I think my point has been missed here. Most other programs use a computer's CPU. Protools does also in part but a TDM system has large PCI cards that pack a lot of DSP power. This is a core reason it's so popular among pros. I hear Nuendo is popular in Europe. Common guys, in terms of people who make a living doing audio on DAWs Protools is hands down the winner. Nick you know what I'm talking about now. Don't believe me... ok whip out a yellow pages and call the top 5 recording studios in your closest city. See what they use. Hans Zimmer? I'm sure he uses them all. At the end of the day, someone drops it into Protools.

Justin. Your starting to sound brainwashed by Avid 's bombardment of mis information. Any of the workstations you call prosumer are every bit as pro as blow tools @ 1/20th the cost. Your statement is ludicrous. :rolleyes:

There's no denying the fact that every post production facility is using Protools. If you've spent a million dollars constructing a comercial studio and then another million or so putting an SSL or Neve console with all the finest outboard gear available in this studio you're not even going to think twice about getting the baddest Protools rig known to man but the truth is that 98.67% of us don't need it. A Nuendo system running on a computer with a sh*tload of horse power and a UAD-1 card can give Protools a serious "Roger-ing".
I took the plunge years ago and bought a Mix Plus Protools system that has served me well. It is the best thing out there but it's over priced and that ****es me off.
Spend the dough on killer pres and A/D converters and you'll kill the best HD rig out there.

The answer is NO! Yes, I know I'm very opinionated, but...don't get Pro Tools LE. I have a few friends that went that route. One regrets it terribly after seeing what I do with DP. The other has gone and ditched PT LE for DP for similar reasons and has actually had an easier time getting going and at least feels that the sound he's getting is better now...he had the 001 and now has another box with better AD's than the 001.. I tried working with a friend on his LE digi 002 and it seemed like a joke to me. I know that PT non LE is a powerful thing but I still think DP has some very strong points above PT aside from the advantage of PT having zero latency and Beat Det. etc... I believe if you're gonna get PT then get PT..not that LE piece of crap: to use it you MUST have the hardware with you at all times...what a pain if you have a laptop and like to work when traveling; also, it costs too much compared to other systems that do way more, way better...like DP for example...I find it very "controlling" of Digidesign to require their hardware for their software to function! I have had clients that mention PT but have no idea what they are talking about. I tell them that I do use a DAW...MOTU's DP and it does everything that PT does. and if we need Beat Det. then I go to my friends place and for $50/song we're in business... either get the real PT or get something like DP...but I think you said you use Logic...that should be great...be happy and tell your clients that ask for PT that Logic is just another make of the same basic thing...they'll get it and just move on a make music. --the M-box...is NOT PRO GEAR!

I read more of the above replies and was astounded to hear a lot of "PT is the only pro daw and that the others are pro-sumer'". That is blatant non-fact. I won't even bother to take the time to present any arguments to support my point. Reality has done that for me. Just look around: Rufus Wainwright's last two records were done with lots of use of LOGIC, Pat Metheny uses DP... ---Man, it's REALLY late. I'm tired...good night to all.

Yes you need Protools

Logic, Nuendo, Cubase, Sonar, Protools 001 002 LE = Pro-sumer - fine if you just want to fool around

Protools TDM (Mix+, HD or HD Accel - when you want to get serious.

nuff said

Paul you find the fact that Protools uses proprietary hardware to use their software controlling? You know why they do that? Because a computer's CPU (Mac and PC) can only handle so much processing. When the audio processing is offloaded onto a card it adds extra muscle. Makes sense doesn't it. As processors get more and more powerful and we get things like a Dual Processor G5 - then it's possible non-hardware additive DAWS will come to light. Not at present though.

If I was gonna dip into Pro-sumer DAWs my first choice would be Digital Performer on a Mac G5. Still I'd only do it if I was really strapped for cash.

Vinco - not brainwashed. Check out Protools in action sometime, until you know what it can do, you don't know what you're missing.

I started with the 2 track version of PT, then 4 tk, then 8 tk with 888's and AD8000s, I'm happy with DP, I don't need anything else.

Avid drew first blood and the industry stayed with it, for a while, it is not that way now and its market share will continue to decrease as 'better' platforms appear. Why waste the money on an overpriced piece of gear that has seen better days? HD fixed some of the symptoms (bad summing) and has better resoulition, so what, it is still a rip off. Go there if you want to be where the industry was.

When a potential client asks me if I have PT, I say "hell no! I use better sounding stuff", they ask, "isn't Protools the industry standard?", I say "it used to be" and I have a new client...

Raj, you must have a day gig, cause $35. an hour is not enough to support a studioo out here. Whats up with that?

Kelly, the last SSL rooms I saw being built were more like 40 million than 2. It is expensive to have all the bells and whistels these days. PT is one you don't need now and will need less in the future. Put that 20 grand into a Telefunken 270 W/ the AC701 tubes and call it good.

Justin, I know what PT can do and I don't miss it at all. All of the platforms are prosumer and none can come close to the depth or meat of analog, just as the transition from tube to FET gave us more tracks but left us with lower fidelity, digital gave us better S/N and less realizem. The only reasons I have digital gear is for the size facter and I don't wear out the tapes any more, everything else is crap.

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Pat - I think you should explain you do all your recording on a laptop - a great idea for being portable. But surely there are limitations given the processing power of the laptop - track count etc. It'd be great if you describe you equipment in more detail - maybe tell us how you recorded your last session.

Zumbido - which DAW program do you use more frequently for recording? which version of Prtools do you use?

Justin,

I did last week or so in the topic "MY set up".

My lap top can handle like 30 tracks with at least that many plugs - of course it gets a little slugish, but it works.

These are just tools, were to hung up on how much it cost and not what it can do. Protools had the market and 'luckly' came out with HD in time to snare a few more, but thats over.

I'm taking my cues from my mastering guys and they are all going to Secquoia and pc based systems. Who cares what some of the big studios are doing, or did. How many are still in OS9? A lot from my observations.

I don't care what the platform is if it makes music. And thats really the inportant thing here, but to say that there is only one way kinda puts one behind the evolving future. I want to be where it is going, not where it was.

Justin, your setup is great, I can make music with it. Your last CD sounded great on older gear ( and a DA7 ;-)). It is what you did with the gear way more than what the gear was and that is really all my point is - and that PT is way over priced. I'm also glad you love what you have now to record on, thats a good thing.