3rd party 64 ins and outs without HD Native

[bernstudios]

Hi
as a longtime user of first HDX then moving to HD native I`m now looking to get a third party solution without protools hardware and I was wondering if it is possible to use up to 64 ins and outs simultaneously via USB or MADI with protools ultimate and if yes how?

Lukas

[JFreak]

Apogee Symphony mkII using Thunderbolt

[Darryl Ramm]

Pro Tools Ultimate can do up to 256 inputs and outputs with CoreAudio/ASIO interfaces.

Why USB and not Thunderbolt?

Why mention MADI? Do you mean to connect to a MADI interface you have already? What one? Do you *want* MADI for connections? Do you have specific MADI gear you need to include?

What are you doing this for? Music? Post? Do you need monitoring for Atmos etc.

If you like UAD gear already then you can get a two Apollo 16x and cascade on Thunderbolt. If you are going simple monitoring you can use your Apollo Twin as a monitor controller, and you get more DSP and Console processing capability in the x16 boxes.

Or you can get Avid MTRX II with new Thunderbolt card. If you want advanced routing and Atmos monitoring then DADman (and optional SPQ monitor correction) make this damn compelling. Avid did so well partnering with DAD/NTP for their high-end interfaces.

You could also look at NTP products not rebadged or build for by Avid, they are less cost, still all have NTP's DADman and SPQ option, but be aware I/O cards etc. are not all interchangeable with Avid badged boxes (a bad product decision).

I'm not sure if the MTRX Studio with Thunderbolt cards can be daisy chained/combined.

The pick for me if I wanted to go over MADI would be an RME HDSP MADI PCIe card (if you have PCIe slots) or MADIface XT or Fireface UFX III interfaces with MADI to RME M32 II Pro AD and M32 II Pro DA converter boxes. Love RME gear, and if you want MADI anything they are king of the hill there, but here are cheaper options for MADI converters, especially from Ferrofish.

Good to see such great products like from DAD/NTP and RME coming out of Europe.

[bernstudios]

hey guys
thank you very much for your answer - actually I`m quite a newbie with anything that is not protools HD or HD native (I was 25 years with protools hardware so I know this side pretty well!)

thunderbolt makes sense but as far as I get it apple already dropped thunderbolt support and there will be all USB3 in the future right? I just don`t want to go to a system that I have to upgrade in 5 years again but probably that is what I have to do anyway..

[bernstudios]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Pro Tools Ultimate can do up to 256 inputs and outputs with CoreAudio/ASIO interfaces.

Why USB and not Thunderbolt?

Why mention MADI? Do you mean to connect to a MADI interface you have already? What one? Do you *want* MADI for connections? Do you have specific MADI gear you need to include?

What are you doing this for? Music? Post? Do you need monitoring for Atmos etc.

If you like UAD gear already then you can get a two Apollo 16x and cascade on Thunderbolt. If you are going simple monitoring you can use your Apollo Twin as a monitor controller, and you get more DSP and Console processing capability in the x16 boxes.

Or you can get Avid MTRX II with new Thunderbolt card. If you want advanced routing and Atmos monitoring then DADman (and optional SPQ monitor correction) make this damn compelling. Avid did so well partnering with DAD/NTP for their high-end interfaces.

You could also look at NTP products not rebadged or build for by Avid, they are less cost, still all have NTP's DADman and SPQ option, but be aware I/O cards etc. are not all interchangeable with Avid badged boxes (a bad product decision).

I'm not sure if the MTRX Studio with Thunderbolt cards can be daisy chained/combined.

The pick for me if I wanted to go over MADI would be an RME HDSP MADI PCIe card (if you have PCIe slots) or MADIface XT or Fireface UFX III interfaces with MADI to RME M32 II Pro AD and M32 II Pro DA converter boxes. Love RME gear, and if you want MADI anything they are king of the hill there, but here are cheaper options for MADI converters, especially from Ferrofish.

Good to see such great products like from DAD/NTP and RME coming out of Europe.

awesome thank you so much!

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by bernstudios

h
thunderbolt makes sense but as far as I get it apple already dropped thunderbolt support and there will be all USB3 in the future right? I just don`t want to go to a system that I have to upgrade in 5 years again but probably that is what I have to do anyway..

No truth to this at all. You might be confusing USB 3 and USB 4 sharing the same USB-C connector that Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 uses. USB 4 also optionally includes Thunderbolt, but *optionally*. And there is Thunderbolt 5 coming. You can find lots of articles about all this in the technology press.

[JFreak]

^ that "optionally" means the cable box must explicitly say it is a thunderbolt cable. TB requires extra active electronics on the plugs so cheaper cables are likely USB-only.

With that said, cable is a lousy way to save money. You end up buyin more and more crap until you realise you only need one good one.

[bernstudios]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

No truth to this at all. You might be confusing USB 3 and USB 4 sharing the same USB-C connector that Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 uses. USB 4 also optionally includes Thunderbolt, but *optionally*. And there is Thunderbolt 5 coming. You can find lots of articles about all this in the technology press.

Awesome thank you so much