Ventura Hack for FireWire Core Audio Support on Supported MacBook Pro and others...

Hi, @matt9 the AppleFWAudioVentura.pkg, for some reason (perhaps due to permissions), doesn't fully work on macOS Sonoma 14.2.

However, it successfully copied /Library/Extensions/AppleFWAudio.kext into the system.

To fully install the AppleFWAudio.kext extension you must:

1. Fix file permissions: sudo chown -R 0:0 /Library/Extensions/AppleFWAudio.kext/
2. Manually load AppleFWAudio.kext: sudo kmutil load -p /Library/Extensions/AppleFWAudio.kext
3. Reboot

Finally, Sonoma 14.2 fully supports my Edirol FA-66 on my DAW.

Thank you again for your support.

Re-enabling SIP after install breaks this? Do I have that right?

Not a very smart move from Apple to remove Firewire support. Even removing support for 32 bit audio was foolish. And now even TB2 as I´ve read somewhere... Since one must assume all these decisions are made thinking in what way to sell more Mac computers, the result is when - like me anyway - one has invested in hardware (Ive got 3 TC Konnekt48 units connected to a Mac Pro 5.1. I was planning on being a new M3 Mac, either Studio Mac or MacBook Pro. But with no support (even for thunderbolt 2) I hesitate and am actually thinking of going back to PC. I can get my Audio Units working on a PC. Partly because of TC but anyway.

The funny thing is I get the units working and even without the "hack" in this thread Open Core patcher gets it working in Sonoma, but ONLY the inputs. Audio out I have to use internal digital out connecting an optical cable from the Mac to one of the Konnekt48:s. This actually works just fine. Until I want more than stereo out off coarse, or if I want to use my outboard gear as inserts.

I was hoping this hack would give me the outputs back, but not yet anyway. They did. work in Catalina and that´s the reason I haven't given up yet. I have seen some other people having this audio out problems with other FW interfaces so I´m not alone there.

But to buy a M3 I seem to need a TB3 interface and that would mean at least two Apollo 8p´s. That's the price of two Macs more, and I´m note even sure yet they are TB3. Are they? And when will Apple abandon TB3? If I wait for M4 maybe that´s gone too.......??

I heard the PC people are looking to match the M chips so...

Just adding a + one from me.

Apple are pushing out their loyal pro (audio and video) users though continual dropping of backward support like this and numerous other significant core features. It's no longer the case that Apple are the only player in these domains. We can jump to alternate platforms easily and cheaply. As Apple drops pro features they risks loosing vital trickle down capabilities that enrich their mass market product sets. A good example is Logic to Garage Band etc. The same will happen with their pro compute products. If they don't have the compatibility or the following who's going to buy these expansive products? They risk becoming just another consumer company.

We've put up with the lack of I/O, upgradeability, expensive hardwired resources (that cost an order of magnitude above OEM alternatives), deprecated support for not very old hardware, deprecated core components (like firewire), lack of 32bit support (that is a nightmare when you need to open older client files that use old 32bit plugins) etc etc. I'm also resist a long rant on challenges with older media access (like floppy, SCSI, CDROM especially in alternate formats like sampler images etc). Even Logic not supporting older project file versions (WTF? That is totally unacceptable - and yes I am aware you can import some items but come on - this is just lazy). How many times are we expected to just wear this in the name of "progress". Personally I run multiple platforms/images with various OS and hardware combinations - just so I can load my historical sessions, projects and media. Windows is far more forgiving with backwards support and broad compatibility.

APPLE Please listen to your community. We are begging you to consider the impact of dropping backward support and please consult with us. You can start with reinstating Firewire support. PLEASE

@matt9 or for any other members. Does anyone know if this AppleFWAudio.kext is enough for Firewire scanners? I've successfully installed @matt9 's AppleFWAudio.kext and I can see in my SystemReport Firewire there, except my Minolta dImage Scanner has come up as Uknown.

Looking at some really older MacOS installations (from Panther onwards) I noticed there's also the IOFireWireFamily.kext. Is this needed? Is there any way to get the Monterey version of IOFireWireFamily.kext if it's needed?

It's a shame. Anyone with Apogee Rosetta on M2 Mac Mini? Is it working?

Looking to get my Mackie Onyx 1620i working in the latest Sonoma, wondering if there are any updates to @matt9's method (especially in regards to crashing upon waking/sleep)? Found this, and doubt it's related, but would be nice if there was a backdoor terminal command to re-enable CoreAudio firewire support:

https://support.apple.com/en-jo/108387

What's the procedure for CoreAudio firewire hack on Sonoma? What are the caveats?

@matt9 - Thank you for taking the time to share your hack. I am deeply grateful for your generosity. Confirmed to be working on a M2 Mac Studio, Ventura 13.6.4 with a Roland Edirol FA-101 interface. It took about 5 reboots and various attempts in the terminal to fix the file permissions and manual load using kmutil AND allowing the FW .kext kernel permissions in System Settings > Privacy & Security. I experienced a few kernel panics during the 5 reboots which were a worry, but once every was signed and loaded properly, my system is stable with no more random crashes. AND my firewire interface is running very happily with Logic Pro, which is a godsend for my work. Thank you thank you!!

