PT HD: using TDM, RTAS and UAD-1 plugins together, what's the skinny?

[dubrichie]

alrighty,

im about to pony up for an HD rig and in the course of my research i have come across notions of the need to use these different plugin formats in particular combinations / orders on any given track in PT HD.

so, what's the skinny?

do i have to put my TDM plugins before my RTAS on any given track for everything to play nice, or vice versa?

where do the UAD-1 plugins fit in this puzzle?

how does PDC handle all of this?

i will also be using hardware inserts and recording passes through them onto new tracks, will this affect the "running order" as it were?

thanks,

[Mr XY]

Hi there,

you can mix and match as you like and as long as the combined latency of the plugs doesn't go over your delay compensation setting (which will have to be longest if using UAD-1 plugs as they have a huge amount of latency) you are fine.

HOWEVER - if you mix and match rtas (including uad) and TDM plugs on a channel then the TDM plug(s) should always be last in the chain otherwise it eats up a voice (or two on a stereo track). Similarly if you use rtas plugs on a aux channel (regardless of order) it eats up voices. Also because of the way delay comp works and how latency adds up as you get more complex signal routing, I find it best to (where possible) use only TDM plugs on auxs. anyway as otherwise you can exceed the delay comp amount. So to summarise:

For successful UAD (which functions as a rtas wrapped VST) + normal RTAS + TDM in mixing you should:

have delay comp on longest

have tdm last in the chain if mixing rtas and tdm plugs on a channel

+ its best to use tdm plugs on aux's where possible

Hope this helps a bit

[deuc647]

I was reasearchng this yesterday and to me honestly, it seems more of a hassle than a big help. I read that u cant even put 2 uad plugs on the same insert path, and if u use them on busses, it might now work right.

[dubrichie]

thanks XY, that's exactly what i was looking for!

perhaps not THE most elegant way to work, but i love the UAD plugins, already have 3 of the PCI-e cards and am dead set on getting an HD rig for various reasons. so, i will just use them sparingly and print them as i go, which i find is a good way to maintain discipline when mixing anyway.

[Mr XY]

glad to be of help!

you'll love HD - i have no regrets on that move. In a way i would love to ditch the uad-1 - the huge latency is a drag sometimes - but I love the sound too. How are you going to run three UADs and a HD rig - some sort of expansion chassis?

[dubrichie]

oh god no! i don't want to get into an expansion chassis, things are complicated enough as it is.

i will only be running an HD1 for the foreseeable future, which will be until i can afford to buy an Accel card, at which point they will have gotten even cheaper on the second-hand market.

i run on Windoze PCs instead of Macs so i get to pick motherboards with plenty of PCI / PCI-e slots and in many varied combinations. i will have 3 x PCI-e UAD-1 cards, 1 x PCI-e Lynx Aes16e card, 1 x PCI-e gfx card AND room for a PCI HD 2 rig all in one machine. nifty eh?

[Ianneve]

Hey guys I'm just jumping into HD as well after 9 years in my home studio on Samplitude and a PC I think I'm moving into HD and Mac. You have answered my plug in question but I have another question. I have a Mytek 8X192 ADDA and another older Mytek DA96. I will most likely sell the older DA. They make an HD card for the 192 box and now also Lynx makes HD cards for their 8 and 16 ch converters. I am still trying to figure out which way to go with converters. Should I keep the mytek and get an 8 ch lynx or should I sell all the mytek stuff and get the lynx 16 ch Aurora? I have an inner tube audio 16 sum thang that I mix through. Not sure yet what to do. And then not sure if I should get just one HD card or 2. My main tracking converter is the Cranesong Hedd and I'm still trying to figure out how that is going to work with this new set up. I am mostly mixing these days but having to learn PT cause I have a producer client who wants me to travel from studio to studio and do all the tracking as well. Just trying to figure out the cheapest best sounding solution to make the jump. The tracking through the Hedd for over dubs and through the myteks for multi tracking and mixing through the Myteks has given me fantastic results so not thrilled about changing that but not yet heard the Lynx. Any advice would be great. thanks

[dubrichie]

you could get a Lynx Aurora 16, which is much better value than the Aurora 8, based on cost-per-channel. get the LT-HD card for connection to PT.

you can then connect your Mytek and Cranesong to the Aurora over AES.

you can run all of this i/o simultaneously from an HD1 system, but i recommend an HD2 for the extra voices, tracks, and stability.

you can find great deals on used PT HD systems on eBay.

good luck.

[Ianneve]

Thanks Richie. So I can run he Myteks through the lynx AES at the same time as the lynx? I need 16 ch D/A for mixing. I was sort of looking at the lynx as a replacement to the Myteks if they sound as good. I haven't heard them yet. But yeah everyone is saying I need HD 2. So then the question is save money on the PCI or spring for the PCIe? Not sure yet. And the plug in issue still is a bit of a mystery. Will I be able to deal with it if I can't use certain plugs in a certain way or will the new HD plugs I get make me forget all about what I used to do. That's the question. It's just a lot of money to jump into with big questions. I think I need to speak to a Digidesign rep or something just to get it all very very clear.

[dubrichie]

get the Lynx on trial and listen to it and the Mytek side by side and see which you like better.

you can then either buy a second Mytek and their PT HD interface cards or sell the one you have and use the Aurora instead. either way you will have your required 16 AD/DA for PT HD.

what is the plugin issue that you speak of? do you mean not being able to use some VSTs that you currently use a lot? if so, you could use the FXPansion wrapper. what plugins are we dealing with here?

the choice between PCI and PCI-E for PT HD depends on:

what computer you intend to use it in - a new Mac, or one from the last couple of years, you will have to use PCI-E. if you go for PCI it's either a fairly old Mac or a PC.

running PT HD on a PC is possible, i do it myself, but i advise against it unless you are very tech savvy and experienced in computer voodoo. even though i have the IT experience to get it running well and keep it running, i would, in hindsight, go with a Mac for PT HD.

also, if you go PCI you have to accept that it will be incompatible and need to be replaced sooner than PCI-E. you are already restricted as to which computers you can use it with and this will only get worse and fast, along with its resale value.

[Ianneve]

Thanks Ritchie your a smart dude. Ive ben trying to get my hands on a lynx box since Friday. :>) That's the next step I think. Certain people say it's not as good as the Mytek though but I'll know soon enough. Besides i did Paul at Lynx he's the best there is for tech support. And yes I've been building PCs since 1999. I kind of enjoy it but I prefer many things about macs. Mostly the way the screen looks. Amazing.

[dubrichie]

trust me on this, from one long-suffering IT tech to another, go with a Mac for PT HD unless you are absolutely positively prepared to put in the hours and jump through the hoops to get a stable system together and keep it that way. it has been a considerable and almost constant effort for me.

i just want the damn thing to do what it's supposed to do so i can make music, but no, oooh no...

[Ianneve]

LOL. I heard that SOOOO F'in loud you have no idea. or maybe you do. The stories i could tell. Only recently I built 2 corei7 machines only to have someone else build me a 3rd and guess what? It works JUSt the same as the first 2 I built. So yeah i know ALL ABOUT PC issues. I've had years of it. :>) whew... Thanks...