Year Standard Max Bandwidth
1995 PCI 2.1 266 MB/s (32‑bit @ 66 MHz) -> Added optional 66 MHz and 64‑bit support; universal 3.3 V/5 V cards
1998 PCI 2.2 — -> Introduced Mini‑PCI and CardBus (laptop use)
1999 PCI 2.3 — -> Removed support for legacy-only 5 V cards; maintained 3.3 V/universal
1999 PCI‑X 1.0 Up to 1.06 GB/s (64‑bit @ 133 MHz) -> Server and workstation focus; high-speed burst transfers
2002 PCI‑X 2.0 Max ~4.26 GB/s (64‑bit @ 533 MHz) -> Added ECC, higher clock speeds (266/533 MHz)
Until June 1995, Apple had stuck with the 10 MHz 32-bit NuBus slot as the standard Mac expansion slot, something it had adopted in 1987 with the introduction of the Mac II. But June saw the first Mac with PCI slots, a 33 MHz 32-bit architecture pioneered on the Wintel side.
1996
Digidesign Audiomedia III (AES Copenhagen,
May 11, 1996. "Audiomedia III is available now.")
https://web.archive.org/web/19970516082321/http://www.digidesign.com/Newdigiweb/Diginews/Digireleases/Prodrelease/audiomedia_IIIpr.htmlhttps://archive.digidesign.com/support/propix/AM3.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19970605150305/http://www.digidesign.com/Newdigiweb/Digiprod/amiii/index.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19991006131056/http://www.digidesign.com:80/pdf/amiii.pdfsupported by Waves MultiRack 1.0.4 (3 February 1997)
Digidesign Pro Tools III PCI ("
Project / Disk I/O, PCI" & "
DSP Farm, PCI") (AES Copenhagen, May 11, 1996. Pro Tools PCI systems will begin shipping in
June, 1996.)
Connectors: VHDCI50 (Very High-Density Cable Interconnect, 50-pin) to CN50 (Centronics 50-pin) ("Minature SCSI" to "drive" as digidesign called it); LFH60 (Low Force Helix 60-pin) or "Digi proprietary 60-pin I/O cable"
) to HPDB50 (aka Micro DB50, HD50) ("Digi proprietary 60-pin I/O cable" to 50-pin, SCSI2-type" as digidesign calls it)
https://web.archive.org/web/19970516082303/http://www.digidesign.com/Newdigiweb/Diginews/Digireleases/Prodrelease/ptpcipr.htmlhttps://archive.digidesign.com/support/propix/diskiopcipp.htmlhttps://archive.digidesign.com/support/propix/DSPfarmPCIpp.htmlhttps://archive.digidesign.com/compato/pt3/https://web.archive.org/web/20000901042951/http://www.digidesign.com:80/compato/compatodocs.pdf
Digidesign SampleCell II™ ("
SAMPLECELL II (TM) PCI", "
SAMPLECELL II (TM) TDM, PCI")
https://web.archive.org/web/19970516061503/http://www.digidesign.com/Newdigiweb/Digiprod/samplecell/index.html
1997
Sonorus StudI-O (Winter NAMM, Jan 16, 1997. "[...] will be available this summer [...])
http://https://web.archive.org/web/19971221115827/http://sonorus.com/press.html: Thursday, January 16, 1997: ANNOUNCING STUDI/O - Sonorus enters at the top of the digital audio interface domain with the release of STUDI/O
http://https://web.archive.org/web/19971221115820/http://sonorus.com/press2.html: February 26, 1997: EXTRA COMPATIBILITY! - STUDI/O's vast software compatibility provides users with many options.
support for Steinberg software, including
Cubase Audio for MAC - Editor's note:
Cubase Audio XT for DAE/TDM and VST v3.52 was released in 1997.https://web.archive.org/web/19970415152004/http://sonorus.com:80/studio3.html:
Apr 15 1997:
No mention of
Macintosh
support.
https://web.archive.org/web/19970415152126/http://sonorus.com/pressrelease.html:
Apr 15 1997:
No mention of
Macintosh
support.
