Built to capture brilliance
For artists, bands, and producers, Pro Tools | Carbon ™ is a new breed of audio interface—built to capture brilliance. It’s a hybrid audio production system that features incredible sound quality and combines the power of your native CPU with onboard HDX DSP acceleration. So you can push your computer to the limit when you mix and record through AAX DSP plugins with near-zero latency monitoring. All at the touch of a button. All in Pro Tools.
For artists, bands, producers, and engineers, Pro Tools | Carbon is the most inspiring audio interface we’ve ever made. This new hybrid audio production system works intelligently together with Pro Tools, putting power at your fingertips to record with AAX DSP plugins and monitor performances in real time—without any audible delay. Pristine converters, double resolution clocking, and our most transparent mic preamp design yet ensure that every detail of every performance is captured with the utmost clarity. With plenty of headroom to fully optimise your mix. And with 25 x 34 simultaneous ins and outs, including four headphone outs to handle cue mixes, you have all the connections you need to capture the best performances, from solo artists to an entire band.
Create without constraint
With HDX DSP acceleration under its hood, Carbon has the power to keep pace with your imagination.Intelligently integrated with Pro Tools, it lets you push your CPU to the limit when working with virtual instruments and mixing. Then tap into turbocharged performance at the touch of a button to record through AAX DSP plugins in real time—with near-zero latency monitoring. Without ever leaving Pro Tools. So, say goodbye to third-party apps and put all your focus on the music you’re making—not what you’re making it with.
Sonically exceptional
Every aspect of Carbon is engineered in pursuit of sonic excellence. Superior audio conversion. Double resolution clocking. And our most transparent preamp design ever. All details have been meticulously considered, so that every nuance of every performance is captured with the greatest depth, dimension, and clarity. All you have to do is press record.
Connect the whole band
With 25 x 34 simultaneous I/O, Carbon is ready to record any session—from a solo artists to full bands. Eight pristine preamps, four headphone outputs, and 16 channels of ADAT I/O open up creative possibilities for miking, cue mixing, and expansion. Plus, its super-fast, high-bandwidth Ethernet connection not only preserves the highest possible sound quality from input to output, it’s designed to support future workflow enhancements too.
Key features and benefits
Pro Tools integration
Get intelligent Pro Tools integration with the Hybrid Engine. The Hybrid Engine maximises the performance of Pro Tools by using your native CPU and HDX DSP processing at the same time. When you put a track in DSP mode, Carbon accelerates real-time AAX DSP plugins while your CPU plays back the rest of your mix. And because every AAX DSP plugin has a native counterpart, you can move seamlessly between worlds at the touch of a button. Record with HDX DSP power for near-zero latency monitoring. And work natively with the same plugins. Even without Carbon connected.
Go beyond limits with AAX DSP
AAX is the only plugin architecture with true hybrid capability. It’s designed to deliver the same sound quality in both native and HDX DSP domains. That means you can disconnect Carbon and take your mix on the road or collaborate with others who don’t have the interface. And with unmatched dynamic range and the ability for 64-bit float double precision processing, AAX plugins deliver cleaner sound with more headroom.
Create and shape sounds with premium plugins included
In addition to the 115 AAX plugins that come with Pro Tools—including the Avid Complete Plugin Bundle, HEAT, and UVI Falcon—Carbon comes with a collection of premium plugins and sounds to get you started. Produce with virtual instruments from Arturia, UVI and Native Instruments. And dial in polished sounds with premium AAX DSP dynamics, EQs, and amp simulations from McDSP and Plugin Alliance. And when you’re ready to take your sound further, there are thousands of AAX plugins and over 250 more AAX DSP plugins available.
Performance
Get epic performance with HDX DSP acceleration. With a custom-designed FPGA and eight HDX DSPs at its core, Carbon is a powerhouse. The FPGA routes audio lightning fast—one sample at a time—with virtually no latency, while the HDX DSPs handle real-time plugin processing, performing an amazing 22.4 billion operations per second. So, no matter how big your session gets, or how many plugins you use, you can always record with sub-1 ms latency monitoring. And it frees up your CPU cores for virtual instruments and more creative mixing.
Sound
Capture every detail with pristine converters
The best sound quality begins with exceptional audio converters. We went the extra mile designing ours with four ADCs per channel, providing a remarkable 126 dB dynamic range. From input, to the HDX DSPs, and into Pro Tools, the entire gain structure works at uniform 32-bit precision, providing more headroom without any signal degradation. The result? You can capture clean, natural sounding audio. Every time you record.
Let performances shine with transparent mic preamps
With a padless design, incredible 126 dB dynamic range, and support for 32-bit/192 kHz audio conversion, Carbon features the most pristine preamps we’ve ever made. Capture performances without colouration. Bypass any preamp to use your own outboard gear. And with Variable Z built in, you can adjust input impedance to optimise or alter the tone of any microphone or instrument—from dynamic and ribbon mics, to guitar and bass.
