Resident audio T4 Thunderbolt comparability issues?

[mikethomasmusic]

Hello all, sometime in late 2018/ early 2019 I purchased a resident audio t4 thunderbolt interface to be used as a small project setup for capturing demos and ideas. Little did I know I would not be able to get it to synch with either High Sierra or Mojave. I know its sac religious to be an early os updater, but since Mojave wouldn't work for me or the previous os I decided to upgrade to the current Catalina OS. Of course the T4 interface obviously wouldn't work with the latest Catalina OS either. So I've been basically stuck with this non compatible interface for well over a year. I contacted Resident audio who's parent company is Zoom, and they were not much help either. I asked if I could get not a refund but maybe even just a credit toward something else they make and I still couldn't really get anywhere. This unit was to be my first thunderbolt unit. I was really looking forward to trying a budget friendly thunderbolt unit.

Any suggestions with what to do regarding my current situation? I'm sure given enough time they will eventually drop a Catalina compatible update. The question is when? How long before they do that? Any suggestions/help would be appreciated. Unfortunately I bought it new and it is way past the return policy. Thanks.

P.S.
I realize the hardware companies seem to always be ahead of the software companies as in my case and several others. Without the hardware the software wouldn't be able to run. I just wish that the hardware and software worlds could figure out some kind of way to be more in synch and balanced with each other.

Thanks,
Mike Thomas

[kslight]

I know nothing about this interface but their website at least is current enough to say not to update to Catalina, so maybe they are planning an update...however I notice their social media pages haven't been touched in over 4 years. This is a big red flag to me, as far as holding out for a Catalina update goes. They do have a phone number listed on their website...

Their website does suggest it should work on Mac OS 10.9-10.14.

My advice would be bring your Mac down to an older OS and start troubleshooting why it isn't working from there. According to this page there is a different driver for Mojave/etc than older versions, I would try installing that (after going back to an older OS). http://www.residentaudio.com/downloads-1

If you still cannot get it to work then you could try to reengage Resident Audio/Zoom (though may be difficult this time of year) for support or to rule out a faulty device (did you ever get it working?). If you can try a different computer and a different thunderbolt cable I would do that also.

You say you bought it new...did you reach out to the dealer? Some dealers like Sweetwater offer support for 2 years.



I also notice Sweetwater has a lot of 1 star reviews for people having problems with this interface...newer Macbooks and such. Did you see this?

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... ce/reviews


As far as OS compatibility goes, if you really want to be upset with anyone it should be with Apple (first). My understanding is that hardware/software developers do not get the latest OS betas until the last second before Apple dumps it for release. Apple is also more inclined to kill off older APIs and such than Microsoft which may help keep Mac OS cleaner/more secure but if you have a program/device that uses those APIs then that is a problem. I think most here say to update with caution (we all got thousands of emails from every audio developer basically saying not to update), as a rule of thumb I personally like to stick a couple versions behind. I'm still on High Sierra and currently have no plans to update further.

Of course, be upset with developers that abandon their products as well...there are definitely a few brands on my "never buy again" list and when it comes to a bigger purchase like an interface I stick to the big guns with a good track record.

[digitaldrummer]

I always also recommend keeping a DAW as a "single-purpose" system. If you don't have to connect it to the internet, don't. If you don't have to upgrade, don't. More secure and you avoid problems like this. if you have to have a single laptop that gets used to pay bills, shop at Amazon (the reason you have those bills...), and then use in the studio, then expect to have myriad problems. Of course YMMV.