Does the H8000 provide Total DAW Integration?

[zap]

Please tell me that if I am going to drop 6G on this unit that it will work with Pro Tools LE sessions just like my Virus synth does – meaning – the virus opens up as an RTAS plug-in – but the Virus TI hardware does the entire processing and generation of the synth engine sounds… all sent over usb and routed to the DAW that way.   So Please tell me in pro Tools or whatever DAW one decides to use, that all I do is bring up an insert, select the eventide H8000, and that the sound travels via Firewire to be processed by the unit and is sent back over Firewire – thus avoiding the need for any DA and AD conversion.  Please tell me this is at the very least what I can expect for 6 thousand.  Just like the way my Virus acts as a plug-in but my virus hardware is what really does the processing.  If this is not the case then somebody please just end my misery.

[nickrose]

You should as ever seek the opinions of other users, but here is one view. The H8000FW does not currently do what you (and we) would like. In the past it has been difficult to interface external hardware to Protools – this is expected to change with the introduction of Protools 9.0, but obviously it will take us a while to take advantage of it. As a result, we do not currently have a plugin that will send audio to and from the H8000 as you describe.

Any DAW that can directly interface to Core Audio (or Asio for Windows users) can communicate with the H8000FW over firewire.

You may need to wallow in your misery for a while.

[jfcharles]

You – can – communicate with the H8000 from any DAW sending MIDI messages. You can assign any parameter to any MIDI controller, then send the MIDI controls to the H8000.

But you understand this is far from "total integration".

Plus, the amount of MIDI data (and more generally control data) that the H8000 can process in a given amount of time is limited. This might be a problem for a plugin to come to light at all. My guess is that it's the reason why E-Control does not exist. Just my 2 cents, of course.

[Doug Wellington]

I'm a PARIS user, so I certainly understand misery! 

Why not use a real DAW instead of Alsihad?

Kidding!!!

Have you considered using an ADAT interface?  Or AES/EBU?

[zap]

ok, so aside from any plug-in…. are you saying the Audio can go to the h8000 over the firewire connection?    will pro tools m-powered recognize it as an output?   (just trying to avoid any unnecessary conversions)…. but then the problem will be the presets that only run on 48k or 44.  and then a possible need for a big ben clocking device or something like that.

(quick question, does the 8000 still have presets that are great for stereo that the 7600 does not have – assume i will not be doing surround…  so i mean for stereo only – does the 8000 have presets that are whey out compared to the 7600?).  and can I hire anyone to program special sequencers on the 8000 so that i can modulate the note resolution of the speed of the stepper/sequencer? – or are these already in many presets – sequencers which I can just assign a CC to control note resolution in the 8000/7600 if i get that).

[nickrose]

Zap:

are you saying the Audio can go to the h8000 over the firewire connection? 

Yes

Zap:

will pro tools m-powered recognize it as an output?

Not real familiar with the m-powered. The H8000 appears as a CoreAudio device, so anything that can use CoreAudio can use it.

Zap:

a possible need for a big ben clocking device

Many people use a BigBen, but you don't have to – WordClock is fine with H8000FW.

Zap:

does the 8000 still have presets that are great for stereo that the 7600 does not have

The H7600 has most but not all of the H8000's stereo presets.

Main reasons to get an H8000FW rather than 7600 are:

1) Multichannel, surround.

2) Firewire and extra AES I/O.

3) More for the money.

You must decide which of these are important.

[zap]

nickrose:

Not real familiar with the m-powered. The H8000 appears as a CoreAudio device, so anything that can use CoreAudio can use it.

I have never heard of core audio.  Is this a Mac thing?   Regardless, I do not need total DAW integration i realized – as long as I can use pro tools inserts –  and be able to control from the 8000 panel (or some other way) all the same things as the H3000 plug-in offers for TDM.  Because I am on Native.  Please help…. need it to work on PC – Win XP, pro tools 7.4.

Ok I ordered a 7600.  This is in transition and has not arrived to my store yet in canada, but if you are saying that a windows XP computer can recognize the 8000 FW then I might request a switch to the 8000.    Is this core audio thing also on PC?

Quote:

Many people use a BigBen, but you don't have to – WordClock is fine with H8000FW.