Get double resolution clocking
Precision clocking is crucial for distortionless, artifact-free audio. That’s why we designed a double resolution implementation of the patented JetPLL ™ jitter elimination technology that runs twice as fast as typical JetPLL-based clocks for better sound and separation. And it’s twice as accurate, with extraordinarily low jitter, ensuring high-fidelity capture and playback.
I/O
Connect all the gear you need
Carbon comes loaded with a full complement of analog and digital I/O at your disposal. With the ability to run 25 x 34 simultaneous ins and outs—including eight mic pres and four headphone outputs—you can record any ensemble, from a solo musician to an entire band.
- 8 mic preamps with Variable Z (impedance) on inputs 5–8
- Variable Z instrument inputs
- Stereo monitor outputs
- 8 x 8 line I/O
- 4 headphone outputs
- 16 channels ADAT I/O
- Word Clock I/O
- Footswitch
- 2 Ethernet ports
The future is Ethernet
Carbon connects to your computer over Ethernet. Based on AVB, our version of this high-bandwidth, low-latency connection streams audio to your host system at 32-bit float precision—the first in the industry. That means you’ll always have plenty of headroom throughout the system to optimise the sound quality and dynamics of your mix. And it primes Carbon for additional enhancements in the future.
Operation
Thermal design. Quietly cool.
A high-performance audio interface generates a lot of heat. That’s why we innovated a thermal design that quietly keeps Carbon cool—even when stacked with other gear in your rack. A single axial fan gently pushes air from the front of the interface to the back, modulating its speed to dissipate heat. Plus, it’s super quiet, so it can stay in the same room with you as you record.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Avid-qualified Ethernet or Thunderbolt-equipped Mac computer (see details)
INPUTS
Combo Mic/Line Inputs
8 balanced XLR/TRS with Variable Z (impedance) on inputs 5–8
DB25 Line Inputs
8 balanced via 25-pin D-sub
Instrument (Variable Z) Inputs
2 unbalanced ¼-inch TS
Digital Inputs
ADAT: 16 channels @ 44.1–96 kHz
ADAT: 8 channels @ 176.4–192 kHz
A/D CONVERSION
Mic Preamps
Dynamic Range: 126 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -105 dB (0.00056%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
EIN: -129 dB (A-weighted)
Line Inputs
Dynamic Range: 125 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -106 dB (0.0005%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
Line Inputs (True Bypass)
Dynamic Range: 126 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -113 dB (0.00022%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
Instrument Inputs
Dynamic Range: 125 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -103 dB (0.0007%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
OUTPUTS
DB25 Line Outputs
8 balanced via 25-pin D-sub
Monitor Outputs
2 balanced ¼-inch TRS
Headphone Outputs
4 stereo ¼-inch TRS
Digital Outputs
ADAT: 16 channels @ 44.1–96 kHz
ADAT: 8 channels @ 176.4–192 kHz
D/A CONVERSION
Line Outputs
Dynamic Range: 120 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -110 dB (0.0003%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
Monitor Outputs
Dynamic Range: 120 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N: -110 dB (0.0003%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
Headphone Outputs
Power: 100 mW into 300 ohm; 200 mW into 32 ohm
Dynamic Range: 116 dB (A-weighted)
THD+N (32 ohm): -87 dB (0.0045%)
THD+N (300 ohm): -100 dB (0.001%)
Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHz, ±0.1 dB
DSP ACCELERATION
HDX DSP
8 HDX DSP processors
(2.8 GHz aggregated processing)
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Pro Tools | Carbon audio interface
Pro Tools software
1-year subscription with a Pro Tools perpetual parachute*
116 AAX plugins (over 70 AAX DSP plugins), including UVI Falcon, Celemony Melodyne 5 essential, the Avid Complete Plugin Bundle, and HEAT
3 free months of Antares Auto-Tune Unlimited, including Auto-Tune Hybrid
5.4 GB sound library
Standard support
Included premium plugins
Arturia Rev PLATE-140
Brainworx bx_console N
Brainworx bx_rockrack
Brainworx bx_masterdesk
Brainworx bx_Purple Audio MC77
Embody Immerse Virtual Studio
McDSP 6050 Ultimate Channel Strip HD
Native Instruments Vintage Organs
UVI Model D
Accessories
Power cable
Ethernet cable
Rackmount screws and desktop feet
Registration card
* Carbon comes with a 1-year subscription to Pro Tools software, which includes access to the Avid Complete Plugin Bundle, HEAT, UVI Falcon 2, Celemony Melodyne 5 essential, a 5,4 GB Sound-Library, and Standard support, renewable annually. 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). Please note that you will need to renew your subscription if you’d like to continue receiving access to the latest Pro Tools updates and all bundled items noted above. To learn more, visit avid.com/carbon-faq.