Hi, I don't use my interface often, so I was already running Sonoma when I realized the issue. Tried everything matt9 explained, but the .pkg installation ended with a failure. I guess it's because I'm not running Ventura anymore. Anybody else looking to perform this hack on Sonoma ??

I also encountered a problem today.

sudo kextload /Library/Extensions/AppleFWAudio.kext Executing: /usr/bin/kmutil load -p /Library/Extensions/AppleFWAudio.kext Error Domain=KMErrorDomain Code=29 "Authenticating extension failed: Kext jjos.com.apple.driver.AppleFWAudio v270.19.2 in executable kext bundle jjos.com.apple.driver.AppleFWAudio at /private/var/db/KernelExtensionManagement/Staging/jjos.com.apple.driver.AppleFWAudio.3nHPxy/AppleFWAudio.kext:

Authenticating extension failed: Bad code signature" UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=Authenticating extension failed: Kext jjos.com.apple.driver.AppleFWAudio v270.19.2 in executable kext bundle jjos.com.apple.driver.AppleFWAudio at /private/var/db/KernelExtensionManagement/Staging/jjos.com.apple.driver.AppleFWAudio.3nHPxy/AppleFWAudio.kext:

Hi Fran81. I did as you suggested , but 2.manually load does not work for me, because I get this reply: Missing value for '-p <bundle-path>' Maybe you can help me out and correct it.... Thanks , Michael

I have to say this really blows Apple!!!! As a loyal user who just recycled my old iMac because it was so old it wouldn't update. It did however run my Onyx 1220i. You royally screwed as faithful user/musician Microsoft - here I come, Apple - tah, tah, toddle oooh!!!

I would be grateful is anyone can confirm whether Midas Venice F series mixer interfaces are working? So far I'm stuck (it's ok) on Monterey with my Intel MBP, but would love to jump ship and upgrade. I love my interface and don't want to lose it

Hi friends,

For the past 14 years, I have been using a Focusrite Saffire Liquid 56 sound card paired with a mid-2011 Mac mini running Mavericks 10.9.5 (FireWire cable -> FireWire-Thunderbolt adapter).

A few days ago, I bought a Mac mini M1 running Ventura 13.1, convinced that I could still use this old sound card via the Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)-Thunderbolt 2 adapter (which I do not yet possess).

However, I discovered, after contacting Focusrite support, that the sound card is not compatible with the new ARM processors (or at least they have not tested it) and that the latest supported operating systems are Catalina and Windows 10 (Build 1809).

Additionally, I learned that with Ventura, compatibility with core audio FireWire has been lost, but there is still compatibility with Monterey but not with all versions.

At the same time, I stumbled upon some videos on the web that attest to partial functionality of some FireWire protocol audio interfaces with the connection FireWire cable -> FireWire-Thunderbolt adapter -> Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)-Thunderbolt 2 adapter.

I thought, alternatively, that I could emulate a compatible x86_x64 operating system on a virtual machine using UTM in the hope that the USB signal would "pass through" and operate, albeit at much slower speeds, on the same machine.

Or I could perform a downgrade to a specific version of Monterey that maybe someone here can confirm works with FireWire.

Due to my limited knowledge and skills in the field, I doubt I am capable of using the hack proposed by matt9, to whom we surely owe much.

I was wondering, in case I can't get it to work with one of these methods, what might be the solution (or advice) to not permanently abandon the sound card.

Could I use ADAT with any compatible card? Do you have any other ideas?

Thanks to anyone who responds/helps me.

I just worked through all this over the weekend. Initially I thought the installation had failed for me, but there were a couple of vital little steps i'd overlooked from earlier comments.

I'm on Sonoma 14.6 and have an Onyx 1640i working perfectly again with a Macbook Pro M1.

Here's a summary of the steps I followed which are all collated from numerous posts throughout this thread, hopefully this might help someone.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread to get this fix working!

Installation

1. Restart computer in Recovery mode.
2. Launch Terminal from the Utilities menu.
3. Disable SIP by running the command: 

csrutil disable

1. Utilities > Statup Security Utility > Security Policy
2. Permissive Security > Allow user management of kernel extensions from identified developers > OK
3. Reboot computer
4. Install AppleFWAudioVentura.pkg to install the kext file
5. Fix file permissions:

sudo chown -R 0:0 /Library/Extensions/AppleFWAudio.kext/

1. Manually load AppleFWAudio.kext:

sudo kmutil load -p /Library/Extensions/AppleFWAudio.kext

1. You should now be prompted to allow the kernel extension in System Settings
2. System Settings > Privacy & Security > Allow
3. Restart (will reboot twice)
4. FireWire device should now be working



Optional (re-enable SIP without kext)


1. Restart computer in Recovery mode.
2. Launch Terminal from the Utilities menu.
3. Enable SIP by running the command: 

csrutil enable —without kext

1. Warning message will display ~”csrutil: requesting an unsupported configuration. This is likely to break in the future and leave your machine in an unknown state.”. Just ignore it :)
2. Reboot and check that FireWire device still works. If it doesn’t re-run steps 8 -12.