So the 8000 wordclock is world class?  What about the converters?  Ar ethey colored?  And can i use them to monitor back on the way out too?  If they are good enough (even if colored good, or not colored, doesnt matter to me but in this case I could perhaps even cancel my plan to acquire an apogee symphony.  I know those converters are top notch but are the 8000 in the same league? 

And more urgently – can i hook up my eventide's outputs  to the powered KRK monitors?

What about headphones?

Quote:

The H7600 has most but not all of the H8000's stereo presets.

does it have those ones which make voices sound like a monster as heard on the 8000 sample demo page?

Quote:

Main reasons to get an H8000FW rather than 7600 are:

1) Multichannel, surround.

2) Firewire and extra AES I/O.

3) More for the money.

You must decide which of these are important.

As for #1 – i realized that even though I only use two channels at a time max in my studio, i might need 2 for me on stage and two for my vocalist… but as per my other questions in the other thread, can one mono mic from the vocalist be converted into stereo FX through the 8000?

As for #2:  Yes firewire is nice provided that it can work as inserts with my pro-tools m-powered softwares which is version 7.4 – all on windows XP so far.   This would save alot of my computer's resources since I have limited computer ram… (yes still stuck on the old VAIO laptop which does not allow more ram – but at this point its either a new computer with Symphony system (but i dont feel i need a new computer for some reason), OR an H8000 for continued work on my laptop which is fine for my preproduction needs. 

But what about optical?  Howcome 7600 has no Spdif optical????

From what I explained so far can you please make the appropriate recommendation provided that you very accurately assess my needs clarified here which must be met before I spend the extra money on the 8000?   If each and every need is met – especially the firewire inserts through pro tools 7.4, as well as all the other issues, then yes, it would be a great purchase for me if I can negate the need for an apogee symphony + new computer.

Can I just do all my processing with the 8000 and forget about all this waves plug-in BS??? (because I hate paying for software)

Is it good for mastering too?  Are the compressors huge sounding like UAD? 

Is the character more on the analog side or more on the hyper surreal synthetic side?

Are you basically saying that this unit can master  and can (provided that I know what I am doing) can replace submitting a mix to any major studio for their mastering through insane 5000 dollar compressors and mastering tape machines etc…    is there enough character in this for processing like tape simulation or something even better? 

For example – they say the access virus does not exactly model analog because its different – but this works to its advantage because the character is better than analog.  Is this true for the Eventide as some kind of super-machine?

Basically, I did not realize  what I might be realizing now in this moment – that  this unit can be a one-stop shop to several needs including

1) A/D Conversion on the way in (2 channel to optical spdif) and on the way in

2) D/A conversion out for monitoring 2 channel spdif as well to my KRK monitors

3) DAW sends/inserts/aux routing:  Pro Tools inserts as Firewire (true or false for PC pro tools m-powered 7.4)  – (I don't mind bouncing as I have limited ram)

4) Multi FX for guitar and vocals in studio and EQs/compressors

5) 2 channels of guitar live (fed from my axe-fx) and 2 channels of vocals (fed from one mic)

6) Mastering tools and multi band compressors, exciters, enhancers, mastering EQs,

7) replacement of crazy mastering tools and replacement of crazy apogee or prism orpheus converters due to a surreal character I heard exists in the 8000 unit.  Fact or fiction?

And finally – speaking of my axe-fx – can same thing there – i am inputting a single guitar but i think there is a way to come out of that as 2 channel stereo – but if not, can I come out of that one channel and yet still have the eventide give me stereo effects based on the one single XLR input if I ever need them – essentially taking a mono singal and turning it into a stereo effect.

I hope some definitive replies are forthcoming to aid in my final decision.   I dont mind spending the money if the unit now has all these functions as it would not be justified – if they can be confirmed. (Sorry, I juts need to be thorough for something of this scope as I have never bought something costing that much money before – except maybe a car).

[zap]

ok, now i am excited…. i did not know about e-control before…  so is E-control available as RTAS yet and if i buy EVE-net, is it recommended to use that while E-control is up and running as RTAS?  or if the RTAS plug-in is up, then is the EVE-net controller a waste of money for my DAW?

And please tell me e-control is a free download if i buy an 8000.

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