Understanding SYNC HD, HD OMNI and HD I/O

[EneMeneGratschik]

Hi everyone,

I recently started working in an ADR mixing studio. While I'm pretty good with Pro Tools, I'm not really an expert in connection technology. The studio has multiple Avid devices: Sync HD, HD Omni, HD I/O and HD Native. I want to unterstand how they interact and if I really need all of them.
I attached a wiring schematic. Does that make any sense to you? The way I see it, the HD I/O doesn't seem to do much.

I'd appreciate your input.

[Darryl Ramm]

If the HD I/O has nothing connected to (in addition to the DigiLink and clock loop cables) then it's not doing anything and you presumably could remove it if you want. But presumably it's there to use if needed, e.g. for larger ADR tracking sessions (the Omni has pretty limited I/O) so the question is really for the facility owner or coworkers.

Presumably you or others are actually using the Sync HD for video sync, so you need that, and you need its sync loop connections to the other boxes.

And even if you were not using a Sync HD you would likely want to use the Loop Sync for convenience.

I suspect you need to read up in the Sync HD and HD I/O User Guides about what these boxes do, especially the Sync HD box, and how loop sync works. PDFs available online.

A minor point, but your diagram could be clearer by marking DigiLink and USB as bidirectional connections.

[smurfyou]

C24 connects to the Mac not the HD Native btw.

You need the SyncHD for ADR work. The Omni needs the HD Native which needs the Mac.

HD I/O is optional for extra I/O as Darryl said. It certainly doesn't hurt anything to have it available. Actually if you have headphone feeds, multiple talkback inputs, and a couple more for remote connections the Omni wouldn't be enough.

[JFreak]

You have it all wrong.

First, as already said, C24 takes ethernet cable from your Mac.

Second, interfaces are connected to HDN so that first box (that connects to HDN from primary port to HDN port one) sends daisy-chain to second box (from expansion port to primary port). Then you connect wordclock cables to loop sync, not external clock.

A reminder, you can only have one OMNI in a system, so if you one day think your expansion problems are solved by grabbing another OMNI, that will simply just not work. But you can connect other interfaces to work with OMNI, that is not a problem.

Lastly, the Sync box. You need to include the box in your Loop Sync connections, without that it will not work.

Serial connector is useless in your workflow. You would use it with non-linear decks.

[EneMeneGratschik]

Thanks for your answers, guys. Thanks to you and a bit of reading in the manuals, I got a better understanding of what those devices do.
I double checked the setup and yes, the C24 ist connected to the mac, not the HD Native. And the HD Native's serial doesn't go to the C24, it goes to the Sync HD. The Sync HD, HD Omni and HD I/O are clocked via Loop Sync.

When looking at Avid's current products, I noticed that none of those devices are sold anymore. Am I right that the new products replace the old ones in the following way:
Sync HD > Sync X
HD I/O > MTRX II / MTRX Studio
HD Omni > Carbon (Pre)

What do you do if you don't have the possibility to use a HDX card in your system? Does the Carbon handle the DSP? Or is it only the Mac then? EDIT: Ok, i just saw they sell the HDX in thunderbolt chassis as well.

[BScout]

Originally Posted by EneMeneGratschik

HD Omni > Carbon (Pre)

This one is not true. The Carbon cannot be used as part of an HDX setup while the Omni can/could. That also means the Carbon can't be used with the SyncHD/SyncX for frame-edge sync.

The Carbon is a whole different platform away from digilink connected hardware.

[Darryl Ramm]

^^^ right.

And the HD I/O and Omni setup together would likely just be replaced with a single MTRX Studio or a MTRX II (with lots of IO card/config flexibility).

The MTRX Studio is more of a replacement for the Omni than the weird Carbon box. And it is also interesting outside of Digilink systems now it has the Thunderbolt connectivity option... but (the real point I wanted to add) you cannot go the non-Digilink route if using Sync X. Carbon is also not from DAD so does not support DADman, and once the DADman camel has its head in the tent... I doubt anybody would want to shoo it out.

[its2loud]

This entire thread is akin to an airline pilot asking how the airplane works. 😂