Can I use the I/O 192 with a Mac Mini?

[firmflange]

Originally Posted by Southsidemusic

I mean most of the hit records heard on the radio in the mid 90's and almost all of 2000 so the preamps works great. I struggle to hear much difference from the 192's and the new HD i/o 16x16.

The 192 has the usual small led lights on the front but most use PT mixer window for the correct metering.

As you can get the 192's for less than $300 they are still very good alternatives to the new ones.

Get 2 and ypu will still only be in the $600-$650 price so if you don't want to pay for the new HD boxes then these are superb. Many many hitstudios still use them daily and no one has complained yet

Chris, can I use my existing PT 12.6 with one of those 192's?

[firmflange]

That Focusrite Red 4Pre looks kind of nice. Am I right on saying that HD is about $1000 if you'd buy it separate?

[firmflange]

Thanks Metal,

Does everyone see what I'm trying to do here? My goal is to eventually go to HD, and the RME is great, but I'm just kind of tired with that Total Mix screen. It doesn't seem to comunicate well with PT. Even their tech guys admitted that..

[firmflange]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

If you are looking at the cost of a 192 and thinking "that looks a bargain" you are likely overlooking all the other costs. If you have a HD rig and want to add IO the price of a 192 often is pretty good.

So if I wouldn't go HD and get a 192 for approx. $300 used, and A TB box for $600, and a cable, would I be good to go?

[Southsidemusic]

Originally Posted by firmflange

So if I wouldn't go HD and get a 192 for approx. $300 used, and A TB box for $600, and a cable, would I be good to go?

Yes

You do need a HD 12 license but you have that or HD 11 so you would be good to go.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by firmflange

So if I wouldn't go HD and get a 192 for approx. $300 used, and A TB box for $600, and a cable, would I be good to go?

You need a HD license to use the 192. It won't work with Pro Tools Standard. And since Pro Tools 12.6 you also need a digilink license asset as well. (which you will get if buying from Avid, (make sure any other used 12.6 licenses on iLoks include that).

Be careful buying user/grey licenses. If they have not been activated great, but if they have been activated most HD licenses cannot be transferred to your iLok account. And you end up with physical iLok belonging to somebody else, if you lose it you are screwed. And you won't have access to software downloads (unless you have those already in your Avid account).

You can buy official upgrades to HD now (was not possible until recently) for ~$1,900. e.g. see http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PTHDupPT-e

If you buy greymarket HD licenses, especially already activated ones, you really need to know what you are getting into. Again don't just look at some of the cost here and assume its a bargain.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by firmflange

Thanks Metal,

Does everyone see what I'm trying to do here? My goal is to eventually go to HD, and the RME is great, but I'm just kind of tired with that Total Mix screen. It doesn't seem to comunicate well with PT. Even their tech guys admitted that..

But why do you want to go to HD?

Do your needs fit any of the scenarios I mentioned earlier? (and oops I forgot working with Surround Sound... but that a HD license only thing, does not need Digilink Interfaces).

If totalmix pisses you off then by all means get a different interface, sure. Is that the question? You are leaping to a particular solution and asking about that vs. outlining your problem, describing the features, IO etc. you need and asking for advice on possible options.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by firmflange

Darryl,

Sorry if I was unclear. I will look up what you suggested

I was just looking for setup advice on if I would go the path of HD. My present setup is:

1. My mics are going into a Mackie 24/8 (until I get something better).
2. 8 direct outs from the Mackie are going to each individual input on the JamHub (a unit where 7 people can recieve individual mixes, cheaper than $2000 for a behr. powerplay + acc. at this time).
3. 16 outs from the Mackie are going to 2 ADAT's, then lightpiped to my RME fireface, so I'm assuming it's 44.1k?

The RME's total mix screen of faders, although alot of options, has been very confusing, and I thought with a 192 that I could have an easier layout, reduced latency, real time effects. But yet I'd like to use my JamHub with it also, and since the 192 has the 1-8, and 9-16 ADAT in's on it, I'd used it to send the signal from the ADATs to the 192. Or would it be possible to bypass the Mackie board and just go out of the 192 into the JamHub?

