Brass & Intel Mac

[Trevor]

I have had limited luck installing the Intel compatible version of Brass on my new MacBook Pro - It will work as a standalone program, but seems still to be only at version 1.2 (rather than the promised 1.2.1) and doesn't appear as an au plugin in MOTU Digital Performer.

I've been corresponding with Arturia's Tech support for about a month, and have made no progress.

Brass appears as a vst plugin in Cubase LE. It seems to be only the au format (the one I need) which isn't being properly updated by the new installer.

Has anyone experienced anything similar, and incidentally, how do you find Arturia's tech support?

Trevor

[keithsacto]

Hi. Just got Brass myself tonight. I'm on a new intel iMac using PTLE7.3.1 on a 002R. Couldn't get it to work as a plug-in for a while. The fix for me was to throw out the plug-in(Brass) in my plug-in folder and reinstall the update. When I first installed the update (1.2.1) the "original" older plug-in (from the original CD installation?) stayed in my folder. Had to throw that out and reinstall the update again. The correct plug-in says universal when I select it and then use "command plus I" for info. Hope this might help. Looks like there isn't a lot of activety on this forum. I wanted to get some easy playing good sounding horns for my system. This sounds pretty good but I'm not getting alot of volume out of it yet. Probably just my ignorance with virtual instruments and midi. Will be working on this.

[Trevor]

Very glad to see someone else is using the program!

So you had installed the 'pre-intel' version from the CD first? They say you can just install the update without a CD install (which is what I did) but I can't get Brass to work as plugin in DP5 at all. I've tried dumping all Brass files including preferences etc, and reinstalling (even re-downloading the update installer) but no joy.

Also, after sporadic correspondance with the company, they stopped replying to my emails. The last one I sent included a screen shot showing that the downloaded upgdate wasn't showing up as v.1.2.1 (just v.1.2) in the 'info' window after installation. With the program open it calls itself "Brass 1.2 (1.2)" in the 'About Brass' window. No 1.2.1 anywhere.
I like the sounds as well, but have had to go back to my hardware instruments as the setup with Brass as a separate application running alongside my sequencer is just too clumsy.

[keithsacto]

Hi. I've been using Brass just slowly these past few weeks. Just in live mode with the presets. It takes alot of power and I'm starting to sequence 8 bars at a time or so and then record it to a audio track. I'd like to see you be able to use it as a plug-in. I wouldn't throw everything out. What I did was install the original CD, then go to my plug-ins folder in PTLE and throw out the old plug-in and then install the new update. I don't know if that makes sound scientific, technical sense, but it worked for me. The key was getting the old plug-in out of the PTLE plug-in folder and the new one in. Not sure how DP works with plug-in folders but with PTLE the plug-ins have to be in that folder for the application to find them. On the new intel iMac, with digi's new virtual instruments, they even give you a "finder" that you have to drag and drop next to the plug-in in the folder so Pro Tools can find it. I don't think there would be anything faulty with the update (mine say's v1.2 in my application folder) but rather how the installation is interacting with DP5. Mine is installed on my system drive with the Brass application icon in my Applications folder and the plug-in itself in my Digidesign Folder (plug-in folder) that is found in Library>Application Support>Digidesign>Plug-ins. Hope this might help.

[JustSayJoe]

I cannot get Protools to recognize the plugin file either so I'll try what you did and see if it works. The sounds seem great standalone so I hope they sound as good through Pro Tools

[JustSayJoe]

"On the new intel iMac, with digi's new virtual instruments, they even give you a "finder" that you have to drag and drop next to the plug-in in the folder so Pro Tools can find it. "

Can you explain this in more detail?

[Trevor]

Just for reference, after months of frustration and virtual defeat:

On bootup, DP (I don't know about other sequencers) does some sort of diagnostic routine to ensure compatibility of any new plugins it finds before mounting them .

In my case it had initially found some sort of problem, and thereafter just ignored the plugin. No amount of reinstalling the program/plugin package could over-ride this initial assessment and rejection of BRASS.

However... Ditching the system file that contains the log of DP's AU diagnoses (see paragraph 2 above) I didn't even have to reinstall - it just agreed to give BRASS a second look, and this time found nothing untoward.

So now it works exactly as expected, and on my 2.4gHz Powermac pro, even the big processor hit has never affected the recording/sequencing process.

Now I'd like the chance to complete the Arturia user survey with the program working properly. I think the program is excellent, but that it could use further development - streamlining in some areas and expansion in others. Even so, an investment I no longer regret, and a program I would now recommend to other musicians.