Avantis digital snake question

[ParakalienParticipant]

I’m currently using a fully analog setup (midas heritage) in a house of worship and am looking at getting an avantis setup.

I’m trying to figure out what is the cheapest snake option that will do what we need.

-The goal would be to have 48 channels minimum (64 would be better).
-we run a broadcast setup with pro tools so I need a way to send direct outs via dante.
-We have a very tight budget and are trying to do this as cheaply as possible

I was looking at the GX4816 but it doesn’t have a way to get dante out of it that I can see.
*If I got the dante card for the avantis, is it possible to send direct outs of the 48 incoming channels to my pro tools rig?

*I also saw the GLD-AR2412 but I’m a bit confused on that one. Does that unit connect directly to the Avantis, or does it require a different stage box to operate (It says “expander” which is why I’m confused)?
*If it does connect directly, can you stack two of them for 48 channels?

and lastly, kinda off topic, but if you purchase the “regular” avantis can you add the “DEEP” plug-ins at a later date?

[JgriftParticipant]

Only the DT168 would allow for direct Dante splitting. But A&H consoles have tie lines which can direct from preamp split. You could use direct outs as well to any output/card. The AR2412 is from the GLD system and runs at 48k which locks the slink connection to 48k for everything on the chain. Plus the GX has “better” pre amps.

You can upgrade to Deep package after the fact. And you want it 🙂

Dante cards are hard to get right now so order asap.

[TerryParticipant]

A Dante card in the Avantis, if you can get one, would allow you to connect to your Pro Tools rig (assuming it has Dante Virtual Soundcard installed). You can set the direct out point of the input signal to variety of different places in the signal path – this is a global setting so all channels will be the same.

You cannot connect two AR2412 stage boxes with any A&H digital console setup. They were introduced with the GLD and operate at 48K using the dSNAKE protocol which can handle a maximum of 40 input channels so it won’t meet your stated need for a minimum 48 inputs.

Your best setup option would be a GX4816 connected to the Avantis sLink port and a DX168 connected to the DX port on the GX4816. You will have 64 inputs, 24 outputs, and the ability to add additional DX boxes and/or an ME system in the future.

[BrianParticipant]

As noted, currently Allen and Heath only offers one Dante Stage box – the DT168 (there is also the DT164-W which is designed to be a wall box vs a stage box). You can control the preamps in the DX168 on the SQ, Avantis, DLive, or AHM mixers like normal, or you can use a software solution from Allen and Heath that allows you to control the preamps using a computer if you are using another console/mixer.

The GX4816 stagebox can support up to four DT or two DX expanders. This means you can chain more stageboxes off the GX4816 and still only have one cable run back to the console. We currently use a GX4816 and have a DT168 attached to it to give us 64 inputs and 24 outputs via the digital snake but the capacity is there for even more boxes.

If you want to only use DT168 boxes, you’ll need a DX Hub or Link card to connect enough to get 64 channels. Without that additional hardware, you can only connect 2 DT168 to the Avantis. This is one reason the GX4816 is such a useful box to have (because the SLink connection has more capacity than the DX connections that the DT other boxes use).

The AR boxes are an older generation box that still work great, but only in 48kHz. This means they are less expensive than their 96kHz counterparts but use an older “Dsnake” protocol that simply isn’t compatible with the DLive environment. They do work on the other levels of consoles however – QU, SQ, Avantis, AHM, etc. This is just something to keep in mind if you think there is even the remotest possibility that you will eventually need to upgrade to a DLive system.

[Alex A&HKeymaster]

Hi @brian,

There’s some conflicting information in your last message.

DT expanders (DT168, DT164-W, DT02, DT20 & DT22) can be connected to a Dante network only. This means the console will need a Dante card to receive the audio signal from these expanders. The SQ-Dante (SQ or AHM) or Dante-64/128 (Avantis or dLive) need to be installed for preamp control. There is also DT Preamp Control software if you don’t have a compatible mixer.

DX expanders (DX-32, DX168, DX164-W & DX012) can be connected to a DX port on a dLive MixRack, Surface or GX4816, a SLink port, or a DX-Hub.

You can find more information on this here:
https://www.allen-heath.com/everything-io/
https://www.allen-heath.com/media/DX-GX-System-Guide-ISS_5.pdf
https://www.allen-heath.com/media/SLinkConnections_V1_5_0.pdf

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