https://web.archive.org/web/19971221115337/http://sonorus.com:80/studio3.html:
Dec 21 1997: SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Macintosh: 120MHz 604e processor, 64MB RAM. Cubase VST 3.5, one free PCI slot.https://web.archive.org/web/20040102074315/http://sonorus.com:80/studiomanual.pdfhttps://web.archive.org/web/20081121225004/http://www.sonorus.com/installmac.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20090105160612/http://sonorus.com:80/2adat.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19990507152050/http://www.sonorus.com/asio.mac/cubemac.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20090105204222/http://www.sonorus.com/logic4.mac/https://web.archive.org/web/20010429172616/http://www.sonorus.com/review/macuser/https://web.archive.org/web/20010429174212/http://www.sonorus.com/review/macworld/https://web.archive.org/web/20050103050300/http://www.sonorus.com:80/twoboards.mac/sync-cable.PDFhttps://web.archive.org/web/20090105201815/http://www.sonorus.com/vst40.mac/https://web.archive.org/web/20081121232429/http://www.sonorus.com/audio/daw9624.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20001003060210/http://sonorus.com:80/studio14.sea.hqxhttps://web.archive.org/web/20170406220729/http://sonorus.com:80/STUDIO18.sit (07/01/99)
Blue G3/G4 compatible, Optimized for G3, AES3id via Sync Backplate BNC's, ASIO-2 features implemented, 96K Support!, Compatible with all ASIO applications, bug fixes (of course), STUFFIT 5.1 required
STUDI/O-SYNC BACKPLATE Sonorus Introduces STUDI/o-Sync Backplate for STUDI/O Digital Audio Interface, Friday, September 26, 1997:
https://web.archive.org/web/19980116002415/http://sonorus.com/press3.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20090105181757/http://www.sonorus.com/backplate.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040611150036/http://sonorus.com/STUDIOcomparison.pdfStarting with Version 5.0 of BeOS, support for STUDI/O is automatically included.
echo Gina 20 (presented at Winter NAMM: January 15-19, 1997, Macintosh version coming late summer '97. Macintosh version availability to be announced: Last Updated: Wednesday, September 10, 1997. Now Shipping: Last Updated: August 19, 1997
https://web.archive.org/web/19971011122855/http://www.event1.com/digital.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19970619032717if_/http://www.event1.com/gina.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19970619033429if_/http://www.event1.com/gina-spec.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20061018070622/http://www.echoaudio.com/Downloads/Developer/EchoGenericDriverB2.zip
echo Darla 20 (presented at Winter NAMM: January 15-19, 1997, Macintosh version coming late summer '97. Macintosh version availability to be announced: Last Updated: Wednesday, September 10, 1997. Now Shipping: Last Updated: Monday, October 13, 1997
https://web.archive.org/web/19970619032723if_/http://www.event1.com/darla.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19970619033447if_/http://www.event1.com/darla-spec.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19991106011613/http://www.event1.com/download.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19970619032809/http://www.event1.com/index1.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20121013113640/http://echoaudio.com/pages/mac-os-x-software (Archived Mac OS Software)
https://web.archive.org/web/20061018070622/http://www.echoaudio.com/Downloads/Developer/EchoGenericDriverB2.zip
Lucid PCI24 PCI Audio I/O Card Press Release January 15, 1997 (Winter NAMM 1997). Shipments are to begin in March. Last Updated August 30th, 1997.
https://web.archive.org/web/19970412135421/http://www.lucidtechnology.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/19970123200333/http://www.lucidtechnology.com/pci24pr.pdfhttps://web.archive.org/web/19980214054615/http://www.lucidtechnology.com/pci24.htmhttps://web.archive.org/web/19970612164732/http://www.lucidtechnology.com:80/PCI24_V1.seahttps://web.archive.org/web/19970612164809/http://www.lucidtechnology.com:80/PCI24_V1.sithttps://web.archive.org/web/19970612164845/http://www.lucidtechnology.com:80/PCI24_V1.sea.hqxhttps://web.archive.org/web/19991008145047/http://www.lucidtechnology.com:80/pci-mac.htm
Emagic Audiowerk8 (April 1997)
presented at Musikmesse Frankfurt 1997 & Winter NAMM 1997
EMAGIC shipped about 1000 cards mainly to dealers in the whole world in April. The first consumer cards were shipped on friday 04/25/97 at a list price of $795.
