12 HD with third party interface?

[bluemoa]

Hi, so it is my understanding that you can use HD with third party interface as long as you have an HDX or HDN connected? So in other words I could get an HDN card as sort of a hardware dongle, not hook it up to a peripheral, then use my RME HDSPe card as the interface in the playback engine?

[Southsidemusic]

Hey

You don't need any Avid Hardware to run Pro Tools HD from PT9 and up.

No need for an Avid HDN or HDX to run Hd. We use Apollo Quads and others here even use HD12 on internal MacBook Pro soundcard so you need a valid Ilok2 license to use HD and a computer good enough to run PT.

So .. You can use the RME interface wit PTHD with no other Hardware. Just the ilok key which is the license "dongle"

[bluemoa]

Originally Posted by Southsidemusic

Hey

You don't need any Avid Hardware to run Pro Tools HD from PT9 and up.

No need for an Avid HDN or HDX to run Hd. We use Apollo Quads and others here even use HD12 on internal MacBook Pro soundcard so you need a valid Ilok2 license to use HD and a computer good enough to run PT.

So .. You can use the RME interface wit PTHD with no other Hardware. Just the ilok key which is the license "dongle"

How do you go about getting the HD license without the CPTK or buying a HD hardware bundle?

[Southsidemusic]

Aha I thought you had HD. You can get either a cptk or used HD here in the buy and sell section or on ebay. Make sure you get the Avid account and ilok key so you can use that HD license to upgrade to PT12 HD and get it into your ilok account and your name.

It is a bit risky to buy from ebay but lots of people have done that.

Also Audiodeluxe has HD licenses for sale legally unregistered for $1399 which is expensive but unregistered broken up bundles so they have the Licenses for sale sometimes.

If you make a free account at audiodeluxe you get the price reduction when you add it to the checkout option.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by bluemoa

Hi, so it is my understanding that you can use HD with third party interface as long as you have an HDX or HDN connected? So in other words I could get an HDN card as sort of a hardware dongle, not hook it up to a peripheral, then use my RME HDSPe card as the interface in the playback engine?

Chris has got you going with most of the info. But what HD features exactly are you after? Many of those are in pro Tools 12 (non-HD) now, with surround sound probably the stand-out exception. And a big gotcha for some users is when using non-Avid HD interfaces with HD software you are limited to the same CoreAudio/ASIO 32 IO interface limit of standard Pro Tools. That IO limit have been discussed ad nauseum on DUC (and is described in the Pro Tools Reference Guide).

[Southsidemusic]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Chris has got you going with most of the info. But what HD features exactly are you after? Many of those are in pro Tools 12 (non-HD) now, with surround sound probably the stand-out exception. And a big gotcha for some users is when using non-Avid HD interfaces with HD software you are limited to the same CoreAudio/ASIO 32 IO interface limit of standard Pro Tools. That IO limit have been discussed ad nauseum on DUC (and is described in the Pro Tools Reference Guide).

+1 to everything Darryl said!

[Drew Mazurek]

Originally Posted by bluemoa

So in other words I could get an HDN card as sort of a hardware dongle, not hook it up to a peripheral, then use my RME HDSPe card as the interface in the playback engine?

To be clear, you can't do this.

[bluemoa]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Chris has got you going with most of the info. But what HD features exactly are you after? Many of those are in pro Tools 12 (non-HD) now, with surround sound probably the stand-out exception. And a big gotcha for some users is when using non-Avid HD interfaces with HD software you are limited to the same CoreAudio/ASIO 32 IO interface limit of standard Pro Tools. That IO limit have been discussed ad nauseum on DUC (and is described in the Pro Tools Reference Guide).

Ah cool, yeah the more I think about it the less I really need HD. 32 IO is plenty for me, some of the field recorder workflows could be helpful as well as the expanded automation window, automation trim, etc. But it's nothing that I can't live without. I'm just curious because the it's kinda confusing me if I could just use my RME Pcie card without having to have a HDX or HDN installed to use PTHD if I had it

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by bluemoa

Ah cool, yeah the more I think about it the less I really need HD. 32 IO is plenty for me, some of the field recorder workflows could be helpful as well as the expanded automation window, automation trim, etc. But it's nothing that I can't live without. I'm just curious because the it's kinda confusing me if I could just use my RME Pcie card without having to have a HDX or HDN installed to use PTHD if I had it

Yes as Chris said, you just need a Pro Tools asset (standard or HD) on an iLok and it will work with any third party CoreAudio or ASIO interface... you get the few remaining HD only software features you mentioned if that licenses is a HD one. it's all software/iLok license based, the HD software features are nothing to do with HD or otherwise interface hardware. With a Mac if you are just mixing or need to do something quick you can even get away with using Built-In Output as the playback engine with either license type.

[paulo m]

Had a look at the comparison chart between PT versions and for post, you loose certain advanced and even basic (surround) key features if going non HD:

http://www.avid.com/US/products/pro-...mparison-table

On the other hand, is hard to understand that certain features like surround and advanced editing and automation features which are mainly software based and can happilly rely on today´s computer CPU power, need a HDX/HDN card to work as other native DAW manufacturers all have it without the associated proprietary hardware.

The bottom line is that AVID wants to sell you the hardware as well. Want a new HD licence? Buy hardware. It´s basically a rip off and a policy that it´s gradually driving clients away.

I can understand that for low latency purposes and increased I/O you may need an HDX/HDN card, instead of relying on Core Audio/ASIO or in the case of AAX DSP plugins (which are not the norm anyway) the processing of the HDX card.

Some converter manufacturers like Prism Sound, DAD, Merging, SSL etc. provide digilink interface card options for their systems, so I don´t see the point of having to buy an AVID converter on top of it, besides the HDX/HDN card itself, if you feel that you like other converters better.

On the comparison chart linked above, it says that HD comes bundled with hardware but also works without hardware. They just don´t say that if it´s a new licence you´re buying, it doesn´t work like that until you spend the money on hardware. Not a nice policy in my opinion.