Pro Tools everyone?

[Kolstad]

I wonder how many of you are Pro Tools users?I must admit getting an Mbox 2 is tempting. Right now there's an offer getting PT LE with it, and from that you get a free upgrade to PT8 as I understand it.So basically you get PT8 for the cost of an Mbox (I might be wrong).I'm perfectly happy using Ableton Live, though, so I wonder how much is gained by having PT too? The twain should work great together through Rewire, though.Not sure if the industry standard argument is valid anymore, as Live can handle both WAV. and AIFF, but of course not with BWF or OMF?I have a bunch of software that'll work in both DAW's, so thats not really an issue. Many say that PT has a great sound quality, though? I am concerned with the hassle of paying for the slightest effect and vst, that came with Digidesigns accessability politics, though.I DO consider getting PT, though for ease of sharing projects with collaborators, and perhaps for the potentially better sound quality, though.My main use are tracking country songs, as well as some tv/film stuff and occasional overdubs for collaborators w/Pro Tools.Any inputs?

[markjsmith]

Hi, I'm a MOTU guy and I know I'm the minority here, but if your happy with Abelton stay with that until there is some feature that another platform has that you can't live without. The reality is at this point most of the DAW platforms are pretty similar in features (all but a few). They all have their strengths. I think the main issue of switching platforms would be if you absolutely needed a new computer or OS, and your DAW wasn't compatible with the new machine ie Snow Leapord.

[mazz]

There are only two reasons I would consider switching to Pro Tools:1. I lost my mind and decided to open a recording studio for hire.2. I had a big TV show client or similar that insisted I provide Pro Tools sessions to them. They'd have to be a really big valuable client to make me want to switch all together. I might still consider composing with my usual DAW and loading the files into PT for sending the sessions.These days with every DAW worth it's salt able to import any type of audio file, it's really not necessary to use Pro Tools for your music unless you really want to or you're already using it (or for the reasons I stated above). If you are going to collaborate with folks that use Pro Tools, just bounce all your tracks so they start at the absolute beginning of the timeline and let them know that's what you did. When they bring them into their session, as long as they start them all at the same time, they'll all just line up and they're good to go.There's lots of discussion about the "sound" of different DAWs and how they do their bussing, etc. These discussions are usually by people with too much time on their hands and who think they can hear the differences between power cables, so it should be taken with a large grain of salt. If your music sounds good and is well written and gets placements, who gives a s**t what you recorded it on? Your ASCAP/BMI check won't reflect it, your publisher doesn't care, the audience for sure could care less. When the plumber came to fix your sink, did you hire him because he uses a certain brand of pipe wrench? I didn't think so.Make music with the tools you know and enjoy. Leave the peer pressure to the geeks and people without a life.Just my 2cMazz

[jonathanm]

I'm a SONAR user, but after playing around with most of the major DAWs, I'd say they're all pretty much the same. The difference is usually the skills of the person sitting at the desk.

[mfowler]

I agree with Mazz and Jonathanm.....Marlin

[japaneseprincess]

I've been a Pro Tools user for about 4 years (with my Mbox 2). My production is more to do with live recording rather than MIDI oriented, so personally I'm very happy with Pro Tools apart from the fact that it can be a nightmare when i upgrade my OS etc. I just bought Pro Tools LE 8 for my new macbook and everything started to crash, but as long as I followed trouble shooting steps, it started working ok since last night.Pro Tools is crap with MIDI, its really not made for that. but for recording and editing, its very fast and im so comfortable with it. tracking vocals/ guitars etc and comping goes really quick because i know all the keyboard short cuts. I know there are many PT haters, thats mostly to do with MIDI in PT. i think PT is great for live recording and editing, and it makes my little bedroom sound like a recording studio with a live band. nothing can replace good musicianship though... Just a thought.. dont bully me. i love my Mbox 2, cos its got a handle.

