Avid Carbon interface brief review and 1st recording - Page 4

jim1960 · #46 05-17-2021, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevWind

Congrats I think you will really really like the sound when recording and overdubbing is like jamming live

The part I'm really looking forward to is no more UA Console software. I loathed having to open that up. It never played nicely with PT. I don't necessarily blame UA for that but something had to go and I'm not up for learning a new DAW after using PT for 20 years.

One DAW to rule them all, one DAW to bind them...

KevWind · #47 05-18-2021, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim1960

The part I'm really looking forward to is no more UA Console software. I loathed having to open that up. It never played nicely with PT. I don't necessarily blame UA for that but something had to go and I'm not up for learning a new DAW after using PT for 20 years.

One DAW to rule them all, one DAW to bind them...

Having never used UAD I can't comment, but I can say I feel like both the sound and live recording feel has improved for me over the Avid Omni I had.

And as you probably noticed over on the DUC almost everybody is reporting similar experiences using Carbon.

For me (I am still having to get used to) is being able to have reverb on my vocals with no latency... Having started with PT LE back when , I had simply developed the habit of recording dry. As I may have said already, it's like having PTHDX at 1/2 the cost.

I am now wondering how this new transition to PTHDX "Hybrid" will unfold ? I think it will be a pretty interesting next few years for Avid Customers

BTW once you start using the Carbon front panel I think you will become more and more impressed

Jim,,,, once you get the MOTU, I would be really interested to see some photos of it and Carbon racked and screen shots of the IO matrix

Jim if you have not already ordered , I can whole heartedly recommend Wind Over The Earth as a dealer... Ask for Mark and tell him Kevin from Wyoming sent you. No connection other than long time satisfied customer http://www.windovertheearth.com/index.html PM'ed you this as well

jim1960 · #48 05-18-2021, 03:35 PM

Does the Carbon get very hot?

KevWind · #49 05-18-2021, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim1960

Does the Carbon get very hot?

No not physically to the touch , a bit warm but not hot , there is some minor fan noise but I have to get my ear down closer to the front of the unit to hear it ( but I should note, my hearing is not the best )
With my recording set up my mic/s are about 6-8 ft away so I get no fan noise registering in the PT meters

jim1960 · #50 05-18-2021, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevWind

No not physically to the touch , a bit warm but not hot , there is some minor fan noise but I have to get my ear down closer to the front of the unit to hear it ( but I should note, my hearing is not the best )
With my recording set up my mic/s are about 6-8 ft away so I get no fan noise registering in the PT meters

That'll be a nice change then. The Apollo was capable of increasing the room temperature by a few degrees.

KevWind · #51 05-19-2021, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim1960

That'll be a nice change then. The Apollo was capable of increasing the room temperature by a few degrees.

There was a little bit of learning curve, as most of the controls are touch but it's pretty logical and intuitive in layout

If you have not already found it here is link for the PDF of the manual

https://resources.avid.com/SupportFi...rbon_Guide.pdf

jim1960 · #52 05-19-2021, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevWind

If you have not already found it here is link for the PDF of the manual

https://resources.avid.com/SupportFi...rbon_Guide.pdf

Thanks. I've read most of it already.

I'm not sure when I'll be up and running as I'm going to need to have some snakes made. I think I might have enough on hand to get the Carbon going by itself though. I do have to figure a way around the single ethernet port issue since I'm currently using it to connect to my router.

I found this on Amazon. If I can use that to connect to my router, I'll give the ethernet socket on the iMac to the Carbon.

Connecting the MOTU is going to require either four 8-channel TRS-TRS snakes or two 16-channel TRS-TRS snakes. I'm not sure if it makes a difference which way I go. The 16s would look neater but the 8s are probably more future proof. I'll be ordering those from Redco at some point but they'll likely take 3 weeks or so to arrive. Meanwhile, the Carbon and the MOTU are arriving tomorrow.

KevWind · #53 05-20-2021, 07:00 AM

Jim just an anecdote from my experience setting up Carbon
IMO it could not be easier (and Yes if I remember correctly Carbon wants a direct to computer ethernet connection and is not recommended to be through an ethernet hub or something to that effect ? )

And no driver's ,,, to install yay !!.

