why does no one use pro tools?

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chrisp200

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whats wrong with the MBox and Pro Tools?

thats what i have been planning on getting for a while but now i dont know? it seems that no one realy uses them.

Pro tools is the only program i have even touched before so say i decided to go to a sound card that was cheaper like Echo Mia can i still use pro tools or should I use something like Magix audio? I just dont know what to get. If im going to get the same sound with a cheaper product i want to, but I just need some explanations...thanks
 
The digi001 and the mbox aren't really pro tools... They just share the same name for marketing. Real protools rigs are hardware based DSP systems that run 10's of thousands of dollars.

I personally use Sonar 3 with Wavelab 4 on a PC with a Delta 1010.
 
The whole budget digi thing just seems like a cheesy "let's capitalize on our Protools name even though these products aren't Protools" thing.

My guess is that most people (on this board, anyway) recognize this manipulation and realize they can probably get as good or better equipment for less money.
 
That's the reason why I haven't used ProTools yet and the fact that it cost too much. I was wanting to use it but for perhaps free. There was one that was like ProTools and has its name for free but it doesn't have all what I want in the features and plus by now, they don't have it for free now; since a tech on one of those tech programmes announced it was for free.
 
For the same money you can definately get better hardware. The only reason to really use PT is if you need the compatibility or really want to learn it for whatever reason.
 
my perspective

ive recorded in everything from top line london england studios down to home junk studios with a few mics. ie: ive recorded with crap on up to the best consoles and neumann mics.
imho the DAW PC has changed things dramatically for the small guy. An echo mia plus one of the following multitrack software -
magix, traktion, n track, powertracks,multitrack studio - all less than 100 bucks , and you will be able to do great songs with very low moise playable on radio. with this set up and a couple of good preamps the only variables are how good an audio engineer and producer and songwriter you are.
so heres the cost breakdown
multitrack software 80 bucks
echo mia 150
2 decent vtb1 preamps or dmp3 280 bucks.
total cost 510 bucks.
THATS ALL YOU NEED ! assuming you have a decent powerfull amd or intel computer and a few decent dynamic and condenser mics.
 
I've owned and ran Pro Tools on a Mac G4 and PC based systems with Vegas and Cakewalk. Pro Tools is WAY over priced compared to the PC alternatives to do the same job. The only thing PT has going for it is that most all pro studios use it (as it was the only game in town once upon a time but not anymore) so if you transport your work around to more than one studio, the common platform makes your project portable. Personally, I have no need for this portability so PT has priced themselves out of the market as far as I'm concerned.
 
spazex said:
There was one that was like ProTools and has its name for free but it doesn't have all what I want in the features and plus by now, they don't have it for free now; since a tech on one of those tech programmes announced it was for free.
Click to expand...
It's still there; you just have to know where to look: http://www.digidesign.com/ptfree/
 
My question is, what if you could get a digi 001 for the same price as the echo card, some software, and a couple preamps...as far as quality goes...which is better??

I've used digi 001's at school, i know what they can produce and it's good...but i have no experience with any other computer based recording tools...so if given the choice of both units...which would be better?
 
My question is, what if you could get a digi 001 for the same price as the echo card, some software, and a couple preamps...as far as quality goes...which is better??

I've used digi 001's at school, i know what they can produce and it's good...but i have no experience with any other computer based recording tools...so if given the choice of both units...which would be better?
 
renton

re; quality. no answer to that. it all depends how good an audio engineer you are imho. best thing to do is try the demoes of
various multitrack software and see for yourself.
its like asking how many qualified audio engineers does it take
to do a good recording. there is no answer. too many variables like room, mics, gear,engineering abilities, mic positioning.
at this level you'll get good recordings no matter what you get.
anything ech mia or audiophile 2496 and above will give you good recordings playable on the radio IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING !
 
There are a few people that use Pro Tools. As Tex mentioned, the main reason I switched from Cubase to PT is for portability to better studios, as well as to get more familiar with a fairly widespread platform.

