IO 96 and Digidesign C24 - How to connect everything

[Sondre]

The school I work at recently got a hold on a Digidesign C24, Digidesign IO 96, and a Mac Pro 2009, along with some multi-cables. I got ethernet connection between Pro Tools and the board for controlling it with Pro Tools, but I don’t understand what I am missing to get sound to work. I got some DB-25 to xlr cables for outputs and cues.

1. Do I need a DB-25 to jack cable and connect that to the IO 96 for inputs to get sound in?
2. To get sound out, do I need to connect the jack outputs from the IO 96 to the DB-25 in to “Pro Tools In”?
3. The Pre-amps for the C24, that’s just controllers for the IO 96 preamps right? If I connect further preamps with the IO 96 through ADAT, should the C24 controllers for the preamps still work?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Sondre

3. The Pre-amps for the C24, that’s just controllers for the IO 96 preamps right?

No the C|24 preamps are analog preamps that you feed into the analog line inputs of an interface. 96IO, 192IO, HD IO etc. are all only analog line level or digital I/O they don't have any onboard preamp capabilities.

I think all the questions you are asking are covered in the C|24 and related documentation if you read though it carefully. The C|24 guide has some great connection diagrams that answer the bulk of what you need. And more importantly what you are not asking yet is also covered there. And setting up the 96IO and whatever related DigilLink (HD TDM, HD Native or HDX card is all covered in it's separate documentation--since none of that is actually part of the C|24).

The C|24 can be a bit confusing for folks to start with because it's multiple *separate* things, an Ethernet control surface, analog preamps, analog monitoring stage etc. but it's not an interface and provides no inputs or outputs itself. Getting your head around that is a start, and also realizing you can just play with/test our each part/function separately... so for example start by just getting sound output from the 96IO analog outputs to a pair of powered monitors.

Hopefully you have a HD Native or (edit:) HDX (not old HD TDM) card to connect up to the 96IO. Get all that working separate from the C|24 first.

And while the C|24 has been widely used, the downside is the preamps are not great, the monitoring section is not great either (maybe it's weakest part IMNSHO), and it's an old/end of life product with Pro Tools support dropping off. It's not EUCON based, and not does not provide all the new bells and whistles of an EUCON surface. I'd be careful how much time and effort is invested in this vs. other options (e.g. I'd personally much rather work on non-Avid open CoreAudio interfaces (with monitor control capabilities) and if wanting a control surface then use Avid Eucon S1 controllers) and if this system is old HD TDM I'd be running for the doors.

[JFreak]

Nothing wrong in C|24 monitoring section. It is 5.1 and I use it on live productions every now and then. Too bad it probably won't see Apple Silicon.

But sure, plenty of better preamps and monitor controllers than C|24 but is integrated which is nice. I would shun the 96 converters first.

[Sondre]

Thanks for the quick reply, that helped a lot. I have concluded, like you sugested, that its not worth it. Thanks!