Full system change dilemma - need advice from the sages

[DUCHUNTER]

I run an 8 core (16 thread) Mac Pro and an HD3 Accel system (in Magma) with PT10HD. I need 24 I/O. I have a 192 and Apogee 16X series. I have Waves Mercury TDM. I only know TDM.

Obviously PT11 is the death of TDM.

- HDX is out of the question, as my $10k of plugs will be useless since Waves is not going AAX DSP.

- I'll keep HD10 around for a while, at least. Maybe continue to track in it, then open in HD11 for mixing.

- Native seems my only choice. Yes, I'll lose HEAT. Yes, I'll gain a LOT of latency. Yes, I'll have to do some kind of crazy finagling to punch in a part while knee-deep in a mix.

So, how do I do this?

1. If I get HD Native I'll get excellent performance, but will the Apogee's work and allow advanced mode so I get 24+ I/O?
a. If they will, will I have to get behind the rack and pull the Digilink cables every time?

2. Will HD Accel work as CoreAudio in PTHD11? That would sure make things easier.

3. Should I just look at a Native PCIe system with ADAT ins so I can plug my Apogees to in (I have an AD8000SE w/ ADAT as well)?
a. If so, RME Digiface, Motu 2408mkIII, or something else?

Need help.

Thanks!

[JFreak]

Nobody really knows how the Apogee X-HD card will behave with PT11 so we need to wait and see. I also have one in my Rosetta 800 so I'm taking a close look at how things are going. Apogee probably needs to bring out a firmware update (?) or then again things can be business as usual. We should see soon enough.

[DUCHUNTER]

Are there adapters to the mini Digilink connections on HDN?

Are Apogee's working with HD10 and multiple connections on the single HDN card?

Any idea on the CoreAudio support with my current system and HD11?

Thanks!

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by DUCHUNTER

Are there adapters to the mini Digilink connections on HDN?

Yes. About 50 bucks a piece.

Originally Posted by DUCHUNTER

Are Apogee's working with HD10 and multiple connections on the single HDN card?

Yes. You can even daisy-chain those 8 i/o Rosetta boxes together for a maximum of 32 i/o, and with the 16 i/o boxes there is even more advanced routing options.

The trick is to fool PT thinking there is a 192 digital interface connected, and Apogee X-HD cards do the magic. You only need to set the delay compensation manually but that's a one-time deal.

Originally Posted by DUCHUNTER

Any idea on the CoreAudio support with my current system and HD11?

No idea.

[DUCHUNTER]

Thanks much!

[nst7]

You get a Digilink to mini Digilink adapter in the HDN box, and one in the interface box.

[Drew Mazurek]

It'll require some workflow changes but I think you'll be fine.

For example, with Offline Bounce, you can "render" high latency VIs to make overdubbing easier. You could even render out an entire mix and overdub while monitoring just that.

Here's a trick I use sometimes:
PT has 10 Inserts per track in groups of 5. I use the top ones as my "Mix Inserts" with my UA plugs (large latency) and whatever else I want/need to get things as I want them.

But on the first Insert of the second group, every track has an Avid Channel Strip on it. This is all part of my template so you only set it up once.

When tracking and overdubbing I can work at a 64 sample buffer with the Channel Strips active as they have little delay and are pretty efficient. This feels exactly like my TDM rig does. (which I still have BTW)

When I start mixing, I select all my tracks and Deactivate the Channel Strips all in one click. I can then work on my mix with the "real" plugins at 1024 if I like. If at any point I need to do an overdub, I simply deactivate the UA stuff, reactivate the ChannelStrips, lower the buffer and have at it. Takes just a few clicks. And this is on a 6 year old single 2.8 Mac Pro.

Is it perfect? no, but it works for me.

[DUCHUNTER]

Drew, you bring up another point. Avid has confirmed UA plugs will not support offline bounce.

I don't use VI's, but make half my living mixing. Once in a while I'll have to do an overdub on a mix. With HD Accel I'd sometimes have to deactivate a plug on that channel or a bus to bring latency inline, but that was easy enough. Second set for UAD is not a bad idea.

So, how do you get along without HEAT?

[Drew Mazurek]

Originally Posted by DUCHUNTER

So, how do you get along without HEAT?

Just fine. HEAT to me had an initial "honeymoon" period, but even before getting the Native card I had stopped using it. I found it to be a transient robbing sledgehammer without nearly the control I'd like to have. Sure, it made mixes "fill up" and get more dense, but it also sucked life out of them making them less dynamic and lively IMO.

So, between Slate's VTM, Cranesong Phoenix II, UA's Ampex and Studer, I can get ANYTHING I want on a track by track basis that, again to me, sounds better.

HEAT was developed beginning in 2006 (I know it didn't appear until later) and is designed to "fit" into the mixer structure of its time. I'd be willing to bet that compromises were made. Just a hunch.


BTW, can you link to where Avid has confirmed that UA won't be included? It is in Logic right?

[DUCHUNTER]

Thanks.

The UA offline issue is stated twice in the NAB Q&A and Matt Hepworth at UAD Forum has posted he had confirmation from Avid that it was not supported.

PT11 will be the only DAW with offline bounce that doesn't support UAD, SSL Duende, etc. Absolutely ludicrous.