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  #1  
Old 09-11-2002, 05:41 AM
H E A D W E R K ' N H E A D W E R K ' N is offline
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Default 442 I/O - What cards/software?

I have the opportunity to purchase a 442 unit (no card) cheaply, and figured why not make up a "vintage" ProTools system for mastering/CD burning - and just the hell of it (I already have a Digi001 setup).

Finding information on this unit is near impossible. All I know is that it was part of the original ProTools system circa 1991, that I obviously need some kind of NuBus or PCI card to interface it with a Mac, and some software so it actually does stuff. So if anyone knows:

[1] What cards can I use with the I/O box? I've been told that the Project (II ?) card (NuBus and PCI?) should work. Any others? What about DSP/Farm cards, SampleCell cards?

[2] What software can be used? I've been told ProTools v3 works, maybe something called PowerMix aswell... how many playback tracks do you get out of it (obviously you can only record 4 at a time) on NuBus and PCI systems?

[3] How does it all fit together?! Can the standard SCSI hard disks handle everything ok? Read somewhere you may need to use a special SCSI card, which connects the hard drive to the actual Project card.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers
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  #2  
Old 09-11-2002, 09:01 AM
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Default Re: 442 I/O - What cards/software?

I can't answer a lot of your questions, but here's some info from the Answerbase...

http://answerbase.digidesign.com/detail.cfm?DID=54
Specifications for 442 Audio Interface.
The 442 I/O (MH031, 4x4) is the audio interface used in the original Pro Tools system (sometimes called Pro Tools II). It can also be used with an Audio Card (SA4) in a PTIII system to provide 4 additional inputs/outputs. (Requires a TDM single piggyback. Doesn't add DSP or voices.)
Analog Input/Output: Active Balanced XLR (pin 2 hot); +4dB level.
Analog I/O Impedance: Differential 200kohms, single ended 100kohms (input); 22ohms per leg (output).
Digital I/O: 16-bit, Active transformerless inputs (AES balanced, S/PDIF unbalanced), transformer coupled outputs (both).
AES pinout: Pin 1 gnd, pins 2 & 3 balanced signal (not polarized); impedance 110ohms.
External Sync: 256x sample rate (Super Clock) in/out, about 3 Vpp, BNC connectors.
NuBus Card Connector: 50-pin, SCSI2-type female.
Sample Rates: 44.1k or 48k.
Analog-to-Digital Converters: 1 Bit, Delta-Sigma, 64x Oversampling, 16-bit output.
Digital-to-Analog Converters: 18-bit, 8x Oversampling.
Operating Level: +4 dBu nominal (factory calibrated at 14dB or 18dB headroom).
Maximum Levels: +26dBu (input), +24 dbu (output).
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz +/-1db.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: > 93 dB A/D, > 108 dB D/A (A Weighted).
THD + N: .005% A/D, .003% D/A.
Power requirements: 100, 120, 220, 240 VAC, 10-60Hz, 16 watts, auto-switching. The power supply is a Skynet model SNP 3034
Dimensions: 1U external rack mount device; 19" x 8.5" x 1.75".
ID:54 Created:12/03/1993

http://answerbase.digidesign.com/detail.cfm?DID=4836
DAE error - 9024 when launching Pro Tools 4.0 with a 442 interface attached.
DAE/DSI 2.95 are the last versions that support the 442 interface.
Pro Tools 3.2 is the last version that supports the 442 interface.
ID:4836 Created:01/18/2001

http://answerbase.digidesign.com/detail.cfm?DID=1077
Release dates and versions for Pro Tools.
ProDECK (recording/mixing) and ProEDIT (editing) were the original software applications that ran on the Pro Tools (442) hardware. The audio engines were built into these apps, there was no DAE before Pro Tools 2.0 software.

http://answerbase.digidesign.com/detail.cfm?DID=1082
Release dates and versions for Sound Designer II (SDII).
Sound Designer II (SDII) is an application that provides mono/stereo recording, editng and DSP. It requires an SAII, SAII/2, AMII, AMIII, 442, PT Project, or Disk I/O card (with appropriate peripheral).

http://answerbase.digidesign.com/detail.cfm?DID=53
Specifications for 442 Audio Card.
The 442 Audio Card (MH030, SA4, Pro Tools Audio Card) is the NuBus card used in the original Pro Tools system. It supports the 442 I/O or ProMaster 20 Interface.
Output: 4 channels of phase synchronous 16 bit audio.
DSP: 2 Motorola 56001 processors.
Connector: SCSI2 (50 pin).
NuBus power consumption: 9.55 watts.
DSP Clock Speed: 32mHz
Current Xilinx chip (U45): rev R03
ID:53 Created:12/03/1993
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Old 09-11-2002, 04:08 PM
H E A D W E R K ' N H E A D W E R K ' N is offline
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Default Re: 442 I/O - What cards/software?