While there are many other options availible these days, the industry gives up its hardware investments very slowly and the Pro Tools TDM rigs are very stable. Nothing sucks quite like having your system stop in the middle of a take (with a paying client) with a sweet little message for you like "You are using too many plugins..."

As for Pro Tools LE being marketing hype... I'm not so sure. I use a TDM system at work and it only got a few extra features (other than hardware DSP) and the syystems perform about the same. Especially with the most recent version of Pro Tools (6.x), Digi is accepting that the prosumer and budget conscious pro markets are taking a more central role. Plug-in manufacturers are now doing the same, as well. I know of one *very* professional Nashville engineer who's entire setup is based around a Digi 002.

The Mbox is a sweet little package: $450 for 2 quality preamps, hardware inserts while tracking, line and instrument level inputs, 2 headphone outputs, S/PDIF i/o, and the software that makes it all work. Digi typically has some whiz-bang software add-ons, too. Right now, its "lite" versions of Reason, Live, Sampletank, Amplitube, and an EQ from T-racks. That's *not* a bad deal.

But you can get a more scalable system for the same or less if you're up for putting it together from pieces and working out any problems that arrise. This is a pretty do-it-yerself place and the turn-key aspect of Pro Tools is not seen as an asset.

renton: The 001 has been discontinued and is not really a great investment anymore. The state of low cost hardware has advanced a lot since the 001 was designed so something else will probably be better. By way of example, the pres and convertors in the 002 are as good as the ones in the last generation of Pro Tools MIX systems (that cost $10,000 or more new.)

Take care,
Chris
 
Protools is many things (as has already been said). If you have shitloads of money, yeah a great Protools rig is going to go a long way, but when it comes to the more budget side (ie the Cubase SX/Sonar 3/ etc world), there is way too much hype.

I hear sooo often when I talk to people about recording locally "oh, it's not PT, I am not interested". There are so many myths about Protools, some true, some not. What I hear most often is about it's "stability", but most of this I hear from people who don't know much about computers. What they are buying is the Mac hype, and has nothing to do with software/soundcards.

If you know nothing about computers, but have money, buy a G5 and get PT and you will be happy and everyting will run smooth. Most of these people who have worked with other systems and complain about latency couldn't tell me what the OS was they were using, how much RAM was on the machine, what drivers were being used etc. Alot of them turned out to be shit Dell systems with 128 or maybe 256 RAM, were running an Audigy soundcard and trying to use 25 tracks and 46 plugins at once...no shit that is goign to crash a piece of shit PC.

But if you do research carefully, you can build a hella fast stable PC based system. And, ultimately, the only thing that really matters is

1) the song
2) the player

if those both are questionable quality, it doesn't matter what system you are running. But a great song/performer can be recorded on a single room mic and it will rock.

If you are comfortable with PCs and know how to trouble shoot, stay in the PC world and use whatever software will do the job. If the word "control panel" scares you, then buy a Mac and get protools.
 
Ok, it's the whole PT/MAC discussion again...

I'm pretty clear about this...I've worked with mac all my life while I'm in pc land (europe) and worked with both PTLE and PT...the only real life experience between them is the hardware and processing power, and the last years both were a advantage for the LE systems...for a 'fare' amount you could get a bulletproof system (if you knew what you were doing) while the other option was find your way through pc land....these days are over I guess, but I still go for the bulletproof system...still updating and following them....

exept for protools...the 'real' stuff is based on very expensive hardware that is top-notch at launch, but is these days outdated very quickly while the prices are staying up very high....IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE if you're not a golden album studio. The LE systems are not upgradable sso there are not to many options left....nuendo, well I went for it...so far so good....at least every single part is upgradable...more processing power...wait a year and buy for a fraction of a PT DSP card the latest version of the computer multiplying your processing power. Need standards...upgrade the interfaces...5.1 /DVD...it's all there....
 
Downside Studio said:
...5.1 /DVD...it's all there....
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's my only serious beef with LE systems- no surround. That and the 32 voice limit. Native systems now can handle more than 32 tracks and full path surround processing, so these limits will soon invalidate LE completely.

Oh, well. Digi will either evolve or die.

take care,
Chris
 
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