Really basic HDX question
 

Since I never considered HDX all these years until now (due to the cost of more than one card), I've never looked into this.

If you are using HDX with any DAW other than Protools, such as Logic or Studio One, do you still get the benefit of no latency recording when you put a track in record? Or does it just function as any other native based interface, based on buffer size, etc.?

I ask this because with Protools Carbon, they specifically state in the various marketing that you don't get this benefit with other DAW's. So I am assuming the same thing with HDX, but I could be wrong.

Re: Really basic HDX question
 

You can use HDX as a core audio device but you won't want to.

It's latency is pretty terrible and you don' get any of the low latency advantage/DSP when using it as a core audio device.

I have a HDX card plus a MTRX.
I use a Focurite Rednet card for native, sending the MTRX's inputs to the Rednet card and it works great.

Re: Really basic HDX question
 

No Yes

It's pretty terrible as an audio interface for third party DAWs. It gives you input and output (based on the playback engine buffer set -- not "no latency"). It becomes just a pass through to whatever audio interface is hooked to the digilink ports.

Re: Really basic HDX question
 

By way of comparison, latency at 48khz with 64 sample buffer in Logic Pro:

Rednet PCIE-R: 1.8ms Output, 3.7ms Roundtrip
HDX: 6.7ms Output, 13.3ms Roundtrip

HDX is actually worse than the software only Dante Virtual Soundcard.
Frankly, that is embarrassingly bad.

Re: Really basic HDX question
 

Thank you both for the info!

Uptheoctave, when using the MTRX into the Rednet card like you mentioned, are you doing audio recording, or just using that for virtual instruments?

Re: Really basic HDX question
 

I don't really use virtual instruments.
I'm using a lot of hardware synths, especially modular, as well as acoustic instruments.

I work in Logic and Pro Tools, more the former than the latter, although I mostly mix in PT.

Re: Really basic HDX question
 

I see. What about if you need to record into a native non DSP amp sim like Amplitube. Do you switch over to the Rednet card, or just lower the buffer while using the HDX card?

Re: Really basic HDX question
 

Yeah, I just disable the Avid Audio Server: CoreAudio hasn't even been super useful with HDX. If you need to use CoreAudio music production applications then, a separate interface piped into your MTRX via Dante or MADI is the way to go. For listening to Spotify, etc, DVS is fine.

Re: Really basic HDX question
 

Agree.

I find DVS a real pain if you are switching sample rates.
Actually that is a pain with Dante too- say you load up a 44.1k sample in Wavelab to edit but your MTRX is at 48k- no sound.

I actually have a dedicated UA Apollo for this.
It outputs analogue signal that goes to an Audinate 2 input Dante converter that clocks of the MTRX sample rate.
This was cheaper than, say, getting an AES card for the MTRX that does on the fly SRC and using an AES PCIE card in the Mac Pro.

I know there might be technical limitations why HDX can't be multi client but it is a real pain in the ass to work this way.

I've considered making the Rednet card the clock master and having everything clock off that which will solve the 'different sample rate in Wavelab' issue but will probably complicate recording over Digilink.

Re: Really basic HDX question
 

I feel your pain. It's even worse with the Sync X, because it doesn't reliably output WC when a session is closed, so if my session isn't at 48k (or whatever rate DVS is set to), I have to open an explicit "listening" session, rather than just closing the session and setting the new rate in Hardware Setup.

It would be great if DVS could be configured to follow the sample rate of another Dante device, but that's something for Audinate to fix. (I do have an old Z-Sys sample rate converter lying around, I suppose I could press that into service with a cheap USB to SPDIF adapter but... not really a solution for multichannel CoreAudio use.)

A hack, but it works.

Probably. :)