So can I assume the 442 won't work with PCI based systems?
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Old 09-12-2002, 06:52 AM
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Default Re: 442 I/O - What cards/software?

Quote:
Originally posted by H E A D W E R K ' N:
So can I assume the 442 won't work with PCI based systems?
Correct. The 442 is only compatible with NuBus.

Brent
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Old 09-12-2002, 09:14 AM
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Default Re: 442 I/O - What cards/software?

[1] What cards can I use with the I/O box? I've been told that the Project (II ?) card (NuBus and PCI?) should work. Any others? What about DSP/Farm cards, SampleCell cards?

The 442 Interface was the original Pro Tools Interface, and was also used in the Sound Tools II system. It needs a Pro Tools Audio Card (sometimes called a "442 card" or "SA4") or a Sound Accelerator II/2. Pro Tools does not run on the SAII/2, but you could run Sound Designer II, MasterList CD, etc.

[2] What software can be used? I've been told ProTools v3 works, maybe something called PowerMix aswell... how many playback tracks do you get out of it (obviously you can only record 4 at a time) on NuBus and PCI systems?

Version 3.2.2 was the last rev of Pro Tools that supported the 442 hardware.

PowerMix is a DAE extension that allows Pro Tools to run in "host" mode. It's not really related to the 442.

You'd get 4 voices with a single 442 card & interface.

442 (and Sound Tools I or II) hardware is NuBus only.

[3] How does it all fit together?! Can the standard SCSI hard disks handle everything ok? Read somewhere you may need to use a special SCSI card, which connects the hard drive to the actual Project card.

Standard SCSI drives on the Mac bus should be fine. The "special" SCSI card is GMR's System Accelerator card which was required when using more than one 442 card/interface (up to 4 of them for 16 voices).

"Project card" would refer to a different family of hardware - PT Project was similar to the Disk I/O in a Pro Tools III system. It used an 8 ch interface like the 882 or 888.

Hope this info helps!
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Old 09-13-2002, 12:00 AM
H E A D W E R K ' N H E A D W E R K ' N is offline
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Default Re: 442 I/O - What cards/software?

Thanks Jeff, this is a big help. According to some references on the web, the PowerMix engine can handle 16 voices/tracks on a 100MHz machine. With the 442 and ProTools 3.2, am I able to use the extra I/O to route audio to external gear, like with current ProTools systems?

Could a SampleCell card do a "DirectConnect" into PT 3.2, or would you have to route in physically through the 442?

Is PT 3.2 free now? - I think I read somewhere that 3.4 was made into the first version of PT Free. Do Digi still distribute/sell it?

Thanks for everyone's help here!
Headwerk'n.
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Old 09-15-2002, 04:27 PM
bigfrog bigfrog is offline
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Default Re: 442 I/O - What cards/software?

Check this out -

http://www.oakbog.com/PT3NuBus.html

Runs fine on my old 7600. Read the installation intructions on the above web site. I had to make a "DAE Extensions" folder to put DAE PowerMix into.

You can run PT with PowerMix OR a Digi card (not both). I don't think DirectConnect was available in PT 3.4.
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Old 10-02-2002, 12:09 AM
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Default Re: 442 I/O - What cards/software?

According to some references on the web, the PowerMix engine can handle 16 voices/tracks on a 100MHz machine. With the 442 and ProTools 3.2, am I able to use the extra I/O to route audio to external gear, like with current ProTools systems?

Nope, PowerMix only uses the Mac's built-in I/O.

Could a SampleCell card do a "DirectConnect" into PT 3.2, or would you have to route in physically through the 442?

It would need to be TDM.

Is PT 3.2 free now? - I think I read somewhere that 3.4 was made into the first version of PT Free. Do Digi still distribute/sell it?

We did a specific Pro Tools FREE release, which was v3.4. Since then, we have released a newer free version based on the 5.x code base. You can download this here.
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Old 12-06-2002, 03:34 PM
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Default Re: 442 I/O - What cards/software?

Quote:
Originally posted by DigiTechSupt:
quote:
Originally posted by H E A D W E R K ' N:
So can I assume the 442 won't work with PCI based systems?
Correct. The 442 is only compatible with NuBus.

Brent

I currently work on AVID systems that use PCI interface cards with the 442 I/O. Is that just an AVID thing or can Pro Tools use that hardware?

Jason
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Old 12-10-2002, 02:52 PM
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Default Re: 442 I/O - What cards/software?

[quote]Originally posted by jrock:
Quote:
I currently work on AVID systems that use PCI interface cards with the 442 I/O. Is that just an AVID thing or can Pro Tools use that hardware?
Jason
Pro Tools software didn't support the 442 Interface on a PCI card. The switch to PCI for us started with the Disk I/O and PT Project cards (both were 8ch).
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