If you were to start over on a Macbook Pro, would you go PT?

[Catoogie]

I haven't been doing much recording on my own lately. I have replaced my G5 with a new MacBook Pro and before I upgrade my 002R to PT10 I figure I would ask, would you? If not, what would you do?

[Nick Sevilla]

I did, and I have.

Now with the ThunderCat interface, eventually we are going to be able to run HDX cards on the laptop. That's right, full PCIe HDX process cards in an enclosure from Magma, which already exists.

AVID is working on this right now.

After that, we can rule the sonic universe for our Masters, AVID.


ProTools HDX

[fossiltooth]

I'd go with PT again, mostly because I don't have the time or economic incentive to become an expert user of another software platform. I find the software works pretty darn good, too. Your story may be different.

[Brian]

No. Not yet. Not on my tab, but, if somebody gave it to me, sure.

[kinger]

I guess it depends on what you'll be doing with your setup. If you're comfortable with Protools and will be working in other studios where it may be more compatible for session-swapping, then sure. If you're just recording yourself or doing casual projects, I'd probably go with something like Reaper. But then, I'm a bit of a Reaper fanboy.

[GooberNumber9]

I went from semi-pro to fully amature a few years ago. I just got tired of trying to make any money at recording and I also found out I don't really like recording other people, I just like being part of the writing process.

Anyway, recently my band decided to record and I don't have the money I used to have so I bought Reaper. I still have mics and pres and stuff, but I had sold off my old awesome complete PTLE setup that had all the plugins and A/V add-ons and 003 everything.

For $60, Reaper is pretty awesome. I struggle with it a bit, but it does at least 90% as well as anything else out there for about 10% of the price of most other things.

That being said, I miss Pro Tools so much, and I know I'm going to miss it a LOT more when I get to mixing, because I'll miss the plugins.

I've worked on and off with a lot of packages, both before, during, and after my time with Pro Tools. When I started working on PT, it was like a breath of fresh air. It was like a console and tape machine. Making takes and editing comps together made sense. Busses, sends, and auxes made sense. Automation made sense. And many of the plug-ins that are only RTAS/AS/TDM compatible not only made sense, but made my recordings sound even better, and they weren't hard to use.

I can't say why I loved it right off the bat when so many hate it for life. It definitely has its technical issues (or at least it used to), but I've had my fair share of those with Reaper and other packages as well.

If you like Pro Tools, you might find that you won't like anything else as much. I know for a fact that I don't. The only thing stopping me from having Pro Tools right now is money.

[chris harris]

I've worked on and off with a lot of packages, both before, during, and after my time with Pro Tools. When I started working on PT, it was like a breath of fresh air. It was like a console and tape machine. Making takes and editing comps together made sense. Busses, sends, and auxes made sense. Automation made sense.

This part almost exactly mirrors my own experience.

[toothpastefordinner]

I tried to ditch PT about 3 years ago and restart on Logic, but it was such an ordeal navigating around that I stuck with PT. I don't think Logic is badly designed, or that it sounds bad, but I didn't want to relearn everything. My time for writing & recording music is pretty limited so I try to use it for music as opposed to technical issues.

[jetaspirin]

Also Protools will likely not go away as something like Reaper, who knows, things come and go. Sticking w/ a defacto industry standard has never been a bad thing. Protools will likely continue to evolve and so will the others but they will always be offering something as contrast to the market leader, either through price or through features...

[Jeff White]

I just did start over on a MBP. And I continued using Digital Performer. Upgraded from DP4.61 (2005) to DP7. Awesomesauce.

I've been using Digital Performer since the Performer days at college, circa 1995. Bought my own copy in October of 2003 and have never looked back. I work with folks who use PT, Logic, and Garageband all of the time. Never an issue if you move WAV files between computers and if they all start at zero on the timeline. Doesn't matter Mac or PC, etc. If you absolutely need plug-ins, bounce through them. Unless you have the same exact setup as wherever you're taking shit to, you're gonna lose something.

At the end of the day, I say use whatever DAW software you want and are most comfortable using. They are all pretty much doing the same thing. If you are working in commercial studios and at home, sure, learning and knowing PT is the way to go.

Jeff