[simonparker]

YES, I'm a PT junkie. NO MAZZ, I am not opening a studio for hire. In fact, I'm not worried about broadcast quality tracks, I'm not that heavy into music libraries, and in fact, most of my demos are done outside my studio. So why do I have it? Because I produce a lot now-a-days, and even though I'm in other studios round the country, I can hop on PT and work the production and mix. If I had Logic, Sonar, etc and never used my PT setup, I wouldn't have this luxary. Also, I love to put together my own songs/instrumentals that will never be released to the public. It's my fun time. A lot of it requires editing that is easier in Pro-Tools. I also go into plug-in overload, which is easy because all my plug-ins are Digidesign approved.So YES MAZZ, if you have Logic, or Ableton, or Reason or whatever and you LOVE using it, then no, don't switch. You can get great mixes and satisfaction with your brand.But for me, I need PT. To Japanese Princess, the new PT 8.0 has a MIDI only edit screen, which allows you to edit and quantize your MIDI instruments on your session. So I think it's gotten a ton better.

[bigbluebarry]

I'm a PT user, LE 8.0.1, and for the most part, I use it for live instruments. With version 8, Avid/Digidesign made some improvements to the MIDI aspect of PT. From what I've been told, it's still not as user-friendly for MIDI as Logic is, but it's definitely an improvement over the earlier versions of PT, which I have used.Re: PT being the industry standard... well, that really depends on which "industry" you're referring to. If you're talking about the big post-production facilities, then yeah, I'd say PT HD is still the standard. And even around the major studios in Nashville, I'd say it's still probably the most commonly used DAW. But for the home and project studio market, there are several DAW's out there that are pretty much all on the same playing field. Each one has a few pro's/con's that the others don't have.One thing about PT is that they are VERY picky about the types of systems that are "qualified" to run their software. And if you're not a tech-savvy person then PT might not be for you. I once heard someone say something to the effect of having Pro Tools really helped them become a much better systems engineer with their computer. If you're really itching to move to PT, then I'd see if you could find someone local who has a copy of it and go to their studio and play around with it. Get an idea for how the workflow process will differ from what you're already accustomed to.But honestly, if you're happy with your current system and you're able to produce music at a level that you're happy with, as well as broadcast quality, then I'd say stay with it.- Big Blueps - JP, send the PT haters my way, I got your back!

[mojobone]

I don't have a problem with ProTools hardware or software; I use it in other people's studios. (don't need to learn it when they have a guy to run it, it's what I'm paying them for) I do have a problem with how Digi treats their customers when it comes to upgrades. They've done stuff that required all their (non-native) customers to basically have to buy the hardware all over again. No, thanks.

[mazz]

Nov 19, 2009, 12:12pm, simonparker wrote:YES, I'm a PT junkie. NO MAZZ, I am not opening a studio for hire. In fact, I'm not worried about broadcast quality tracks, I'm not that heavy into music libraries, and in fact, most of my demos are done outside my studio. So why do I have it? Because I produce a lot now-a-days, and even though I'm in other studios round the country, I can hop on PT and work the production and mix. If I had Logic, Sonar, etc and never used my PT setup, I wouldn't have this luxary. Also, I love to put together my own songs/instrumentals that will never be released to the public. It's my fun time. A lot of it requires editing that is easier in Pro-Tools. I also go into plug-in overload, which is easy because all my plug-ins are Digidesign approved.So YES MAZZ, if you have Logic, or Ableton, or Reason or whatever and you LOVE using it, then no, don't switch. You can get great mixes and satisfaction with your brand.But for me, I need PT. To Japanese Princess, the new PT 8.0 has a MIDI only edit screen, which allows you to edit and quantize your MIDI instruments on your session. So I think it's gotten a ton better. I guess I should add:3. If I was producing in many other studios. This way at least you know the software when you sit down at the computer. It makes sense because it's way more efficient.One of the attractions to me of being a self contained composer is I don't have to leave my house if I don't want to.