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Pro Tools 12 VS Logic X

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 6:29 pm
by simstar
Hello,

I have been sifting thru this forum for awhile now, and have found a lot of valuable information. As a long time PT user, I am considering moving to Logic.
My home system is PT 8, but am very familiar with working in 10 at various studios, but in audio post production capacity. ( no midi to speak of) I am looking to purchase a refurbished iMac say mid 2015 ( as per some of your recommendations). Also in the market for new interface, have been using AVID Mbox, so any input on that would be appreciated. I am a singer/songwriter/ keyboardist, so I don't need a lot of inputs - not recording bands or anything. I don't really have a sound library, just with the stock PT stuff . Also I would like to expand my writing for instrumental cues.

Some questions for you PT diehards ( of which I am one) - have the midi applications improved much with the new versions? Have any of you made the switch to Logic and never looked back? Will it take me a year + to get up to speed on Logic? :( What about the old adage that people prefer to write/compose in Logic but edit/mix in PT? Is that still a thing? Are realistic contemporary drums /grooves better in Logic?
What about the per month pricing for PT? I feel like b/c I do work in audio post I cannot do away with PT completely and don't want to get too far behind the curve - Is it desirable to utilize both PT and Logic?

Geez I guess I have a lot of questions..

I appreciate any feedback you guys have!
Thanks,
Lucy

Re: Pro Tools 12 VS Logic X

Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 3:50 am
by edmondredd
Hey Lucy,
No a PT user, but a Logic one.
Usually, if you really know your DAW, it's better to stick with it. There's no 'perfect' DAW, there's only what's perfect for you DAW, and it's the one that let you makes music, without worrying about shortcuts and how to get around.
This being said, there are few considerations: First, usability on cross platforms. While PT is available on both mac and pcs, Logic however is Mac exclusive. So if you need to go back to PC someday, you won't be able to have Logic on there.
Second, there are few DAW that are designed for a certain purpose: ie Abelton is cherished by people who do live performances. While it can handle midi and audio, it's not really designed for sync to video; whereby PT is.
Talking of which, both PT and Logic can be used to sync to video, I feel that PT handles timing better.
Probably the main advantage of Logic over PT is that for $200 you have way much more than that, in terms of plug-ins, synth, drummer and sound library, but again, if you're doing single instrument with voice, you might find you don't need all of that.
There are lots of variables, and sorry if my answer is not straight to the point. I don't think any answer will be, it's a matter of taste, really!

Re: Pro Tools 12 VS Logic X

Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 12:32 pm
by Anders
Hi Lucy,

I made the switch from PT 7 to Logic last year.
After some great advice here at the forums I also ended up buying Audient ID4 sound card which has been really good (before that I worked with Mbox 2).
pro-tools-from-7-to-12-t135769.html

I would recommend watching some of the tutorials at MusicTechHelpGuy, there is a great 101 course that explains/shows everything really well
https://www.youtube.com/user/MusicTechHelpGuy/playlists
I remember watching a few of them before deciding and they have been a great help for me getting up to speed with Logic.

Good luck!
/Anders

Re: Pro Tools 12 VS Logic X

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 1:27 pm
by andygabrys
Hi Lucy,

As Anders posted above with the links - there is a lot of info in those threads. I happen to be a frequent respondent as well :lol:

To directly answer your questions as I use both Logic X and Pro Tools 12:
Some questions for you PT diehards ( of which I am one) - have the midi applications improved much with the new versions?
No - its virtually the same.
Have any of you made the switch to Logic and never looked back?
I think there are a few that have gotten fed up with AVIDS pricing scheme and lack of forward movement on the PT vanilla version.

Not all of them have gone to Logic though. May prefer Cubase, and some have gone to Digital Performer - although mainly people who do scoring and mockups.
Will it take me a year + to get up to speed on Logic? :
If you can get around Pro Tools well you should be up to speed in much less than a year. Its the same beast with a different looking front end. The key in both is learning the hot key commands.
What about the old adage that people prefer to write/compose in Logic but edit/mix in PT?
Its simultaneously a lame time wasting thing to do, and a great way to diversify and spend your time composing and hire a mix engineer to work in PT to finalize your work. Depends on how much you are making $$, whether you tend to specialize in film scoring over cues, how much music you are contracted to produce per week and whether you detest mixing.

In the past there were some beefs with Logic and other daws vs. PT HD which often had better convertors etc and utilized hardware accelerator cards to run plugins. These days convertors are pretty good even on consumer level systems, accelerator cards aren't usually necessary because modern CPUs are very powerful, and a lot of people produce broadcast quality mixes in their bedrooms.

Just about any DAW runs 64 bit internally in the mix engine, or at least 32 bit which is still a ridiculous amount of headroom.

There are some who "like" mixing in PT better, or like the audio editing better. That's fine - and ultimately its because of their preferences that they will spend more time to get the same work done if they write on one DAW and then export stems and mix in PT.

I would say at this point - Logic is still a little better for MIDI, and Pro Tools has a more robust and foolproof audio editing tool set. But not enough that I would ever start a production in Logic, and then export stems and mix in Pro Tools.

The only reason I use both Logic and PT is so I can collaborate with a greater range of people and just send the sessions back and forth instead of starting from scratch.
Are realistic contemporary drums /grooves better in Logic?
The drummer in Logic is awesome. And its very fast and flexible to make grooves. However, any drum VI has a lot of included MIDI content that are usually live loops played by a drummer on an acoustic kit, and its pretty easy to edit and cut paste.

As for "contemporary" grooves - simpler tends to be better, and a lot of current indie rock / pop is like electro simple. You can even program this stuff piece by piece all on the grid quantized and a lot of the groove in the song is how the other instruments and any live performances interact with that steady drum beat.
What about the per month pricing for PT?
So lame. Hate it. Haven't paid for it for more than a year and am stuck at 12.4. Eventually I will have to signup again.
I feel like b/c I do work in audio post I cannot do away with PT completely and don't want to get too far behind the curve - Is it desirable to utilize both PT and Logic?
If you make your money in Post, then you pretty much need to keep up PT. And keep on doing audio post in PT. Its industry standard even if there is no standard any longer. More of a perception that people need to see PT in a post house or studio.

Logic is only $199. If you have the cash, go for it. But spend the time to learn it well enough that you don't band-aid the two DAWs together. Logic is powerful on its own for mixing, editing, and finalizing.

Re: Pro Tools 12 VS Logic X

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 11:28 am
by simstar
Hi,

Thank you Edmond, Anders and Andy (!) for giving me your sage advice and links!

Andy, thanks for taking the time to answer all my pesky questions and giving me your thoughts on the whole "compose in Logic, mix in PT " issue.

Thinking I will invest the $200 on logic , and a friend of mine offered to sell me ( discounted) the boxed PT 12 that he actually one at the NAMM show which I will probably take him up on - but I do intend to wrap my head around Logic - so those links will become my new besties! My new Mac will be here tomorrow!! :D So excited!

Thanks again,

Lucy