https://web.archive.org/web/19970429044702/http://www.emagic.de/german/products/aw8faq.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19970429043235/http://www.emagic.de/showsite/newper.html ("The Audiowerk8 will be followed by a series of add on products")
Digidesign Pro Tools|24 ("
D24", "
DSP Farm, PCI") (October 1997)
With the release of Pro Tools|24 in 1997, Digidesign introduced a new 24-bit interface (the 888|24) and a new PCI card (the d24). The d24 relied on Motorola 56301 processors, offering increased processing power and 24 tracks of 24-bit audio (later increased to 32 tracks with a DAE software update)
https://web.archive.org/web/20060603003321/http://digidesign.com:80/compato/os9/pt24/cards.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19990820144716/http://www.digidesign.com/prod/pt24/https://web.archive.org/web/20000901042951/http://www.digidesign.com:80/compato/compatodocs.pdf
RME DIGI32March 1997: RME presents the world's first (and deliverable!) 24-bit PCI digital audio card DIGI24 at the Frankfurt Musikmesse.
May 1997: renamed from DIGI24 to DIGI32.
June 1997: RME expands the functionality of the DIGI32 with AutoSync. For the first time worldwide, this provides an intelligent synchronization mechanism that enables demand-dependent and situation-appropriate clock control.
https://archiv.rme-audio.de/old/english/digi32/digi32.htmRME DIGI32 PROOct 1997: Not yet 24/96, the new chip will be available Q1 1998
https://archiv.rme-audio.de/old/english/digi32/digi32pr.htmRME DIGI32/8 Nov 1997: RME presents the DIGI32/8, the most affordable 24-bit 8-channel ADAT PCI digital audio card in the world to date.
https://archiv.rme-audio.de/old/english/digi32/digi328.htmKORG 1212 I/Oannounced Winter Namm 1996: "1212I/O PCI Multi-Channel Audio Interface with DECK II . This card features 12 inputs and 12 outputs configured as two analog I/O's, an S/PDIF I/O, and an eight channel ADAT Optical I/O. (price to be announced). Available later this year"!
https://web.archive.org/web/19971210235520/http://www.korg.com/sndlnk1.htmhttps://www.sweetwater.com/reports/winter-namm96/home.html
1998
- Ensoniq PARIS II EDI‑1000 PCI
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/ensoniq-paris-iihttps://www.audiotechnology.com/PDF/REVIEWS/Ensoniq_Paris_Issue_1.pdf- echo Layla 20 (presented at Winter NAMM 1997: January 15-19, 1997, Macintosh version coming late summer '97. Macintosh version availability to be announced: Last Updated: August 19, 1997. Now Shipping: Last Updated: 06/03/98
https://web.archive.org/web/19970619032652if_/http://www.event1.com/layla.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19970619033441if_/http://www.event1.com/layla-spec.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19991106011613/http://www.event1.com/download.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/19970619032809/http://www.event1.com/index1.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20121013113640/http://echoaudio.com/pages/mac-os-x-software (Archived Mac OS Software)
- Digidesign Pro Tools|24 MIX: MIX Core, MIX Farm, MIX I/O (= d24) (Sep 21, 1998)
https://web.archive.org/web/20021222094933/http://www.digidesign.com:80/compato/mainpt24mixmac.cfmhttps://web.archive.org/web/20000901042951/http://www.digidesign.com:80/compato/compatodocs.pdf
there are some rare green PCB production models of MIX Core called "PowerCard" on the PCB:
- Digidesign Project II (= d24)
- Frontier Design Group Dakota & Montana
- MOTU PCI-324 (early Summer 1998)
https://motu.com/other/press/1224/1224.pdfhttps://motu.com/techsupport/technotes/will-my-windows-pc-work-with-the-motu-pci-324-audio-system/
- RME DIGI32 PRO
Feb 1998: Thanks to a chip update, RME delivers the world's first 24-bit/96kHz PCI digital audio card with the DIGI32 PRO.
