Why/why NOT ProTools FREE?

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Kipper

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I just posted this into a "newbie" thread, but am hoping I might get some more response here as well. Very few people list ProTools FREE as their software of choice. Howdy, I am reading along with the same question in mind. I was under the impression that ProTools was the studio standard and FREE is, well, FREE! I there some reason people do not go this route? Someone mentioned that it doesn't work with some hardware, is this the only reason? I'd love to hear other thoughts.
Kip
 
The main reason why people would choose not to go that route is that ptFREE lacks either the capabilities they require, or compatibility with their environment.

One of the main limitations (which was really not much of a limitation when the current ptFREE version was released) is that it will not run on Win2K, XP, or Mac OS X.

The limitation to two audio I/O channels at a time might be an inconvenience for some people, as would be the limit of 8 audio tracks.

On the bright side, if you can get it to run at all (and, being free, it is not supported at all by Digi), it works pretty well. It comes with a host of useful plugins, but no reverb. (For that, you have to shell out $50 for a special ptFREE version of D-Verb RTAS.)

FYI, my system is a PIII-500 with 448K RAM, 27GB and 40GB IDE hard drives, and an Audiophile 2496.

The web page for ptFREE is http://www.digidesign.com/ptfree.
 
Ahh!

Thanks Don,
Ahhh! That reverb is a stick'ler, isn't it! The two in and eight tracks I could live with, but reverb is a pretty common necessity. That would explain quite a bit.
 
I tried exporting tracks, adding reverb using FreeVerb (or some other free reverb), and importing the newly-wet tracks back into ptFREE. Big pain in the you-know-what. To me, the D-Verb plugin is easily worth the 50 clams.
 
now that i enjoy adding piecees to songs and i know what I'm doing more...i end up going over 8 tracks...there is a crack that can get you 32 but i kept getting some god awful feedback so i stopped using it....the feedback was my fault though...i was using windows ME and i had stereo wav clicked instead of microphone in the recording mixer area....anyway i use sonar and i had sonar before i knew of protools..i went from guitar tracks to sonar and tried other things in between but nothing worked for me like guitar tracks and sonar wasnt too far from it in terms of thinking
 
Well most folks want to speak in terms of facts and absolutes when discussing engineering tools and topics of that nature.

Whenever I get near Pro Tools and begin my research I get this big 'feeling' of a large sucking vacuum near my wallet. It's just an incredible gut feel - that's all !

I don't have a professional music business right now so everything I do is simply money out - no return on investment.

I use Cool Edit Pro and Sonar to entertain myself and friends among other tools. I have licenses and buy what I can afford - it's easier on my karma that way! :)

kylen
 
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if you want free

free packages
audacity - unlimited tracks. lots of fx including nse reduction.
trakadat.
ddclip free edition.
goldwave.com also . i believe its called multiquence.
small shareware fee.
on the subject of reverb. you can mic a room thats reverberant.
this is the way it was done years ago. i belive audacity allows plug ins and comes with freeverb. for a great free reverb also try
SIR reverb which operates on impulses. there are many free
impulses floating around the net for it. people who know SIR
think its the cats whiskers.
 
I love lots of feedback!

Thanks for the numerous replies, gang.

Sonar keeps comming up as a favorite in software threads and it's not a program I know much about. Sounds like it's time to investigate.
Kip
 
I really like Sonar, and the new Sonar 3 looks amazing.
 
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