At AES, we get a look at the new UAD-2 Satellite Thunderbolt DSP accelerators, which come in Quad or Octo versions.

Universal-Audio.

 

Thanks for the info, but I'll wait until Thunderbolt get "democratized".

 

Yes I know , this may be never and/or there will be something better at that time.
I'm watching closely to Waves systems.

 

Thunderbolt is getting the same way than Firewire.
Supposed to be the next revolution...but finally not.
It will be Mac centric only, and mostly because it will be the only solution to expand a Mac because they lock everything other than TB (ex : no PCI port in Mac Pro)

There are many threads on the net about firewire troubles with audiocards, DSP and more...on Mac. No, thanks.

 

Like anything else you can find on the Web. I've been running a MOTU Traveler on FW for five years without a glitch. Firewire is rock solid. Historically, it's been better than USB, and it took a while for USB to catch up and become the standard for audio production it is today.

True. It may not ever happen, but I made the switch and got an Apollo Twin. It is the best move in my life, although I'll be paying it off for a while.

 

i'm not really up to date, but thunderbolt's specs are pretty impressive for me... wonder what it can/will do for the audio world. then again i'm running on macs only so...

 

And yet still there is thousands of others that have problems

 

it's often a matter of costs.

 

What's sad is consumers (Pro's and alike) are at fault. In terms of what and how we let manufacturers(I agree with you McCookie) dictate prices and accountability on new technology.
I myself enjoy living on the cutting edge of technology, especially when it's a great advance.

Yes, there are and will always be issues when the "new" something arrives. That is the price of advancement. Lump it or leave it.
Too many complain to often only to use it when they get the funds too or when it smooths out to they're liking.

I personally love Thunderbolt! It has unlocked a lot of power on my macbook pro that I could never do on firewire!
Just like Usb 3.0 which has made the transfer of data from my mac to it a pleasure! So I refuse to purchase anymore
USB 2.0 or Firewire anything ever again.

I noticed a lot of crybabies on the internet that whine because it's not a "Windows" protocol yet. I find that funny!
Now what that means to me is there is a solid protocol that is fantastic that PC users don't have. So many complained at the
Apollo Twin's launching because they didn't include firewire on the unit, I laughed at that too! BTW! I cant wait to be blessed
enough to have that Little Black "Trash can" of a computer that PC users and firewire lovers hate.

Bottom line is, if some new technology doesn't suit you then don't bother with it or in this case, buy yourself a Mac!

I love Thunderbolt, thank you Apple and thank you UA! Firewire is slow and is history!
Technology changes every 6 months for real. There are plenty of things I wish I could afford, But...
Step up or be left behind. That is the nature of the beast!

Truthfully, life is too short!

@Mercurysoto, I feel ya! I got an Apollo Twin and I'm in heaven!

 

Don't forget the patent business, Apple is earning huge amount of money through patents and trials related to it.
Thunderbolt could be much cheaper, but the Apple patent license policy does it expensive to implement, that's one of the reason you don't see it every where yet.
Even though, higher level ASUS mother boards already have it, and you can build a PC with them.

But the most important question is: Does thunderbolt really give less latency? After all I've read it seems not.
The advantage of thunderbolt is more about daisy chaining dozens of devices than about latency.

Finally, don't we have already a very fast transmission with USB 2? It's more about the drivers and your computer's calculation power, than anything else.
So for musicians Thunderbolt is just another trick so you spend your money.

 

You wish!

Yes apple costs more. Yes,I dislike that about them. With Apple, it is a love/dislike relationship when it comes to money sometimes.
But the end result is, I am willing to pay more for all the other great things that I love about them. And, obviously, I dislike PC more.

Now, does Thunderbolt give less latency then firewire? Absolutely! That is definitely my experience! Don't know where you read that,
but on my computer (2012 MacBook Pro 2.3 i7, running 10.9.2) it does. (I still have firewire and Usb interfaces...Avid Mbox pro 3, RME FF 800, Focusrite 18i20) They all suck when it comes to latency comparing.

Thats funny! Fast transmission with usb2.0?! LOL!!!!! I'm not here to and I'm not going to try and persuade you. But, let me enlighten you... if you think Thunderbolt is a one trick pony then your delirious! Again, that is an erroneous statement! And I'm calling you to the carpet for saying that! And I don't even have Thunderbolt 2! Thunderbolt one so far for me has been a joy and a new beginning.

