Omni?

[Fooks]

Ok I have asked if the HDI/O 16x16 analog will do 2 channels of digital output along with the 16 channels of analog, I know now that it will not, it will do 14 channels of analog and 2 channels of digital out. My next question is about the omni, it has 8 analog output on it, it also has 8 aes out, and optical a spidf, would I be able to use all 8 analog out and 8 aes out simultaniously? Or
8 analog out and 2 spidf out simultaniously?

[nst7]

No, the Omni is even more limited than it appears.

It's a max of 8 in, 8 out, any combination of analog or digital.

And there's only 4 analog ins on the unit. The other 4 ins would be the digital ins.

Also, it's Spidf OR AES, but not both.


One extra thing it has is a dedicated Cue output for the headphone out.

This shows up as an extra output in Protools (output 9 & 10). You may be able to use a Y-adapter and jerry rig this to function as another line out.

[Fooks]

Thanks for the reply

[Mohan Rawat]

Originally Posted by Fooks

Thanks for the reply

I have recently purchased a OMNI set up and a UAD2 QUAD Neve Card. Can anybody advice Native and UAD Cards tone placed on which PCIe slot of Mac Pro machine.

[ggegan]

I have both an Omni, which I use with my HD Native system, and a 192io, which I use with my TDM HD6. I run the HD Native as a Satellite to the TDM system, feeding 6 digital outputs of the Omni into the 192 for summing the 5.1 mix and feeding the 2 remaining digital outputs of the Omni into the 192io for summing the stereo headphone feed.

What I have found is that the Omni is excellent for use as a stand-alone system and also for use as a satellite system that feeds into the 192 for final output to the monitor. It is much better as a feeder I/O than as a receiving I/O because it has more versatile output options than input options, particularly if you are mixing in 5.1.

You can easily output 8 channels of either analogue or digital, but the inputs are much more restricted. The inputs are good for mono or stereo sources, but not 5.1. On the other hand, the outputs are good for anything from mono to 7.1.

The sound quality of the Omni's mic preamps is excellent, however there have been problems with their reliability. When they work they sound great, but people have had problems with the preamps failing and having to be replaced, sometimes multiple times. The preamps on my Omni have never failed, but then I don't use them very often, however, a facility I work with has experienced multiple failures. I assume that Avid will improve the preamps' reliability with future releases, but as far as I know, they are still problematic at this time.

The headphone and monitor sections are an exellent solution for people who are working in the box without a console or external monitor monitoring hardware.

[cananball]

Originally Posted by ggegan

I have both an Omni, which I use with my HD Native system, and a 192io, which I use with my TDM HD6. I run the HD Native as a Satellite to the TDM system, feeding 6 digital outputs of the Omni into the 192 for summing the 5.1 mix and feeding the 2 remaining digital outputs of the Omni into the 192io for summing the stereo headphone feed.

What I have found is that the Omni is excellent for use as a stand-alone system and also for use as a satellite system that feeds into the 192 for final output to the monitor. It is much better as a feeder I/O than as a receiving I/O because it has more versatile output options than input options, particularly if you are mixing in 5.1.

You can easily output 8 channels of either analogue or digital, but the inputs are much more restricted. The inputs are good for mono or stereo sources, but not 5.1. On the other hand, the outputs are good for anything from mono to 7.1.

The sound quality of the Omni's mic preamps is excellent, however there have been problems with their reliability. When they work they sound great, but people have had problems with the preamps failing and having to be replaced, sometimes multiple times. The preamps on my Omni have never failed, but then I don't use them very often, however, a facility I work with has experienced multiple failures. I assume that Avid will improve the preamps' reliability with future releases, but as far as I know, they are still problematic at this time.

The headphone and monitor sections are an exellent solution for people who are working in the box without a console or external monitor monitoring hardware.

Gary can you describe the logic of that workflow? are you using the hd6 as a stem recorder?

[ggegan]

I work in film post production and I use my studio for predubbing projects that I will final mix elsewhere, usually on a large rerecording stage. I very seldom record anything in my studio, so the film premixes I do are automation only. I usually handle sound effects and another mixer deals with the dialog and music. Sometimes all the sound effects will barely fit in one HD6 session, but often they must be split between two systems running simultaneously using Satellite Link because of the number of tracks and amount of processing power required.

What I often do is start by premixing the background ambiences on the HD Native/Omni system, which also contains dialogue guide tracks and picture. I then premix the hard effects and Foley on the TDM/192io system. Because my monitor system is fed by the analog outputs of the 192io, I must monitor the Omni through the 192io, so I route the 5.1 mix from Omni system to the 192io using AES outputs. On the 192io system I assign the AES inputs to a 5.1 aux track and the outputs of the aux to the 5.1 monitor.

If the final mix is on dub stage with an ICON or Euphonix hybrid console, we will often run 3 HD6 systems as satellites to an HD2 recorder, which also carries the picture. All playback systems are monitored through the recorder. The final mix stages with conventional consoles like Neve DFCs or Harrison MPCs often have HD3s for plackback systems rather than HD6s, so the playback sessions have to be distributed in smaller sessions over more satellite systems.

[cananball]

Originally Posted by ggegan

I work in film post production and I use my studio for predubbing projects that I will final mix elsewhere, usually on a large rerecording stage. I very seldom record anything in my studio, except for personal music projects, so the film premixes I do are automation only. I usually handle sound effects and another mixer deals with the dialog and music.

Film mixes generally involve hundreds of tracks. Sometimes all the sound effects will barely fit in one HD6 session, but often they must be split into two or more sessions running simultaneously because of the number of tracks and amount of processing power required. The dialog and music require one or two additional systems.

What I often do is start by premixing the backgrounds on one system, which also contains Dialogue guide tracks and picture. I then mix the hard effects and Foley on the other system. If the sound effects are particularly wide, I may put the Foley in the background session. I need to hear both systems while I am mixing so that I can hear how everything works together. Because my monitor system is fed by the analog outputs of the 192io, I route the 5.1 mix from Omnis system into the 192io using AES. On the 192io I assign the AES to the inputs of a 5.1 aux track and the outputs to the monitor.

If the final mix is on an ICON or Euphonix hybrid console, we often run at 3 HD6 systems as satellites to an HD2 recorder, which also carries the picture. The final mix stages with conventional consoles like Neve DFCs or Harrison MPCs often have HD3s for plackback systems rather than HD6s, so the material is distributed in smaller sessions over more satellite systems.

Thanks Gary. I do post as well and mostly hang in the post forums around here and gearslutz and I've read a million of your posts.

My real question which I'm not sure if you answered was what are you sending via aes from the Omni to the 192?

[ggegan]

I edited my previous post after you quoted it because I realized I wasn't explaining things very well. If you re-read it I believe it answers your question.

My monitor system is fed from the TDM/192io system, so in order to monitor the HD Native/Omni system I have to route the 5.1 mix from the HD Native/Omni out AES to the 192io. In the TDM/192io session I assign the AES inputs to a 5.1 aux and the outputs of the aux to the monitor.