Fusing extreme onboard processing, uncompromising sonic performance, and industry-standard Pro Tools software, Avid Pro Tools | Carbon gives artists, bands, producers, and engineers a unified and premium hybrid production system for creating music with a fluid, professional workflow, supercharged plug-in power, and all the I/O needed to run an impressive session.
The heart, soul, and brain of this system is the sleek audio interface, which packs 25 inputs, 34 outputs, an abundance of built-in DSP chips, and a comprehensive control center into a space-saving 1 RU rack-mountable chassis. Forget about dealing with PCIe cards, Thunderbolt adapters, and limited USB speeds; this interface connects to your Mac computer (Windows support planned for the future) via high-bandwidth, AVB-based Ethernet.
Of the 25 inputs on Pro Tools | Carbon, eight are XLR-1/4" mic/line combo jacks that tap into Avid's most transparent preamps to date, ensuring coloration-free gain for a sound that's true to your source. Not only do they boast a staggering 126 dB of dynamic range, but they also have a trick up their sleeve; their Variable Z (on mic/line inputs 5-8 and the two 1/4" Hi-Z inputs) provides adjustable impedance to make your mics and instruments sound their best. Beyond that, you'll find a DB25 for eight channels of line-level inputs and two optical inputs for up to 16 ADAT digital input channels, perfect for adding a couple ADAT-equipped 8-channel mic preamps to your setup. As if that wasn't enough, Carbon offers an integrated footswitchable talkback mic that can be routed and recorded like any other input.
No matter which analog input you use, you're assured an exceptionally accurate path into the digital realm thanks to the presence of four ADCs per channel and 32-bit operation (192 kHz max) from the input all the way to the Pro Tools software. Combine that with the double-resolution JetPLL clock and you get immense headroom, clear separation, and ultrastable clocking at all times. As you would expect from an interface of this caliber, there are BNC connections for wordclock in and out, so Pro Tools | Carbon can serve as the primary clock reference for the rest of your digital gear, or it can sync to a dedicated master clock.
Leaving the interface, there are plenty of outputs to provide all the cue and monitoring connections your studio setup requires for smooth, professional sessions. For speakers, there are two 1/4" main monitor outputs, an 8-channel DB25 line / alt monitor output, and front-panel controls for A/B/C speaker switching, volume adjustment, dim, and more. With four independent 1/4" headphone outputs on the interface, Pro Tools | Carbon can feed separate cue mixes to the various performing artists, no cue amps needed. Alternatively, utilize the two optical outputs to run up to 16 channels of ADAT digital signal to a multichannel headphone distribution system.
The Pro Tools | Carbon interface is loaded with a jaw-dropping serving of built-in DSP—eight HDX DSP chips and a custom-designed FPGA —to bolster your setup with intense plug-in power (at no expense to your CPU) and near-zero-latency monitoring (less than 1 ms) while you record. Yes, you can track using real-time AAX DSP plug-ins with imperceptible latency. When it comes time to mix, the new Hybrid Engine gives you the flexibility to switch each track between the onboard DSP and your CPU, so you have total control over the allocation of your system's resources.
The interface offers two 1/4" main monitor outputs and an 8-channel DB25 output, which can be used for alternate monitors or line-level outs to a summing mixer. The front panel provides straightforward controls for A/B/C speaker switching, volume adjustment, dim, and more.
It is also possible to connect Carbon to a Thunderbolt port on your computer using qualified adapters (available separately). For example, you can plug Carbon into a Thunderbolt 2 to Ethernet adapter and use a Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter if your computer only has Thunderbolt 3.
If you choose not to renew your subscription, your Pro Tools license includes a Perpetual Parachute that allows you to continue using Pro Tools at the last version you downloaded (it won't ever expire), along with a core set of plug-ins (including the nine premium plug-ins). Please note that you will need to renew your subscription if you'd like to continue receiving access to the latest Pro Tools updates, standard support, and all bundled items noted above.
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