ProTools LE

[Appleluza]

I have been using DP (now DP5.1) for 18 months and I ma very happy, overall, with the product and what I can do with it and the results I get.  No real reason to change, except...

I hear a lot about ProTools and how it is the industry standard, blah, blah, blah.  My son is getting into this sport from the PC side of life, and is looking at getting an MBox2 which comes with ProTools LE.  So, I'm thinking maybe I should get this also, not to replace DP but just to supplement it.  Something new to learn, an opportunity to pick up more knowledge about the industry and the tools.

Any insights around ProTools, LE or my crazed line of thinking in general?

Rob Talbert

[Cary]

Just because it's the industry standard doesn't make it a benefit of knowing it.  If you're going to be opening a pro recording studio, it's a nice thing to have on the menu for the exact reasons you elude to; the hype surrounding the product.  When we're talking about 'industry standard Pro Tools", we're talking about Pro Tools HD and their big bucks Digidesign interface.  Entry level is about 7 to 8 grand.  It's not Le and Digi 001 / 002 / M-box which can be had for a few hundred bucks.

Pro tools HD and Pro tools Le are fine in their own right.  The fact that it only runs on specific hardware, mainly digidesign interface and recently, select M-audio interfaces, makes it a bit of a pain.  I'm not sure if they have enabled the software to run VST plugs.  That was a major point of contention also - you can't use any VST plug-ins.

My advice, which doesn't mean much, is unless you're planning of spending many thousands of dollars building a pro recording studio and NEED to have that Pro Tools selection on your menu, don't bother.  Use the money for another much needed piece of recording gear.  Everybody could stand to improve their pre-amps and or A/D converters.

Have fun - whatever way you choose to go! 

[BassPlayer]

Wise advice indeed Cary.

[Eddie]

I would disagee - There are a TON of plug-ins for Pro Tools LE. I have version 7.1 I believe it is, and I like it a lot. There is no reason to get an HD system. I would do exactly what you are thinking - Get the MBOX 2 for like $450 I believe, and you will have the industry standard software and you can add plug-ins as you like. You absolutely will not go wrong doing what you are thinking about doing.

[BassPlayer]

/BassPlayer takes the devils advocate....

Ah let the DAW wars begin Just a quick question, I don't know PTLE at all but do they do the VST plugins? Are there as many free VSTs for PTLE as there are on for Sonar/Cubase/etc at kvraudio.com? I did a search for free effects and got 589.

The one thing I heard about PT was that if your want to export in OMF format you have to pay $K for the module. That might be for the the HD version don't know. Hey I'm all for licensing but since I'm not a company I would rather minimze my software purchases and maximize my HW purchases. Which is why I still think Cary's advice is sound.

Most of the DAWs out there are fine and since Rob already has DP and is used to it why switch and relearn. I hear good things about DP and it's usually what I reccomend to Mac people just because Gerk and others like it and have spoken highly of it.  No diss to PTLE intended but if your buying it for the name...why. I've been blown away  by project created with ntrack and thast <$100.     

If this MBOX2 is the best thing since sliced bread whereby it makes it really easy to do stuff AND you get the full LE package thats great. But I've been burned before by buying computer hardware and using the bundled package which allways turns out to be crippleware and costs you $$ in the long run to upgrade to real version.

[Cary]

I would disagee - There are a TON of plug-ins for Pro Tools LE. I have version 7.1 I believe it is, and I like it a lot. There is no reason to get an HD system. I would do exactly what you are thinking - Get the MBOX 2 for like $450 I believe, and you will have the industry standard software and you can add plug-ins as you like. You absolutely will not go wrong doing what you are thinking about doing.

Does pro tools LE run VST plugins?

Pro tools LE is not the industry standard.

He already has DP which is certainly as good if not better than Pro tools LE.

There is nothing wrong with Pro tools LE as long as it's understood that it is the low fat version of the industry standard.  I've used LE with the Digi 001 interface.  It's fine for what it is.  So is N-track.  This is not a diss on LE.

