H9000 and Pro tools HDX Card. Question and setup

Hello,

You are correct that you can use analog, digital (ADAT/AES), USB, and expansion cards simultaneously. There is not a particular benefit to using one or the other, these options allow the user to integrate the H9000 into their system however it suits them. I personally use analog, ADAT, and Dante, with many different configurations depending on the work I am doing.

The PTHD card will give you an additional 32 channels of I/O using the PTHD format. These channels can be used via the 4 FX chains in various routing methods. Again, this all depends on how you would like to use it. You can use many effects in parallel within an FX Chain, or 1 stereo bus, etc.

Some more information about your use case and how many channels of audio you would like to process using the H9000 would help me in suggesting some setup options for you.

Your AES configuration may not be working anymore if you changed your clocking configuration. 

You should be able to connect 1 port of the HDX to the Aurora, and another port to the H9000 Primary port. You can continue to use Word clock for the clocking config, just set the H9000 clock source to Word Clock.

Additional information about the PTHD card setup can be found here: https://cdn.eventideaudio.com/manuals/h9000/2.2.11/content/expansions/protools.html

Let me know if that helps.

Yes, you can only use AES or ADAT, not both simultaneously.

You will need to use LoopSync to clock the H9000 to the PTHD card. In your first image, you can see the clock is unlocked, and this setting will not work correctly.

I would suggest using Word Clock for the clock source. The PTHD card will sync to the H9000 clock.

You may want to change “interface mode” to 32 channel if you’d like to access all 32 channels of the PTHD card.

If Clock Control is ON in the PTHD card settings, you will not be able to adjust the H9000 clock source because it is being forced to use the PTHD card as the clock source.

This setting should be used with a Loop Sync configuration. If not use Loop Sync, you should turn Clock Control OFF, and set the H9000 clock source to Word Clock.

Using USB audio will give you an additional 16 channels of audio. You will need to setup an aggregate device and configure the clocking correctly as described in the manual here: https://cdn.eventideaudio.com/manuals/h9000/2.2.11/content/setup/usbsetup.html

You can use USB audio and the PTHD card simultaneously if you need that many channels.

Do you have a specific goal in mind with your setup? Are you looking for a certain amount of channels etc?

The PTHD card will give you 32 channels of I/O, which would be more than enough for many users. If you need more I/O than that, then it can be done, but it seems to me that you are going down many different paths of H9000 configuration options and I’m not sure if this is necessary for you.

Some basic ideas of how you use the H9000 and how you’d like it to work with your setup will help me suggest the best options for you.

You’re welcome. Connecting Word Clock to the H9000 and setting the clock source to Word Clock would be the better option.

One option I can recommend:

• Connect HDX primary port to Lynx
• Connect Lynx secondary port to HD I/O primary port
• This is daisy chaining the first 2 devices, giving you 16 channels from the Lynx an 16 channels from the HD I/O
• Connect HDX secondary port to H9000 PTHD card primary port. This will allow you to use all 32 channels of I/O on the H9000 for 16 stereo hardware inserts.

With the above setup, the HD I/O and Lynx will handle all of your analog I/O, and the H9000 will be used for Pro Tools hardware inserts or aux tracks.

Here is a routing setup you could use to get 4 stereo pairs within an FX Chain. If you do these for each FX Chain, you can have a total of 16 stereo busses using the PTHD card (I’m using Dante in the example, but the routing is the same using any expansion card):

Yes, you can use analog and AES simultaneously.

You can use any combination of analog, USB, digital, and expansion cards simultaneously. The only limitation is that you must choose one type of digital audio protocol (AES XLR, AES DSUB, ADAT, SP/DIF etc.) This should be clear when you set your “Digital Audio Mode” in the system settings; you can only make one choice.

I’ve asked you to please email support@eventideaudio.com with a screen recording that demonstrate the metering issue you mentioned. Thanks.

Hello,

The PTHD card will give you 32 channels of I/O. You must then assign those I/O to be used for whichever FX Chain you like.

A simple example would be:

• FX Chain 1 > I/O 1-2
• FX Chain 2 > I/O 3-4
• FX Chain 3 > I/O 5-6
• FX Chain 4 > I/O 7-8.

You will then have 4 stereo FX busses. From Pro Tools, you will use a hardware insert to send the audio to FX Chain 1 using I/O 1-2. Using I/O 3-4 will go to FX Chain 2, etc.

More complex routing configurations can be set up, but I would highly suggest starting with a simple setup so you can understand how all of the routing is configured. From there, you can add more complex routings if needed.

I will need to see screenshots of your Pro Tools I/O settings to help you determine how to route any audio from Pro Tools.

Please share screenshots of the following:

• Hardware Setup > Peripherals
• All of the pages of the “I/O Setup” page (input, output, bus, insert)

Ok, so the PTHD card is on the secondary port. The 32 channels will be divided between HD I/O 3 and HD I/O 4.

Yes, the FX Chain I/O needs to be configured to received the audio from the PTHD card.

In my image below, I have Dante 1-2 as the FX chain input/output. You will need to configure your FX Chain to use PTHD inputs/outputs 1-2. Then you will use a Pro Tools hardware insert on C 1/2 to send/receive audio to and from the FX chain. It looks like you have named this hardware insert “EVPT 1”

Please try this and confirm that you can send audio to/from the H9000 on this stereo pair. Once you have that working, you can add the additional channels.

Sorry, I don’t understand what you mean by EEFX.

The H9000 uses FX Chains, and each FX Chain has up to 4 algorithm (effect) blocks.

Once you have audio passing through an FX Chain, you need to load an algorithm (example Blackhole) and now your audio will be processed by Blackhole.

Setting up analog I/O on the H9000 is a very different process from setting up the PTHD expansion card.

You need to connect your signal to the H9000’s analog inputs/outputs (XLR or DSUB) and then you need to configure the FX Chain to use analog I/O.

I would recommend that you work on getting your 32 channels of audio using the PTHD card figured out first before you attempt any other I/O setup.

Hello,

Ok I see what you are trying to accomplish now. Thanks for the information.

Yes, this is a good use of the Direct I/O.

Your Pro Tools insert that use channels 21-22 of the PTHD expansion card will be directly patched to the H9000 analog I/O 5-6. You can connect the analog I/O to other external hardware etc.

Let me know if you have any further setup questions.

XLR 1-2 is the same path as inputs 1-2 on the DSUB connecter.