Native 9 article: Mixing TDM and RTAS/UAD plugins

[4themax]

Thank you for the informative article about "Avid Pro Tools HD Native" on page 45. The article is annotated "JB," who I am assuming is the author. I don't see anybody's name with those intials on the "Hello, and welcome to Tape Op #84!" masthead.

I own an HD1 TDM system with a Black Lion modded 96i and non-modded 96i i/o for a total of 32 channels in.

I also have UAD-1 and UAD-2 quad cards installed in the same system. My projects are typically 16 tracks of audio for video at 24 bits/48K. I don't typically track with plug-ins inserted. If I do so, I record a track unplugged and route the input to another track-in with the plug-in so I record the track both the clean and with the plug-in, giving me the option to use either one later in mixing.

On page 45, the author writes: "Most of our clients try TDM-plug-ins because they don't mix well with RTAS plug-ins. I often had less experienced engineers call me into a session to 'solve the problem' of a TDM plug-in inserted before an (sic) RTAS plug-in, at which point, I'd have to explain that you can't actually do that."

Naively, I have inserted a TDM 7 Band EQ plug-in on "1" and a UAD-2 plug-in (wrapped RTAS) on "2" (such as a Pultec Pro, Fairchild 670, or LA-2A, compressor, or a Precision limiter) never being informed that 'you can't actually do that." For some situations, I prefer the AVID 7-Band EQ to the UAD-2 Cambridge EQ plug-in. I haven't had any problem in doing so that I am aware of, but perhaps I do and dumbly don't know the difference.

Could you please clarify in more detail what the author meant about: (1) mixing RTAS (UAD or non-UAD) plug-ins with TDM plug-ins and (2) the order of inserting a TDM plug-in before a RTAS plug-in ?

Besides me, perhaps other "Tape-Op"ers are just as naive as the "less experienced engineers" to whom the author referred to fixing their problems.

Thank you.

[Nick Sevilla]

Hi,
Hopefully this is clear enough :

From the manual:

Voice Usage and Total Latency for RTAS Plug-Ins
(Pro Tools HD Only)
With Pro Tools HD, the initial insert of an RTAS plug-in may cause additional latency, and will take up two additional voices per channel (one voice for input and one voice for output) in the following conditions:
? When inserted on an Auxiliary Input or Master Fader track
? When inserted on an Instrument track that does not contain an instrument plug-in
? When inserted after a TDM plug-in on any kind of track
For example, the initial insert of an RTAS plug- in on a mono Auxiliary Input track uses two voices (one channel with two voices), while the initial insert of that plug-in on a stereo Auxiliary Input track uses four voices (two channels with two voices each). Subsequent RTAS plug-ins on the same track do not take up additional voices unless a TDM plug-in is inserted between other RTAS plug-ins. Avoid inserting TDM plug-ins between RTAS plug-ins on any kind of track?this causes unnecessary voice usage and may cause additional latency. Audio tracks that have active RTAS plug-in in- serts cannot be explicitly voiced. The voice allocation must be set to Dynamic or Off.
Furthermore, one additional voice is used for each occurrence of any of the following conditions when using voices for RTAS plug-ins on a track:
? When you use the external key side-chain of an RTAS plug-in on that track
? When you select multiple track outputs for that track (one voice used for each output)
? When you select an AFL/PFL Path output in the Output tab of the I/O Setup dialog (one voice used for each channel)

Basically it is not "technically" correct, because you may end up causing so much latency that the system will not be able to correct for, and you'll end up with misaligned audio tracks on playback.

Cheers

[4themax]

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-co ... order.html

Response from UAD by NikkiK

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. I am posting the above link to help other engineers