Avid Pro Audio Community

Avid Pro Audio Community

How to Join & Post  •  Community Terms of Use  •  Help Us Help You

Knowledge Base Search  •  Community Search  •  Learn & Support


Avid Home Page

Go Back   Avid Pro Audio Community > Pro Tools Hardware > Pro Tools | Carbon

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1  
Old 12-02-2020, 04:38 AM
brian brilliant brian brilliant is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: 66111 Saarbrücken, Germany
Posts: 66
Default Input Count

Hello everybody,
I have a question regarding the number of simultaneously usable inputs of Carbon. According to AVID it is 25@48, 17@96 and 13@192 kHz. However, the hardware has 8 Mic pres, 8 Line ins and 2 ADAT light pipes, which would make a total of 32, 24 and 20 inputs respectively, not counting the talk back mic.
So, 1) does anyone know, why the total no. of inputs is lower and 2) which combinations of inputs are possible? In particular: Can the mic and line inputs be used simultaneously or just alternatively? I hope the former but fear the latter.
I am currently working with an Antelope Studio Rev 2017 using 22 ins@96kHz (12 mic, 8 ADAT and 2 SPDIF ins) and consider switching, as I cannot use their PlugIns in this configuration, which makes its on-board DSPs obsolete. However, I need at least 20 inputs I can use at the same time.
Thanks in advance.
Best regards, Stefan
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 12-02-2020, 08:46 AM
albee1952's Avatar
albee1952 albee1952 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Norwich, CT
Posts: 39,307
Default Re: Input Count

You need 24 inputs at what sample rate? At 48K(where 98% of my work happens), you would have 8 analog ins and 16 ADAT ins for 24(plus the talkback mic). If you need to track at higher sample rates, then I doubt Carbon is your best bet. The analog inputs allow for 8 total(any combination of mic, line or front panel instrument inputs). I also wish that the DB25 inputs were separate from the mic/line inputs, but sadly, Avid didn't allow that(and maybe they have a logical reason). Its not unlike the OMNI that has 14 actual inputs, but can only route 8 into PT.
__________________
HP Z4 workstation, Mbox Studio
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/...0sound%20works


The better I drink, the more I mix

BTW, my name is Dave, but most people call me.........................Dave
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 12-02-2020, 12:21 PM
Kyle Splittgerber's Avatar
Kyle Splittgerber Kyle Splittgerber is offline
Avid
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: CA
Posts: 563
Default Re: Input Count

Hello,

ADAT channels are halved with each doubling of the sample rate. So, the question about which sample rate is being used is important. Here's a breakdown of inputs per sample rate:

44.1/48 - 25 inputs
8 analog
16 ADAT
1 talkback

88.2/96 - 17 inputs
8 analog
8 ADAT
1 talkback

176.4/192 - 13 inputs
8 analog
4 ADAT
1 talkback

Also, the mic and line inputs are shared because they're the same circuit (8 analog inputs total). We didn't add another 8 line inputs (for 16 total) primarily due to increased cost and heat.

Hope that helps.
__________________
Kyle Splittgerber
Senior Principal Product Designer
Avid
Berkeley, CA
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 12-04-2020, 03:33 AM
brian brilliant brian brilliant is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: 66111 Saarbrücken, Germany
Posts: 66
Default Re: Input Count

Thanks for the answers. That makes it clear. So it is not related to the bandwidth of AVB.

Just one more: Does the DSP button in the new version of Pro Tools only work with Carbon or can it also be used to activate external FPGAs from other manufacturers (e.g. Antelope)?
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 12-04-2020, 07:37 AM
Kyle Splittgerber's Avatar
Kyle Splittgerber Kyle Splittgerber is offline
Avid
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: CA
Posts: 563
Default Re: Input Count

Quote:
Originally Posted by brian brilliant View Post
Thanks for the answers. That makes it clear. So it is not related to the bandwidth of AVB.

Just one more: Does the DSP button in the new version of Pro Tools only work with Carbon or can it also be used to activate external FPGAs from other manufacturers (e.g. Antelope)?
Sure thing. There is an AVB consideration to make which is the selected channel configuration in Audio MIDI Setup. This allows you to scale up or scale down the overall AVB channel count depending on how many physical channels you need, tracks widths, routing complexity, and number of tracks using DSP Mode. But, most of these configs available allow all physical I/O to be used. The idea is to select the smallest config that meets your needs as this will have a lower CPU impact on the Mac.

The DSP button is specific to Pro Tools | Carbon and HDX (future feature). It doesn't work with any third party products.
__________________
Kyle Splittgerber
Senior Principal Product Designer
Avid
Berkeley, CA
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 12-10-2020, 06:28 AM
Cowboy Bob's Avatar
Cowboy Bob Cowboy Bob is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Iowa
Posts: 433
Default Re: Input Count

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyle Splittgerber View Post
Hello,

ADAT channels are halved with each doubling of the sample rate. So, the question about which sample rate is being used is important. Here's a breakdown of inputs per sample rate:

44.1/48 - 25 inputs
8 analog
16 ADAT
1 talkback

88.2/96 - 17 inputs
8 analog
8 ADAT
1 talkback

176.4/192 - 13 inputs
8 analog
4 ADAT
1 talkback

Also, the mic and line inputs are shared because they're the same circuit (8 analog inputs total). We didn't add another 8 line inputs (for 16 total) primarily due to increased cost and heat.

