ProTools/Logic vs Cubase etc -

[georginasaint]

Hi all, I had an "interesting" email today from a hit songwriter but I won't say his name. He lives in my town so I asked him some recording advise. He said that Protools is the industry standard and anything else (other than perhaps Logic) is for hobbyists. Is this right? Anyone know of any websites that compare DAWs performance etc? I do know that most recording studios have ProTools. I have Cubase - does that make me a rank amateur?? I have nothing to compare it with. I spoke to a recording engineer who said I could take my Cubase tracks in as WAV files and he could put them into Protools - is this right? Will they line up and all be in time???This songwriter is not a nice person, I have to say, sadly. SO full of himself. He disturbed me. I'm glad he's not a Taxi member. I've had a strange day, what with his email and my next door neighbor being arrested (hurrah!) that's a whole other story. Georgie

[Mark Kaufman]

If you want good advice on a recording system, don't ask a hit songwriter, ask an engineer.If you want good advice on writing hit songs, now you can ask the engineer to leave the room for a moment. Of course, that engineer might still have great advice on that as well...Industry standard does not mean better, it means more prevalent. ProTools is like Microsoft Windows or Coca-Cola...it commands the market, but that doesn't mean the other brands are worse. All the DAWs have their strengths and weaknesses, and there are many that do some things in easier ways than in ProTools. But whatever you use, you can always convert your tracks for use in a ProTools studio. With every passing year, all the DAWs get better and better. In a few more years, converting all your tracks to WAV files will probably be a quick as burning a CD. Find a DAW you like and learn it well.Oh, by the way, I read a post from a veteran producer the other day on Gearslutz who said in passing that even though "most studios use either ProTools or Cubase", the other DAWs are also great too... (I like Cubase too.)

[hummingbird]

Sept 18, 2008, 1:30pm, georginasaint wrote:Hi all, I had an "interesting" email today from a hit songwriter but I won't say his name. He lives in my town so I asked him some recording advise. He said that Protools is the industry standard and anything else (other than perhaps Logic) is for hobbyists. Is this right? Anyone know of any websites that compare DAWs performance etc? I do know that most recording studios have ProTools. I have Cubase - does that make me a rank amateur?? I have nothing to compare it with. I spoke to a recording engineer who said I could take my Cubase tracks in as WAV files and he could put them into Protools - is this right? Will they line up and all be in time???This songwriter is not a nice person, I have to say, sadly. SO full of himself. He disturbed me. I'm glad he's not a Taxi member. I've had a strange day, what with his email and my next door neighbor being arrested (hurrah!) that's a whole other story. GeorgieI think you already answered your own question. Your instincts tell you this guy's a jerk. So why would you listen to anything he says? I know professional composers who use Logic, Sonar, CuBase, ProTools, Digital Performer... and I myself use MacKie's Tracktion. We all get forwards and have signed deals with publishers & libraries. It's not the tool, it's having the skill & knowledge to use it. And let's just add this - whether you have ProTools or not, it all starts with the composition - the craft of songwriting. Having ProTools will not make a so-so-song great.This kinda reminds me of when I first started thinking about moving to the Island. I went to the largest music school here and had an interview with the person in charge of the voice department. She was not interested in hiring me, and she also told me that competition was fierce and the only way I'd get any students was to go out into the suburbs. More fool me, I believed her & resigned myself to the idea that I couldn't make a go of it here. But later I had the chance to share a space for awhile, so I put an ad in the local weekly for one month to see if I could get a couple students. Well... I had to pull it after 2 or 3 weeks because I had so many replies! I haven't run an ad in any paper here for years - and my studio is chock full and I have a waiting list. In other words, don't buy the hype.

[matto]

Sept 18, 2008, 1:30pm, georginasaint wrote:I have Cubase - does that make me a rank amateur?? Haha...it puts you in the same boat as that "rank amateur" Hans Zimmer, among many others. I write music for a living and happen to use Cubase. I'm sure I could also make a living using Logic, or Sonar or DP...or even ProTools (but who wants to suffer... ).ProTools IS the standard for *recording* in professional studios (largely for historical reasons btw), but there is no professional standard for composing, and most professional composers use something other than ProTools to *compose* on.Don't listen to this fool...go write some music! matto

[georginasaint]

Awh, very interesting stuff you guys can't wait to meet you all at the Rally!Yes you've given me good info there and confirmed my thoughts on what this guy said! I stick to my Cubase.Many thanks!Georgie

[crystallions]

The same happened to me a couple of weeks ago. I contacted a composer in LA who writes for some major TV shows and asked if he would have time to talk and give me some advice. He said yes. We talked for a while on the phone and then he asked what program I use when I compose. I said DP. He laughed and then told me that I will never get a job scoring films if I use DP - "the standard that everybody uses is Logic!!!" He said some other things that were kind of rude (such as I don't have the right to call myself a composer because he is a real composer.) I really don't think most producers will care if I use DP or Logic (or something else) as long as I get the job done... No producer has cared so far...I have heard great things about Cubase. Sorry the dude was a jerk. That is why I keep being amazed at this forum. The people here are great at what they do but also nice!!! What a great combination! I talked with Michael Plowman a couple of years ago (great composer - wrote the music for Splinter Cell among other things) and he said that what's needed in the entertainment industry today are people that are talented, honest and nice. There's a bunch of those here!