We need a Thunderbolt HDX system

[phatbeatstudio]

Originally Posted by Electrox

Avid -We need a Thunderbolt HDX system

Why . The best was never meant to be portable. Do you need to carry this on the subway with a laptop. You will pay half the price of a Mac Pro just for a few pci slots to thunderbolt. But I wouldn't spite you for wanting it if you need .
How about a
HD64 i/o analog converter connected to thunder bolt . Now I would buy that. Just like madi but analog

[ronwasserman]

At NAMM this year the Avid rep mentioned they were working on a TB PCIe box which I 'believe' he said would have 3 slots.

If the new Mac Pros come out with TB next week I'm sure Avid will release some info. I assume that first they'll need to upgrade PT to work with the new processors.

[Emcha_audio]

Originally Posted by Shan

You also joined this forum in Dec 1969(pre internet)! Talkin' about being on the bleeding edge.

I'd like to see a Thunderbolt solution from Avid that is basically the HD I/O combined with HDX all in one box. It would take the UAD Apollo concept to a different level, as there would be access to way more DSP plug-ins among many other things. To me, this is an obvious move at some point.

Shane

Then they'd have to make two different kind of boxes. One box with enought slot for 3 hdx card, and the other box to connect to the first box daisy chained. Remember 4 HD I/O can be connected to 1 card now. Not sure how much worth while this set up would be.

[Bob Olhsson]

Thunderbolt and USB-3 are two closely related new technologies that will be built into the motherboards of the next generation of computers.

I wouldn't expect any audio developer or manufacturer to begin manufacturing new products supporting these standards before actual computers containing the real world implementations of both have been throughly tested. Jumping the gun only to get burned by the computer manufacturers could easily turn into financial suicide in a market as small as audio production.

[Emcha_audio]

Originally Posted by Electrox

PCIe cards are no longer a valid way to go. That is why Apple has developed Thunderbolt and handed the tech over to Intel. They don't want to keep making big boxes... They don't really want the user to have to open the box AND GET THINGS WRONG! And I don't want to keep carrying big boxes. What is the best computer in the world? The one you have access to.
If Avid had an interface with a card's worth of DSP inside of it, a few mic/lines ins and outs, 1 Thunderbolt cable, well... Doesn't need to be any bigger than a MOTU box, but would be a MOTU box on steroids. I can't believe I am the only one who would think that was a marketable idea... And if you want to have a 3 screen system, then that's also possible with the laptop. Portable, rugged, desktop power in a briefcase.

Hmm thunderbolt was not developed by apple. It was developed by intel and put to market by apple through technical collaboration.

And btw didn't you hear, even apple is rumored to launch a new big heavy computer that you won't carry everywhere with you, for the pro's out there. Yes with thunder bolt, and also rumored with pcie 3 (much much faster than tb)

[Emcha_audio]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

Thunderbolt and USB-3 are two closely related new technologies that will be built into the motherboards of the next generation of computers.

I wouldn't expect any audio developer or manufacturer to begin manufacturing new products supporting these standards before actual computers containing the real world implementations of both have been throughly tested. Jumping the gun only to get burned by the computer manufacturers could easily turn into financial suicide in a market as small as audio production.

Asus already has boards integrating TB.

http://ca.asus.com/en/Motherboards/A...laThunderBolt/
http://ca.asus.com/en/Motherboards/I...8Z77V_PREMIUM/

[Shan]

Originally Posted by Emcha_audio

Then they'd have to make two different kind of boxes. One box with enought slot for 3 hdx card, and the other box to connect to the first box daisy chained. Remember 4 HD I/O can be connected to 1 card now. Not sure how much worth while this set up would be.

It would be a completely different PC board and unrelated to cramming the current isolated printed circuit boards all into one box. The current designs would not be optimal for that at all obviously. UAD Apollo and Eleven Rack are successful examples of this.

Shane

[Emcha_audio]

Originally Posted by Shan

It would be a completely different PC board and unrelated to cramming the current isolated printed circuit boards all into one box. The current designs would not be optimal for that at all.

Shane

I agree with you there, those newly designed box for your system would undeniably be bigger than the actual HD I/O box, remember you want to be able to place a full length hdx card in it + converters etc.