I reread this and I worry you are getting way way ahead of yourself.

Mackie, Jamhub, and now a 192 for unclear reasons... ah not the way I'd go, why not get rid of all that stuff and go buy a nice CoreAudio Thunderbolt interface that has the mic inputs you need?

And ADAT? What exact box here is doing the ADC/ADAT conversion? The RME Fireface only has a single ADAT input today. So you have ADAT outputs you are not using today that you would if you had more inputs? You can likely get better conversion with modern interfaces than relying on an old ADAT box. ADAT can be great for expansion but I'd start by trying to do what you need with a single interface.

Why not start with just how many mic inputs you need, how many line inputs, how many DI inputs, how many headphone, line outputs etc. and see if there is a one-box interface you can use to replace all this crap.

What do you mean by "real time effects"? Again a Digilink interface has nothing to do with plugin processing. You need a HDX card or cards to do DSP based plugin processing.

If your primary concern with Toal mix is it's complicated then uh bad news is whatevert you end up using is complicated. Yes a big rig/complex. session tracked though a system with no external console control software can be easier to use, and for many high-end users that a benefit of legacy TDM or HDX systems (but you are not talking about TDM or HDX you are talking about HD Native). But for simple stuff just use the built in console/mixer software, or use none at all and do all monitoring though Pro Tools. Lots of interfaced nowadays can give you latency numbers similar to a Digilink interface, just don't use any mixer features in those any you'll get the same capabilities as a Digilink Interface with HD Native. And again Digilink Interfaces do nothing to offload plugin processing, you nee a HDX card for that. You can track with low-latency native plugins with HD, sure, but you can use that same exact plugins with any interface.

[firmflange]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

I reread this and I worry you are getting way way ahead of yourself.

Mackie, Jamhub, and now a 192 for unclear reasons... ah not the way I'd go, why not get rid of all that stuff and go buy a nice CoreAudio Thunderbolt interface that has the mic inputs you need?

And ADAT? What exact box here is doing the ADC/ADAT conversion? The RME Fireface only has a single ADAT input today. So you have ADAT outputs you are not using today that you would if you had more inputs? You can likely get better conversion with modern interfaces than relying on an old ADAT box. ADAT can be great for expansion but I'd start by trying to do what you need with a single interface.

Why not start with just how many mic inputs you need, how many line inputs, how many DI inputs, how many headphone, line outputs etc. and see if there is a one-box interface you can use to replace all this crap.

What do you mean by "real time effects"? Again a Digilink interface has nothing to do with plugin processing. You need a HDX card or cards to do DSP based plugin processing.

If your primary concern with Toal mix is it's complicated then uh bad news is whatevert you end up using is complicated. Yes a big rig/complex. session tracked though a system with no external console control software can be easier to use, and for many high-end users that a benefit of legacy TDM or HDX systems (but you are not talking about TDM or HDX you are talking about HD Native). But for simple stuff just use the built in console/mixer software, or use none at all and do all monitoring though Pro Tools. Lots of interfaced nowadays can give you latency numbers similar to a Digilink interface, just don't use any mixer features in those any you'll get the same capabilities as a Digilink Interface with HD Native. And again Digilink Interfaces do nothing to offload plugin processing, you nee a HDX card for that. You can track with low-latency native plugins with HD, sure, but you can use that same exact plugins with any interface.

In my original post, my goal never was to go to HD, but I didn't know you couldn't do a 192 without HD, so I probably wont get HD for now. Will keep that info about grey licenses in mind.

The Fireface 800 has 2 pair of ADAT.....works fine.

You told me to get rid of the JamHub, but getting, are you suggesting an interface like an Apollo 8? It would not replace my need for a personal monitor mixer...what the Jamhub does. (This is the "crap" that is not intregrated into the interfaces that I know of lol.)

I use the 'old ADAT boxes' because that what gives me the 16 channels of lightpipe going to my RME interface. The number of in's are actually more on the RME than that of the Apollo 8.

Is there a device that can take the place of using these ADAT's that exists that would be better?