Pro tools HD what gear do i need

[Raoul23]

Hi guys

Hope some people can help me out. At the mo im running pro tools LE (windows XP) with 003 rack + and ive come to the conclusion i need HD due to track count, ADC, bus counts etc.

Im looking at getting PCI cards as they a very cheap at the mo and running it on a G5 Could someone please help me with what i would need and if this is viable as ive found lots of mixed suggestions on forums. Ive never had a mac before so they are all new to me. I will be running quite a few rtas plugs while i save up for the tdm versions. What interface would people suggest and do i need a control service or could i buy that at a later date

Thanks

[TimNielsen]

If you are planning on running lots of RTAS plugins, you might reconsider your G5 purchase. You might really want an Intel Mac, partly because too, ProTools isn't supporting G5's any longer, and so you'll be locked out of any software upgrades past 8.01, or whatever the last PPC version was.

True it's more expensive to go the Intel route, with PCI cards you'll need an expansion chassis, or else you'll have to get PCIe cards. Both routes are more expensive, but you'll have a much better system that won't be horribly outdated the minute you buy it.

[youngas75]

Couldn't agree more with Tim's words above. We've just upgraded our G5 with PCI cards to PCIe on an Intel. It was running ok but only as a tracking machine with a HD3 system. If you tried to use a load of RTAS or Instruments then it started to get upset. Definitely see what you can get in terms of new computer and PCIe card prices.

[JFreak]

It is already not supported, as the PTHD 8.1 is Snow Leopard only, which means no joy for G5 users.

And the latest G5 workstations have pci-express bus (the same as current Mac Pro workstations) so in case you meant PCI-X G5 it is going to be older than 2005 thus not that powerful you would think.

[studiojimi]

Originally Posted by JFreak

in case you meant PCI-X G5 it is going to be older than 2005 thus not that powerful you would think.

....an HD4 PCIx is still plenty powerful and much great music can be produced on it.

in fact...i'm considering picking up 1 or 2 PCIx cards that just making what i have more powerful....HD6 baby that would be over kill for me pretty much

if the G5 goes down..you can get on now for about $450...so

the HOLD FAST route until it becomes quite obvious it is time to upgrade is the sound choice for me and countless others.

then again..i so do yearn for the day to come that i can do VIs with power and grace....but until i move on...i just stay with my external sequencing with gear i know like the back of my hand and my clients appreciate the speed and proficiency to keep coming back year after year, song after song.

[TimNielsen]

StudioJimi, yes we're all aware of your patented HOLD FAST philosophy. I have no doubt were it possible, you'd be hammer out records with stone and chisel. :)

But in my opinion, and seemingly others on this thread, it makes ZERO sense to invest in antiquated technology if your'e just moving into HD. As others have noted, to get a PCIx G5 is an old machine, they were loud as hell, are massively underpowered by the current Intel speeds, and no longer even supported by Mac (Snow Leopard) or Avid.

Personally I would seek out an 8-Core Mac Harpertown or Nehalem processor Mac, put 8 gigs of ram into it, buy used PCIx cards which are definitely cheaper than PCIe, and invest in the Magma PE6R4 expansion chassis.

For many many people here, this has proven to be a fast and reliable system.

The current batch of Mac Pro's seem to have some serious potential issues, so best to avoid them until the coast is clear.

An 8-Core 2.8gHz Harpertown is a great machine, expandable, fast, quiet. I have it in my room right next to me, with the quiet Magma chassis, and my new Omni which makes very little noise, I'm a happy camper.

[formfunction]

Originally Posted by TimNielsen

But in my opinion, and seemingly others on this thread, it makes ZERO sense to invest in antiquated technology if your'e just moving into HD. As others have noted, to get a PCIx G5 is an old machine, they were loud as hell, are massively underpowered by the current Intel speeds, and no longer even supported by Mac (Snow Leopard) or Avid.

Not to mention you gotta buy a chassis as well,....

SJ, when is the last time you bought a new piece of gear... a dx7? Hold fast baby!!! Specially if it works for ya.. ff

[TimNielsen]

Well if they got an older G5 that still had PCIx slots, they could avoid the chassis. Like a dual 2.0 G5 might have been the last one with PCIx, or maybe it was the 2.3, can't remember. The 2.7gHz went to PCIe slots.

But a 2.0gHz G5 was an OK machine at the time. I had one. I sure don't miss it :)

It was loud (not as bad as my mirror drive door G4, but still loud!) and well, I sure as hell wouldn't be buying one now. Even if spares are $450, since your machine is as old as they are, you're likely to NEED a spare. I can't imagine trusting such a machine in any critical application.

[Samuel Axelsson]

I'm actually with studiojimi,
You can buy a G5 with pci cards and be perfectly happy with a very powerful HD system.

What doesn't make sense to me is to spend 4 times more to do the same job.

G5 are no longer supported no, and mac pros will end in the same way.

[TimNielsen]

Um, OK, I'll play along.

IF you're OK locking yourself into a version of ProTools and Mac operating system that is 'locked off', offering zero upgrade potential, then sure. And certainly if money is an object, then a G5 might make affordable what might not otherwise.

And true, plenty of great work was and is done on systems such as that.

However. G5s are old. They are going to break. I know of many people recently who have lost G5s, and they're proving too expensive to repair.

And also, why spend 4 times as much, well, because you're buying a machine that will last a lot longer than a G5 will, can do a lot more, is quieter, massively faster, supports the latest versions of the operating system and ProTools, and in general, isn't something that is already outdated.

Of COURSE my Mac Pro will someday be unsupported, and then I'll likely retire it and if I'm still doing this, buy something more current. This is my third Mac for ProTools, a G4, a G5 and now this one. And you know what, I'm 100% prepared that I'll need to buy a fourth someday.

But I would never trade what this machine can do, compared to what my G5 could. I can run a hell of lot more plugins, VIs, and not bog the machine down. On my G5 Altiverb was enough to drain the CPU cycles. On this machine I can run multiple instances of it with no problem.

And if the person posting this explicity said they plan to run lots of RTAS, then well, an older G5 (cause again, he can't get a quad-core G5, they were PCIe as far as I know) just isn't going to very pleasing to him. Especially since even a current iMac would blow away the RTAS performance of G5.

Just my .02, I have no vested interested if he buys a G5 or not. Just saying I sure as hell wouldn't, if money wasn't the object.