# Can you use iMac as a slave and share its screen too?



## Soundhound (Jun 20, 2014)

Would this be possible? Use a Mac Pro as the host computer running the DAW (mostly Logic) and an iMac as the slave w/VEP5 to serve up additional libraries. The trick is I only have room in my setup for two screens, so I'm wondering if there would be a way to share the iMac's screen with the mac pro? I've gotten way used to two screens when working.

Seems like an odd configuration, but maybe someone's actually done it, or knows how it could be done? 

Or I'm just plain nuts.

Thanks!


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Jun 20, 2014)

I'm pretty sure you can't use the iMac screen as a monitor for other computers. 

I think you'll have to set up a screensharing program over the network to either display the Mac Pro on the iMac or put the iMac not in your set up and access it from the Mac Pro. I think the latter is probably the best option but then the screen on the iMac wouldn't be used so it might be worth looking into other computers instead of spending more for the screen which wouldn't get used.


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## marclawsonmusic (Jun 20, 2014)

Yes! If you connect another Mac to your iMac, you can use "Target Display Mode" to make the iMac's monitor usable as a second display (or the main display... if the main computer is a MacPro or Mac Mini).

This of course requires another USD$30 Apple peripheral... either a Mini Display Port cable or a Thunderbolt cable.


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## Soundhound (Jun 20, 2014)

Great! How might you be able to control the iMac (and its instances of VEP5/Kontakt/various VIs etc) in that arrangement?

And would it be a good solid connection working like that, not jerry-rigged do you think?







marclawsonmusic @ Fri Jun 20 said:


> Yes! If you connect another Mac to your iMac, you can use "Target Display Mode" to make the iMac's monitor usable as a second display (or the main display... if the main computer is a MacPro or Mac Mini).
> 
> This of course requires another USD$30 Apple peripheral... either a Mini Display Port cable or a Thunderbolt cable.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 20, 2014)

I was curious to know which iMacs support Target Display Mode.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3924


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## marclawsonmusic (Jun 20, 2014)

The iMac still works like usual, but you can hit Command-F2 and viola'... it's now a second monitor for the Mac Pro.

Hit Command-F2 again and it's back to normal.

So, you can tweak your VEPro when it's in "normal" iMac mode, then hit Command-F2 when you want it to resume being a second monitor for the main DAW.

I use this on my 2 iMacs in my studio and it's really great. When I replaced my 2010 iMac, I was worried it would become a big glass door stop, but it's nice to be able to put that gorgeous display back to work!

Definitely check out the link Nick provided to make sure your Mac will work with this setup, but my understanding is that any Mac with a Mini DisplayPort or Thunderbolt adapter can use this.

Cheers,
Marc


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## Soundhound (Jun 20, 2014)

*Re: Can you use an iMac as a slave and share its screen too?*

Checked out that link and my iMac just gets in under tHe wire (2010 i7). Thank you Nick!

The two iMac setup sounds great! It means two keyboards and two mice or trackpads I guess? I was thinking there might be a way to control the iMac slave the way you would a monitorless slave, people use a variety of apps for that I think? But that switching you describe does sound pretty easy and organized.

I was sniffing around this idea because I'm looking for a stopgap measure to tide me over till I get a new Mac Pro next year. I'm waiting for rev 2 because I'm a chicken, basically. I was thinking of selling my 2010 iMac and getting a 2012, anything with thunderbolt and usb 3.0, and then using that as a slave when I get the Mac Pro, if I think I even need one at that point...

But this is another whole wrinkle. Two iMacs tied together I would think is a lot of horsepower. Talk about things that make you go hmmmmm! Thanks Marc!





marclawsonmusic @ Fri Jun 20 said:


> The iMac still works like usual, but you can hit Command-F2 and viola'... it's now a second monitor for the Mac Pro.
> 
> Hit Command-F2 again and it's back to normal.
> 
> ...


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## marclawsonmusic (Jun 20, 2014)

Glad to hear it! :D


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## Mike Marino (Jun 21, 2014)

Didn't know this; great news.


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## Lawson. (Jun 21, 2014)

There is another way to do this.

First, enable screen sharing on the iMac. System Preferences > Sharing > Screen Sharing

Second, find the router IP of the iMac. System Preferences > Network Look for where it says "Status: Connected …… and has the IP address of ………"

Third, go on the Mac Pro, open Finder, and press Cmd + K. A window will pop up asking to connect to server. In the "Server Address:" part, type in "vnc://IP ADDRESS HERE". So if your IP is 192.168.1.3, type "vnc://192.168.1.3" (without the quotations, of course).

Finally, hit "Connect" and a window will pop up asking for your name and password. Enter the name and password of your iMac, hit "Connect", and voila! You can now control and see the screen of your iMac through your Mac Pro.


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## marclawsonmusic (Jun 21, 2014)

Very cool. I didn't know Macs had built-in remote desktop features.


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## IFM (Jun 22, 2014)

Even easier just open a finder window and on the left is the list of shared devices and one should be the iMac (once screen sharing is enabled on the iMac of course). Just click once and in the main window will be some choices and one of them is share screen. 

