foolishness or worth it

[youbringmesuffering]

This post is too late but i'm going to pose the question:

just got my very first HD1 card, used. Got a io 96 on the way. I am currently using an 003r through PT9

My thought process for going HD was that i'm trying to take as much load off the host as possible because my sessions are VI plugin intensive. I run EWSO/hollywood strings, superior drummer and soft synths for symphonic metal compositions and i'm trying to do it completely within one box. so far my Mac pro 3.2 8-core maxed out has been handling it either in all instruments or as audio files, but not both.

For instance, i can have all my instrument tracks launched for a full symphony plus superior drummer, and then i record those tracks to audio, internally (in groups/sections). once done, then i start to mix but i have to disable all my instrument tracks first.

I'm aware of other options such as VSL Ens. Pro but i no longer wanted to rely on FW to an 003r.

the question: Given that i'm HD, is this really going to help because it removes some of the load off the host? I'm aware that the core card doesn't help as far as plug-in processing but for the normal audio path, will it take some processing load off the system?

I work at a pro studio so if this was a foolish mistake, i can still utilize the HD gear in a recording environment.

[gonzolagonda]

TDM will indeed take the mixer duties away from the Mac CPU, but more noticeably it will also take plugin processing duties away if you have TDM plugins (rather than native RTAS). HD1 probably won't be enough to cover all your plugin needs for a mix, but it will certainly make a good dent in processing requirements!

[Dism]

The thing is... all of those VIs are RTAS.

HD is not going to make a spot of difference on your VI performance as you are more than likely having memory issues over anything else. Plus... HD1 isn't going to give you anything you don't have with native in terms of voice count, I/O, etc.

The only thing HD1 will be good for is giving you the full HD software experience, but using TDM will leave much to be desired.

Using VE Pro would be your best bet for improved performance.

What have you found to be 'unreliable' about FireWire? Using FW doesn't affect Pro Tools performance. All it pertains to is I/O count, and tracking latency, which is about the only benefit you will have from HD1.