- RME DIGI96 series (DIGI96/8, DIGI96/8 PST, DIGI96/8 PAD, DIGI96, DIGI96/8 PRO)
Oct 1998: world's first fully 24-bit/96kHz-capable digital card series.
https://archiv.rme-audio.de/old/digi96/
- Lexicon Studio (Core2): 1999 for PC, Sep 22 2000 for Mac
first review: SOS, Jul 1998: at time of release only works with Cubase VST (16/44) on the PC
24‑bit recording capability not available until the launch of Cubase 24/4.0
Requires: MacOS 7.6.1+, 200MHz PowerPC processor (PowerPC 750 G3 processors are highly recommended)
Lexicon Studio works with third party software (such as Steinberg Cubase VST, Opcode VisionDSP, Emagic Logic
Audio)
Sept 1998: Great News for Macintosh Users: Lexicon is 30 days away from releasing Macintosh ASIO (audio streaming, input, output) drivers. This will allow you to use Steinberg Cubase VST/24 and Opcode VisionDSP with Lexicon Studio!
1999
- Creative Sound BLASTER Live! (MODEL : CT4830)
- YAMAHA DS2416, SW1000XG (Yamaha Corporation will release the digital mixing card "DS2416" and the audio expansion unit "AX44" in June (1998). A release for Macintosh is also planned, but the timing has not been decided yet. In the January 1999 brochure for the Yamaha DS2416 Digital Mixing Card, Mac support is first mentioned as follows: "The DS2416 Digital Mixing Card supports the Windows® 95/98/NT and Macintosh® platforms and quickly installs in the PCI card slot of a standard personal computer."
https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/brochure/4/320264/ds2416.pdf]https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/brochure/4/320264/ds2416.pdf
https://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/article/980304/yamaha.htm]https://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/article/980304/yamaha.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/19990429025701/https://www.yamaha.co.jp/news/98030301.html]https://web.archive.org/web/19990429025701/https://www.yamaha.co.jp/news/98030301.html
https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/6/320266/DS2416E.pdf]https://usa.yamaha.com/files/download/other_assets/6/320266/DS2416E.pdf
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/yamaha-dsp-factory-hard-disk-recording-system]https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/yamaha-dsp-factory-hard-disk-recording-system
- Emagic AudioWerk2 (scheduled for shipping in March of 1999)
https://www.harmonycentral.com/news/uncategorized/audiowerk2-from-emagic-to-ship-soon-r26882/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]https://www.harmonycentral.com/news/uncategorized/audiowerk2-from-emagic-to-ship-soon-r26882/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- Frontier Design Group WaveCenter/PCI
- RME DIGI96
Jan 1999: RME provides an ASIO driver with 24-bit/96kHz support for the DIGI96 series.
- RME DIGI32 Series
Mar 1999: RME becomes the first professional digital card manufacturer to deliver Blue/White G3 compatible Mac drivers.
- RME Project Hammerfall
Mar 1999: RME presents the world's first and only ASIO hardware at the Frankfurt Musikmesse: Project Hammerfall offers maximum performance through the unique '0% CPU load' technology and the globally unique SyncCheck for checking external clocks.
- RME Hammerfall
Jun 1999: RME's Hammerfall is the world's first digital card with Steinberg-certified ASIO 2.0 functionality and sample-accurate synchronization. RME releases the world's first ASIO 2.0 driver, including ZLM for ASIO, bringing ASIO Direct Monitoring to the DIGI96 series.
- Digidesign Digi 001 Interface I/O
- Korg OASYS PCI
October 23, 1999: Mac OS 9 is released
[/i]
2000
- Lynx Studio Technology LynxONE
Although released for Win95/98/DEC Digital Alpha (Yes, this may be the only soundcard for those RISC machines ever released),
Sep 14, 2000 with Version 0.90a Beta was the Initial Release of an ASIO Driver for Macintosh. So in our old tradition, even though the (c) on the Card says 1998, this was not available for Mac until 2000.
