TASCAM Users: Don’t Upgrade to macOS Sierra Yet

As has become unfortunately typical from TASCAM, macOS Sierra-compatible drivers for much of their audio hardware are not yet available. Previous years have seen a three-to-six month wait after the release of each new build of OS X for TASCAM to finally put out even preliminary public beta drivers.

TL;DR: if you use TASCAM audio hardware, don’t upgrade to macOS Sierra yet. Check back around Christmas. Maybe.

Update 2016-09-28: TASCAM updated their OS Compatibility chart for Sierra. Cross reference your devices there.

I Don’t Think “Availability” Means What TASCAM Thinks It Means

In a bizarrely-worded Facebook post last week, TASCAM wrote the following:

macOS iOS10 has been released today, and we are now preparing to test our family of audio interfaces on this new operating system.

The first clue we need is “macOS iOS10”. In fact, that’s the last clue we need. Unfortunately, TASCAM gave us more in the comments. When a customer asked why TASCAM waits until now to begin preparing to test instead of, you know, using the developer previews that have been available for over three months, TASCAM replied:

It comes down to the availability of preview copies of the various operating systems.

Yeah. Those developer betas sure are tough to get these days. Apple really should make more than 100 preview copies available, huh?

I wish this response were surprising.

TASCAM has their own website where customers can download things. One would think TASCAM might begin to understand this basic concept is also employed by other technology companies.

I’m frustrated that we even have to publish articles alerting people to things like this. Maybe for TASCAM users we don’t have to? Maybe folks already know what to expect? Still, we’d hate to see any of you upgrade only to find that your audio hardware is no longer recognized.

To borrow one of my favorite phrases from one of my favorite authors (and favorite drummers, too), TASCAM’s hardware is “cheap, and worth it.”

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