what IS the big deal about protools?

  • Thread starter Thread starter shackrock
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shackrock

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honestly, a lot of these programs are VERY similar...what has pro tools done that has made it the industry standard?

haha.


Really, I've already learned VEGAS and have no reason to change, i can do everything i've ever wanted on it. haha.... anyone care to explain me? haha.
 
Aggresive marketing by Digidesign? Lord knows tons of pro's use Avid.

Beats me, though PT does have some awesome plug-ins available for it. I'm a Vegas man, too, and I have no reason to switch.

Just say no to Alsihad!
 
DSP H/W back in the days computers could barely run one reverb plug-in so PT was smart and made DSP cards and at the time PT was the cheapest out of all the DAWS.

A big sleeper also is the fact that Antares Autotune came out for PT first

and like you said all programs are pretty much the same so why should the pros stop using PT to learn something else that does the same thing?

shackrock said:
honestly, a lot of these programs are VERY similar...what has pro tools done that has made it the industry standard?

haha.


Really, I've already learned VEGAS and have no reason to change, i can do everything i've ever wanted on it. haha.... anyone care to explain me? haha.
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its all moot imho. as processors and busses get faster and faster everything will go native pc is my predict. the only thing we will argue about in the future is who makes the best convertors,mics, and pre's.
then even that tower of babel will fall probably maybe. in a few years a kid will be able to plug in a dollar store mic and the computer will display a list of options. like do you want a u87 sound thru a helios pre sound, or thru a ssl. etc etc. remember shack a lot of us computer nerds working in hi tech companies are daw owners too ! so the native revolution will come from the hi tech nerds working in their spare time and grow from there.
 
native revolution is already starting....but the biggest problem is compatibility, thats another deterrent from people switching to other programs.
 
Pro Tools isn't going away. That should be perfectly clear after everyone ran out and bought the HD systems. In general, the TDM plug-ins still sound better (and cost a whole lot more) than the majority of native plug ins. What I predict is that Pro Tools is here to saty, but more and more of the larger studios will add other native solutions to their arsenal as well. Pro Tools is too familiar to too many engineers, and the tightness of dedicated hardware and the TDM platform is still miles ahead of native solutions. The biggest problem I see is the cost, yet Digidesign is still selling tons of HD rigs, so I don't see Pro Tools fading out anytime soon at all, regardless of whats happening in the PC industry. Kind of like a Neumann U87. Good mic, but there are lots of other mics that in my opinion are just as versatile, maybe even sound better, and are more affordable. But you still see those U87's out there. I see native solutions becoming a viable alternative, but never actually "taking over".
 
In terms of using virtual instruments and the like, I cannot imagine PT holds a candle to Logic, Sonar or Nuendo. So, i think people will find a combination of tools working best for them...
 
mojew said:
Beat Detective!
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You can do the same thing in Nuendo.
Pro Tools has been around the longest and is in most pro studios. That is why it is the industry standard, because it existed 15 years ago and never went under.
Compatability is the biggest reason people choose ProTools now. You can take your session to any big studio and open it up.
 
I'll add another thing that is really Pro Tools' biggest advantage: simplicity. When Pro Tools was designed, it was designed for a world that had no DAWs, and consequently, it makes almost perfect sense to someone who already understands analog mixing consoles and tape machines. The "downside" to Pro Tools has always been that every other application does "more"... it used to be Logic was the killer app, with its killer MIDI implementation, environments, etc. But Pro Tools still sold, because it was easier to use. And it's the same thing today. More features=more complexity. It would not be hard for Digi to offer every feature under the sun, but it would make the product harder to use, or more cluttered, and I don't think they see much of a cost/benefit win of going that direction.

BTW, I use all of my VST plugins in Pro Tools. fxpansion VST-to-RTAS adapter has been a godsend.
 
I was just thinking about studios and protools, and realized that one of the most popular local studios in my area doesn't have protools at all, as far as I know.

Only digital I believe he's got is an ADAT system.

Maybe he's got some sorta setup to bring in protools sessions though and put them on tape.

I wouldn't invest in protools either if I already had a good 2' machine and huge neve console set up in the control room. =)
 
Protools is the industry standard because #1, it was the first program to record 4 tracks of audio on a desktop computer and #2 it works. Every component of the protools system is proprietary to the rest of it. This emiminates any hardware/software conflicts that are commonly found in other systems. When you're running a professional, million dollar+ studio, you NEED stability and reliablility. However, this definately makes it more expensive than other setups due to the fact that you'll periodically have to upgrade your hardware if you want to use the latest version of the software. But if you're running a high budget studio, this isn't as big of a deal. I'd have to admit, the user interface is really good too.
 
If I had a Neve console and a 2" machine, then Pro Tools HD would definately be my next investment. Integrating a 2:24 track, Pro Tools and a nice big analog console in my opinion is the most flexible, most powerul set up out there.

All this being said, and after defending Pro Tools earlier, I should state that I am NOT a Pro Tools owner. I run Nuendo, I can't afford a 2" tape machine (yet:) ), but it looks like in 3 weeks I will have my big console:D
 
Farview said:
Compatability is the biggest reason people choose ProTools now. You can take your session to any big studio and open it up.
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I wish that different programs could interact, or have a way to interact with each other to take files or studio logs to other studios or a friends band so that you could record with virtually anyone. ProTools came out with that internet (digiDelivery) that I don't know much about, but sounds really cool. I mean, you could email your tracks to people over the internet for internet bands and collaborate. But as soon as I say that, the first thing I see is people stealing other's. Huge copyright problems, yes?

That sounds cool, though.

I think that ProTools hits up the huge people with $$$ needing all kinds of music and video needs. I also think ProTools hits up the small guys with $$$ because of it's advertising and 'ease of use' that it claims it has.

Being a 16 year old growing up with the computer, I can easily see how I can understand new computer programs and computers in general better than my mother or grandmother. So I think the learning curve of anything can be figured out. Almost everyone has that mixing and editing screen...which people can relate to and pretty much get the hang of "out-of-the-box" stuff without getting into the manual.

BTW: Why isn't there a ProTools forum on here?
 
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Some people nailed it.

Just aggresive marketing and some claims to fame. It was the ease of use in the mid 90s that attracted alot of clients to PT equipped studios. Of course it was rare back then, now it's something "the whole family (plus your pets) can enjoy".
 
Because it makes absolute sense. If you go to a professional pro tools studio and start mixing with it you'll see.

It's like using photoshop to fix your pictures instead of an airbrush. The airbrush still works and there are slot of skilled airbrush masters out there but photoshop just gets better results and is a whole lot easier.

The mix section is like a professional old fashioned studio but with an easy to use interface and you can come back to your mixes whenever you like. It's honestly easier to use and better than anything else I've tried. Although I've only tried ADAT, Cubase VST, Cubase VST, Logic and Nuendo so far. As for the edit section, I'm don't think it's got too many advantages.
 
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