This is cool especially if you have a bank of minis as slaves. You can run them all headless and just remote connect once they have been set up.

Chris


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## Nick Batzdorf (Jun 22, 2014)

Screen sharing is great, but it's KVM-over-ethernet. That's not the same thing as a direct wired connection to the monitor - Target Display Mode - which is what we were talking about above.

The ethernet connection is quite a bit slower. It's more than fine for loading samples, but you wouldn't want to sequence that way if you could help it.


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## Soundhound (Jun 27, 2014)

Marc, I've been looking for a minidisplay port (which my 2010 imac has) to thunderbolt (my new, to me, 2012 imac) to connect them for target display mode. But I'm not finding such a thing. Do you just use a thunderbolt cable? I thought I'd read that the thunderbolt port and minidisplay port are the same...? Doesn't seem right though. 

What are you using? Thanks!


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## marclawsonmusic (Jun 28, 2014)

Hi Soundhound,

I had the same problem... Until I re-read the Apple article. The good news is that you just need a Mini DisplayPort *or* a Thunderbolt cable - the connectors are the same.

Check out the link Nick posted above and go about halfway down the page. In the section called "What are the requirements for TDM?", there is a grid. For your 2010 iMac, looks like you need "Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort" cable, which can still be plugged into the Thunderbolt port on the MacPro.

Cheers,
Marc


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## Soundhound (Jun 28, 2014)

Thanks again Marc, you saved the day again.  Have a mini displayport cable on the way. Amazon same day—local stores didn't have them in stock. 2010 technology is so...2010... Going to give it a try this weekend hopefully.


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## marclawsonmusic (Jun 28, 2014)

Cool deal! Let us know how it works out


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## Soundhound (Jun 28, 2014)

I got it setup and tried using the 2010 iMac for target display mode, but it didn't seem to work. Looking at the chart that Nick posed a link to again, I now notice that it says the 2010 iMac needs a mini display port cable, but the 2012 mac needs a thunderbolt cable. I wonder if this is why it's not working? I didn't try the thunderbolt cable - I'm new to thunderbolt and didn't want to fry anything. 

Do you think I could try a thunderbolt cable and see if that works?


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## marclawsonmusic (Jun 29, 2014)

Hmmm... so you have a Mini DisplayPort to Mini DisplayPort cable - going from the MacPro Thunderbolt port to the Mini DisplayPort on the iMac? If so, that is the correct hardware configuration.

After that, all you have to do is hit Command-F2 on the iMac and that should yield control to the MacPro.

If that doesn't work, maybe try to restart both computers (or maybe just the iMac) with the cable attached and then try the Command-F2 thing. I do seem to remember it failing on my first attempt too.


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## marclawsonmusic (Jun 29, 2014)

Might need to check System Preferences too... can't remember if I had to do this or not:

*5. How do I enable TDM?*

Make sure both computers are turned on and awake. 
Connect a male-to-male Mini DisplayPort or ThunderBolt cable to each computer. 
Press Command-F2 on the keyboard of the iMac being used as a display to enable TDM. 
*Note: In Keyboard System Preferences, if the checkbox is enabled for "Use all F1, F2, etc. keys as standard functions keys," the key combination changes to Command-Fn-F2.*


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## Soundhound (Jun 29, 2014)

Okay got it to work. I think it was just a matter of connecting BOTH ends of the mini displayport cable while both macs are on and awake. I think the thunderbolt iMac can be the 'host' in this case and the older iMac can be the extended screen, but not the other way around, which makes sense. 

Right now I'm using the older mac as the main computer, but will be reversiong that once I've got all my programs/plugins etc up and running on the thunderbolt mac. So I'm in business. 

Thanks again Marc!


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## stillcd (Jun 29, 2014)

This is my setup currently. I've had a 27" iMac for about 4 years and this week I just got my new Mac Pro (8 Core 64 GB Ram and 1TB flash storage). Currently I'm using the iMac's screen as a second display, but haven't yet set it up as a slave. Shouldn't be too difficult though, just need to get VE Pro 5 and connect the two machines thru ethernet.

Cody


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## Soundhound (Jun 29, 2014)

That's my plan as well Cody, going to get a mac pro next year. Really looking forward to the increase cpu and ram headroom, even with the 2 iMac setup. I seem to have a penchant for cpu hungry instruments and effects etc. Going to go from my trust old original Motu 828 to a UA Apollo Twin as well. Love all this stuff, sounds just gorgeous.




stillcd @ Sun Jun 29 said:


> This is my setup currently. I've had a 27" iMac for about 4 years and this week I just got my new Mac Pro (8 Core 64 GB Ram and 1TB flash storage). Currently I'm using the iMac's screen as a second display, but haven't yet set it up as a slave. Shouldn't be too difficult though, just need to get VE Pro 5 and connect the two machines thru ethernet.
> 
> Cody


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## marclawsonmusic (Jun 29, 2014)

Soundhound @ Sun Jun 29 said:


> ... So I'm in business.



Bam. Winning.


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## Soundhound (Jun 29, 2014)

Couldn't find a meme regarding Sgt. Hulka's big toe. This will just have to do.


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## marclawsonmusic (Jun 29, 2014)

LOL! Good times


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