Should I make the move to ProTools 10

T

terdfurgunson

Inspired
I currently use Reason 6 for all my recording and virtual instruments. I physically record vocals, guitar through my axefxII, bass through it as well, and all of that through an m-audio fast track ultra.

I'm looking to get more professional sounds and increase my performance more, and since ProTools is the standard I figured I would give it a shot.....but at 700ish dollars, I'd like to make sure it is worthwhile
 
im far from an expert on the recording process but im pretty sure that there wont be any difference in sound when using one software studio or another. it seems that it is just a matter of preference as far as workflow goes
 
The audio interface will make a bigger difference in your sound quality. I am not familiar with the m-audio device you listed so I can't speak about it.

As for ProTools there is a huge following, but the only time that it is worth going that route IMHO is if you are investing an their higher end equipment. The software itself is nothing special at all, especially at that price. With their higher end cards you get things like hardware acceleration which allows you to have bigger projects and stuff, but that won't be taken advantage of by the m-audio device AFAIK. The big drawbacks are that you will only be able to use RTAS plugins. They tend to be more expensive and they won't work between other applications where as if you go with something that utilizes VST you have a lot more flexibility if you want to change platforms or use other apps in general. And anything affiliated with AVID is going to be pricier.

I would look at something like PreSonus StudioOne. It's a lot cheaper, has a nice light footprint and is just extremely good. Other alternatives include Cubase, but I am not a fan myself.
 
You don't need PT 10 to Get better results. There a several very good DAWs out here that are very powerful, easy to use and don't cost as much. Reaper, Studio 1, Sonar, Cubase.....I've used PT for yrs and trust me, there is no major advantage in upgrading to 10. The best way to get better results is by learnng, practicing and developing your recording skills.... not getting different software. It won't make a difference.
 
I've been a Steinberg guy since they came out with Pro 24 for Atari ST. I'm still a Cubase guy. I tried Pro Tools when I got it with my Eleven Rack and it didn't make sense to me. From what I've heard there is a steep learning curve. Too steep for me.
I also agree with shasha, Since I own the Presonus 16.0.2 board and StudioOne. Very easy to use.

and yes, I sold my Eleven Rack years ago.
 
I'm a Reson 6 user too and absolutely love it! I wouldn't leave it for anything at this point....and the new Rack Extentions makes it even better!!!
 
DAWs don't make a difference sonically speaking. The eqs, outboard gear, mics, and plugins however do.

As a Pro Tools 10 user I can say that you're not missing anything from 9. Nothing major. Just 32 bit processing, a mixdown and eq/comp/gate plugin. Oh and the new format that saves as .ptx instead of .ptf which is a pain in the bum. One more thing is that they're trying to consolidate all plugins as AAX now which is okay I guess since it makes the rtas/tdm thing into one.

I personally also have a gripe over the fact that whoever coded pt 10 to show me a POP up saying that I need more RAM should jump off a cliff with a rock tied to their head. Completely redundant if you ask me. Another gripe is the tendency of Avid or any big company to acknowledge that there's a bug in the program and they say "Yeah we know about it." ...... That's it. That's literally all they say until enough people really complain and they develop a workaround for it. Troubleshooting PT is a major pain that has cost me time and money.

All DAWs have a learning curve. Some more than others, but in spite of my gripes I can't really piss and moan too much about Pro Tools. I actually like it when it works which is most of the time. Also to note, I got Pro Tools 10 for free just because I bought Pro Tools 9 which is cool by me Cus I wasn't gonna fork over another $250 anyways. :mrgreen

Honestly, pick a DAW that has good support or is reliable and wallet friendly. Like Reaper. I got Reaper to work when I had no idea how to use a DAW so that has to say something.
 
As was said, A Daw won't make you sound better. The most important thing in a DAW (for me) is stability. After that it's workflow. If Reason works for you, don't switch.

Edit: In my experience "I want better production, it must be my gear" always ends badly.
 
I forgot about Reaper. I was never really into it until recently when I wanted to get some isolated tracks from a MOGG file I found on the internet. Its really impressive. Heck, I'd give that a whirl because it will at least show you whether you like the workflow of a traditional DAW and if it works for you then it's still really inexpensive for the licensed version. Tons of plugins and VST support as well.
 
shasha said:
I forgot about Reaper. I was never really into it until recently when I wanted to get some isolated tracks from a MOGG file I found on the internet. Its really impressive. Heck, I'd give that a whirl because it will at least show you whether you like the workflow of a traditional DAW and if it works for you then it's still really inexpensive for the licensed version. Tons of plugins and VST support as well.
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yeah plus they have a 30 day trail with no limitations so you can really dig in before you give them a total of 60 bucks for the licensing
 
terdfurgunson said:
I currently use Reason 6 for all my recording and virtual instruments. I physically record vocals, guitar through my axefxII, bass through it as well, and all of that through an m-audio fast track ultra.

I'm looking to get more professional sounds and increase my performance more, and since ProTools is the standard I figured I would give it a shot.....but at 700ish dollars, I'd like to make sure it is worthwhile
Click to expand...

