Post
by mazz » Sun Jan 30, 2011 10:02 am
Dwayne,
I tend to agree with you on a lot of those points. I've been editing MIDI data in some sort of notation window since I started on MOTU Performer (now Digital Performer) back in the early 1990s. But Pro Tools was at first very audio-centric (remember Sound Tools?) and I think the MIDI function was sort of tacked on at some point and was never really their main focus until somewhat recently, and the notation editing came in when Avid bought Sibelius a couple of years ago.
I think ProTools became the industry standard because they were basically first, and people swear by anything they use because they have a huge time investment into it and because they know it well.
Folks say that PT is really great for audio editing, well in DP I can do multiple edits across many audio tracks, move stuff around, crossfade, etc., all the very same editing functions, and it may not operate exactly the same way as PT, it works great for me partly because I'm used to it. And I don't have to worry about compatibility with other studios because I just send audio files if I need to collaborate. So it makes no sense for me to switch to ProTools just because someone says it's the "standard". I would rather spend the time practicing my EWI or Accordion than learning another DAW!!!
If someone is getting their first DAW or is thinking about moving to Pro Tools, these are the questions I would ask:
1. Are you opening a commercial for hire studio where you would be having various projects and engineers coming through? If the answer is yes, then I would say get ProTools and don't look back.
2. Are you doing a lot of MIDI composing and keeping the projects in-house, or with minimal collaboration with other facilities and musicians? In that case, I would say get something that feels right for you and your way of working. For some, Cubase might make their eyes go bleary and Reaper might be the perfect choice, who knows?
For me, the bottom line is: Can you make music on it efficiently without things that would impede your flow? Again, if one is just starting out, ANY DAW will be a steep climb and if one is switching, it's going to be more of a process of breaking old habits and being open minded about things that are designed differently. If one is already making music on whatever system they are using and the music is great and comes out the way they want, why switch?
I recently attended a master class evening with a guy named Carmen Rizzo. In addition to being a mixer and remixer, he is also an electronic music artist. He basically uses ProTools for everything including MIDI and he didn't seem to think it was a problem. Again, he's been using ProTools for years and so he's used to it. His music didn't sound compromised in any way, he's pretty successful and what he does!!
Again, I agree that ProTools as a composing platform is just now coming into it's own, but just like Microsoft, it's the standard of the industry in large part because of the de facto nature of being the first and of so many people using it. People complain about how clunky Microsoft Word is and how overly complicated it is, but they still go ahead and use it every day, and how many people did you hear complain about having to spend another 10K on hardware when Digidesign obsoleted their previous gear and yet they pulled out the credit card anyway? What is the "best" platform? That's an unwinnable argument. IMO, it's whatever works for that individual and let the end result (the music) stand on it's own.
