So this .... amazing journey started about 6 months ago. I lowballed a digidesign control24 on a dutch marketplace and immediately got a positive reply. Next you know... a pallet arrived at my (new to me, new downsized place) door.

So I had a mac mini. Plugged in a ethernetcable got myself a new download of Protools and fooled around with it. Got the V-controll app. And ok... things work,knobs, faders. Not everything... So I put it aside. As life happens.

Then I eyeballed a Mac Pro 5.1 (so I thought) (turned out to be a 4.1). So this happened after succesfully upgrading a mac mini i7 with 16 gb ram, two ssd's. And low balling a 2012 Mac pro 13 inch laptop. Upgrading it with 16gb ram, ssd. Bracket for second ssd. Getting a 003+ (8 preamps) looking if it will work with thunderbolt and firewire 800 to 400. Yes... all worked.
So I got that 5.1.. Hmm. single processor. So I got a dual cpu tray. Didn't work got a second one. Ordered new 128 gb ram. Then two x5690's. Well ok. Not really hard. The first learned me that delidded cpu's are handier. So got a pair of those... Found a cheap digidesign command 8.... Got that a year ago. Was in a corner. Yeah... nice, works. But... It didn't give me butterflies. I used it on the laptop. But well... It was ... a thing for a small rig... Nothing like the control24.
So then on marketplace I found some hd192's. For 200 something for the pair with two output cards and two input cards (analog) and two digital cards.... I could not pass it up.

So here I am... With an amazing allmost complete setup... After I owned big big stuff. I just wanted a little writing setup. But that professional grade stuff from way way back in time.. I could not pass it up.

This is where the journey starts... Again. Need 4 digicables (dtrs Tascam pinout) db24 to db24 between the converters and the desk. And a hd native card and I think (I have digilink cables) some digilink to mini digilink converter cables I think....

So here I am with a strong cup of coffee looking at three Apple 20 inch screens I got in various deals for 25 pop a screen and a faster Mac than I ever had pc's. And all these pieces of gear that at some point need to work together....

Let's take a sip.

I spend a little. Got a lot... Now what....

I have a Protools musician license. I don't know if that will work with a HD Native. I hope it does. Just need 16 i/o.

You're going to need a Pro Tools HD license to use an HDNative card and those 192's.

I am on the hunt for a secondhand dongle .... but if I need I will get that Protools Ultimate license...

I am tinkering with the idea to build/get a second Mac Pro so I can get some secondhand HD pci-e cards. So I can evaluate what version of Protools will be best with the Control24. Wich had one of the best mixing remote controll protocols.

Still amazed tho, knowing what this equipment costed new, now I am staring at it.

what version of PTHD are you looking to run with this setup ??? I have HD7 and HD8 on a separate ilok .. the older green key version .. is this something that you are looking for ???

cheers John

I'll have to look into that. I was thinking of 10.

https://avidtech.my.salesforce-sites...Mac&popup=true

There is core audio functionality in the new hd driver.. So I am not sure what the new policy of Avid will be.

I am not yet investing or looking at a second Mac pro for use with pci-e hd accell cards.

I found this:

Avid Knowledge Base
HD Driver and Core Audio on Mac
Information on the HD Driver and AvidAudioServer application for Core Audio support on Mac

Last Updated : April 8, 2019
Products Affected : Pro Tools HD, Pro Tools Ultimate

Pro Tools 12.6.1 introduced support for HDX and HD Native with Core Audio on Mac (10.10 Yosemite, 10.11 El Capitan, and 10.12 Sierra).

Q) Where can the new HD Driver be downloaded?

A) The new HD Driver is only available in customer Avid Accounts and via the Avid Application Manager. There must be a valid Pro Tools HD plan in the customer account for the current HD Driver download to be available.

Q) Can the new HD Driver (Pro Tools HD 12.6.1 and higher) be used with previous Pro Tools HD releases?

A) Yes, but it will disable some normal Pro Tools functionality. With the advent of the new HDX/HD Native Core Audio driver, Pro Tools is now able to access HD hardware in 2 separate ways:
The traditional way, with DSP plugins and the HD mixer, but no interoperability with other Core Audio apps.
The new “Avid Audio Server" way, where Pro Tools treats the HD engine purely as an audio I/O; no DSP plugins, but yes to interoperability with other Core Audio apps.
You can’t choose which of these modes to operate in; older versions (12.6 and prior) will always use option 2, while newer versions (12.6.1 and higher) will always use option 1. This means that if you install the new HD Driver (12.6.1 and higher) over an earlier Pro Tools version you will ONLY be able to use the HD hardware for Audio only. You will not be able to use DSP plug-ins, nor will you be able to connect to a SYNC HD peripheral.

If you wish to uninstall the new HD Driver you can simply delete the AvidAudioServer.app file located in /Applications/Avid/AvidAudioServer/

Pro Tools interfaces have had Core Audio compatibility for ages now. Whether or not they work with other audio apps shouldn't be a factor in any decision making.

What's the end goal here?

Since I once had a D&R Dayner and a elaborate P.A. system... I tried to go small. But that didn't work out I guess.

I think once I have a HD native pci-e card and the digidesign control24 hooked up I think either Protools or Protools and Logic is the end goal. If everything works out I am tinkering with the idea to add another Mac Pro with an older distribution of Mac OS and run some Accel cards with PT 10HD.

