lynx aurora question

[gigpiglet]

hi lynx users..
I'm pretty sure I'm correct in my thinking here - but hoping to check with someone who has done it.

i have PT HD 2 (so a core and accell card)
and at this point 2x lynx aroura 16, each with a PT option card.
so i have 32 i/o using all the analogue ins and outs.

what i want is to have 48i/o
and I'm thinking that i just need to get another aurora
use the 16 analogue inputs on it, and then go AES out to one of the other auroras
ie: i don't need a HD card in the new lynx right?

HD2 is capable of 48io
and the 2 lynxes already in place are capable 64i/o in total if i used all the analogue and digital ins and outs.

right?
or am i missing something?

[Sammas]

Each HD card supports a maximum of 32-channels of I/O.
So HD2 accel gives you 64 channels of I/O.

It gets tricky because the Aurora 16's have two modes.
16 channel mode makes the aurora appear at a digi 192.
32 channel mode makes the aurora appear as 2 digi 192.


Do you want 48 channels of all analogue I/O?

One way to do it is:
- Put two Auroras in 16 channel mode and daisy chain them via digilink cable off the HD core card.
These Aurora's will be limited to 16 channels each (either all analogue, all digital or a combination of each depending how you set it up in the I/O panel of protools).
- Then put the 3rd Aurora into 32 channel mode and connect it directly to the HD accel card.

This will give you 48 channels of analogue in and out, and 16 channels of digital in and out via the 3rd Aurora.

[gigpiglet]

nath
that was my first thought - but would require all three lynx's to have HD cards in them

what I'm now thinking (and maybe not described accurately enough above)

lynx 1 (with HD card) in 32ch mode connected to PT core card
lynx 2 (with HD card) in 32ch mode connected to PT accel card
lynx 3 (with NO option card) , with its AES outs, connected to lynx 2 AES ins


so i will end up with PT "seeing"
16 analogue and 16 digital from lynx one
and 16 analogue and 16 digital from lynx 2

so total (as far as pro tools is concerned) i have 32 analogue and 32 digital i/o
but lynx THREE is (via AES/EBU) giving me 16 analogue i/o
so my total (real world, not what pro tools thinks it has) is
48 analogue i/o
16 digital (unused) i/o

does my logic make sense?

i mean… i have an extra lynx in the second room, so i can test it
but I've only just thought about doing it this way and I'm not at the studio for a week or two

[Suburban Studios]

Hi Gareth,

Yes that makes perfect sense and should work fine. Effectively you are sending 32 simultaneous i/o to ProTools for each Lynx Aurora in 32 channel mode. (Lynx No.1 is attached to the Core card & Lynx No.2 is attached to the Accel card). The 3rd Aurora is merely functioning as an Analog-AES converter (not as an interface in this scenario) and is seen as an extension of Lynx interface No.2. (So Lynx 3 converts analog to AES and sends its AES outputs into the AES Inputs of Lynx No.2, and thus into ProTools).

Cheers,
George

[gigpiglet]

great
yes - exactly what i thought.
but you know - sometimes its nice to get some reassurance before you jump into your rack and start patching things!

thanks

[Sammas]

nath
that was my first thought - but would require all three lynx's to have HD cards in them

what I'm now thinking (and maybe not described accurately enough above)

lynx 1 (with HD card) in 32ch mode connected to PT core card
lynx 2 (with HD card) in 32ch mode connected to PT accel card
lynx 3 (with NO option card) , with its AES outs, connected to lynx 2 AES ins


so i will end up with PT "seeing"
16 analogue and 16 digital from lynx one
and 16 analogue and 16 digital from lynx 2

so total (as far as pro tools is concerned) i have 32 analogue and 32 digital i/o
but lynx THREE is (via AES/EBU) giving me 16 analogue i/o
so my total (real world, not what pro tools thinks it has) is
48 analogue i/o
16 digital (unused) i/o

does my logic make sense?

i mean… i have an extra lynx in the second room, so i can test it
but I've only just thought about doing it this way and I'm not at the studio for a week or two

Sounds good to me!

[EvLoutonian]

G'day Gareth,
Did this set up work nicely in the end?
Cheers,
Evan

[gigpiglet]

hi evan
yes - worked exactly as planned/ expected

there was a bit of messing around with getting the lynxs in the right modes (as its a power on/ off while holding down buttons job - there is no actual menu or setting)

but once done, its all lovely

PT "sees" 3 x 192 in the in/ out screen

[EvLoutonian]

Sweet.
I was going to ask, how do you see all the in's and out's arranged in the Lynx mixing/monitoring/routing software, but I guess (with the PT-HD configuration) you just have all the I/O set up as you want to see it in Pro Tools, and no need to open the Lynx mixer app?

I'm just thinking through it in terms of the best way to get 32 I/O with either one or two Lynx Aurora's.
In my case I was thinking of going for the Thunderbolt interfacing option rather than LT-HD, so I can use it with non-PCI based host machines (iMac & MacBook etc) and would be hoping to still achieve excellent latency, whether on PT's native or Logic etc.

[EvLoutonian]

ie. two options I guess in this scenario would be to:

A. connect one unit to the computer via Thunderbolt and just chain the AES-EBU outputs from unit No.2 into Unit No.1's digital inputs, or

B. connect both units to the computer via Thunderbolt, requiring a LT-TB card to be installed in each unit.

Is there any advantage or disadvantage in going for one or the other option?
(besides the cost of needing two LT-TB cards rather than just one, of course!)

Thanks folks.