Recording Software for Mac

[Giganova]

Hi all --

I guess this has been discussed many times but I needed quick purchasing advice. I recently switched to a Mac PowerBook Pro and need a recording software to record and mix a small jazz band.

What would you recommend?

1) ProTools M-Powered ($249, would support my M-Audio interface)
2) Ableton Live ($299 as upgrade from a Lite version I have)
3) Logic Express ($299)

I need a lot of plugins, so ProTools seems attractive as it comes with tons of plugins in a bundle, and is actually the cheapest of all software I narrowed it down to.

Ableton Live is very intuitive, which I like a lot, but it doesn't come with any plugins (compressors, reverb, etc).

Logic Express seems a bit like a toy, but I used the full version of Logic 5 for a few years a loved it. Can't afford and don't need the full version right now.

Cheers!

 

[ConfuciousDrgon]

Seems to me, that if you're willing and able to make the jump to pro tools, you might as well... it is the "God" software after all.

 

[Giganova]

PT is not necessarily the best, though. I find it attractive as a recording software as it includes tons of useful plugins (Bomb Factory, etc), but what puts me off is that I needed to have the hardware interface with me all the time even if I just want to listen to a session while traveling because PT doesn;t even start if it doesn't find the interface.

 

[ConfuciousDrgon]

Which is precisely why I haven't made the jump to Pro Tools. But that's what I mean... if you're willing to make that jump... might as well.