PT64 Card connection with HDX

[johnbeetlebailey]

Hi all,

Just signed on here, and wanted to check in and see if anyone else is using HORUS with PT64 card?

I've done a bunch of major projects now with this rig, and loving the sound of the Mic Preamps, the sound of the DA converters, and most of all, being able to put this thing in the overhead compartment on a flight, and being able to show up to an orchestra session with 32 mic inputs, 16 outputs, and 32 i/o channels via Mini DigiLink at 192kHz.

The system I'm working from right now is ProTools HD software, running on MacBook Pro 15" (2016 model), with two HDX cards in a Sonnet EchoExpress Thunderbolt chassis (with 1TB SSD and 1TB backup on PCIe card).

I'm connecting to HORUS via two PT64 cards with two Mini DigiLink connectors, to give me 32 i/o channels (each card allows 16 channels at 192kHz).

The problem I'm having is this... The OEM AVID-supplied Mini DigiLink cables seem to be extremely flaky with respect to clocking. I'm getting all kinds of crazy noises and errors, trying to use them, and they won't settle down, no matter what.

I've resorted to using the old-style DigiLink cable, with Large-to-small adapters on either end - which gives me rock-solid operation.

As long as the first cable is, as above, the second cable (to the second PT64 card) is fine (but not on it's own).

The other interesting thing is that the short Mini-DigiLink cables do not carry clock signal at all! Only the 15' cables do.

Anyhow, if anyone has experience with these particular issues, I'd love to hear about it?

[rolstupp]

Hello,

I've also a problem with my MacPro 5.1 and the PT64 Card in a Hapi.

The system with ProTools and Avid HDX-Card was working very good until the last Firmware-Upgrade.
Now I've also crazy noises and errors like a problem of syncronisation.
I've connected the HDX Card with the Hapi also with two Mini-DigiLink cables.

My MacPro 6.1 with ProTools HD Native Thunderbolt is working without any problems.

[johnbeetlebailey]

The answer I've been given, is that you have to be using 'Rev E' Mini DigiLink cables. The 'Rev D' cables that I have, are definitely problematic.

I'll report back on this very soon!

JB

[johnbeetlebailey]

OK, so good news! The Rev E DigiLink cable does, in fact, work perfectly with HORUS and PT64 Card. (up to now, I've been using a janky-looking adapter combo to make it behave).

[Masato.Y]

Hello,

I have a question about using PT64 cards.
When using PT64 cards and HDX cards with external clock and time code,is Avid HD sync necessary or not?

Masato.Y

[johnbeetlebailey]

Hello,
I have a question about using PT64 cards.
When using PT64 cards and HDX cards with external clock and time code,is Avid HD sync necessary or not?
Masato.Y

The are only two reasons (in my opinion) to use an Avid SyncHD.
1 - you want to be able to 'Vari-Speed' the system so you can get an existing track in tune with an oddball instrument (ie: an accordion that has drifted sharp)
2 - you want to chase timecode on an analogue tape machine and allow ProTools to 'slew' up and down in order to chase the timecode precisely

If you're using external clock, there's no need for an Avid SyncHD because, in this case, the digital clock is coming from another source, so the best that ProTools could do is "Lock-and-Drop" - meaning that it will lock to the incoming timecode, but because it's running on an external digital clock, it will potentially drift away from the timecode unless the source of the LTC and the digital clock are synchronous (ie: it's coming from a Video deck that is locked to 'Black' and the digital clock is also locked to 'Black'.

Although I haven't used it, I assume that the LTC input on HORUS is fed through to the MIDI-over-ethernet via the Ravenna driver, so you can choose that as the source for MTC (MIDI Timecode) in ProTools, much like you would if you were locking with a JL Cooper box or whatever...

I'm not familiar enough with Merging's implementation (if there is one?) with regard to clock slewing to incoming LTC, so maybe somebody else can speak to that?