Upgrading from HD to HDX??

[rcd]

Hi, I'm currently running PTHD 8.1 (HD2 system via Magma expansion).
I use a modded Digi 192 lopped synched to an Avid HD Omni - The 192 is doing the clocking with the upgraded BLA clock.
Can I upgrade to HDX and still use the 192? I realize I would have to set the Omni as the main clocking interface, but can I loop synch the 192 to the Omni and use the converters of the 192 to mix (inserts) and record? Will this HDX setup be as seamless as my current setup? Any other issues I should consider in this upgrade? Also, does the HDX card take up 1 PCIe slot or 2?

Thanks!
rich

[nst7]

You can use the 192 with HDX and HD11 (or HD10). You can also use it as the main clocking device. You don't have to use the Omni as the main clock, and I'm not sure where you heard that.

Keep in mind that the 192 is not officially supported, but works fine. As tume goes on with future Protools versions, that may change, but for now it's fine. Avid is not doing anything to intentionally break compatibility, but they no longer test these with updates and versions, etc.

The HDX card is one slot, but I think there's an auxillary power cable that factors in.

Also, if you have an older Magma chassis, I'm not sure if there are compatibility issues with the HDX card being much newer.

You'll also need to factor in computer and operating system, both for hardware and software (HDX is very picky).

[Craig F]

you can use your 192 and Omni the same way you are using them now

You will want Win7 for your OS

You do need extra power like most newer video cards

you may want to go with a new computer and eliminate the chassis

The only other thing is to check your plug-ins for what updates they need (they all need to be updated but some haven't made it yet and some are charging for the update)

[rcd]

Thanks for the replies.
Would this Card run the AAX plugins? How do the AAX plugins sound compared to RTAS or TDM? If you load the same plugin with same settings, would it sound exactly the same in RTAS as it does in AAX? If not, please explain the characteristics that make AAX better to you hear. Will the AAX plugins hog the space of the HDX card quickly? Also, I would like record at 96k - can HDX handle this with 48 tracks and 50 plugins?

Thanks!!!

[nst7]

AAX is the new format instead of the older RTAS or TDM format. It has nothing to do with sound quality and in most cases the plugins will sound exactly the same.

AAX is simply Avid's new format in place of the very old RTAS/TDM code.

However, the mixing/summing engine is different in newer versions of Protools, including HDX, so you may find that your sessions sound different (better, according to most users) even if everything else is the same (TDM was 48 bit fixed point, all versions of Protools now are 64 bit floating point).

Generally speaking, an HDX card is supposed to be 3-5 times the power of the old HD Accel card. There are other changes in the specs as well.

This comparison chart provides some basic info regarding HDX vs. TDM:

http://www.avid.com/US/products/Pro-...Comparesystems


As mentioned, you may need to update some 3rd party plugs, and some of them may have fees (or make you upgrade to new versions). Also, not everything that used to be TDM has an equivalent version that uses the DSP on the HDX cards. For example, Waves decided not to make DSP powered plugins for HDX. You can still use their plugins natively in the AAX format, but it won't make use of the processing of the cards.

Also, a few of the older Avid plugins are discontinued, such as Bruno/Reso and a few others.