For instance...I received a 108 track, Pro tools 10HD Session(done on a HD5 system) to mix, done by some idiot that put stuff all over the place.
(Really dude!?? 108 tracks?!) Lol. Initially I started to open the file(not knowing it was so big) on my Dante system not gonna happen, next RME, not gonna happen. decided to try my new Apollo Twin which I got only to use it for the Unison preamps and plugins. Boom!!! NO problems! No hiccups! No buffer errors! Nothing but Bliss! (Except for the fact that I now realize the B.S. I must sort thru to mix! lol.)

Finally...stop reading and go find out for yourself! Why make guesses and comments without 1st hand knowledge?
I noticed that happens a lot around here. Do you guys actually believe everything you read because it's on the Internet?!

The truth will Make you free! Let the church say, Amen! *yes*

Your humble servant,

 

Don't confuse speed with quantity. Yes, Thuderbold helps you with a bigger chunk of data between your interface & computer, but the "reaction" is as fast on both connections.
If you were able to play an 108-tracks project, that's not because Thunderbold features an extra hidden CPU into the cable to support your actual CPU and make you think the Thunderbold is faster/powerful(sarcasm). It's actually the interface's driver who's capable of handling all that chunk at the same time. If that USB2.0 Audio Interface you used have weaker drivers that doesn't mean the actual USB2.0 connectivity is slower. You call the whole USB2.0 connectivity being "slower" when is actually the soundcard's fault? Don't tell me that Fireface UCX which is also on USB2.0/Hammerfall drivers, can't handle all that 108-tracks project the way your Thunderbolt does because you would actually lie.
Yes, USB2.0 can't deliver as much "quantity" of data as the Thunderbolt, but the "reaction speed" you talk about is based on the soundcard's driver and computer's CPU. If Thunderbolt would've been so magical, all the professional soundcards on the market would've been featuring it on their products(includin the high-quality RME as well).
Also, let's say an audio interface based on thunderbolt connection is capable of handling 108 tracks and RME UCX on USB2.0 with hammerfall drivers can't. Tell me, how much often do you get "108 tracks" projects from your clients? All the time? So basically, would you buy an audio interface with Thunderbolt connection just so you can handle the projects from noobs which you get as often as 5 months interval? You actually offend your own intelligence, because it doesn't matter how much pro you are, you can't work with noobs that often because they usually can't afford your prices so their "108 tracks" projects must be as rare as the time interval between Christmas and Easter.

Cheers

 

What are you talking about?! Your points are moot to me. I only care about results. And Thunderbolt is faster and more powerful and it takes more than just drivers.

Olymoon was speculating, so for the record I shared my experience. I would love to see usb or firewire handle all those tracks and plugins he had on them!

Not gonna debate about drivers and all that garbage. And who said anything about a UCX? Read again.

As well, it wasn't that I get a lot of huge track count mixdowns grasshopper...the point was that when I did, what was I able to use to complete my task?! And I needed to do that Mix! I guess you didn't get that part! So, basically as you stated, That is Why You Buy It! The Apollo Twin saved my arse, and I won't forget it!

You sure assume a lot Evorax...you assume I charge a lot, you assume I don't work with less experienced folk, you assume I insulted my intelligence.
You do know what happens when you assume right? Truthfully you can never know what my work life is like unless you know me.
So let's not make it personal. I was talking ONLY about my experience with the topic.

It's always your choice why you purchase a piece of audio gear. But if you make statements please try and be correct. Others with less knowledge read as well.

Now,If your gonna bash a protocol based on little or no hands on experience with that protocol, then you deserve to stay where you are.

Mark my words...Thunderbolt is the Future for now. I choose to go forward with or without you.

Lastly Evorax, Do you believe in Christmas, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny?

 

Why don't you explain us in a detailed way what exactly is "more than just drivers". Just enlighten us, we would really appreciate it.

You misunderstood, "UCX" was my USB2.0-Connection example, not something related to your previous message, but related to my point.

So for your Apollo Twin's performance, you actually think that "Thunderbold" feature of this interface was responsable for the boost in your DAW's performance?
Apollo Twin is great OVERALL, as a WHOLE product, not just because of the Thunderbolt feature. If Thunderbolt is really magical, then i'm going to mod my actual USB2.0 soundcard into a thunderbolt one and expect it to act epic. Apollo Twin, as far as you know as a user of it, it features also SHARC DSP processor, which supports your UAD-2 plugins, that's another reason of why your DAW can handle more UAD plugins.(but i guess that you, as its owner you didn't even know that).

