midex 3 with OS X (in my case Leopard 10.5.2)

I have used my Midex 3 happily and successfully for many a year with all flavours of Windows (XP, Vista, W7).

However, now I have recently acquired a Mac and wish to use it with that too.

On reading the manual (yes, I’m one of those geeks who actually DOES do that), I see that you have to install Opcode’s OMS 2.3.8 first BEFORE the Mac version of the Midex 3 drivers.

I dutifully downloaded OMS, unpacked it using Stuff-It, and tried to install it, only to get an error message saying something like “this is not a Classic version”. I can only presume the Midex 3 manual and OMS 2.3.8 were in existence before OS X Leopard came along.

Or perhaps I need a HIGHER version of OS X? Or maybe something else completely instead of OMS 2.3.8??

Any help greatly appreciated. Although I’m above average competent with Windows, I’m a complete noob as far as Macs are concerned, to the point where even ejecting a CD-ROM from the drive had me stumped for quite a long time!!! (Not to mention the fact the pull-down menu on the top bar says F12, but pressing F12 on my system does something else completely.)

UPDATE: I managed (after a lot of messing about) to successfully install Snow Leopard 10.6.1 to another hard drive (using obviously the same computer as before). This time I simply installed the recommended Steinberg driver and hey presto! the Midex 3 was recognised immediately.

So why does the driver work for 10.6.1 but not 10.5.3??? Steinberg says categorically it is for OS X 10.5 thru to 10.8.

Surely someone out there with a Mac and a Midex 3 or 8 can help?

Curioser and curioser…

Now I install 10.6.3 - and guess what? After installation of the latest Mac driver from the Steinberg website is installed (which causes an error message halfway through of a seemingly unrelated CardBus kext in System Extensions, but still goes to completion with an ‘Installation Successful’ message), the Midex 3 lights up but its icon is NOWHERE to be seen in AMS Midi Studio window, not even after reboot.

So, my findings so far:
10.5.2 - driver doesn’t work at all
10.6.1 - installs correctly & works with M3 icon in AMS
10.6.2 - ditto
10.6.3 - unit lights up but is not fully recognised

Is this why Steinberg dropped support of Midex 3/8 like a hot potato?

Because they know their driver is flawed and they therefore want to immediately relinquish all responsibility for it?
Is it a case of the product (in this case a software driver) being not fit for its intended purpose??
Is there any legal comeback for us users because they (Steinberg) state erroneously on their website this driver works with Mac OS X 10.5 thru to 10.8??

Please, someone out there with a Midex 3 or 8 (or access to one to borrow for just a short time) and who has 10.7 Lion or 10.8 Mountain Lion - can you confirm or deny that this unit works with your OS.

Am now writing this to the forum on my newly installed 10.6.6

…and guess what? The Midex 3 doesn’t work in this OS X either!!!

Driver installation went OK, but no icon in AMS Midi window. However, the unit lights up, although I suspect this is just the USB power, as it even stays lit even when the computer is powered down. (But I did notice that in all versions of Leopard 10.5 there was no USB power to light it, even though I used many other types of USB devices eg memory sticks, external USB-SATA HDD adapters, USB speakers, etc, to name but a few which all worked with no problems).

My conclusion?? This Mac version of the Midex 3/8 driver is faulty, that it doesn’t work as advertised with all Mac OS X’s from 10.5 to 10.8 (having the phrase “should work” is a bit of a cop-out), that Steinberg know this but refuse to admit it, and instead prefer to hide behind the mask of “it’s legacy and therefore unsupported”.

I am very disappointed in this whole affair and intend to resign my membership of this forum. I will also be selling all my Steinberg hardware & software, refusing to buy any of it in the future, refusing to recommend or endorse it to any of my friends and musical colleagues, and generally boycotting this company.

Good luck to all of you who struggle to keep going with Steinberg products.

Let me see, you follow the instructions for installing drivers for OS9 on a 12 year old budget MIDI interface, and then complain when the procedure falters on OSX (compleatly different OS) and when it turns out you do not have even basic troubleshooting skills, you disavow the company in public, like it is their fault.

Too funny