The architecture gives deterministic performance, meaning that track counts, the amount of plug‑in processing power and, crucially, latency, are all fixed. These issues are largely historical and based on the fact that HDX systems are designed to be used exclusively as DSP systems. Those used to recording and mixing in Pro Tools using premium third‑party audio interfaces, particularly those who haven’t use HDX systems before, are often surprised at the constraints that come with using an HDX system. The choice of AVB over other options was as carefully considered as the rest of the package unlike Thunderbolt, the RJ45 is unlikely to be abandoned as a standard connector in the foreseeable future and, unlike Dante or Ravenna, AVB is deterministic in its latency performance and, as an official Ethernet standard, is likely to be around for a long time. The choice of AVB as a connection protocol drew comment, as did the lack of expandability, with no option to daisy‑chain units.

Very specifically targeted at band recording, Carbon has just enough I/O, headphone amps and DSP to track a typical three‑ or four‑piece band with no additional hardware beyond mics, cables and headphones. But the release of a DSP‑based system aimed at the serious home recordist or project studio was in my opinion an entirely predictable event, as it neatly filled a hole in the Pro Tools product line. Avid’s return to in‑house manufacturing of audio hardware was a pleasant surprise (the recent MTRX and MTRX Studio were the result of partnerships with Digital Audio Denmark). The launch last year of Pro Tools | Carbon surprised many. The proliferation of DSP‑based systems aimed at exactly these markets from brands such as Universal Audio, Antelope and Apogee strongly suggest that the advantages of DSP systems are significant, but that HDX perhaps wasn’t the right product to meet the needs of these users. HDX always has been expensive, and the cost has made it largely out of reach for home recordists and even serious project studios. Since then, the old TDM systems have been superseded by HDX.

People have been predicting the death through irrelevance of DSP‑based Pro Tools systems since the release of Pro Tools LE back in 1999.

As of June, the Hybrid Engine, first introduced with the Pro Tools | Carbon interface, will become available to all Pro Tools DSP users.

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