Quote:
Originally Posted by Fooks
Actually I think DSP based systems are growing, in the professional world anyway. With the way Post Production and even Music sessions are growing in complexity, and plugins are increasingly sounding more authentic (UAD) and require more and more processing power, what you can do with a HDX 3 system at 96k you woould need to link several native systems (computer, and interface, and pre amps etc.) together. Sure what you do doesn't require much processing of that magnitude, but people that record 30 piece orchestra or larger for movie sound tracks and so on. I know you or I might not need to record 150 tracks simultaneously @ 96k, but somebody does. I know you said that it is not invalid, but I think you are underestimating the need for it.
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But the professional world is shrinking. Significantly. Very, very few studios are around that are still recording 30-piece orchestras for movie sound tracks, and even then a lot of it is being done in Eastern Europe and Pro Tools is less prevalent; you're more likely to see Nuendo and stems delivered.
Is DSP needed in post production? Depends. Even then, how many BIG post houses are there that need 150+ tracks? The HD-Native + Omni seems to be built specifically for post.
I don't find UAD more authentic sounding at all; in fact,
there's a question about aliasing they produce. People might be listening with their eyes when it comes to UAD.
How many top-tier studios are left in the US? $7k for a single HDX card for a big budget studio is not a big deal, but how many of those are around? Are there 5,000? Doubt it.
Now, get on to music production and those second-tier studios; the cost of entrance for HDX is $7k for a single card and then the cost of interfaces. Assuming you want 32 I/O, you can look at another $10k if you want Avid's converters. Not a huge amount of money, but considering the competition for business and the cost-effective alternatives, why would someone trying to eek out a living spend $17k for an Avid HD system when they could easily consider an Apogee system for under $9k or an RME system for about the same or an SSL system for about $6k? You have to weigh the lure of "Hey, we have Pro Tools HDX!" as marketing at the point, because those alternatives are more than valid. And honestly, don't underestimate the cheaper alternatives.
One of the sonically best albums of the 1990s in my opinion was recorded through MOTU converters; that Trident board didn't hurt, though. :)
You can get 48 I/O from MOTU for less than $2k.