Waves Audio AAX DSP ??

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally Posted by necjamc

...as far as waves is concerned, they are coming from Rtas/Tdm so perhaps there is more than we know in the optimization.

More precisely, they are coming from TDM which was later adapted to RTAS and the other native formats.

Some developers have expressed concern over how few instances they could get with HDX when using their native code. I suspect first developing for AAX-DSP and then porting that to native may be lots easier than the other way around.

Another question is how much sonic quality might be lost from optimization for AAX-DSP? Is it just a matter of substituting machine code or does it require dumbing down some of the math? My experience has been that when native has sounded different from TDM, it generally sounded better after the signal of each was dithered to 24 bits.

This will all remain speculation until we can get our hands on 64 bit Pro Tools and compare native to DSP performance within that context.

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally Posted by StewartFang

... In case you missed the memo, they are not porting to AAX...

They've said they are definitely porting to AAX native. They just haven't committed to AAX-DSP and they are hardly alone! At least they've come right out and said it unlike a number of other developers.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

They've said they are definitely porting to AAX native. They just haven't committed to AAX-DSP and they are hardly alone! At least they've come right out and said it unlike a number of other developers.

Where the confusion might lie is Waves has not given a timetable for when they'll have AAX native plugs, just some time in the future.
See this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s29XQ...eature=related

There was a somewhat longer video on YouTube about this but can't find it at the moment. IIRC it was with a Waves rep and someone from Avid at NAMM 2012 and kind of raised some eyebrows around here.

[Andre Knecht]

I only speak for myself and do not pretend to know what drives the decisions made by developers and/or users.

But, ever since learning about HDX (and simultaneously hearing about developer dissatisfaction with the choice of DSP platform made by AVID — all of it well ahead of its official launch), I decided to remain on the sidelines, and wait for a lot of dust to settle before allowing myself to even consider making a move. After all, missing out on existing discounted upgrade paths isn’t really all that meaningful, should a move to HDX reveal itself to be a mistake.

Here we are, one year after the launch of HDX and, as I perceive things, the degree of uncertainty surrounding HDX — the levels of adoption by developers and users alike, and the discussions about real-world DSP gains — has only grown with time.

Nonetheless, throughout this period, the announced 64-bit version of PT has been underpinning all my hopes for the platform.

The move to 64-bits will unlock a world of possibilities; it will also unleash the true power of HDX’s DSP. While I am not quoting anyone, the previous sentence sums up a ProTools “progress report,” as I currently understand things.

So imagine my surprise (and, yes, confusion), when it was pointed out to me that the DSP chips found on the HDX cards, while indeed able to execute 64-bit tasks, really are 32-bit processing engines. Meaning that two or more instructions are required to perform 64-bit calculations. Meaning that the available DSP found on the card will be cut in half when moving to 64-bits.

This doesn’t sound like a step in the right direction.

I am not a software engineer. It is entirely possible (or perhaps even likely) that I may have misunderstood what I was being told. I would welcome (make that ‘cherish’) for someone “in-the-know” to set me straight. To be clear, I hope I’m wrong.

Meanwhile, I’ll remain uneasy.


Really, really uneasy.

[Marsdy]

I have also been told the same thing.... Just to be clear, we're not talking about 64 bit memory addressing but 64 bit audio processing on the DSP card?

[Andre Knecht]

Correct Dave, I am referring to 64-bit audio processing on the DSP card.

[Emcha_audio]

I'm not sure where you have heard that, but here are the actual specs of the Texas Instrument chips used on the HDX card

http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tms320c6727b.pdf

[Marsdy]

Originally Posted by Emcha_audio

I'm not sure where you have heard that, but here are the actual specs of the Texas Instrument chips used on the HDX card

http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tms320c6727b.pdf

Those specs don't really negate what Andre and I have heard.

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally Posted by musicman691

Where the confusion might lie is Waves has not given a timetable for when they'll have AAX native plugs, just some time in the future..

Obviously their deadline, like every other plug-in developer, is when 64 bit Pro Tools is released.

What's the point when RTAS works just fine? Remember we're talking about far more plug-ins than any other developer. 32 bit native AAX would be little more than a very expensive publicity stunt for waves. I'd much rather see their 64 bit AAX plugs be bug-free by the time we are forced to use them. That's just common sense.

[Emcha_audio]

Originally Posted by Marsdy

Those specs don't really negate what Andre and I have heard.

Well, no not what you heard, but there's nothing in there that says that you need two instructions to allow 64 bit process. But from what I'm reading in the doc, I do not see anything that would support that "rumor". Saying rumor because until it's proven to be right of false, it's just that.

Very interested in knowing who told you that.