Mounting akai disks in OS9

[Syntho]

I had trouble getting Akai disks to mount in Mavericks. It'd tell me something like 'the file format is unknown' or something and it wouldn't mount at all. I had to use the Mac version of Daemon Tools to get it to mount without an error, then it would work fine.

Is this a problem in OS9? Funnily enough I've never had a Windows OS do that to me.

There are also other sampler formats like Roland and EMU that would be cool to mount, and if a foreign format like Akai will mount, those probably will too. Are there any conversion utilities available in OS9 for that stuff?

[supernova777]

isnt this where "cdextract" comes into play?

[Syntho]

I don't like CDXtract  I like to keep them as original instead of tedious conversion.

[Syntho]

You can burn an Akai disk, put it into your CDROM and Kontakt or EXS24 will read it. But I need to get these images mounted to avoid that.

The images themselves are good, it's more about the file system that they're using since it's proprietary. When OS9 can't recognize the file system it refuses to mount. If I could somehow get it to mount, even though it won't show up on the desktop, Kontakt and EXS24 will still be able to see it.

Is there any other image mounting software for OS9? I remember having to use Daemon Tools for OSX to get it to work.

[Protools5LEGuy]

Is there any other image mounting software for OS9? I remember having to use Daemon Tools for OSX to get it to work.

Toast maybe?

We have also the last diskutility that mounts "DMG"s

I remember in the age on logic 4 mac and logic 5 pc, people used the PCs to convert the AKAIs to EXS24 because it was somehow quicker.

[Syntho]

Toast and Disk Utility/Copy both won't work, or any other software I've tried. I can get them to read when putting them in the CDROM, but I have to make sure Kontakt or EXS is the foremost application or else OS9 will lock up and force me to eject the CDROM.

[Protools5LEGuy]

I have only made AKAY convert in EXS24 on Win machines... 

I opened exs, goed somewhere in the menu to get "AKAI convert" ...

There I think was a "explore" cd button, but I cant remenber

It let you to convert some instruments or ALL the instrument. Once reached that window, the "CD-ROM" belong to "Logic". At least on Win side was like that.

[DieHard]

The Import section of Halion (Posted Here) with mount and convert all Akai CDs perfectly under OS 9

[Jakl]

Not sure if this helps or not?

CD-Copy can copy the CD and save it as an image - i think you have to
tick a box in preferences to disregard errors - or something like that
- from memory.

Maybe save it as an image and then use toast to mount it on the desktop?

Might be worth a try - Cd-copy can be downloaded on macintosh garden here:

http://macintoshgarden.org/apps/astarte-cd-copy

[Syntho]

I'm unsure if it's OS9 giving me the error or the software. I'm guessing it's OS9 itself since it's the same error box every time. If I could hack OS9 to just mount it and ignore the error so it's just 'there' I'll be in business. Windows machines do just that. OS9 and OSX both want to actually verify that it's a filesystem it can read and that you can browse with Finder before it mounts it.

I can get by without this feature, but it would be convenient if it worked.

[Jakl]

I'm unsure if it's OS9 giving me the error or the software. I'm guessing it's OS9 itself since it's the same error box every time. If I could hack OS9 to just mount it and ignore the error so it's just 'there' I'll be in business. Windows machines do just that. OS9 and OSX both want to actually verify that it's a filesystem it can read and that you can browse with Finder before it mounts it.

I can get by without this feature, but it would be convenient if it worked.

Are you talking about using cd-copy? As soon as you bring up cd-copy
it controls the cd drive and opens the drive tray - you just place your
cd in and close the tray and it will check the disk. Then you can save it as an image.

[IIO]

"file format unknown" is exspected, because it is in fact unknown. but it depends where you get the message

in toast for example, it is normal, that it will report "unknown". just dont change the sector size, press mount, and it is  there.

actually, in my personal experience, mounting akai disk in the mac os never was useful for anything else than creating a backup copy. maybe some of you remember the "akai cd reader" or the akai import tool from ik multimedia. both software are really a piece of crap.

CDXtract all the way, in OS9 and OSX! there is no other. directly importing from akais (such as the logic samplers allows) is in practice more work and more difficult than converting the whole CD.

[IIO]

i just tried the "akai CD reader" which i was using in OS7. it chrashes 922 after launch.
use toast if you have it.

[DieHard]

Syntho... under OS9 the Halion Import will mount and then extract the All Akai Partitions and individual programs and samples and then you can convert with OS 9 tools to another format... OR...

If you can afford to Run "Translator" 6 on you SL mac
http://www.chickensys.com/products2/translator/index.html

You can create the end result Sample libraries in 1 step.... for example you can go from Akai to EXS24 (I know you like Logic) and load all your converted libraries FW drive for transfer to you OS 9 Mac

The free OS 9 route will be "Free" but take longer than using your more modern Mac and paying a few bucks... your decision... I have converted more than 40 Akai CDs on both systems (G4 vs Mac Pro) and in the end I should have done all my Akai stuff with my Mac Pro SL and saved some time... I guess it depends on how many Akai CDs you like...  some older AKAI CDs I should have pitched (they sound better in an S5000).... and others (like the German Piano stuff and European Orchestra Stuff) still holds a candle to today's top libraries

[Syntho]

My case was a little special in that I didn't need to mount Akai disks to convert them, it's more that I needed to mount them to be able to preview them in Kontakt as-is without conversion. I'm using hardware samplers instead of software and browsing Akai disks is much faster on a computer, but I've decided to just let it go and browse/preview from the HW sampler itself.

Kontakt and EXS24 read them fine, it just gives me that weird filesystem error. I have to make sure to NOT view the desktop or have Finder as the foremost application or else it forces me to eject the disk. Weird the way that works.

[DieHard]

Well, now that's a different ball game all together... If using a Hardware Sampler, my vote was always to buy a cheap SCSI external hard drive and load all Sample CDs to it... access time and workflow speeds up greatly... if you find a box... i am sure I have some old SCSI 9GB and 18 GB Hard drives if you need one

Check out this site.... this guy has done a ton of ground work and documentation...

http://akaiscsifaq.digidude.net/

[IIO]

actually , for pre-listening only, cdxtract would also be the perfect tool.

[supernova777]

cdxtract is the perfect tool. except syntho doesnt like it .. que sera sera;)