I see no benefit to buying limited software and hardware to replace a working solution which already out performs the target purchase.

Mbox is limited to 48khz and two inputs.  The funny thing is, I've recommended the Mbox to musicians looking to get a startup system for the least amount of money.  But then you're locked into the cheap interface.

Again, for those who have this setup, this is not a slam against your gear.

[digitaldrummer]

PTLE does not support VST natively, however, you can get the FXPansion VST to RTAS wrapper and then they work.  Regarding OMF -- if I'm going to export entire session and the other person does not have PT, then I just consolidate all regions (tracks) with the same starting point and it works great.  Of course, you should be able to do this with any DAW.  don't we do it all the time here?

I don't think you can say that any Digidesign product is better than any of the other stuff out there--different yes.  Industry standard?   Probably as close as anything.  I originally bought it because of the hardware capabilities and the price (got a good price on a digi 001--they are <$250 these days).  It made sense to me so I continued with it.  I've looked at others, but kept going back to PTLE.

As far as vs. PTHD, CPU technology has advanced to the point that the DSPs in the high $$ cards don't offer as much as they used to.  I can easily get 32 tracks , plug-ins, etc. on a 3GHz P4.  The dual cores (and soon quad-cores) make it even more powerful- more than I need today.

If you've got the means and time to try out the Mbox, then why not?  You can probably sell it here if you don't like it...  

Mike

p.s. - I have a digi 002r (main system) an Mbox2 (givin to me--long story) and about to pickup a cheap digi001 for possible live recording

[Appleluza]

Thanks for the advise and points of view.  I am going to stick with DP for now for MYSELF, but since I think my son is going to get ProTools LE and an MBox2, I thought maybe I should add a second DAW, just so I could have something to boot up and look at if he has problems and wants someone to call.  Sort of a family support model.

Probably not a good reason to spend the money.

Rob Talbert

[Cary]

... but since I think my son is going to get ProTools LE and an MBox2, I thought maybe I should add a second DAW, just so I could have something to boot up and look at if he has problems and wants someone to call.  Sort of a family support model.

Probably not a good reason to spend the money.

Rob Talbert

Sounds like the best reason so far Rob.  .  Best of luck with everything!

[Gerk]

ProTools LE is a HUGE step backwards from the power of DP 5.1.  Way less features, not as stable, very intrusive with the OS.  Just say no

I honestly think that ProTools is very long in the tooth and costs way too much $$ for what it is -- at one point in the game they had the market hands down, no one else came close.  In this day and age they are behind the technology curve and are riding on their reputation. 

I've used PT for many years off and on at friends studios.  I'll take Digital Performer 5.x any day.  It's modern, clean, works well, and you don't have to mortgage your house to buy it.

Mark

[Appleluza]

Actually, I'm loving DP5.1  -- the new meter bridges are great and it performs much better on my single processor iMac than the 4.6 version did.  I don't usually push the limit too much, but I'm starting to get 9-track drum mixes instead of my former stereo drum loop tracks, so that might push the envelope a bit more.

Rob Talbert

[Gerk]

Yep the new predicitve and cacheing stuff they do is incredible.  I have been working on a 13 min long song mix with 216 tracks and it's fine here!

Mark

[Simon]

For what it is worth, I'm  a PTLE user and I reckon it's great.

A couple of points to be aware of tho before diving in...

Make sure you check the compatibility details at the Digi website before buying anything. There is a good chance you will have some headaches getting the system set up. But once you've got them ironed out (the Digi User Conference is the best place for help) it is just sweeeeeeeeet. 

The new MBox Mini makes it even cheaper to get in as well.

And I'll reiterate the point, it is now VST friendly as well.

Whatever you use, I hope you are enjoying it.

All the best
simon

[digitaldrummer]

by VST friendly,  do you mean via the FXpansion wrapper?

Mike

[Simon]

by VST friendly,  do you mean via the FXpansion wrapper?

Yes.