MTRX Studio with other converters: Dante or HD?

[mahler007]

A little while ago, I got a good deal on a 24-channel Aurora(n) converter. It came with a Dante card. "No problem," I thought. I bought a compatible ethernet switch, DVS, and configured my whole setup, including some outboard digital gear, to all work over Dante and my M1 Mac Studio Ultra.

It has generally worked well. My main gripe is that wi-fi glitches seem to occasionally disrupt the ethernet comms, causing errors, converter dropouts, and other issues, especially when working with large, CPU-intensive sessions. These require a buffer reset at best, or a total system restart at worst. I could turn the wifi off, but I like using the Avid Control app to control DADMan and other Pro Tools functions, and it requires wifi to be on.

I have all the hardware required to convert my setup over to full HDX, including an HD card for the Aurora(n). Going HD would also allow me to use my old HD Omni, and an older Aurora 16 I have lying around. I could use the extra i/o.

I guess my question is if going HD might be more stable and seamless, with lower latency, more system responsiveness, and better CPU performance. Any thoughts in terms of advantages/disadvantages between these 2 setups?

[thebeatless]

Get a USBC or Thunderbolt ethernet adapter. Connect the Lynx to that in order to keep it off of the main network. It will work much more reliably. Or... Swap to a Thunderbolt card in the lynx if you don't really need all of the possibilities Dante offers. You'd get lower latency, less fussing around, and it will follow the sample rate of any session you open.

I'm selling my basically brand new MTRX studio and Focusrite D16r (AES only) to stick with a thunderbolt lynx. I have zero need, and after trying it, I also lost the desire to use Dante for my mix room. It only adds unnecessary complication and it doesn't handle frequent sample rate changes very well. Plus it's just overkill for simply getting audio from the computer to the speakers. I don't have a need for all of the features.

[mahler007]

Thanks for your reply, but I'm not really interested in these options.

I'm keeping my MTRX Studio. I do a lot of immersive audio work and need its monitor functionality, among other things. I also need 64 channels of i/o for interfacing with a console, analog hardware, and an Aviom system for tracking.

It's Dante or HD for me — curious to know which of these 2 options will provide the most stable and CPU efficient experience, or if the differences will ultimately be negligible.

[thebeatless]

Getting Dante off of your main network is your only reliable option.

[Darryl Ramm]

It's not clear what your setup exactly is.

You have a MTRX Studio? And the Aurora(n) Dante is connected to that via Dante? And you do all routing via DADman and the MTRX is the interface to the computer?

The Matrix Studio does or does not have a Thunderbolt card? Are you using DVS to connect to the MTRX Studio and/or Aurora(n)?? I would not be relying on DVS for anything.

[mahler007]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

It's not clear what your setup exactly is.
You have a MTRX Studio? And the Aurora(n) Dante is connected to that via Dante? And you do all routing via DADman and the MTRX is the interface to the computer?

Sorry. Yes, what you describe here is exactly what I am using. To top it all off, I connect both ports of the MTRX to an HDX card for 64 channels of i/o via Digilink.

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

The Matrix Studio does or does not have a Thunderbolt card? Are you using DVS to connect to the MTRX Studio and/or Aurora(n)?? I would not be relying on DVS for anything.

My MTRX Studio does *not* have the T-bolt card. I *am* indeed using DVS to connect the MTRX and Aurora(n). Is there another way? Yes, I am not all that psyched about DVS, yet another reason why I am considering going another route.

This is what I am thinking of switching to, as I have all the hardware required to implement this setup:

Channels 1-32
HDX Digilink 1 --> MTRX Studio Primary; MTRX Studio Expansion --> Lynx Aurora 16 with LT-HD card

Channels 33-64
HDX Digilink 2 --> HD Omni Primary; HD Omni Expansion --> Lynx Aurora(n) 24-channel with LT-HD2

After reading Thebeatles posts, I expect this move will avoid the Dante-related ethernet/wifi issues, but I'm also curious to know if going full on HD might give me better CPU efficiency, more system stability, and overall better performance. Would the T-bolt 3 option card for MTRX help in any way help in this configuration?

[creativecontrol]

Avid Control doesn't require wifi to be turned on for the host computer. Either use a hub/dock (usb-c for a modern iPad) or add a simple router which has wired and wireless connections and connect the iPad to that.

best,


Jeff

Originally Posted by mahler007

.... I could turn the wifi off, but I like using the Avid Control app to control DADMan and other Pro Tools functions, and it requires wifi to be on.

[mahler007]

Originally Posted by creativecontrol

Avid Control doesn't require wifi to be turned on for the host computer. Either use a hub/dock (usb-c for a modern iPad) or add a simple router which has wired and wireless connections and connect the iPad to that.

best,

Jeff

Thanks Jeff. This seems painfully obvious now. I've gone ahead and connected my iPad directly to my Mac. Hopefully this will lead to some less glitchy improvements all the way around, though there are other reasons I might like to keep WiFi on while working.