first product offered by Lynx Studio Technology, LynxONE provides basic analog and digital audio with on board AD and DA conversion. The analog side features 24-bit technology and sample rates up to 50kHz. The digital side goes up to 96kHz and can use either the AES/EBU or SPDIF digital format. LynxONE also offers two MIDI ports, discontinued July 2008)
https://web.archive.org/web/20010203154900/http://lynxstudio.com/macreadme.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040404094818/http://lynxstudio.com/lynxone.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20000831020906/http://www.pcavtech.com/soundcards/LynxONE/https://web.archive.org/web/20040405203747/http://lynxstudio.com/lynxonebrochure.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040610021435/http://lynxstudio.com/lynxonespecs.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040211143900/http://www.lynxstudio.com/swlist.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20060318024554/https://www.lynxstudio.com/LynxONEMacReadMe.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040404034157/http://www.lynxstudio.com/drivers/LynxONEv1.00b.hqx (
Mac OS 9, May 30, 2002)
- M-AUDIO AUDIOPHILE 24/96 (c) 2000 REV-A
- M-AUDIO AUDIOPHILE 24/96 (c) 2000 REV-A2
- TASCAM PCI-822 (Presented at Summer NAMM 2000)
https://tascam.jp/int/product/pci-822/tophttps://tascam.jp/downloads/tascam/298/PCI-822_Mac_Installer_v106.hqxhttps://www.harmonycentral.com/news/uncategorized/tascams-pci-822-audio-card-r17014/2001
- Lynx Studio Technology LynxTWO (LynxTWO-A/B/C)
https://web.archive.org/web/20040404095625/http://lynxstudio.com/lynxtwo.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040404095625/http://lynxstudio.com/reviews/LynxTWOBrochure.pdfhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040404095625/http://lynxstudio.com/lynxtwospecs.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040211143900/http://www.lynxstudio.com/swlist.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20080311004820/http://www.lynxstudio.com/OSXReleaseNotes.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20080317002009/http://www.lynxstudio.com/drivers/Lynx_OSX_42.ziphttps://web.archive.org/web/20040404092850/http://lynxstudio.com/lynxlsadat.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040404092850/http://lynxstudio.com/manuals/LS-ADATManual.pdfhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040404092850/http://lynxstudio.com/lynxlsadatspecs.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040404094106/http://lynxstudio.com/lynxlsaes.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040404094106/http://lynxstudio.com/manuals/LS-AESManual.pdfhttps://web.archive.org/web/20040404094106/http://lynxstudio.com/lynxlsaesspecs.html- Roland RPC-1 R-BUS Interface Card
https://static.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/N.P.C.%20-StudioPac_RPC-1(2).pdfhttps://www.roland.com/global/products/rpc-1/2002
- Lynx Studio Technology Lynx L22 / -G
- Edirol DA-2496 (PCI-DA MAIN BOARD)
https://www.roland.com/global/support/by_product/da-2496/updates_drivers/https://static.roland.com/assets/media/hqx/da2496_macos_v102b.hqx2003
- Lynx Studio Technology Lynx AES16™ / AES16-SRC / AES16-XLR / Options: LS-ADAT / LS--AES
https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5914038/page/80/mode/2up- MOTU PCI-424 (The MOTU PCI-424 card was introduced in 2003 as an upgrade to the earlier PCI-324 card, enhancing compatibility with newer computer systems.)
- M-AUDIO AUDIOPHILE 24/96 (c) 2003 REV-B
==============
*M-Audio (Formerly MusicSoft, Midiman) WIP
DMan 2044 (1997) (Sticker on front of Box: MAC DRIVERS NOW INCLUDED! Sound Manager and ASIO. Sticker on back of Box: MAC DRIVERS INCLUDED. 2 in 4 out (inputs 1&2
or 3&4 are software selectable. Includes Sound Manager and ASIO 3.5x 4.0 Drivers for Cubase VST. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS PCI bus slot. 120 Mhz or higher. System 7.55 and up. (ATTENTION: On the Mac only 2 inputs can be used simultaneously.)
**Creamware WIP
SCOPE DSP PCI Boards
Sonic Core 3-DSP SCOPE PCI Board
Sonic Core 6-DSP SCOPE PCI Board
Sonic Core 14/15-DSP SCOPE PCI Board
Creamware SCOPE / Professional
Creamware SCOPE / Project
Creamware SCOPE / Home
Creamware Pulsar I
Creamware Pulsar II
Creamware SCOPE FX
Creamware Guitar Pack
Creamware Luna
Creamware PowerSampler
Creamware Elektra
Creamware Consumer Plate
Creamware Profi / Plus Plate
Creamware 3 x ADAT C-Plate
Creamware Sync Plate
***Symbolic Sound Corporation WIP
TEST:
Professional PCI audio, DSP and interface cards for the classic Macintosh (1995–2003)A release chronology and preservation index for PCI-based professional audio hardware usable under classic Mac OS.Dating ruleCards are filed under the earliest year in which I can document actual Macintosh availability. An earlier announcement, Windows release, trade-show appearance or later driver milestone is noted separately. Where Macintosh shipment cannot yet be proven, the entry is marked
unconfirmed.
