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Description

Step into the realm of vintage computing with the Apple Power Mac 9600, a classic choice for musicians and producers who want to blend nostalgia with functionality. Known for its robust performance during its heyday, this machine offers a unique opportunity to experience the roots of digital audio production. The Power Mac 9600 is equipped with six PCI slots, allowing for extensive expansion and customization, making it a versatile tool for various studio setups. This capability is particularly appealing for those who require multiple audio and MIDI interfaces or other peripheral cards to enhance their studio's capabilities.

Under the hood, the Power Mac 9600 houses a PowerPC 604e processor, which was a powerhouse of its time, offering reliable performance for demanding applications. Its architecture supports up to 1.5GB of RAM, providing ample space for running legacy software seamlessly. The multiple drive bays offer flexibility for storage expansion, making it an ideal choice for those who want to incorporate a vintage touch into their digital audio workstation.

The Power Mac 9600 is not just a computer; it's a piece of history that still holds its ground in modern music production environments that appreciate the charm and reliability of vintage hardware.

Key Features:

  • PowerPC 604e processor
  • Six PCI slots for extensive expansion
  • Supports up to 1.5GB of RAM
  • Multiple drive bays for flexible storage expansion
  • Ideal for integrating legacy software and hardware
  • Vintage design with robust build quality
Action Retro

Action Retro

Building an Extreme Power Mac 9600

Video thumbnail for Building an Extreme Power Mac 9600 by Action Retro

Building an Extreme Power Mac 9600

Action Retro

Action Retro

Video thumbnail for I Found a Beat Up Power Mac 9600 by Action Retro

I Found a Beat Up Power Mac 9600

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Action Retro

Video thumbnail for Power Macintosh 9600 #shorts by McGuffinFilms

Power Macintosh 9600 #shorts

McGuffinFilms

McGuffinFilms

Reviews

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Apple Power Mac 9600.

Features and functionality

  • The Power Macintosh 9600 can boot multiple OS versions from System 7.5.5 to Mac OS X 10.5.2, showcasing its versatility despite being a vintage machine.

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  • The Power Mac 9600 can be equipped with a Voodoo 3 GPU while retaining the original IX Micro card, enhancing graphics capabilities.

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Mods and upgrades

  • A Sonnet Crescendo G4 1GHz processor and 1.5GB RAM upgrade significantly enhance the 9600's performance, making it comparable to native G4 towers.

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  • LaCie Tsunami external drive can be modified with a ZuluSCSI RP2040 compact and a new paint job to address yellowing.

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  • Apple PC Compatibility cards and PCI compatibility options are available, allowing for versatile dual OS use.

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Software and compatibility

  • Running System 7.5 on a G4 processor with an SSD provides a remarkably fast computing experience, far beyond what the original hardware could achieve.

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  • The ATI Radeon 9200 lacks driver support for System 7 and OS 8, only offering acceleration on OS 9.2.2, affecting performance in earlier OS versions.

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  • Running higher-end games like Unreal Tournament '99 is feasible, alongside software like Groovemaker and archiving tasks.

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Use cases and applications

  • This setup allows for digitizing vinyl and film scanning under OS9, leveraging vintage hardware for modern media tasks.

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User experience

  • Owners report difficulty upgrading to Mac OS X 10.5.8, with machines often freezing at the startup logo, indicating potential compatibility issues.

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Value and pricing

  • Nearly a gig of RAM in 1997 significantly increases the setup's original value due to high costs of 5V DIMM sticks at that time.

    Source

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Artist usage

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See how Alan Wilder uses Apple Power Mac 9600

Alan Wilder

Drummer, Keyboardist

Depeche Mode

...
Verified via Recoil

Apple Power Mac 9600 is included in the list of Alan Wilder's equipment.

See how Chris Vrenna uses Apple Power Mac 9600

Chris Vrenna

Drummer, Music Producer

Nine Inch Nails

...
Verified via EMusician

"I’ve owned a lot of gear, but only two pieces of gear have done a consistently perfect job for me, and those are my Mac 9600 and the 02R."

See how Andrew Eldritch uses Apple Power Mac 9600

Andrew Eldritch

Singer, Drummer

The Sisters of Mercy

...
Verified via The-sisters-of-mercy

Adam and Andrew have identical PT24 rigs. Each consists of: •Apple PowerMac 9600 running MacOS 8.0 with 128 Mb RAM •Bit 3 13-slot PCI Expansion Chassis •two Digidesign d24 interface cards •eight Digidesign DSP Farm Cards •one Digidesign 888'24 eight-way A/D D/A interface •two Quantum AV hard drives •Digidesign SMPTE Slave Driver •Zip drive (built into the Mac), DDS2 DAT drive, Jaz drive •the standard bundled Digidesign AudioSuite plug-ins for offline processing •the standard bundled Digidesign TDM plug-ins for real-time eq/delay/dynamics, and •TC Tools (TDM) (delay, reverb, eq, chorus, flanger) •Digidesign DVerb (TDM) (reverb) •Waves TDM Bundle (TrueVerb reverb, Q10 eq, C1 compressor, L1 limiter)

In addition, Andrew has an old PT3 rig consisting of: •Apple PowerMac 8100/80 running MacOS 7.5.1 with 64 Mb RAM •Digidesign 12-slot Nubus Expansion Chassis •three Digidesign i/o cards •seven Digidesign DSP Farm Cards •two Digidesign 888 eight-way A/D D/A interfaces •three Micropolis LT 4 gigabyte AV hard drives •six Quantum Barracuda 4 gigabyte AV hard drives •DDS2 DAT drive and Jaz drive shared with the PT24 rig •the standard bundled Digidesign TDM plug-ins for real-time eq/delay/dynamics, and •Digidesign DVerb (TDM) •Arboretum Hyperprism (TDM) •Waves Q10, L1 (TDM)

See how Daniel Miller uses Apple Power Mac 9600

Daniel Miller

Keyboardist, Music Producer

...
Verified via Soundonsound

Daniel Miller uses the Apple Power Mac 9600, as noted in his gear list featured on Sound On Sound.

See how Yasunori Mitsuda uses Apple Power Mac 9600

Yasunori Mitsuda

Composer, Music Producer

...
Verified via Procyon-studio

An Apple Power Macintosh 9600 is shown in a chart depicting Yasunori's studio, circa 2002.

See how Andrew Innes uses Apple Power Mac 9600

Andrew Innes

Guitarist

Primal Scream

...
Verified via EMusician

The group's studio guru, Andrew Innes, had to deal with a lot of frustration while producing with his Mac 9600. Ironically, the constant computer crashes were often responsible for integral song ideas.

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Apple Power Mac 9600, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

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