I want a writer/mixing system deluxe I guess.... So I can have a Daw, bass guitar, two keyboards and .... a digital roland foldable drumkit (I can put in the closet) and some hefty softsynths and some orchestral samples. The command 8 on a stand to controll aux sends (up to 8 reverbs/fx (in the box).

I allso have two Mac book Pro's from 2012 I have hotrodded with two ssd's. Not sure what to do with that. A thunderbolt hd native would make a nice addition... But I dunno... Maybe it'll happen, maybe not. I used to create some pretty crasy music rooms. Did some testing for cakewalk sonar and Gibson and Roland. But that is now years ago.

Instruments available:
Precisionbass (50's pickup, ash body, thick neck)
Gretsch g2210
fender super 60
Korg Taktile 49
Some microphones and stands.

the only concern I see with older Macs / MacBooks is the FANS !!! and this is mostly with any version of pro tools .. I run logic as a recorder on a fresh User on MBP 2014 and the fans never come on ... just opening Pro Tools they go crazy !!

Interesting. I dunno. Maybe.
I haven't heard the fans kick on on the Mac Pro. It hasn't been used more than a couple of hours while upgrading it.

If it gets hot, I have besides the pair 5690 that are in it four spare 5675's that are 90 watts instead of 130 watts. So if they would kick on... I would be fine with two other processors.

Just purchased three HD accel pci-e cards.

I don't think they will go into this main Mac Pro. But a second machine. But we'll see.
I wonder what would happen if I place these three cards in a thunderbolt connected case. I wonder if the current Protools would see them.

The digidesign control24

I allways wondered why they stopped production. Didn't modernize the design.


And two of these digidesign 192 converters with analog in and output cards.

The focusrite Digidesign control 24 has two meterbars per channel. Is that for input and output? I count 48 meterbars. I wonder.

Cannot find anything on that in the manual. But I admit I haven't read it completely yet.

Mono and Stereo Maybe !!

They did. The Digidesign C24.

But the prices haven't fallen near to the levels of the Control24 yet.

Sound On Sound C24 Review

R.

Ah yes. Genius piece of kit.

https://avidtech.my.salesforce-sites...s/faq/en393795

An overview of all Pro Tools versions and some additional information. It actually states that Pro Tools 10 did get Mavericks support.

Can anyone recommend a orchestral VST plugin? That would work with Pro tools 10 or maybe the newest version of Protools (is that AAX ?).

I have a Korg keyboard. I was thinking what VST-i's I want on this build. I think I'd like the Korg bundle. To work with my Taktile. Omnisphere. And an orchestral suite. I have a nice drummer plugin. Maybe I would like a plugin with the Yamaha oak series drum samples. That is the best drumkit I ever heard.

I think that would suffice. Maybe. Once I get my hands on one, a 88 keys arturia masterkeyboard and the plugin suite. For rhodes, piano and stuff.

So I am allmost firm on the idea of two Mac Pro's with a modern Protools setup based on a hd native. And allso a setup based on HD accel cards (HD3 package). I am still on the hunt for a Pro Tools 10HD license.

Mountain lion and Pro Tools 10HD will give me AAX 32bit (?) plugins. If you have more information please fill in the blanks. Pro Tools 10HD will support natively my Control24.

I ordered a Arturia Spark Le or Sparkle (whatever it is pronounced). Software drum machine with a hardware interface remote controller.

I bought another Mac Pro (now a 2010 model). A dual xeon model. It will be upgraded with two 6 core xeons that are waiting and it will receive 128gb ram.

It will get snow leopard and Protools 10 HD to work with the HD3 system.

The Spark Le came in. Some knobs are sticky and the drumpads don't click. But when I installed Spark 2 they work.

Are they supposed to be this stiff?

Ordered a 1gb ssd and 128 gb of samsung ecc registered ram.

The second Mac Pro is in. It has been upgraded with 128 gb fresh samsung ecc registered ram, two xeon 6 cores and a new SSD. Next weekend I will drop in the three HD(3) cards.

I built in the HD3 set. But none of the cards identifies itself as a core card. They look exactly the same. So I just winged it.

Did I miss something?

if HD cards, they should say either HDCore or HDAccel I think .. be awhile since I have seen these ..

Welcome to the (similar) club!

I purchased a Merging RAMSES MSC 24 fader for £250 (plus £500 shipping from Japan to UK) and turnkey Merging Pyramix PC with Pyramix 11 installed and working for £250. ..

Keep yourself about 15 years behind and some TOP level gear becomes crazily cheap ...

Congratulations. You can now put it in an amazingly computer with a fast cpu with crazy amounts of ram to get your Pyramix system flying low. And when you use pci-e ssd's you can get 10 times the speed (with NVM-e) over regular sata ssd's. and have a responsive system while taxing the merging card(s) with DSD tracks.

They only have a ACCEL sticker.

I have bought a Protools license today. Should take a while to get here tho.. It might be a 10 or 11 or 12 license. Depending on factors. It was once bundled with an eleven rack. So it comes with an ilok. But it might or might not work with the HD cards. We'll see. It might have a combi license. (Both 10 and 11).