ScopeIncluded:
- PCI audio interfaces and digital I/O cards
- DSP cards and sampler cards intended for professional audio
- Proprietary PCI host cards used with external converters or interfaces
- Complete PCI-based Pro Tools systems where the individual cards require context
Not automatically included:
- consumer-only sound cards without documented classic Mac OS support
- cards supported only by Mac OS X
- PCI accelerator, video or general-purpose SCSI cards
Useful distinctions- Announcement — publicly introduced, but not necessarily shipping
- Mac availability — earliest documented Macintosh shipment or usable Mac driver
- Classic Mac support — System 7.x through Mac OS 9.x
- Driver type — Sound Manager, ASIO, DAE/TDM, MAS or proprietary
Background: PCI arrives on the MacintoshApple introduced PCI expansion in June 1995 with the first PCI Power Macintosh models, replacing NuBus as the principal expansion architecture. The relevant real-world Macintosh implementation was initially conventional 32-bit, 33 MHz PCI; theoretical figures for later 66 MHz, 64-bit and PCI-X variants should not be confused with the bandwidth available in most classic Mac OS machines.
1996Digidesign Audiomedia III- Mac availability: May 11, 1996; announced at AES Copenhagen as available immediately
- Type: host-based PCI audio card
- Support: Digidesign Direct I/O/DAE ecosystem; later supported by Waves MultiRack 1.0.4
- Status: confirmed
Digidesign Pro Tools III PCI- Announcement: AES Copenhagen, May 11, 1996
- Expected shipment: June 1996
- Cards: Disk I/O PCI or Project PCI, plus DSP Farm PCI
- External connections: dedicated Digidesign interface cable and external SCSI-disk connection
- Status: confirmed
Digidesign SampleCell II PCI / SampleCell II TDM PCI- Type: PCI sampler card; TDM-capable variant also offered
- Mac availability: documented in Digidesign’s 1996–97 PCI product range
- Status: exact first shipping date still wanted
1997Korg 1212 I/O- Announcement: Winter NAMM 1996; advertised for availability later that year
- Mac availability: documented Macintosh product support by 1997
- I/O: 2 analogue channels, stereo S/PDIF and 8-channel ADAT optical
- Bundled/associated software: initially promoted with DECK II
- Status: exact first Macintosh shipment date still wanted
Sonorus STUDI/O- Announcement: January 16, 1997
- Mac compatibility announced: February 26, 1997
- Confirmed Mac requirements by December 1997: 120 MHz PowerPC 604e, 64 MB RAM, Cubase VST 3.5 and one PCI slot
- Expansion: STUDI/O-SYNC backplate announced September 26, 1997
- Later development: ASIO 2, 96 kHz, Blue-and-White G3/G4 support and BeOS support
- Status: confirmed by late 1997; exact shipping month still wanted
Echo Gina 20- Announcement: Winter NAMM, January 1997
- Initial statement: Macintosh version expected in late summer 1997
- Shipping notice: August 19, 1997
- Status: Macintosh-specific shipment wording should still be independently confirmed
Echo Darla 20- Announcement: Winter NAMM, January 1997
- Initial statement: Macintosh version expected in late summer 1997
- Shipping notice: October 13, 1997
- Status: Macintosh-specific shipment wording should still be independently confirmed
Lucid PCI24- Announcement: January 15, 1997
- Expected shipment: March 1997
- Mac evidence: contemporary Macintosh installers and a later dedicated Mac product page survive
- Status: confirmed; exact consumer shipping date still wanted
Emagic Audiowerk8- Announcement: Winter NAMM and Frankfurt Musikmesse 1997
- Dealer shipment: approximately 1,000 cards shipped during April 1997
- Consumer shipment: April 25, 1997
- List price: US$795
- Status: confirmed
RME DIGI32 family- DIGI24 presentation: Frankfurt Musikmesse, March 1997
- Renamed DIGI32: May 1997
- AutoSync added: June 1997
- DIGI32 PRO announced: October 1997; initial version was not yet 24/96
- DIGI32/8 introduced: November 1997
- Mac status: driver chronology needs separating from the earlier general hardware chronology
