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Best/Safest OSX version for DAW and plug-ins?

jmvideo

Senior Member
I recently acquired a used 2011 Mac Pro and will be upgrading/transferring everything from my old 2008 Mac Pro. Currently my old 2008 MP is running Snow Leopard OSX 6.8 and everything runs solid with no issues.

My plan is to wipe the new MP clean before transferring and installing everything. Should I stick with OSX 6.8 or is that too old?

I figured if I stick with the same OS, everything will be transferred to the exact same place. I understand a lot of internal folder structures have changed with Mountain Lion and Yosemite.

Or am I just way overthinking it here and should wipe from a Yosemite install disc?
 
If everything you use still runs fine on 10.6.8, I say stick with it. That was the last GREAT version of OSX, in my experience. Everything felt good & responsive. Yosemite was a steaming pile of... well, no fun. Slow, syrupy, lame. El Capitan is a significant improvement and makes it feel more like... Snow Leopard.

Now ask me if I have an opinion on Yosemite ;)
 
It's a kinda impossible question to answer because it is all about what software you want to run. If you are on Logic and don't want the last core bug then you might need 10.9.5, if you want SoundToys 5 you might need 10.8, if you want a new sample lib that needs Kontakt 5 then you need 10.9... and the opposite might be true, your favourite legacy plugs might not work under 10.10...

And where can you get Yosemite to install - it was App store download only right?
 
It's a kinda impossible question to answer because it is all about what software you want to run. If you are on Logic and don't want the last core bug then you might need 10.9.5, if you want SoundToys 5 you might need 10.8, if you want a new sample lib that needs Kontakt 5 then you need 10.9... and the opposite might be true, your favourite legacy plugs might not work under 10.10...
And where can you get Yosemite to install - it was App store download only right?

Ah, good point about Kontakt 5.. forgot about that. I have a pretty beefy slave that I'm running most of my VIs from, so this new MP would be mostly for running Digital Performer 9 and some processing plugs like Ozone, MCDSP, and Slate. I would also host a few VIs that need drag/drop like Stylus and EZ Drummer etc.

Last time I looked online I thought Yosemite was available to purchase as an instal disc, but I may be wrong about that.
 
I bought 10.7 on disk. Yosemite was DL only. You can create a bootable drive from an old download... but I don't know about a complete install.

(Even though the EZ Drummer 2 upgrade offer ended on Toontrack's own site, there are still boxed upgrades to EZ 2.0 on other stores. I am about to get one as I neglected to get it last year ;) )
 
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