Optimizing your Apple computer for a ProTools LE in Mac OS9.

Optimizing your Apple computer for a ProTools LE in Mac OS9:

1. Trim your Extensions:
a. From the Apple Menu, choose the “Control Panels” pop-up, and click EXTENSIONS MANAGER.
b. Click the name next to “Selected Set”, and choose “MAC OS 9.X BASE”.
c. Click “Duplicate Set” at the bottom right corner of the Extensions Manager window. Name the duplicate set when prompted… something like ProTools or RECORDING.
d. If your hardware drivers and software is already installed, you’ll need to go through the list in Extensions Manager, and turn the following items back ON (place an X in the box next to each item:
– all “Digidesign” items (Digidesign Direct i/o, Digidesign Sound Drivers, etc)
– DigiSystem INIT
– USB Floppy Enabler
– Open Music System , OMS (In Control Panels)
– any other drivers for hardware needed, e.g. MIDISport, Open Music System, etc.
e. Use the Restart button at the bottom of the window to restart and make this extensions set active.

2. Memory ControlPanel
a. From the Apple Menu, choose the “Control Panels” pop-up, and click MEMORY
b. Set the DISK CACHE, to a “Custom Setting” of 512k
c. Turn Virtual Memory OFF
d. Be Sure RAM DISK is OFF.

3. Energy Saver Control Panel
a. From the Apple Menu, choose the “Control Panels” pop-up, and click ENERGY SAVER
b. In the SLEEP SETUP page, set “Put the system to sleep” at NEVER.
c. *** It is also recommended that the SLEEP command not be used from the Special menu.

4. Disable Appletalk
a. From the Apple Menu, click CHOOSER
b. Click INACTIVE in next to the Appletalk option at the bottom right corner of the window.

5. Disable FONT SMOOTHING
a. From the Apple Menu, choose the “Control Panels” pop-up, and click APPEARANCE
b. Click the FONTS tab inside the Appearance window.
c. Disable the option “SMOOTH ALL FONTS”

6. MEMORY ALLOCATION for ProTools and DAE
a. Open the Digidesign folder
b. Click ONCE on the application ProTools LE
c. From the FILE menu, choose GET INFO >>> MEMORY
d. Depending on how much RAM you have, set the Preferred size to around 100,000k
* do not raise the minimum size & do not raise the Preferred size too high… raising it higher won’t necesarrily help.
e. Close the Information window.
f. Open the System folder, and find and open the DAE folder.
g. Click ONCE on the application DAE
h. From the FILE menu, choose GET INFO >>> MEMORY
i. Depending on how much RAM you have, set the Preferred size to around 100,000k
* do not raise the minimum size & do not raise the Preferred size too high… raising it higher won’t necesarrily help.
e. Close the Information window.

7. CHECK FOR UPDATES OFTEN
Visit the downloads section www.motu.com frequently for software and hardware driver updates. Download and install them when applicable.

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