Hi Folks,

Today we released S-Gear v2.9.8 for macOS which includes a fix for Standalone App window resizing when running on the upcoming macOS 11.0 (BigSur). If you are planning on updating a mac system to BigSur then you will need to install S-Gear v2.9.8.

Initial testing of S-Gear on BigSur (Beta 6) looks good, the Standalone App and plug-ins under Logic and Garage Band work as expected. Of course macOS 11.0 is still in Beta and our testing has been very limited.

As always, it is recommended to disable automatic updates on your mac. Hold off from updating your system until you know that all of your mission critical software is compatible and working correctly.

Updated 25th November 2020:
The current intel build of S-Gear will run on an M1 Mac under the Rosetta translator as Standalone App and AudioUnit. However, it is not possible to provide full support until we have a native Apple Silicon build. The estimated timescale for S-Gear Apple Silicon build is Q2 2021, of course this may be subject to change. Unfortunately we did not have access to an Apple transition kit earlier this year, due to Apple policy of only supplying developers in countries which have an AppStore. Nevertheless, we have just received a new M1 Mac Mini so we can now begin this work.

Updated 30th June 2021:
S-Gear v2.9.9 Beta-A is now available and includes native ARM and Intel universal2 binaries.
At this time the AAX plug-in is Intel only. We await an updated AAX SDK from Avid.


Cheers,
Mike

Thank you for the heads-up Mike! I am already gearing up to make the switch to Windows. Apple has made it VERY difficult, to keep up with all of their changes.

I have a 2012 MAC MINI, that is very likely to reach support End of Life soon. I am not willing to pay a king's ransom, for a machine that I am unable to upgrade, when needed or wanted. And the cost of a MINI (or other Apple machine,) that has decent Studio requirement specs, is prohibitive.

Fortunately, I am just a hobbyist, not a professional, so my livelihood is not dependent of my studio work. I will miss Logic, but I blame Apple's greed for that! C'est la vie!!

Everyone...please don't slam me because I have an "old" computer. I know it is aging...just like me!!!

Have a great weekend, y'all!!

t_b_o_t

Thanks! I just moved to Mac and I am loving the experience, great to know that it is ready to support Big Sur anticipatedhy.

t_b_o_t, I know exactly how you feel. We have a 2013 iMac (very highly spec'd) which was my main development machine until last year. It will not accept BigSur. The only consolation is that Apple have a very efficient recycling process if you trade-in an old machine.

I have a 4 months old MacBook Pro and already think is outdated, knowing they leave Intel

mohi wrote:

I have a 4 months old MacBook Pro and already think is outdated, knowing they leave Intel

You should be fine for a couple more weeks.

thanks, it is relieving

Hi, I am still on S-Gear 2.71 and I can confirm the Plugin still works on Big Sur (the standalone App worked on Mac OS X Catalina but not on Mac OS 11).

Pretty straightforward this time and can confirm all runs well with Logic and Cubase 11 too.
This is using v2.9.8
Cubase has had a major authorisation issue this week, so be patient if you are upgrading....

Any idea on when you will compile for Apple Silicon?

Hskr8 wrote:

Any idea on when you will compile for Apple Silicon?

I have added a note about this to the original post.

Having now tested S-Gear (intel build) on an entry level M1 Mac Mini, I can say that both Standalone App and AudioUnit (in Logic) run surprisingly well under the Apple Rosetta2 translator. In Logic I was able to run 6-8 tracks of S-Gear with no apparent problems. This suggests that Rosetta works very well and that the 8 Core M1 chip is impressive. I have not tried any other DAW's or plug-in formats.

Mike

@mike - thank you for providing your initial observations using the M1 Mac Mini and Logic.
M1 native will be nice but it it runs with Rosetta2 the that is fine with me.

jmonnett wrote:

@mike - thank you for providing your initial observations using the M1 Mac Mini and Logic.
M1 native will be nice but it it runs with Rosetta2 the that is fine with me.

Yes, the initial tests are a nice surprise. Good news for early adopters. Do keep in mind though that I do not know whether other plug-in formats will work as yet, and similarly whether the AU will work in other DAWs. It is early days!

Hi Mike,

I just purchased S-Gear and enjoying the sound! It runs perfectly as a plug-in in Ableton Live 10 on my M1 MacBook Air under Rosetta. I have only one request: since you started working on native Apple ARM code, would it be possible to make an iPadOS AUv3 version of your brilliant app later in the year? With such an extensive MIDI implementation, running S-Gear on an iPad would make an ideal solution for live performances. I use AUM app as a core of my iPad live setup.

Thank you so much for an excellent piece of software and Happy New Year!

Anton.

@mike I'm wondering if you're still on target for a Q2 release for Apple Silicon, and also, does this in any way mean it'll eventually transition to an iPadOS app as well? That'd be dynamite. I've got an M1 Mini, and also a current model iPad that I carry with me everywhere. iPadOS guitar plugins suck!! If I could have S-Gear, that'd be amazing.

As suggested here, it is true that the development work required for Apple Silicon moves S-Gear technology a step closer to iPad compatibility, however, I think the App would need some redesign for usability on a touch screen. Because the iPad platform is tightly controlled, it should be the case that software is easier to install, license and support, which could be reflected in the pricing, and I'd love to be able to provide a product that could be more affordable in certain countries. That said, I think S-Gear would struggle on older generation iPads. Also, the platform moves quickly and I've seen many Apps get left behind with iOS updates, something to keep in mind.

I have become more interested in iPad since acquiring an iPad Pro last year, I'm sure it has enough processing power to run the S-Gear algorithms without compromise, however it is about the same price as a laptop. Then there is still the requirement of getting audio in and out with low latency. I'd be interested to find out what devices are most popular for iPad audio connectivity (perhaps in another thread please!).

evo5150 wrote:

@mike I'm wondering if you're still on target for a Q2 release for Apple Silicon.

I hope so. The core S-Gear algorithms are all compiling and running correctly for ARM. There are a couple of peripheral things that I am waiting on, and then it will require a full test cycle.

Hi Mike, can you release a beta version for m1?

Dallon426 wrote:

Hi Mike, can you release a beta version for m1?

I'm waiting on one third party library, then I can release the Beta. Soon I hope.