Just plug in the ethernet and launch PT then you are ready to config I/O.
One thing to pay attention is in the HW setup is the "Line I/O page 29 manual "
And how you are going to set up the "Gain" for inputs into Carbon.

For me I use the first 4 channels using Carbons "Gain On" because I am using Carbons pre's for my mic's. Then for the other 4 channels I have Carbons gain stage '"Bypass". and control the gain for those outboard units from the units themselves ...
And for both those units , the Bricasti and the Tubcore they want the "Line Out Reference Level" to be the +4 (balanced)

jim1960 · #54 05-20-2021, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevWind

For me I use the first 4 channels using Carbons "Gain On" because I am using Carbons pre's for my mic's. Then for the other 4 channels I have Carbons gain stage '"Bypass". and control the gain for those outboard units from the units themselves ...
And for both those units , the Bricasti and the Tubcore they want the "Line Out Reference Level" to be the +4 (balanced)

I have to think about how I want to set it up. I probably won't leave more than two preamps on the Carbon available. That's not out of need but more out of curiosity. Unless they wow me in some way that my current line-up of pres do not, I'd rather have them as line inputs. I'm not sure I even have the extra cables to set that up initially.

With the setup I have now, I'm going to wind up with two 8-channel DB25-TRS snakes that I have no use for, and I'll have to order four 8-channel TRS-TRS snakes to patch in the MOTU. So I'm thinking about making a change to a Switchcraft TT patchbay. It would take up less room in the rack than the three I'd need to have with the new setup, it would make those two extra DB25-TRS snakes I have useful, I wouldn't have to spend $150 on a new TRS patchbay, and I'd only need to buy two 8 channel snakes instead of four, saving me another $250. The Switchcraft Patchbay is $750 but it would really only cost me $350 because I wouldn't need to buy those other things. It seems like a smart time to make that move. I'm just trying to think it through and anticipate any issues that might cause.

Someone in the DUC forum gave me some very welcome news. Apparently I don't have to do anything special to go from 16 channels on the MOTU down to 8. If a start a 96K session, PT will just gray out the second set of 8 channels. He made it sound like I don't need different I/O setups. I love the simplicity of that.

KevWind · #55 05-20-2021, 11:49 AM

It will be interesting to hear how it all susses out for you.

jim1960 · #56 05-20-2021, 06:11 PM

The eagles have landed. I'll let you know when they're flying again.

jim1960 · #57 05-20-2021, 07:03 PM

I've managed to rack them but that's as far as I'm going tonight.

jim1960 · #58 05-21-2021, 05:38 PM

It took a while but the Carbon is up and running. The process was pretty easy but I ran into an issue with getting AVB enabled. None of the online instructions I found helped. I called VK and was waiting for someone there to get back to me. After a couple of hours, I decided to give AVID a shot and I only had to wait about 15 minutes to get a person. He took over my mac and got me sorted in a few minutes.

I haven't hooked up the MOTU yet because I'll need some cables made for that but I'm very happy to have cleared this first hurdle.

KevWind · #59 05-21-2021, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim1960

It took a while but the Carbon is up and running. The process was pretty easy but I ran into an issue with getting AVB enabled. None of the online instructions I found helped. I called VK and was waiting for someone there to get back to me. After a couple of hours, I decided to give AVID a shot and I only had to wait about 15 minutes to get a person. He took over my mac and got me sorted in a few minutes.

I haven't hooked up the MOTU yet because I'll need some cables made for that but I'm very happy to have cleared this first hurdle.

Humm interesting what was the issue with AVB ? Mine was just plug and play ?

jim1960 · #60 05-21-2021, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevWind

Humm interesting what was the issue with AVB ? Mine was just plug and play ?

When I went to Audio MIDI setup, the Carbon wasn't there. The solution I found online said to click on the "Assist Me" button but that wasn't there either. I'm not sure what the AVID guy did because he took over my computer and moved too fast for me to see but, like I said, he had it sorted in just a few minutes so it was a simple issue but nothing I'd ever dealt with before.

Funny ending to the story... so he gets the Carbon recognized and even set up the I/O for me because I'm slow as hell at that. He says I should have sound at that point. I engage the session that was open and nothing. No sound. He asks if I hooked up the monitors.

Doh! I didn't even look for monitor-out on the back of the Carbon. Completely forgot.