Pro Tools everyone?

[hammersmith]

I started with MIDI and an old version of Cakewalk. I bought a 001 and tried to go to PT, but the hardware failed and needed to be sent away for repair. When it came back, it wouldn't run on my old PC. I did a lot of research and upgraded my PC. It wouldn't run on the new one either. I sold it at a loss, bought a new interface, and never looked back.I've run a few different versions of Cubase since and currently run v4. It's ok -- it does most things really well, but is incomprehensibly retarted in other areas. I wish there was something better, but I get the feeling they're all like this. My only loyalty in these things is anti-Apple -- which currently leaves me with a PC/WinXP.

[ren]

Has anyone tried the Pro Tools Essential (stripped down version) that comes with an M-Audio Fast Track for about $ 100? I understand that the files created with this version will transfer to the higher end Pro Tools versions and that might be a better way to get your feet wet with the product before making such a big investment and tackling such a huge learning curve.

[mojobone]

I looked into that long ago and decided against it; there are simply too many artificial limitations to make it worthwhile for me. I'd have needed to upgrade as soon as I reached the track-count limit, and I prefer to pay once rather than over and again. If you don't absolutely need to learn ProTools and you're on a budget, you're much better off with something like Reaper or Tracktion, IMO.

[johnnythunderbox]

ProTools does have a greater learning curve than many of the other DAW's. I got into it through a friend of mine who uses it at his studio; it's what I'm used to now. So I guess we use whatever we're most familiar with.

[matt277]

I ve been-a-reading this and I dont get why people are saying PTs is harder to learn. It leaves Logic for dead in terms of user friendly (especially midi mapping). Protools is the greatest DAW ever invented which is why all the industry people of all genres are useing it- Mutt Lange, Tricky Stewart, Timbaland, Stargate..the list goes on and on. Everyone who uses Cubase or Logic do so because they havent experienced it and thus dont know any better. The only con is you need to run a really decent preamp into the Mbox to get a warm signal.

[Len911]

Matt, I use Cubase, and I don't disagree with you at all about the ease of learning PT, I couldn't imagine anything more difficult or unintuitive than cubase, at first I was totally overwhelmed! PT might have been my first choice, had I had a limitless budget, and intended on hiring out for studio work. I was even less impressed with the interface hardware (cost vs. quality), double to triple the price for the plugins compared to the vst plugins. I, at most use 2 inputs at one time, I didn't see any mic pre's for the price comparable to my API preamps that I already had. It looks like things have changed a little since I first looked into it, and the sw catalog has an ad that one could upgrade from pt le to pt/hd, for under $5000!! Seriously, for me it would make more sense to invest in my dream a/d converters like lavry, prism etc. than to invest in a pt system. My goal has always been to invest in 1 or 2 channels of great, than 16 channels of mediocre. I don't hire out or record bands, but if I did they would have to be recorded either one at a time or as a whole band, using the 2 channels I have. My weakest link is a RME a/d converter, sort of ran low on money before I bought the lavry,lol!! I don't consider myself an engineer at all, I'm not a tweaker, so I sorta need something I don't have to tweak around on and really mess up, and I learned long ago that there's no tweaking some gear to get any better sound out of it, it sounds the way it sounds. I think I strayed from topic, but to sum it all up, I would say, depending on one's needs, there is so much more bang for the buck outside protools.

[robbylane]

For Casey. This reply is a bit delayed, as it has been a while since I tuned into this topic again. But I wanted to respond to the "topic of DAW sound quality".
While many people here in our Taxi Forum family have expressed that most DAW's are equally good, that may be true in 2009. However, all things DAW were not equal in terms of sound quality just a few years ago, when I was DAW-shopping online. I live in northern WI where DAW-equipped music stores are still unheard of, so had little choice. As I checked out sites like Cubase, Cakewalk, Mackie's Tracktion and etc, I found that...according to MY ears, Pro Tools sounded the best, hand-down. PT may have presented the biggest learning curve, but I was (and am) able to learn any recording software. Though I can learn how to use it, should that software have limitations with the sound quality by design....and I cannot do anything within my budget to fix that (such as a $3,000 Apogee apparatus), then it was not worth it to buy it.
Perhaps NOW.....if I were going to build a new DAW-based system, and I went online to compare DAW software and interfaces, I might find that most DAW systems DO in fact sound much better in December of 2009 (current date) than it did 2 or 3 years ago.
On a side note, I was surprised to find actual recording software in Walmart, which is the Sony Acid Music Studio 7 for $60, so I bought it.
For one of my other computers, I plan to get the Line 6 Guitar Port Riff Tracker Hardware Software Combo for $190. Nice tones, Instant Drummer and super-easy to use.

[matt277]

Halion comes with cubase that is true. And with protools you have to purchase Structure (sampler) for an additional $800 and transfuser (drum sampler). But as far as I know, you have to buy a firewire interface with cubase.

[ren]

Well, this is really late, but..., I was saying that the learning curve for PT was steep because prior to getting PT6.8 LE with an MBox2, I had only used two Cakewalk versions which were a lot easier for me to learn and use. Incidently, last January I bought the Session KeyStudio for $100 primarily for the keyboard that came with it, and I was STUNNED at how intuitive it was (though limited) and how NICE it sounded. Makes you wonder...,