Question about converter connectivity

[Navycolt]

Hi there Im new here and new to a lot of the technical aspects of the recording realm. I have a question about connecting a converter to a computer. This has probably been run to death here and I have done a few searches but still a bit hazy on the whole thing and would like a bit more clarity before making a purchase. Hopefully I'm not kicking a dead horse or doin this in the wrong forum but here goes. I am running pro tools 10 on a PC and have been using a Scarlett 18i20 with an Octopre, but I have been looking into upgrading my converters to something a bit more professional such as the 192 (I know its a bit older but not really looking to upgrade my whole rig yet) now I know you need a Pcie card to get it into the computer but I've noticed there are quite a few different cards available and just want to make sure I'm getting all the right stuff so as not to drop a couple hundred to thousand dollars to have a bunch of incompatible gear. Which card do i need to run a 192 into my PC and also what would I need to monitor thru this? Again sorry If this is the wrong place for this or I have missed an obvious thread where this is all explained, I have been reading a bunch of threads and websites explaining different cards and converters and its is all just very confusing and was hoping someone could shed some light on this. Thank you so much for your time!

[albee1952]

The 192 uses a "digilink" connection. With an Avid/Digidesign card, you would NEED HD software(non-HD will simply not see the card, hence not see the 192). There are some 3rd party interfaces that also have Digilink connections(Focusrite 4?) but that's so new, I don't know if that is a way to use a 192 with non-HD software(but the quality of the "4" would likely negate needing the 192).

So...what I think you should consider is this; skip the 192/card route and explore other options. since you are on a PC(as am I) that means Thunderbolt is out. RME makes some PCIe cards that can use lightpipe or MADI. As for MADI interfaces, I am uneducated on those. But for lightpipe, there are many at all price points. at the lower end, the Behringer ADA8200 is a very good value(and Black Lion audio does some great mods for it). That would get you 8 ins and outs. Then for higher quality going in, the Midas XL48 is a killer 8 channel preamp that sounds fat. Then the Focusrite ISA828(w/option card) is an 8 channel preamp that is excellent, but probably cleaner(less "character") than the Midas(which excels on drums).

Having said all this, I am quite happy with my HD/Native card and either HD IO or 192(I have both in my setup).