Presonus Firebox issues

What version of OS X do you have?

Presonus has not yet released drivers for Snow Leopard for the FireStudio line of interfaces. The beta drivers have not been functional on my MacBook Pro either.

If your computer is running OS X SL then you might need to wait for new drivers or get a different audio interface.

You might want to register the issue with PreSonus. I have an open case with their tech support. They have sent me newer beta drivers to try, but to no avail. The firebox will likely need a firmware upgrade. I connected my Firestudio Mobile to a Windows 7 machine and managed to update the firmware from there.

But it still does not function with my MacBook Pro. There has been some discussion with Firewire Chipset issue with MacBook Pros starting with late 2008 models. Mine is one that has the suspect chipset. I am not sure if that is related to the problem or not, but lots of Presonus owners with Macs are having the same issue you reported.

I have the same problem with the Presonus Firestudio Project and Snow Leopard. I'll download the beta drivers from Presonus's web site, uninstall the old drivers, install the new ones, and I can usually get the Presonus Firestudio Project to work -- briefly. Then maybe a day later, there's no sound, and usually the device isn't being recognized. So I'll repeat the whole uninstall, reinstall process, and the box will work and I can return to my projects in Logic, etc. -- for, typically, another few hours. It's now been more than 7 months since Apple released Snow Leopard, and Presonus still has nothing other than an unstable beta driver that is essentially nonfunctional? That's ridiculous. I could understand if this was an old, legacy product, but this thing is still being sold. If I want to keep making music on a Mac, I don't see any options other than to write off my $500 investment in the Presonus product, dump it in the trash, and shop for a new interface from another company. Can anyone recommend a Firewire interface in the $400-$800 range -- from manufacturer that is committed to, and has consistently supported, the Mac platform with updated drivers?

silent53 wrote:
I see now. I have opened a ticket with presonus and am just waiting to hear back from them. This is kind of upsetting because SL has been out for MONTHS now and Presonus still does not have a functioning product... sigh

Kind of odd, as the Presonus people are definitely Mac centric, however... I'm not so sure their drivers are done in house. Presonus driver technology has always be a couple of steps behind their hardware.

The PC FireStudio drivers for Windows XP are way solid, I routinely record 8-tracks 3 hours at a time on an old laptop using the 60 GB 5400rpm internal drive. As I recall, Firestudio was equally as solid on Tiger and Leopard.

It just seems to take them a long time to get up to speed.

Also... some devices have had a problem with one of the Apple firewire chips, there was a thread on it not too long ago.

pancenter-

That's odd - as far as I'm aware, the Firebox shouldn't need updated drivers for SL - this is in the Firebox manual -

+'The audio drivers for the FIREBOX are included in the CORE AUDIO of+
+Macintosh OSX 10.3.7 and later.'+

I had a problem with mine not getting the blue light automatically on boot-up a while ago - resetting Core Audio in Audio MIDI Setup bought it back though. Eventually fixed it with a firmware update included in the software download for the Firebox Control Panel/Mixer software, so you could try that.

chorleyman wrote:
That's odd - as far as I'm aware, the Firebox shouldn't need updated drivers for SL - this is in the Firebox manual -

+'The audio drivers for the FIREBOX are included in the CORE AUDIO of+
+Macintosh OSX 10.3.7 and later.'+

The Presonus site has a beta driver development program for both Snow Leopard and Windows-7. Users can download the drivers and report problems, by the time they get this far the drivers are resonably solid.

pancenter-

Yes, you do need a Firebox driver for Windows, however a separate driver for OSX is not required as per this article (2nd page, right hand side) -

[http://www.presonus.com/media/pdf/SOSFIREBOX.pdf]

There was a thread similar to this some time ago in which I erroneously mentioned a driver update to someone - I hadn't remembered that the software installation was only for the Mixer and Control panel applications, hence the comment I made previously. I can't say what the firmware update does exactly, but it solved the problem I had, so it could be worth a try.

Message was edited by: chorleyman

chorleyman wrote:
Yes, you do need a Firebox driver for Windows, however a separate driver for OSX is not required as per this article (2nd page, right hand side) -

You're exactly right about that, sorry, my bad. I have a Firestudio Project and as soon as I see Presonus and "Fire---" I'm thinking of the Firestudio series.

pancenter-

Yeah, the power of association.

Er, my Firebox works (mostly) fine with Snow Leopard with no new drivers.
The only issue I have is, I think, specific to my rig: I have an iMac with one FW 800 out, to which I've connected a FW 800/400 drive, to which I've connected the Firebox, and a FW 400 drive is attached to the Firebox's second FW jack. I'd view this as a challenging setup for any audio interface, if not downright cuckoo. The power-up sequence alone is interesting. (Wish the iMac had another FW out.)
Anyhow, now and then—and never while working with Logic—I lose system audio through the Firebox. I go to AudioMIDI Setup and toggle the Firebox clock source to Device and then back to Mac, and I'm good to go.
I realize this sounds a bit fiddly, but consider my setup. I'd give the Firebox a thumbs-up as is with Snow Leopard.

I've got a slight issue with my firebox.

Basically i leave it plugged in when not using it (switched off at the wall).
when i fire up the mac (the firebox is being powered via the firewire cable and light promptly turns blue) and lunch garage band i'd like to be able to go straight to the input source and select it from the drop down but the option isn't there just the stereo/ built in input . Instead I have to disconnect and Re-insert the firewire cable at the box, then GB will automatically recognise it.

like i said the light turns blue on start up so i don't think there are any sync issues with the clock or anything.
not sure if anyone can help.? but it would be nice to resolve this minor niggle.

Thanks

Mike

I just wanted to update this thread. PreSonus has since released drivers form OSX Snow Leopard and for Windows 7. My FireStudio Mobile did work following this as long as I had it connected as the first device in the chain.

One problem I had was old Mackie Onyx i series drivers. I evaluated a 1220i a few months ago and never uninstalled the drivers after the eval was over. That driver really interfered with the FireStudio. This was on of the Mackies that will run Pro Tools M. So if you have one of the drivers try running the un-installer for it then reinstalling the PreSonus Universal Control.

Nice one. Anybody have any thoughts on my issues. Understand the thread is little dated but would appreciate a nudge in the right direction?

Cheers

Mike

Have you tried the firmware update, as I suggested, Mike? I'm not saying its definitely the answer, but it fixed my problem with the Firebox not syncing, its definitely got to be worth a try - go to the Presonus site and and download the Firebox Control Panel and Mixer software and the firmware update should be included (at least it was when I did it anyway) - from memory, its just a file that you run, it tells you what to do, simple enough, no big technical stuff or I wouldn't be able to do it!