Pro Tools 2019 !

[RobertDorn]

Originally Posted by LDS

I doubt many HDX owners would agree. For HDX to be more like UAD2, it would need to be far worse at utilising the native system, have fewer DSP plugins available and run on even older DSP chips from 2009.

There is no doubt that the HDX platform could be improved. I would love to see the option to change the way the DSP is implemented from the current full mix engine to a mix mode with DSP plugin processing only. I don't really think UAD2 does it better. If anything, the complete segregation of DSP and Native makes it closer to the worst of both worlds.

I agree on the fact that all DSP systems have its benefits and its quirks. Where HDX handles the combination of DSP and Native plugins far better in PT, UAD plugins add awful lots of sample delay. Once you track with a DSP system you know how good it is compared to Native workflow where even the lowest buffersettings give more delay. Nevertheless DSP seems very unpopular for plugin developers since only a small percentage of the market asks for it. While UAD is using older technology they're at least fully Mojave supported and they still release awesome sounding new DSP plugins every year, still. Something that is less and less happening with the aax-dsp plugin format. I guess HDX nowadays only makes sense for the big post production studios and music studios that use protools more as a tape machine, using outboard gear and just needing lots of I/O.

[jasonkalman]

Originally Posted by RobertDorn

I agree on the fact that all DSP systems have its benefits and its quirks. Where HDX handles the combination of DSP and Native plugins far better in PT, UAD plugins add awful lots of sample delay. Once you track with a DSP system you know how good it is compared to Native workflow where even the lowest buffersettings give more delay. Nevertheless DSP seems very unpopular for plugin developers since only a small percentage of the market asks for it. While UAD is using older technology they're at least fully Mojave supported and they still release awesome sounding new DSP plugins every year, still. Something that is less and less happening with the aax-dsp plugin format. I guess HDX nowadays only makes sense for the big post production studios and music studios that use protools more as a tape machine, using outboard gear and just needing lots of I/O.

Exactly right. I would add that for home studio artists HDX is great for zero latency recording of audio...I haven't found a native solution that beats it. If PTs got a lot better at efficiently processing VIs by being able to access a computers full capability (multi-cores, tons of ram, xeon processor), then it truly would be the one DAW to rule them all.

[RyanC]

Originally Posted by arche3

I run hdx and use aax dsp and native plugins. I don't see how it's a negative. You get the hdx engine and also as many native plugs as well just like a full native system.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Unfortunately this isn't true in practice. Each time a DSP system sends audio from the card and back it is eating CPU resources, and adding round trip latency to the session.

The same thing with UAD, with both systems the lower the buffer is set the more CPU overhead there is just to ferry the audio around.

[RyanC]

Originally Posted by jasonkalman

Exactly right. I would add that for home studio artists HDX is great for zero latency recording of audio...

HDX is not zero latency.

[justinhill]

Originally Posted by RyanC

HDX is not zero latency.

Yeah but it's sub-millisecond in average tracking situations and adding more (DSP) plugins doesn't increase the latency.

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by jasonkalman

Janne, appreciate the feedback! I'll have to try some of these out.

No prob.

Generally speaking anyone making AAXDSP are kind of on par because of the limitations and those who choose not to / cannot make AAXDSP are making such compromises with their algorithms that a) prevent DSP processing and b) smear sound by taking too much advantage of the floating point math.

Sonnox Limiter for example is brilliant but takes a lot of time to get used to. But once you get it, you get perfect results in AAXDSP, AAXnative and TDM

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by justinhill

Yeah but it's sub-millisecond in average tracking situations and adding more (DSP) plugins doesn't increase the latency.

Yes and no.

AAXDSP and TDM and any DSP system adds latency as you go, meaning more plugins more latency.

The marketing hype of zero latency of HDX means very near zero latency of the mixer without any plugins.

But as with TDM, every single plugin you instantiate adds some samples to the latency. Which means non-zero.

BUT...

What is most important is a human ear makes a difference of comb filtering and noticeable delay at rougly 10ms (depends) so if the latency is lower than this threshold you can monitor yourself despite the comb filtering and as soon as it goes over you hear echoes and cannot perform. Simple as that.

Oh, and digital stuff always have latency. Lexicon PCM91 for example has +2ms latency but nobody complains. Because what I just explained earlier.

[jasonkalman]

Originally Posted by RyanC

HDX is not zero latency.

Ryan,
Sure there is latency, but it is the lowest of any systems I've ever worked with to the point where it is completely imperceptible (to me) when recording an audio source at the lowest buffer setting. I have run into issues with firewire back in the day....tons of noticeable latency to the point where I could not track audio. Even with my Apollo when it ran only on a first generation Thunderbolt (TB) 1 Mac computer I was experiencing heavy latency, to the point where I am still hesitant to track audio even with an upgraded TB 3 computer (I'm contemplating upgrading from a UAD TB 2 card to the UAD TB 3 card thinking that it should also run without any noticeable latency). I'll give it a try one of these days, but HDX with TB 3 chassis is so good at reducing latency to imperceptible levels it's hard to want to record audio on anything else. So yeah to my ears it is a zero latency system, everything syncs up flawlessly.

[justinhill]

Originally Posted by jasonkalman

but HDX with TB 3 chassis is so good at reducing latency to imperceptible levels it's hard to want to record audio on anything else. So yeah to my ears it is a zero latency system, everything syncs up flawlessly.

Quite.

[moshuajusic]

Thread is just sad and depressing at this point.

A serious freebie with PT2019 would make me feel a little better. Permanent Spaces license would be nice. Or one or more "Pro" Avid plugins.

Just sayin.