because of the smaller user base and Apple's experience with Arm, which so far has fared much better than Microsoft's.

[KuruPrionz]

Meh. Every DAW and plug-in maker always takes a long time to officially support the latest macOS (and probably Windows, but I wouldn't know) because they have a matrix of testing they do to make sure things are working. A lot of times, the things actually do work, or mostly. But do so at your own risk until they tell you it's okay.

 

OTOH, this thread at UAD Forums has Drew, the UAD guy, saying he installed the then-current beta of Big Sur and his UAD stuff was working fine so far. Of course, the thread ended back in August and there have been a few Big Sur releases since then, so things could have broken in the interim. Also, it wasn't the official test, just one employee playing around and having a look. I'm sure it will be a while before UAD announces compatibility with Big Sur officially.

 

I've got Preferences set so it is not automatic.

It is unfortunate that people don't understand the distinction. System Preferences will never upgrade your version of macOS automatically. With the setting on, it will update your current version of macOS automatically. IOW, it won't upgrade you from Mojave to Catalina or Catalina to Big Sur automatically. It will update your version of Mojave/Catalina/Big Sur to the latest version of that version of macOS automatically.

 

I have a drive with Mojave with automatic updates turned on and it's been turned on since forever, and it's never upgraded me to Catalina. My main Catalina drive is also set to automatically update but I'd have to choose Upgrade Now to move it to Big Sur.

 

Update = minor, same macOS version

Upgrade = major, next macOS version.

 

Apple probably should put Upgrade in a different pane than Software Update.

 

 

Thanks Joe, I keep forgetting this. Short term memory is not what it was.

[KuruPrionz]

And now one from IK Multimedia.

 

I'd rather they all played safe and made sure everything was in order so it doesn't bother me.

 

Plus, I have a 2tb Thunderbolt 2 HDD on it's way. I plan on making it into a bootable copy of the drive on my laptop, with all Apps etc.

The 512mb drive is pretty close to full. I won't mind tossing some things to make room for others but better still would be to have everything backed up on a drive that has plenty of room.

 

My Presonus Quantum interface has 2 Thunderbolt jacks, one has a recording drive plugged in. The other will get this new drive, it's also a LaCie and can be put into the rack right on top of the recording drive.

[MoodyBluesKeys]

One thing to check: (information received by an email within local computer club today, supposedly from Carbon Copy Cloner:

"With the announcement of macOS Big Sur, Apple has retired Mac OS X (10) and replaced it with macOS 11. As the numeric change would suggest, this is the biggest change to macOS since Apple introduced Mac OS X roughly 20 years ago. The system now resides on a cryptographically sealed "Signed System Volume" That seal can only be applied by Apple; ordinary copies of the System volume are non-bootable without Apple's seal. To create a functional copy of the macOS 11 System volume, we have to use an Apple tool to copy the system, or install macOS onto the backup.

 

I can see where this would increase security, but ANY backup system other than Apple's own (presumably still Time Machine) won't produce a bootable drive. That alone would be a non-starter for me. I like the idea that if my Mac totally dies, I can boot any other Mac (that will run the OS in terms of its date, RAM, etc) even to run more slowly from my SuperDuper backup and in effect be on "my Mac."

[KuruPrionz]

One thing to check: (information received by an email within local computer club today, supposedly from Carbon Copy Cloner:

"With the announcement of macOS Big Sur, Apple has retired Mac OS X (10) and replaced it with macOS 11. As the numeric change would suggest, this is the biggest change to macOS since Apple introduced Mac OS X roughly 20 years ago. The system now resides on a cryptographically sealed "Signed System Volume" That seal can only be applied by Apple; ordinary copies of the System volume are non-bootable without Apple's seal. To create a functional copy of the macOS 11 System volume, we have to use an Apple tool to copy the system, or install macOS onto the backup.

 

I can see where this would increase security, but ANY backup system other than Apple's own (presumably still Time Machine) won't produce a bootable drive. That alone would be a non-starter for me. I like the idea that if my Mac totally dies, I can boot any other Mac (that will run the OS in terms of its date, RAM, etc) even to run more slowly from my SuperDuper backup and in effect be on "my Mac."

 

 

I'm with you on that one. I've got a couple of bootable back up drives stashed away. They are pokey and due for replacement.

I have a Thunderbolt 2 drive coming that will be dedicated to recording and I plan on copying my boot drive and installing all needed software. That one won't be slow.

 

It is a nice feature, being able to make a bootable copy of the hard drive. Although when I think on it, I guess I am using Apple software to make the copy already.

 

I do remember making bootable drag and drop copies, it's been a while.