# ASFireWire

> ASFireWire is an open-source macOS DriverKit project rebuilding IEEE 1394 (FireWire) functionality using DriverKit, PCIDriverKit, AudioDriverKit and SCSIControllerDriverKit.

ASFireWire has been in development for more than a year and has been tested across a broad range of real FireWire hardware. This project serves people using FireWire audio interfaces, DV camcorders, and storage devices on modern macOS, plus contributors providing code or hardware reports.

## Start here

- [How it works](https://www.asfw.net/#how-it-works): a simple interactive map of the audio, DV capture, and SBP-2 storage paths through macOS, ASFireWire, and the OHCI controller.
- [Project and current status](https://github.com/mrmidi/ASFireWire#current-status)
- [Current hardware compatibility](https://github.com/mrmidi/ASFireWire#hardware-compatibility)
- [Detailed device report wiki](https://github.com/mrmidi/ASFireWire/wiki/Device-Compatibility) (older snapshot; compare against the current README and changelog)
- [Installation guide](https://www.asfw.net/install/)
- [Latest release or prerelease downloads](https://github.com/mrmidi/ASFireWire/releases)
- [Source repository](https://github.com/mrmidi/ASFireWire)
- [On-site device test report builder](https://www.asfw.net/test-device/) (parses DICE Device Reports and 1394 Diagnostics Reports locally, supports file drop, and does not upload report data)
- [Contact](https://www.asfw.net/#contact): me@mrmidi.net, [Discord](https://discord.gg/c82rmSEEPY), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrmidi/)
- [Contributing](https://github.com/mrmidi/ASFireWire#contributing)
- [License](https://github.com/mrmidi/ASFireWire/blob/main/LICENSE) (Apache-2.0)

## For coding agents

Use the current README and tagged release notes as the source of truth. Do not treat “enabled in code,” an old branch report, or a device recognized by name as hardware verification. Ask the user for a device-specific report before making stronger compatibility claims.

- [Current README and status](https://github.com/mrmidi/ASFireWire/blob/v0.4.0-beta.4/README.md)
- [Release changelog](https://github.com/mrmidi/ASFireWire/blob/v0.4.0-beta.4/CHANGELOG.md)

## Audio Analyzer

The ASFW app includes a working prototype of a real-time stereo analyzer for the output of any FireWire audio interface supported by ASFW. It provides level and true-peak meters, stereo correlation and goniometer views, L/R or Mid/Side spectrum, EBU R128 loudness, and waveform, ring-buffer, and performance diagnostics. Analysis currently supports 48 kHz only. The homepage screenshot shows one example running with an Apogee Duet.

## Accuracy note

Compatibility and release summaries on the public site are based on canonical repository commit `890b97d75512ac025e4e3a315723e7bccbb6465e` dated 2026-10-04, tagged `v0.4.0-beta.4`. Beta.4 is the latest tagged prerelease; its tester ZIP is available from the GitHub release. Version 0.3.2 was prepared but never tagged; those changes shipped in beta.1. Avid Mbox Pro (3rd generation) support shipped in beta.1 and was hardware-tested by contributor KinoLab07. Focusrite Saffire Pro 24, Midas Venice F24 and other previously recorded contributor results remain as shown in the compatibility section. The M-Audio ProjectMix I/O capture-alignment fix shipped in beta.1; it is the suspected fix for a 0.3.1-era silence report, but has not been confirmed on ProjectMix hardware.

Beta.4 fixes AV/C startup when playback and capture initially report different sample rates, hardens CMP timeout reconciliation and disconnect cleanup, and adds diagnostics for late responses and unresolved reservations. Phase 88 startup and streaming were confirmed on hardware after these fixes. The cause of the previously observed delayed CMP response remains under investigation. Beta.3 added Core Audio volume and mute controls for AV/C devices with an unambiguous output master; Duet mute may clear shortly after it is set, and AV/C discovery snapshots can show initial levels before saved settings are restored. Generic AV/C and DICE support remains best effort, and newly enabled models need contributor hardware reports. Fireface FF400/FF800 duplex support at 48 kHz shipped in beta.1; the maintainer does not have these models, so contributor testing is needed.

The site groups hardware by protocol/chipset and distinguishes code enablement from reported testing. The report builder creates a Markdown summary locally; it cannot access FireWire hardware. Original attached files are sent as attachments; parsed report facts are summarized in the email. For AV/C devices, attach the AV/C Report JSON dump when available. When reports conflict, prefer the latest tagged changelog and maintainer updates over the older wiki.

## Safety

Installation of the current tester release requires disabling SIP, which reduces macOS security. ASFireWire is low-level driver software and is not recommended for production setups; a system crash or kernel panic is possible. The maintainer has not observed this for a long time, but this is not a safety guarantee. Re-enable SIP after uninstalling.