AVID buys out M - Audio

[asylumdigital]

story here:
http://www.avid.com/company/releases/20 ... audio.html


peace!
Scott Slagle

[asylumdigital]

heres more:
http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=med ... 5fcfb32b1f


peace!
Scott Slagle

[Spiderhead69]

[theistheman]

NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GOD NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[spankenstein]

Wow, maybe digidesign will learn a few things from M-Audio like how to make their interfaces work on a wide range of hardware.

[Everybody's X]

hmm are we about to see a version of pro-tools that will run on my 1010?

[theistheman]

well, if it meant that we could run pro tools without having to buying digidesign's expensive-ass gear, that would be sweet.

However, I'm sure that what they'll do is package the m-audio stuff with a really chintzy version of pro-tools that nobody would want to use anyway.

[yardleyone]

what id digidesign gave up on their current line of interfaces, and began to model them after the m-audio stuff. That could be kind cool I think. Maybe it could bring us some more affordable interfaces that sound better than there current stuff.

[theistheman]

I'm a little skeptical...

They already have the market pretty much cornered, so I kind of doubt that anything they'll do will be more "affordable."

I mean, if you like to use "crap," you can get the mbox...it's affordable. At like 500 bucks you can get 2 inputs and shitty mic pres.

I'd rather spend my 500 bucks on a used 828 or something like that. Yeah, you get shitty mic pres, and it's not really a pro piece of gear, but you get 8 inputs...and it'll sound better than the damn mbox.

Digidesign could've sold the mbox for 800 bucks, and still sold a bunch of 'em. They get all sorts of customers at Guitar Center that come in that want Pro Tools because it's the industry standard.

Goddamn digidesign making me buy their hardware.

What's worse is that goddamn Apple bought up Emagic and discontinued Logic for PC. Now I have to buy Apple's overpriced hardware to run newer versions of Logic.

I think I'm going to switch to Digital Performer.

Hell, screw all that....I'm going to go all analog.

[Moon Unit]

In the grand scheme of things . . . I doubt this purchase really means anything.

Digidesign will still make their stuff, and M-audio will still make theirs.

. . . Only Digi will make the money off of both lines now instead of just one.

Big, freakin' woop.

[pieter]

What's worse is that goddamn Apple bought up Emagic and discontinued Logic for PC. Now I have to buy Apple's overpriced hardware to run newer versions of Logic.

Are you on OS X yet? The latest version especially? It's a dream. So, so fabulously nice.

About platforms and third parties, there's been a rumor circulating for a while that Avid is going to slowly phase out all their Apple support and go exclusively with PCs. Their new Adrenaline promotion hints that that might be true, since the promotion is only valid for PCs. I don't know if they intend for Digi to do the same, but on the video side, that's the rumor.

I split in multiple directions on this. I've used mostly Apples since 1985 and have no intention of switching and I use Logic in the studio so I'm safe there, and I've got no interest in Digi hardware/software (except as an occasional tool at work), but at work, I'm a resolute Avid fan and don't have any interest in doing my job on Final Cut although I'd use it at home if I had to.

Are we looking at a forced two platform future? That would be lame, especially in an era of increasing integration and consolidation. Although I don't use a PC anywhere and it didn't affect me, I wish Emagic continued to support the PC, just as I wish Adobe continued to support Premiere on Apple, and that Avid will continue to support Macs and that Final Cut would work on PCs...and so forth. But maybe I'm dumb for believing in cross-platform compatibility and seamless integration. There's a disturbing kind of regressiveness in forcing this kind of polarization I think, and I wish all the companies concerned would snap out of their political modes and work with each other a little more...and that includes Avid dropping Digi's constantly infuriating proprietary business model. Then I would consider their products. Until then--and in an age of very fast native processing--I see no need to do so.

[A.L.]

About platforms and third parties, there's been a rumor circulating for a while that Avid is going to slowly phase out all their Apple support and go exclusively with PCs. Their new Adrenaline promotion hints that that might be true, since the promotion is only valid for PCs. I don't know if they intend for Digi to do the same, but on the video side, that's the rumor.

Ehhh hmmm yeah Avid already did this 6-8 years ago or so, I believe prior to the aquisition of Digidesign, in the middle of the pre-iMac "Apple Slump". Then the Mac pros flipped out and Avid backed off. So they're at it again?

I can see how final cut takes a dent out of their video editing market in Macland but I can't possibly see them discontinue mac support of ProTools. They would have to be idiots.

And damn I love FCP, glad I never have to use that POS Media 100... Avid is a tougher call but I dislike the company so much I'm sticking with Final Cut.

That is unfortunate about the whole apple-logic scenario.

[A.L.]

I have wet dreams where I can do everything I need to do on a Linux box and every piece of software I use sports the gnu liscence. Only thing to buy is hardware, ha ha...

Pre-FCP Premiere, at least the Mac build, was another piece of junk. I think the buggiest, most infuriating bit of commercial software I've ever used. Total garbage. I'm sure they got better, but jeez.

[theistheman]

Hey Pieter,

Well put. OSX (now that they've worked out all the bugs) is pretty sweet.

What it comes down to is that I can build a PC that absolutely slays for 600 bucks. Then I'm looking at paying 3 or 4 times that for a comparable Apple machine.

It's the same thing with Digidesign. I have to pay an assload more for the comparable gear...just so I can run the software!

So I'm going to go out and get a Powerbook, just so I can keep using Logic, not because I want to, but because I have to.

If digi went exclusively PC, thus forcing people to choose between Apple and PC solely for software, that would suck. However, I bet the competition between EMagic and Digidesign would bring the prices down...

[Scodiddly]

I have wet dreams where I can do everything I need to do on a Linux box and every piece of software I use sports the gnu liscence. Only thing to buy is hardware, ha ha...

Hey, have you tried the latest version of Ardour? It's really starting to get nice...