Connect new powerbook with UA-3?, Help! can't get it to work Options

Anyone have advice on connecting an Edirol UA-3 with a new Powerbook running OS 10.1.4?

I just purchased the UA-3, and cannot get the digital connection to function no matter what I do. I already returned one unit, after speaking to Edirol tech support and deciding together that it was defective. Now that the second one does the same thing, I'm beginning to wonder....

I'm trying to import recordings (my own) from a Sony DAT to the powerbook, using the S/PDIF line and a propietary sony cable. I know that the signal is leaving the DAT, because I have connected it to the optical IN of a minidisc player and it sounds fine. As far as I can tell, all the settings and switches are in the right place, and the sample rates are the same (i.e. 44.1. Setting it to 48 doesn't change things). The analog line does in fact work, and aside from some weird beeping in the first few seconds of the first recording, it sounds decent. But that defeats the whole purpose of getting the UA-3, which was to stay in the digital domain from DAT to CD.

Other fun symptoms:
-- occasionally the UA-3 output does pick up something of the digital signal, but it sounds fuzzy and distant.
-- occasionally horrible buzzes come out of the mac sound system.

So - do I have to conclude that the two machines just don't work together, or does anyone have an idea what might be wrong? (would the UA-1D work?).

Any help much appreciated,
d. noveck

[damann]

sounds to me that you've become an unofficial bug-tester for both pieces of software.
i'm sure that either apple or roland will (not soon enough) release a fix for this problem.
in the meantime why don't you switch to os9.2 to transfer the dat stuff and for christ's sake get rid of the dat a.s.a.p.
dat has always been crap and really isn't necassary these days!
good luck (labour under correct knowledge)......

thanks damann for your input. I actually tried switching to system 9 and using protools, but that didn't work either! Guess I have to accept being a guinea pig.
As for DAT, I can't agree that its crap - my unit has been fantastic. Tape is definitely a pain in the butt, though, and hard to justify when you can just record to disk. I got all excited about the HHB Portadisc, which would suit my needs perfectly, but something tells me that if the UA-3 doesn't work doesn't work with the Powerbook/OS X, the portadisc probably won't either.

dbn

[damann]

of course dat is still very popular, but hey, who'se sick idea was it to use a minituarised version of a video recorders transport? the worst transport mechanism ever invented. over the years i've owned four dat recorders and the transport has broken on every single one of them!
re your problems...
kick roland's asses over this, sounds like they're being very naughty boys.
thought of the day 'Whose cruel idea was it for the word 'lisp' to have an 's' in it?'
good luck, catch you later.

[taco6]

Why don't you try to upgrade OS X to 10.1.5? It has expanded peripheral device support and may help. Sometimes easy upgrades like this work.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/appl...pdate01677.html