Digidesign Pro Tools|24- Release: October 1997
- Cards: d24 plus DSP Farm PCI
- Interface generation: introduced alongside the 888|24
- Capability: initially 24 tracks of 24-bit audio, later raised through software
- Status: confirmed
Midiman / M-Audio DMan 2044- Mac availability: Mac-driver-equipped retail packaging documented in 1997
- Mac drivers: Sound Manager and ASIO for Cubase VST 3.5/4.0
- Mac limitation: only two inputs usable simultaneously
- System requirement: 120 MHz Macintosh, PCI slot, System 7.5.5 or later
- Status: exact Mac-driver release date still wanted
1998Ensoniq PARIS II / EDI-1000- Type: integrated PCI DSP recording and mixing system
- Mac availability: 1998-era PARIS II documentation and reviews
- Status: exact Macintosh shipment date still wanted
Echo Layla 20- Announcement: Winter NAMM 1997
- Initial statement: Macintosh version expected in late summer 1997
- Shipping notice: June 3, 1998
- Status: listed under 1998 pending earlier Macintosh shipping proof
Digidesign Pro Tools|24 MIX- Release: September 21, 1998
- Cards: MIX Core, MIX Farm and MIX I/O/d24
- Hardware note: rare green production PCBs marked “PowerCard” have been reported
- Related product: Project II used the d24 architecture without the full MIX configuration
- Status: confirmed
Frontier Design Group Dakota and Montana- Type: multichannel digital PCI interface and expansion/synchronisation hardware
- Status: Macintosh release date, first Mac driver and classic Mac OS range still wanted
MOTU PCI-324 Audio System- Introduction: early summer 1998
- Type: proprietary PCI host card for MOTU rack interfaces
- Early interfaces: 2408 and 1224 family
- Compatibility note: bus-mastering card; later PCI-voltage and machine compatibility require careful checking
- Status: confirmed
RME DIGI32 PRO- 24/96 revision: February 1998
- Claim: promoted by RME as the first deliverable 24-bit/96 kHz PCI digital audio card
- Status: hardware date confirmed; first Macintosh driver date still wanted
RME DIGI96 series- Introduction: October 1998
- Models: DIGI96, DIGI96/8, DIGI96/8 PST, DIGI96/8 PAD and DIGI96/8 PRO
- Capability: 24-bit/96 kHz digital-card family
- Status: Macintosh driver chronology still being documented
Lexicon Studio / Core2- PC review availability: July 1998
- Mac driver promises: Macintosh ASIO repeatedly announced during 1998
- Verified Mac availability: September 22, 2000 according to the currently located Mac release evidence
- Status: therefore listed in the 2000 Macintosh chronology below, not 1998
1999Yamaha DS2416 / DSP Factory- General announcement: March 1998
- Windows-targeted shipment: June 1998
- Mac support: explicitly present in Yamaha’s January 1999 brochure
- Related hardware: AX44 analogue expansion unit
- Status: listed under 1999 until an earlier shipping Mac driver is found
Yamaha SW1000XG- Type: XG synthesizer and digital-audio PCI card
- Mac status: must be documented separately from the DS2416; exact classic Mac release date still wanted
Emagic Audiowerk2- Expected shipment: March 1999
- Type: lower-cost member of the Audiowerk PCI family
- Status: final Macintosh shipping confirmation still wanted
Frontier Design Group WaveCenter/PCI- Type: multichannel digital PCI interface
- Status: Macintosh introduction and driver dates still wanted
RME DIGI96 Mac development- January 1999: ASIO driver with 24-bit/96 kHz support
- March 1999: Blue-and-White G3-compatible Mac drivers for the DIGI32 series
RME Project Hammerfall / Hammerfall- Project presentation: Frankfurt Musikmesse, March 1999
- Hammerfall release milestone: June 1999
- Features promoted: ASIO 2.0, sample-accurate synchronisation, SyncCheck and low host-CPU overhead
- Status: first Macintosh driver/release date still to be pinned down
Digidesign Digi 001- Introduction: 1999
- Type: PCI card plus external I/O box
- Platform: Pro Tools LE
- Status: exact announcement and first shipment dates still wanted