So you then come to think, what do we do? Do we do a box that can only fit 1 card, so if you want a hdx 3, you need to buy three of the new boxes? Or do we do one box that can fit the 3 hdx card inside it, which will make them bigger than the current hd I/O boxes, less portable, with so many connectors on it to allow the 11 other I/O box to connect to that one box (1 hdx card can connect 4 Hd I/O to it)

So you're still stuck with a system.. that wouldn't be portable after all either way, 3 box one card in each, or 1 box 3 cards in it.. plus all the other I/O boxes to connect to to either new redesign. Of course the other way around this could be creating 1 box for the cards, and one mega I/O box that would include 192 Ins and outs, with how many adat ports to plug preamps and other things? What price would that new and improved system cost more?

So while thinking oh yeah it would be great to allow portability.. well I guess that's why the HDN exists.. HDX wasn't meant to be portable one bit.

Originally Posted by Electrox

And I don't want to keep carrying big boxes. What is the best computer in the world? The one you have access to.
If Avid had an interface with a card's worth of DSP inside of it, a few mic/lines ins and outs, 1 Thunderbolt cable, well... Doesn't need to be any bigger than a MOTU box, but would be a MOTU box on steroids. I can't believe I am the only one who would think that was a marketable idea... And if you want to have a 3 screen system, then that's also possible with the laptop. Portable, rugged, desktop power in a briefcase.

So if you're looking for portability, you're most likely better off with HDN. Cause really, you're editing right? I doubt you'd really be composing or mixing with headphones in a busy tramway, buss, taxi in new york or other cities, revealing the gear you have available to be robbed on the spot by any nefarious man/woman or on an air plane.. where you don't have much space anyways. And if you do, I have to wonder what kind of logical thought process you have, to want to put 10k+ up for easy theft.

Cause really when we are talking portability it's the question of being able to do things on the road, that's the original and actual purposes of laptops to be able to work while traveling. I can understand then that in a taxi, buss, train, tramway or air plane you don't have the space for a tower, nor would you for a guitar, keyboard, drum pads, violin or any other instruments that would break the personal space of the other passengers. Not to mention the sound level problems that would arise from all those people talking, laughing, train noise etc. On a tour buss? well you got enough space for a tower there been done buy a few artists already. Going to an other studio? ah well they do have place for towers. At your own studio? well you most likely have space for a tower and then when you know you'll be going out, simply do a quick transfer of the session you intend to work on on the move with an HDN through a magma tb or other means.

TB is a good product, but it's not suited for every kind of use, just like HDX is not suited for portability. You don't need the power of an hdx card to do editing on the go.

[nst7]

So I think it comes back to the Thunderbolt chassis being the most portable design for the forseeable future.

[Emcha_audio]

Originally Posted by nst7

So I think it comes back to the Thunderbolt chassis being the most portable design for the foreseeable future.

Yep, but not a necessity for HDX as opposed to the thread title and op posts ideology. A thunderbolt chassis doesn't take the I/O boxes out of the equation, which again falls into portability. Even if you were to do on location recording, you'd have to provide your HDX cards with inputs.. and well the only I/O boxes working on HDX are the HD I/O. So if you're to be rack-mounting the I/O for portability, it's not hard to actually do the same for a tower. Only your rack-mount would have wheels to wheel the thing around.

Just like this

And I'm damn sure you wouldn't be traveling in the subway/train/buss public transport with this. And this (a box with uracks railing and space under it for a mac pro, doesn't have to be an iso booth) is still going to be much easier on the eyes in your studio, whether it's a home, project or professional studio. That a bunch of boxes connected with thunderbolt cables on your desk.

You want to be able to edit on the go?

Get this with an HDN card, this way if you get robbed, it's a lot less expensive than an HDX, which I doubt you'd be able to get your insurance company to fork out the cash since you used it in a fashion that was at risk.

You: "yes I'd like to report that my 15k+ portable system was stolen from me"
Inssurance Company: "Where was it"
You: "On my laps in the subway"
IC: "Was it in your bag?"
You: "No on my laps I was using it then a guy just grabbed it when the door was about to close at the station"
IC "Well sir, we can't do anything about this, you used it in an unsafe manner, and we don't cover acts of stupidity*"

*not aimed at anyone in particular.