The Satellite Link - or, I feel like a total n00b

[JCBigler]

So, I'm not sure why I didn't know that this works, or that it works so well. But I feel like a total n00b now that I have discovered the Satellite Link function in Protools.

And that fact that it is included free now, whereas you had to pay $750 for it earlier versions is downright amazing.

I just did a recording of a live operatic concert this weekend with my two Protools systems with the back up computer recording via DVS. We had a Sync HD to keep the audio for the main recording synced with the video recording. And I found out that you can enable the Satellite Link function with both computers connected to the same network switch.

And now that I'm back home and testing this out again, you don't even need the Sync HD to do it. It still works, at least with one computer running HD Native and one running regular Protools.

With the Satellite Link function enabled, I can:

1) record an exact duplicate back up recording with the exact same file lengths and start and stop recording at the same time with one press of a button.

2) Or, (with the right hardware I/O) I can extend my systems, and connect them to separate audio interfaces and record up to 64 channels through HD Native and another 32 channels through Protools vanilla. And then bring the files from the vanilla session into the main session in post and they all line up exactly.

The only thing that doesn't work right now, is the soloing and mute functions between systems. But I think that's probably because one is running Windows and one is running Mac OSX, which I guess is a small price to pay for 96 channels of recording without HDX.

And so far, it seems to work fine on a Dante network.

Avid needs to play up this feature in Protools. It's HUGE for anybody that does live redundant recording.