Help With Osx 10.2.4 And Midi Set-up, Can't set up MIDI keyboard with software Options

[parente]

It's been 3 years since I've set-up my music software and it seems like 100. The fog is starting to clear a little... but not much.

I recently bought a Mac G4 1Gh, 768 ram running OS 10.2.4 to compose and record more of my own material which I used to use a tangerine iMac for. I spent the day (all day) trying to use a FastLane USB interface with my Casio CTK-540 MIDI keyboard along with Bitheadz Unity DS-1 2.1 sampler software. I've used all of this equipment and software before. I'm not new to a Mac, but am new to Mac OSX and no matter what I try, I can't get this system work.

I tried downloading from MOTU's website the most recent FastLane drivers for both OS9 and OSX and installed both of them. If I start up Audio MIDI from OSX, it sees the Fastlane but not Unity DS-1. If I start-up OS9 and open FreeMidi, it sees Unity DS-1 but not FastLane. I tried loading Performer 6 and the installer program gave me an error screen saying it couldn't find the CD.

I downloaded Pro Tools Free and Musy software hoping to make some progress and see what current sequencing software was like. Along with these downloads came OMS, which I installed to see if it would help make the MIDI connections. Nothing seems to work.

I can start-up Unity DS1 by itself and access the sound banks directly using the onscreen virtual keyboard, but that's about it. Can anyone tell if I'm doing something wrong, or do I need to buy all new eqipment and software? This is really frustrating

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Steve

[parente]

Thank you Levon!

I was hoping that my original set of software would work, but I am quickly seeing that there have been some very big changes in the computer music field in the last 3 years, especially with OSX. The only reason that OS9 is starting up in the first place is because of the older software.

The music that I'm composing is instrumental electronic ambient/new age and soundtrack oriented. My goal is to stay completely digital and use only a my Mac with a midi keyboard, (for now). I'd really like to find an all-in-one solution for the G4, combining midi sequencing, sampler, importing of sound files and output to CD, (if there is anything like this available). And of course this would all work flawlessly

I'll take a look at "Reason" and "MachFive" and other OSX solutions.


Thanks again for your suggestions and input... I guess I should stop beating a dead horse (or juggling rattlesnakes) and move on into the future of OSX.

Steve