PT 9 with no audio interface question

[Guibara]

Hi guys,

I'm in the process of getting a Mac Pro to run PT9 without an audio interface, so I'm wondering what I'll need to get the audio out of the mac pro and into my Genelecs 1031s... ???? How about sound quality? Should I expect a not so good audio quality output straight from the Mac Pro?

At the moment I will be just working to video, mainly doing sound and music editing, some cleaning up of audio tracks and maybe some light rough mixing.

I'll probably get an audio interface down the line so I can also record some stuff... but for now I'll rather put all the money towards the Mac Pro and PT9 + Production Toolkit.

Any help will be much appreciated, thanks!

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by Guibara

Hi guys,

I'm in the process of getting a Mac Pro to run PT9 without an audio interface, so I'm wondering what I'll need to get the audio out of the mac pro and into my Genelecs 1031s... ???? How about sound quality? Should I expect a not so good audio quality output straight from the Mac Pro?

At the moment I will be just working to video, mainly doing sound and music editing, some cleaning up of audio tracks and maybe some light rough mixing.

I'll probably get an audio interface down the line so I can also record some stuff... but for now I'll rather put all the money towards the Mac Pro and PT9 + Production Toolkit.

Any help will be much appreciated, thanks!

Hi,

I would budget for at least a reasonable 2 channel interface for now! the built-in audio is ok for most stuff, editing etc, but not ideal for serious audio decision making.

Chris

[JFreak]

You should at least have a decent DAC converter between the optical digital outputs of your Mac Pro and the analog inputs of your Genelecs. For example, an Apogee Mini-DAC

http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/mini-dac.php

Naturally your system would be compromised with the internal clock of MacPro but this would still be miles ahead of using the built-in analog line output of a computer.

A small interface could be better solution, overall, but your money is never wasted on Apogee so that's why this is what I bring up.

[nst7]

You could even get something as cheap as an M-Audio Fast Track ($119). It would still be way better quality than coming out of the Mac Pro direct.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FastTrkUSB2/

[Park Seward]

Originally Posted by nst7

You could even get something as cheap as an M-Audio Fast Track ($119). It would still be way better quality than coming out of the Mac Pro direct.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/FastTrkUSB2/

What are the specs of the Mac Pro Intel HD audio?

What exactly makes it worse than a $120 interface?

[Guibara]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

The Mini DAC looks interesting, but a bit pricey I'm afraid. If my only option is to get a small audio interface, I may end up some type of MBox, maybe a used one from the previous generation.

I'll do some more research... if you guys have any other suggestions I'm all ears. :)

[Dism]

Originally Posted by Park Seward

What exactly makes it worse than a $120 interface?

A stereo 1/8" jack vs two individual balanced outputs.