Can I mix Accel and Process cards with this system?

[brianjanthony]

I've been thinking of upping my HD3 system to hopefully include more TDM power. New Hogs like Eleven, Autotune and TL Space, coupled with max delay compensation and 60+ tracks (at 44k), my mixer is CONSTANTLY reshuffling and telling me I am out of power. Every time I try to send a track to an aux bus, it tells me it doesn't have enough DSP for the mixer or something.


I can either go for max RTAS power (new mac and trade in my cards), or buy more cards and get an expansion chassis (which would still be usable when I get my new Mac). I was wondering if adding cheaper Process (non Accel) cards would be worth it. I don't even know if this is supported (mixing HD3 Acell and one or two Process). I'm hoping to give my beleaguered HD cards a break.

Anyone have any advice?

FWIW I have a Dual 2.0 ghz PPC Mac and am running 7.3 HD.

brian

[Touchwood Studios]

Yes you can mix accel and process cards

[ThomasPMusic]

My 2 cents...
Get even a refurb macpro and make the jump with your cards.
An investment in a chassis just to hold on to old cards and buy even older ones is really a bad move.
It gets you further in the hole on a computer that could give its life tomorrow.
An Accel2 plus a new macpro resets all warranties, and gives you more punch than your current (or even proposed rig).
Let your G5 retire with honor by making CD's, running MS office, and sending/receiving files over the net.

Trust me, you will not look back!
Think of it this way, my 2 year old macbook 1.83 has the same power as your G5, the macpro has 4 to 6 times the power.
How about 400 fairchilds RTAS (at 96k!!!) plus 10 IR-L's.
You can get a refurb "beast" off of apple.com for @2000...
Just please no chassis. You think you had problems before....
yikes!!
tp

[dtmprod]

Depends on your short & long term goals as far as investment into gear. I have an Accel 4 system that I've added 2 process cards to & I'm very happy I did. It'll be a major investment to upgrade to next generation. But in the meantime, I was able to get the horsepower of another accel card from 2 process cards for half the price.

[brianjanthony]

Interesting point. My calamity is this. Its a little under 10k to revamp the setup with a new Mac, new cards, etc. This means I'd spend 10k, to get no more TDM firepower than I had yesterday. More RTAS power, maybe. But how many TL Spaces or Elevens can a new Mac Handle while still runnin Melodyne, Drumagog, Kontakt, and Xpand at the same time?

Using a simple metal session as an example, I have exactly one chip on one of my 3 cards left. Of my 27 chips, HD engine takes 2, 6 are taken by HRMxrLngDelys (ADC). That's about 30% of the system for non plugs. the rest of the plugs take up all but one chip. I couldn't run Eleven or Autotune if I wanted (in real time TDM).

I know, woe is me. 10 years ago none of even this would be possible. Looking at this current session as an example, I suppose if I ran all of my Waves plugs RTAS, that would buy me 5 slots. But at what CPU hit?

That's my dillemma. i seem to be dealing with it daily. I know printing more tracks would solve some of this. But sometimes, that's not practical from a time standpoint.

That's why I wondered about adding TDM power first. I don't know if Process cards can do the ADC tasks, for instance. I really don't want to go the chassis route. But if it can be a bridge between a new Mac and an old one, it won't go to waste when I buy a new computer.

When I max out my TDM chips, I swear plugins act goofy or sound different or get glitchy. Maybe it's my imagination. I couldn't even open a session from last year (It kept plugin reshuffling for like an hour). Made the clients kinda peeved.

Anyways, I guess with a new Mac, I'd be running more RTAS plugs. But won't that kill voices in the TDM land?

brian

My 2 cents...
Get even a refurb macpro and make the jump with your cards.
An investment in a chassis just to hold on to old cards and buy even older ones is really a bad move.
It gets you further in the hole on a computer that could give its life tomorrow.
An Accel2 plus a new macpro resets all warranties, and gives you more punch than your current (or even proposed rig).
Let your G5 retire with honor by making CD's, running MS office, and sending/receiving files over the net.

Trust me, you will not look back!
Think of it this way, my 2 year old macbook 1.83 has the same power as your G5, the macpro has 4 to 6 times the power.
How about 400 fairchilds RTAS (at 96k!!!) plus 10 IR-L's.
You can get a refurb "beast" off of apple.com for @2000...
Just please no chassis. You think you had problems before....
yikes!!
tp

[mixer]

considering there are only 2 plugins that i know of that require accel cards the older ones actually might be a wise investment.