General Use

Q: Mac: What are the minimum system requirements for HarmonyAudio?
A: You will need a Mac with a G4 processor (or higher) equipped with a FireWire port. HarmonyAudio requires Mac OS X 10.3.5 or higher (10.4.x compatible) to run, as prior versions do not have Support for FireWire Audio Units.


Q: PC: What are the minimum system requirements for HarmonyAudio?
A: You will need a PC with a Pentium IV processor equipped with a FireWire port. Please note that we very strongly recommend using FireWire cards with Texas Instruments chipset, like Alchemy FW400 PCI and Alchemy FW800 PCI. Windows XP is also required.


Q: Is it necessary to use an external power supply with HarmonyAudio?
A: A standard FireWire 400 (6 pin) port delivers sufficient power to HarmonyAudio, so an external power supply will not be required. However, if you own a PC laptop with a 4 pin FireWire port (iLink) or a FireWire PC-Card, the power supply will be required.


Q: What Mac applications are compatible with HarmonyAudio?
A: HarmonyAudio has been succesfully tested with GarageBand, Logic Express, Logic Audio, Cubase, Live 4. Most QuickTime compliant applications can also use HarmonyAudio as an audio source.


Q: Where do I find the drivers for HarmonyAudio to run on my Mac?
A: There are none. As long as you have Mac OS X 10.3.5 or higher, the unit will be automatically detected as an audio source or output device



Mac-specific questions

Q: I am using GarageBand with HarmonyAudio and the frequency is stuck at 44.1 KHz.
A: This is a limitation of GarageBand described in this Apple kb article.


Q: I am using GarageBand with HarmonyAudio and I am unable to select speakers 3 to 8 for output.
A: Unfortunately, this is also a GarageBand limitation. Only channels 1/2 are Supported. Logic Express and other applications Support 96 KHz/24 bits audio.


Q: I have connected several speakers to HarmonyAudio and selected the correct speaker output in Audio/Midi Setup. When I try to playback a DVD with 5.1 sound with Apple's DVD player, I get sound on only two speakers. Why?
A: DVD player does not decode 5.1 sound. Use VLC to playback your DVDs instead.



PC-specific questions

Q: I have installed the drivers and the control panel says 'Oxford Semiconductors'?
A: It does indeed, as it is supplied by the manufacturer of the chip that powers HarmonyAudio. This is just cosmetic and will not affect the performance of the drivers.