Yes, it is the future, but TODAY especially in audio world, is irrelevant against USB 2.0. The only relevant situation where Thunderbolt would come handy is if
you would have an external kickass back-up SSD which is able to match Thunderbolt's performance.

I'm actually an atheist. Anything more you wanna know? I'd be glad to answer.

Cheers

 

Ignorance is bliss!

 

just like the hdmi. 1..1.2...1.3....1.4...
with each version, they manage to convince people that the new 60fps video will require the latest hdmi standard... and people go and buy them.
many pro websites, like anandtech, even manufacturers, professionals, said publicly that even a cheap $10 cable was enough for bluray 3d, and there was absolutely no need to buy $100 cables.i wish i could find the youtube video.
anyway, the hdmi protocol has all the error checks and all the stuff needed to assure the signal will be ok. people don^t understand that it's just a bunch of 0 and 1's. if the video in, on the hdmi socket, is fine, and all bits are there and ok, the same bits will arrive at the end of the cable: whether it's a 10$ cable or 2500$. it's not an analog signal. digital, bits are there, OR not.
for those who love to laugh a bit, try reading a hifi magazine, and you will read things like "ohh, after i replaced my 200£ cable from X, by a 600£ cable from Y, my bluray movies have a better contrast, skin tones look hotter, there definitely is a big improvement on the resolution side, now i can see small details that i couldn't see before"..... and more stuff like that..

i'm not bashing the format, if some of you think i am. but the truth is, thunderbolt is another proprietary format, that so far, i think, apple were the first to implement, just a new standard to make people upgrade.
that's the main goal. they slowly create new standards, new cables, so slowly force people to buy the more recent material.


let's take the Sata format. first Sata1, 150mb, then, 2, 300mb, then 3, 600mb. why didn't they jump from Sata1 to Sata3 ? they had the technology. why making sata 2?
because that way, they are sure manufacturers will have like 5 years to replace motherboards, sockets, etc, to make people upgrade every 18-24 months. the same with processors. the same with ram. like i said in another long comment, these manufacturers "retain" their technologies, so they can have plenty of different components to sell,this year, next year, next year, etc. instead of releasing an ultra powerful computer, so powerful that the buyer won^t need to upgrade before 5-6 years.

just like windows.
on each iteration, they always find a way to get rid of, and lock some core applications everybody use, making the new versions mandatory, but making it mandatory AND incompatible with the previous windows version.
i remember msn messenger, or wlm, or whatever it is called, today (haven't used it since 4-5 years), i remember they had upgraded it, and it required some .net components, and some new versions of some files, that were only available on the latest windows version. so, people that wanted the latest version, they couldn't use it on XP or vista, they had to upgrade to 7. smart way of forcing people to upgrade, huh?...

thunderbolt, looks like the next big thing... but is really the case ? apart daisy chaining a la scsi, is it a latency free, hot plug, "driverless", cheap, ultra ultra fast, that everybody will adopt ? not so long ago, i remember seeing an audio interface compatible with thunderbolt.. but the thunderbolt card alone was like 450 euros...
or is it the new connector for bragging about, while drinking a fresh redbull, in a pub ?

why don't all these manufacturers sit together, like big grown boys, and think about a fking connector, even optical fiber, multi-mode, 100% digital, with a total bandwidth of thousands Gigabytes (easily done, with a multi mode fiber), with the same socket , but different dimensions to fit different products, based on the internet protocol: after all, the ipv6 and it's 2^128 ip addresses, we'd better start connecting our shoes, forks, socks, etc, to the network... i remember a microsoft teacher telling us that with 2^128, each square inch of the entire surface of the planet earth could have trillions of different ip addresses...
they could make a cable with enough bandwidth, to support a full house, with dozens of 4 or 8k tv shows, several ssds outputting dozens of gb from 1 computer and copy it to 10 computers at the same speed... with all the audio, video, fridge, tvs, players, security cameras, i mean, anything electronic... and still be connected to the outside world, at a ultra fast speeds.
nooo. it's much better making hdmi 1.5.... 1.6.... usb 4....

i don't know what they are waiting for, to build 10gb routers , to replace our current 1Gb.

so yeah, thunderbolt... v2, coming for Christmas 2016, with the new mac book ultra pro ;)