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 foot-switchable 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 for making 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 mon output, and front-panel controls for A/B/C speaking 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 multi-channel 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 of how to allocate your system's resources.
Being a hybrid audio production system, Pro Tools | Carbon not only features the powerful and versatile 25x34 Ethernet audio interface, but also comes with a complete software package comprising the industry-standard Pro Tools DAW (1-year subscription with a perpetual parachute), 116 AAX plug-ins, nine premium plug-ins from brands such as Brainworx, McDSP, UVI, and Native Instruments, and a 5.4GB sound library. Compose, record, edit, and mix with the same features, workflow, and tools used by hit-making professionals all over the world.
If you're ready to supercharge your audio production setup and realize your creative visions, tell us about your plans and ask any questions you may have in the Comments section, below, head to our website or come to the B&H SuperStore to learn about the massive power of Pro Tools | Carbon!
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