Korg OASYS PCI- Type: PCI DSP synthesis, effects and audio-I/O system
- Introduction: 1999-era launch
- Status: exact announcement, Macintosh shipment and first driver dates still wanted
Creative Sound Blaster Live!- Mac relevance: only specific retail/OEM revisions with actual classic Mac drivers should be included
- Status: CT4830 alone is not enough to prove Macintosh compatibility; requires driver and machine evidence
Mac OS 9 was released on October 23, 1999.2000Lexicon Studio / Core2 — Macintosh release- Verified Mac availability: September 22, 2000
- Requirements reported in Mac-era documentation: Mac OS 7.6.1 or later and a 200 MHz PowerPC; G3 recommended
- Software support: Cubase VST, Opcode VisionDSP and Emagic Logic Audio
- Status: confirmed Mac milestone; earlier promised dates were not treated as shipment
Lynx Studio Technology LynxONE- Earlier platforms: Windows 95/98 and DEC Alpha
- Initial Macintosh ASIO driver: version 0.90a beta, September 14, 2000
- I/O: analogue and AES/EBU or S/PDIF digital audio, plus two MIDI ports
- Later classic Mac driver: version 1.00b, May 30, 2002
- Status: confirmed
M-Audio Audiophile 2496 — Rev A / Rev A2- Hardware date: copyright 2000
- Status: exact Macintosh driver availability, revision differences and supported classic Mac OS versions still wanted
Tascam PCI-822- Presentation: Summer NAMM 2000
- Mac evidence: surviving Macintosh installer version 1.06
- Status: exact Macintosh shipment date still wanted
2001Lynx Studio Technology LynxTWO A/B/C- Introduction: 2001
- Options: LS-ADAT and LS-AES expansion interfaces
- Status: classic Mac OS driver range and exact first Mac shipment date still wanted
Roland RPC-1- Type: PCI R-BUS interface card
- Use: connection between a computer and compatible Roland digital mixers/recorders
- Status: exact classic Macintosh release and driver dates still wanted
2002Lynx L22 / L22-G- Introduction: 2002
- Status: exact classic Mac OS availability and model differences still wanted
Edirol DA-2496- Type: PCI main board with external multichannel audio interface
- Mac evidence: surviving Macintosh driver version 1.02b
- Status: exact shipping and driver dates still wanted
2003Lynx AES16 family- Models: AES16, AES16-SRC and AES16-XLR
- Options: LS-ADAT and LS-AES
- Status: verify whether the earliest 2003 Macintosh support included classic Mac OS or was Mac OS X only
MOTU PCI-424- Introduction: 2003
- Purpose: successor to PCI-324 for newer MOTU PCI Audio interfaces and computers
- Status: classic Mac OS compatibility must be separated from later Mac OS X support and from PCIe-424
M-Audio Audiophile 2496 — Rev B- Hardware date: copyright 2003
- Status: determine electrical, component and firmware differences from Rev A/A2
Additional families still under investigationCreamware / SCOPE- Pulsar I and II
- SCOPE Professional, Project and Home
- SCOPE FX
- Luna
- PowerSampler
- Elektra
- 3-, 6- and 14/15-DSP board variants
- ADAT, AES/EBU, sync and analogue expansion plates
These must be sorted by original Creamware product name and release date rather than later Sonic Core reissues.
Symbolic SoundPCI host hardware used with Kyma/Capybara systems still requires identification, release dating and classic Mac OS compatibility documentation.
Information wantedCorrections and additions are especially welcome for:
- contemporary proof of first Macintosh shipment
- original classic Mac OS driver version and date
- earliest and last supported System/Mac OS version
- Sound Manager, ASIO, DAE/TDM or MAS support
- PCI voltage/keying and incompatible Power Mac models
- required breakout boxes, daughterboards and proprietary cables
- original magazine announcements, reviews and advertisements
Please distinguish announcement dates from verified Macintosh availability and include a contemporary source whenever possible.
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Topic: PCI Local Bus Timeline: Digital Audio Cards (Read 63983 times)
