Old Mix System to HD Native Upgrade

[Stillmorningrise]

Hey everyone,

I am finally upgrading my old Legacy Mix 24 system to an HD native. Right now my studio runs 5 Mix cards and 2 DSP cards in an expansion tower so I can run 64 tracks with plenty of plugins on each track with no problem. Computer wise we use an old G4 tower on PT 5.1.3.

Now what would I need computer wise to make sure I can run big sessions with no issues? I'd be relying on the power of the computer to run my sessions with ease vs. the system we are using now. Would a quad core Imac maxed out in RAM be enough? Or should I go with a used Macpro?

[Craig F]

if you want the HD Native you'll need the Mac Pro for the card
if you can hold out until the TB to PCIe boxes are out and tested that may change
I would probably still go with the Pro, more RAM, more drives

[Buccanears]

And it would be wise to buy a Mac Pro that isn't too long in the tooth so that you're prepped for PT11. 2009 Nehalem and up.

[nst7]

Just so you know, this trade-up offer actually ended on January 31st. It's possible that some dealers may be able to still do it, but I'm not sure. Or you might be okay if you had made a deposit or got on a waiting list before the special ended.

Just didn't want you to be surprised.

In addition, Avid has stopped selling the HD Native card brand new by itself, and are now only selling it in the bundles with an HD interface.

[Stillmorningrise]

Thanks for the info everyone! I should have realized I couldn't use an imac with the native card! Ha! Been a long day....anyways that sucks they ended the promo! That screws my trade in then. Anyone have any advice on maybe a used HD rig with PT 8 or 9? It's really time to upgrade my computer is on its last hopes.

[BradLyons]

That is correct, the upgrade promotion has officially ended. Unfortunately you'll not find these at a dealer because each upgrade was a specific upgrade path that had to be registered through AVID. As to what Mac well---you're native now (or will be) so the most powerful you can, the better. It is absolutely worth it to invest in the 12-core if you can. I've configured several HD NATIVE machines with this computer and wow---it's amazing how much power is there. While you could find a used HD TDM rig for cheap, understand that will be a dead-end. You have to do what's best long-term, otherwise you'll be right back to where you are and out even more money in the end.

[Stillmorningrise]

So if I went Native I'd have to replace my 2 888/24's and 1622 so that I could keep my 24 inputs. What would be the most cost effective way to do this that is compatible with HD/Native?

[nst7]

If you went HD Native, you would need an HD IO 16 x 16 and an HD IO 8x8.

If you are going "regular" native (non HD), then your choices are very limited to get that many inputs. You may want to look at the Focusrite Sapphire units for some kind of solution.

[Dave Lang]

Or buy an interface that has light pipe and connect an additional 8 ins that way. Lots of choices. I'm using an M-Audio 2626 and a Behringer ADA8000. You may want something with better converters or preamps or a higher sample rate but this system works and does 16 ins no problem.

[nst7]

He was saying he needed 24 ins. That's going to be harder to do.