My recommendation would be get a subscrition to TapeOp. You can get them free, IMHO it is worth paying for. They have tons of interviews we people that make music and they talk about how they go about getting sounds. Another resource that I've found to be really helpful is Sound on Sound. The Mix Rescue articles and they usually profile like one song and what went into producing it. That sub will cost you and there is tons of other stuff - product reviews, etc. - but I've found it is another resource that could help you on a quest for "more professional sounds." The performance aspect is on you to practice.

Check out TapeOp though. Like I said there is a free subscription. I think for 6 months and you can renew. And for the record I am not affiliated with TapeOp at all. I just find it a valuable resource and thought I would share my opinion of it here because I think it is another path the OP can take to achieve his goals.
 
I don't mean to hijack the thread but this made me think I have ProTools 9, would it be worth it to upgrade to 10? What's the difference?
 
Edgecrusher71 said:
I don't mean to hijack the thread but this made me think I have ProTools 9, would it be worth it to upgrade to 10? What's the difference?
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At first 10 seemed more buggy than 9 to me (Windows 7 64 bit), but we are on 10.2 now and its gotten better.

Still some issues with the disk cacheing and the new fades on the fly where the session will just crap out (more frequently than 9 crapped out :))

Richard
 
I know people like to rag on Pro Tools, but PT 10 has been nothing but stable for me on my 2010 i7 quad iMac. Reaper was my first foray into computer-based recording and while I do like a lot about it, I much prefer the PT user-interface. I love the look of it and find it very intuitive. Now I actually find Reaper a bit clunky.

Plus, there is a wealth of knowledge out there about Pro Tools. Want to know how to do something in PT? ...there's a video for that. I had a subscription to Groove3 and spent countless hours watching the boatload of PT tutorials they have available.
 
*Shameless plug* But I have my old license for Pro Tools 9 available for sale if anyone is interested. Make me an offer.
 
I use PT9 at the studio, and I have PT10 (non-HD version) at home.

There is nothing wrong with Pro Tools, but nothing overwhelming right either. As a few have mentioned, buying a better converter will be a far investment better than switching software. Although I have PT10, Logic and Cubase at home, I find myself using Cubase most of the time. But that's just personal preference.

If you have PT9 and want to switch to PT10HD, it is excellent, but for the outrageous cost of the upgrade it damn well should be. At the studio we're holding off for another year or so until we're ready to do a wholesale upgrade to HDX cards and the new I/O boxes (and maybe 64 bit PT11 if it is out by then).
 
You should move to a daw.
Reason is slowly trying to move into it, giving more and more flexibility with audio tracks (well, introducing them recently, at least), but a good DAW will be a plus.

You should look for one that will allow you to use rewire. This way you can have reason running in parallel as an instrument, but keep every information on your EDL (editing decision list), including the MIDI that triggers reason, other audio you recorded.

Get trials of the DAW said above. See which one does suit you better in workflow.
If you want to get good at any of them (to the point you'll actually see improvement) that's down to experience. AVID allows you to fast track the pace a bit if you are near somewhere where their training centres are run by people with actual experience.

I was a cubase user before the vst24, cakewalk before that. Converted to Tools when I used a full blown TDM system back in version 6.
AVID been f&$! us around a bit since version 8, which explains the reports some people give saying its buggy and other people not.

I'm a tools guy. I loved it when it had no 3D look whatsoever and the tools are really really fast to work once you got around with all options of the multi-tool and the modifiers keys + numeric keyboard. Cubase was pretty slick too. If reason does not allow you to do playlist recording, loop recording, multiple playlist editing, fade in/out/crossfade on the fly by punching a key or simple click and drag, get a DAW stat.

as for the rest, it has been said. Whatever plugins you use, is what you do with them. Some are crap, but you'll realise that and stay away fast enough. Some are OK, then it's down to you making them sound good.

A couple years back you could definetly hear a difference between several mix engines. even between cubase/nuendo.

I haven't done this comparison since I've moved to PT. I've been solid booked on projects since then, and the place I take care at work has 16 studios running pt, 2 running logic, 1 running sadie, so for me, at this time, I can't afford the learning curve to steer away from PT, nor can I afford to not stay on top of every quirk PT might have.

As you see, now it's down to preference really. PT is stupidly expensive. Maybe too much. The M-audio stuff is not that great, They improved over the years, but nothing mind blowing.
Even the 002 and 003 you can definitely hear improvement to, say RME and others (which are the same price as the 002 was originally, at least in the UK). IF your decision is based on the material, not really.

Get a native copy of PT and save for something better, or get reaper, cubase, logic, etc. and save for something better.
I assume you have a hardware.

I doubt you'll be looking at HD or HDX, as you need to have a PC with pci express, or a mac pro, or magma cards. Even if you do, you are looking at 4/5k expenditure, 1k or more on cards, and an interface that can take digilink (the AVID stuff, which is really expensive, or Lynx with option cards, or Apoggee with option cards etc.)
 
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