[Ardour-Users] Ardour usable in Professional Audio-Postproduction ???

[Paul Davis]

On Fri, 2008-11-21 at 18:16 +0100, Luigi wrote:
> Hi List
> 
> I was discussing today if i could install an Ardour System with 32  
> MADI in as a pure Recording Device in a Professional
> 
> A/V Postproduction Studio. For those who know it, it should replace in  
> a cost-effective way a Tascam MX2424 Device

note that the destructive/tape mode added to enable Harrison's XDubber
product was designed to replace the Tascam MMR8. This is a different
device than the MX2424, but its a point worth making, i think.

yes, ardour can replace the mx2424 fairly easily.

> 1) Destructive Record is necessary and it has to be absolutely time- 
> sync to incoming MTC.

ardour does not do varispeed recording, but assuming your MTC source is
audio-clocked synced to your audio interface (typical in a pro-studio
setup), this issue doesn't arise. in fact, ardour's default assumption
is that an MTC source is audio-clock synced (this can be modified to
accomodate varispeed syncing to an MTC source).

>      Ardour supports Broadast Wave, but will the "original" Recording  
> Time code be writte to the header ? So that it can later be spotted  
> (for example in Protools)

yes, it writes BWF files and the "original" time is in the file, for
some definition of "original". it works for others. if it doesn't work
for you, that can be fixed.

> 2) Is there any experience with available MADI Interfaces ?

RME HDSP MADI is fully supported under linux. Improvements are coming,
but not necessary for almost anything you might want to do with it.

> 3) Does Ardour understand the Sony 9-pin Protocoll for transport,  
> record and track-enabling ?

not natively. Harrison have their own implementation of this, so it can
be done, but theirs is not available as a GPL'ed product. it does
understand MMC natively.

> 4) What would be the most accurate way to sync it to incoming SMPTE ???

convert to MTC. at which point, ardour will sync more accurately and
quicker than just about anything on the market (according to people who
should know about this stuff).