003 PT9 Win rig swap for 96 i/o

[stratferd]

Hello,

I have a Windows 7 pro 64bit workstation with PT9 and a 003. I've recently gained access to a couple 96 i/o interfaces and their respective core cards. I would like to install these cards and use the 96 i/o units, and toss the 003 aside. Will my PT9 version work with these interfaces? Should I expect them to work with my ASUS X5D8 homebrew Windows 7 machine?



Thanks for listening.

[albee1952]

Unless your PT9 license is for PT9 HD, it will not work(you gotta have HD software to use HD hardware). Having said that, I would not expect any noticeable audio improvement as the 96IO uses converters that are on-par with the 003(but used 192's are a step up and are also pretty inexpensive these days).

Also, unless the package includes 3 cards(or more) with a CORE card and 2 ACCEL cards(which would be technically known as HD3) you might actually feel a loss in performance over the 003. I spent plenty of time with my own 003 on my i7 socket 1366 self-build and also lots of time on a friend's HD3 rig(Mac Pro, and assembled by a "specialist") as we shared a lot of work(he would track, then I would edit and mix). My 003 rig ran circles around his HD3 system, other than pure input latency while tracking. Things that make you go "Hmmm"

[stratferd]

Thanks for the help.

So, then, if I wanted to use an HD3 with a 192 IO rig my least expensive next step would be to get an HD Native license? Upgrade from my PT9 003 license..

And, will an HD3/192 IO system run smooth on a Win7 homebrew?

Should I expect to record 16 analog inputs (x8 analog line-in and x8 ADAT light pipe) live with no/usable monitoring latency for the headphone mix using the 003?

[albee1952]

So, then, if I wanted to use an HD3 with a 192 IO rig my least expensive next step would be to get an HD Native license? Upgrade from my PT9 003 license..
You have some misconceptions about the licenses. There is Pro Tools and Pro Tools HD software. So you need an HD license for PT9 or newer(yes, 8HD might work, but 10 would be better, but the old HD cards will not work past 10)
And, will an HD3/192 IO system run smooth on a Win7 homebrew?
Depends...it SHOULD, assuming you have slots for the cards. When I moved from 003 to HD/Native, I installed the card>booted>got a message about new hardware that told me to reboot. Next system boot, Pro Tools opened and ran great(that was with PT10). also, keep in mind that the HD features are already installed on your system. You simply need the HD license on your iLok to have them work

Should I expect to record 16 analog inputs (x8 analog line-in and x8 ADAT light pipe) live with no/usable monitoring latency for the headphone mix using the 003?
This depends on a few things from you. I ran 5 headphone mixes out of sessions with my 003(using all 18 inputs) and rarely had any mention of latency(always tracking at a 64 buffer setting). The key is to know what plugins have latency and leave them out(or inactive) while tracking. All things being equal, the new system should have less latency(to the point where you might be able to set the buffer to 128 and still not feel latency). I say "feel" because, there is always SOME latency(there has to be as conversion takes a good 1-1.5ms)

[Neil H]

HD TDM cards are a total PITA to get working well in a Windows system that was not designed for the purpose, the cards take up shed loads of resources which most off the shelf machines just don't have you might be OK with just one or two cards see how it goes but they'll will need to be adjacent slots for the mini flex cable to plugin properly or you can buy an extender from me or Bob Nagy if he's still making them (I still have some stock).
If you struggle to get the HD3 working and are determined to win, look for a used HP Z800 workstation or if you are on a super tight budget an HP XW8600 or higher you just need to know if you have PCIe or PCIX cards as to what model you choose.

www.pro-tools-pc.com