Hope that helps.
Which seems to be pretty typical, however the Pro Tools Carbon Data Sheet on the Avid website states:
"Digital inputs ADAT: 16 channels @ 44.1–96 kHz
ADAT: 8 channels @ 176.4–192 kHz"
While the Pro Tools Carbon Manual states:
ADAT I/O
• 16 channels at 44.1/48 kHz
• 8 channels at 88.2/96 kHz
• 4 channels at 176.4/192 kHz
I have also seen a couple of dealer demos that seemed to have quoted directly from the data sheet, apparently, stating up to 16 inputs @44.1-96kHz. Not a deal breaker, I just want to be sure of what I am about to purchase. Misleading or erroneous information can kill an otherwise exciting launch.

Thanks
__________________

"If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, well, it is likely due to the amount of manure being spread on that side of the fence." Cowboy Bob

Squaw Creek Road Studio

Bob
Pro Tools Ultimate (2024.3)| Pro Tools Carbon | Sibelius Ultimate (2024.3)
|
3.6GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor iMac w/40GB RAM | 1TB SSD | macOS Ventura 13.3.1 |

Avid Eleven Rack ERXP | Focusrite Clarett 8Pre X | Lenovo i7 ThinkPad | Win 7 Professional | Avid 003 + Rack |

Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 12-10-2020, 08:14 AM
Kyle Splittgerber's Avatar
Kyle Splittgerber Kyle Splittgerber is offline
Avid
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: CA
Posts: 563
Default Re: Input Count

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowboy Bob View Post
Which seems to be pretty typical, however the Pro Tools Carbon Data Sheet on the Avid website states:
"Digital inputs ADAT: 16 channels @ 44.1–96 kHz
ADAT: 8 channels @ 176.4–192 kHz"
While the Pro Tools Carbon Manual states:
ADAT I/O
• 16 channels at 44.1/48 kHz
• 8 channels at 88.2/96 kHz
• 4 channels at 176.4/192 kHz
I have also seen a couple of dealer demos that seemed to have quoted directly from the data sheet, apparently, stating up to 16 inputs @44.1-96kHz. Not a deal breaker, I just want to be sure of what I am about to purchase. Misleading or erroneous information can kill an otherwise exciting launch.

Thanks
Hey Bob,

This is accurate:
• 16 channels at 44.1/48 kHz
• 8 channels at 88.2/96 kHz
• 4 channels at 176.4/192 kHz

Will you link to the information which states otherwise? We'll clean that up. Thanks.
__________________
Kyle Splittgerber
Senior Principal Product Designer
Avid
Berkeley, CA
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 12-10-2020, 10:15 AM
Cowboy Bob's Avatar
Cowboy Bob Cowboy Bob is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Iowa
Posts: 433
Default Re: Input Count

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyle Splittgerber View Post
Hey Bob,

This is accurate:
• 16 channels at 44.1/48 kHz
• 8 channels at 88.2/96 kHz
• 4 channels at 176.4/192 kHz

Will you link to the information which states otherwise? We'll clean that up. Thanks.
Thanks Kyle. That was what I thought, pretty typical, but I wanted to be sure since there was conflicting "official" information.

Here is the link https://cdn-www.avid.com/-/media/avi...et-english.pdf
__________________

"If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, well, it is likely due to the amount of manure being spread on that side of the fence." Cowboy Bob

Squaw Creek Road Studio

Bob
Pro Tools Ultimate (2024.3)| Pro Tools Carbon | Sibelius Ultimate (2024.3)
|
3.6GHz 8-core 9th-generation Intel Core i9 processor iMac w/40GB RAM | 1TB SSD | macOS Ventura 13.3.1 |

Avid Eleven Rack ERXP | Focusrite Clarett 8Pre X | Lenovo i7 ThinkPad | Win 7 Professional | Avid 003 + Rack |

Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 12-10-2020, 12:16 PM
Kyle Splittgerber's Avatar
Kyle Splittgerber Kyle Splittgerber is offline
Avid
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: CA
Posts: 563
Default Re: Input Count

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowboy Bob View Post
Thanks Kyle. That was what I thought, pretty typical, but I wanted to be sure since there was conflicting "official" information.

Here is the link https://cdn-www.avid.com/-/media/avi...et-english.pdf
Thanks, Bob! We'll fix that.
__________________
Kyle Splittgerber
Senior Principal Product Designer
Avid
Berkeley, CA
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Input Track count with pt 11 hd and non-hd hardware Jakob Clemen Pro Tools 11 2 10-12-2013 09:38 AM
Whats PT9's max simultaneous input count? scoobydoo Pro Tools 9 3 11-05-2010 05:41 PM
Silly input count question puuukeey Pro Tools TDM Systems (Mac) 5 02-20-2007 01:14 PM
5.1 Auxiliary Input track count limits ggegan Post - Surround - Video 4 08-21-2004 10:33 PM
M Box input count dcurran 003, Mbox 2, Digi 002, original Mbox, Digi 001 (Mac) 3 04-26-2002 12:57 AM


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:14 PM.


Powered by: vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited. Forum Hosted By: URLJet.com