Multi channel recording

[Nicola A&H]

Has anyone tried using Dante via an Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit adaptor? If so, how well does it work? Can I expect to be able to record 32 channels?

I’m told by Audinate that Apple’s Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet adapter works fine with the Dante Virtual Soundcard.

You don’t need two licenses if you transfer the session or files from one DAW to the other.

[pdherring]

Jumping on the band wagon of this post, does anyone have any suggestions of external hard disks for my MacBook Pro for recording over Dante and probably around 40-48 channels. I have a few gigs coming up that I want to test with but would like to know I have bought the right drive before I do. Do I go FW or USB and what size to average 48 channels for 3 hours?

Thanks
P

[BobWitte]

Have recorded 50 channels with: https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go Get the Firewire/USB3 model. I used Firewire, as I don’t have USB3. But USB3 will future proof you.

Size – simple math. 48000 (samples/sec) X 60 (seconds/min) X 4 (bytes/sample) (OK maybe 3, but I always like headroom) will give you how many Bytes needed per minute. Then multiply by 180 for three hours…… AND TIMES THE NUMBER OF TRACKS (40-48)

I did this in a hurry – so someone check my math please (ala Apollo 13).

Create a spreadsheet – easiest way to quickly enter a number (minutes of recording) to calculate size.

Bob

[Nicola A&H]

@ pdherring

LaCie Little Big Disk is among my favourites. The latest version is Thunderbolt only but with a bit of luck you can still find the (discontinued) eSATA / USB2.0 / FW 400/800 7200RPM version at half-price.

3hr 48ch at 48kHz would be around 70GB.
Try this calculator.

[Chris93]

The 64X64 of Dante is great, but something offering half the capability at half the price would be a nice option. Does this exist?

Chris

[BobWitte]

Here is my calculator – enter any “desired” track count in the green box….

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[pdherring]

Thanks all! Very helpful 🙂

[Stix]

Dante Expensive??? Nah Find me another 64 channel recording option that can also distribute audio to multiple destinations and is not brand specific? Not so long ago the same amount of money would have got you an external soundcard that could perhaps record EIGHT CHANNELS!!!! Heck – my first analogue 1/2″ 8 Track reel to reel had a list price of $12,500 and we have had 30 years of inflation since then! Just because there are some cheap mixers that offer some degree of built in recording doesn’t mean Dante is bad value. It is a high quality networking solution that offers value recording as a bonus. I’m sure there will be cheaper option’s to come but I certainly don’t consider a Dante solution to be unreasonably priced. Rant over!

Hey Kenelm – You should be fine with your MBP Ethernet adaptor and you should be able to easily get 32 tracks. I have a 17″ MBP with a Standard drive and can record over 40 tracks with a gigabit Dante connection. You won’t need a second licence on your desktop if you are mixing internally and outputting audio using another audio device (ie not using Dante to output) Dante recorded files can be used/ mixed on whatever hardware you like.

Cheers

[Gerry Winkl]

I am using GLD80 with DanteCard, MBP with Audinates Virtual Soundcard to feed Studio one. The Thunderbold – Etherport – Adaptor works fine! If you compare that solution to to be forced to by an external soundcard with the needed amount of Channels – Dante is not expensive at all.
Greetings from Berlin

[johnfrusketti]

I personally chose the MADI card option + RME MADIface USB: i cost a little bit more than the Dante’s solution (about 1800 vesur 1400), but i think is more versatile, because i can use the MADIface with other MADI systems.
I made a couple of shows, 44 track each, 3h of recording via Reaper + fujitsu laptop with WIN7 without any issues.
Bye
Luca

[matrixsound]

We record 48 channels for 2 hours routinely over direct conected Dante onto a LaCie d2 3TB Thunderbolt drive via an i7 MacMini with Lion Server and Reaper. We have recorded 58 channels as well without issue. Have done 48 channels through an unmanaged NetGear GbE switch with no problems recording or playing back; however, the Win7 VST host connected to another port on the same switch did NOT behave well with 6 Dante IOs routed – was unusable. We have in the past, recorded 32 channels with a PC DAW to an eSATA 7200 rpm drive. PC DAW was old and underpowered and had trouble playing back 32 channels to Dante. Have not tested Apple TB to GbE, sorry.

[Rufus]

Just a reminder that there are not 1000mb in a gigabyte. Computers count in base 2 so 1gb is really 1024mb. Drive manufacturers use all kind of voodoo marketing to describe how big their drives are. File systems take up space too so on a 1tb drive, there isn’t always 1000gb of space. There is more like 1024gb minus partitioning and file system information. There is so much mathematics involved, more than can be warranted a description here. All I recommend is that you double check your math if something goes wrong.

[MJPA Hire]

Kenelm
The thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter works fine.
you don’t need two licences. mixing on your desktop doesn’t require dante.
Cheers

[Craig1988]

Has anybody had any luck using an ethernet to thunderbolt adapter with the M-Waves card? I have a retina display macbook and i haven’t any luck yet.

[Chris93]

The specs given by the drive manufacturers are actually correct. The problem is that windows gives the value in GiB but labels it as GB.

You buy a HDD with 100 GB. It has 100 GB, this is equivalent to 93.1323 GiB. Windows then says “this drive has 93.1323 GB”, hence the confusion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibibyte

Chris

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