How are ProTools' MIDI capabilities compared to DP?

[MikeInBoston]

I'm curious. Does ProTools offer any advantages in the MIDI department over DP? My impression is that ProTools is still very "vanilla" and lackluster when it comes to creating and editing MIDI data. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks.

Mike

[apanacci]

I am doing a project in DP and PT that is mostly MIDI. Started it in DP and then I am finishing it in PT. Overall PT has improved and there are some things I do like working with.I find that when I need to edit in DP some of the info is very small. In PT I find the info is bigger on the screen I liked PT because of the Expand2 synth module but now I bought it for DP. It had only worked for PT. I know I am not being specific , but I like having both programs to do certain things.

[williemyers]

I'm curious. Does ProTools offer any advantages in the MIDI department over DP? My impression is that ProTools is still very "vanilla" and lackluster when it comes to creating and editing MIDI data. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks.

Mike

Mike, as one who's used both for *many* years, I would say you are right on target with your comment, "My impression is that ProTools is still very "vanilla" and lackluster when it comes to creating and editing MIDI data."> From my experience, DP is still the hands-down leader of all DAWS when it come to MIDI manipulation & editing. I do mostly large orchestral pieces and I couldn't begin to try all of the MIDI things in any DAW other than DP.
Having said that - - if you're accustomed to audio editing in PTools, take care. PTools is about as far ahead of DP in audio editing as DP is ahead in MIDI! YMMV....

[Shooshie]

It might be instructive to realize that the same guy who wrote Performer, the original, is the guy who wrote the MIDI part of Pro Tools (or at least one of them). Whatever is in Pro Tools MIDI is exactly what they wanted for it to have. The two apps were written by the same mind.

The People Who Wrote DP

Of course, Avid and MOTU have different philosophies and goals. DP has changed radically since Mr. Groth wrote the first versions of Performer. Little is recognizable from then. Pro Tools, likewise, has changed radically since the early days, and not just because of the increase in capacities and features, or the greater emphasis on native hardware. I'd heard that the MIDI side of Pro Tools has recently been improved a lot.

Originally, Pro Tools was the first fully incarnate, commercial solution for recording CD quality audio on a personal computer. In terms of bang for the buck, that was a pretty big bang. Nothing else was needed to attract customers, and they could charge whatever they wanted for an app that recorded just 4 tracks, allowing non-linear editing with crossfades. It upended the industry. MIDI sequencers like Performer and Vision were able to piggyback on Pro Tools to record MIDI in sample-accurate sync with its audio. Soon, native hardware and software like that in DP stole the audio bang and did it for a tiny fraction of the bucks, without the built-in limits of Pro Tools, plus it allowed alignment of audio and MIDI. So, Avid added MIDI to PT to slow some of the exodus to native DAWs.

In other words, each company has changed its philosophy and goals as time and technology have made it possible, and as competition has made it necessary. Gradually, Pro Tools is turning into a fully featured DAW like its competitors, since it no longer offers anything unique enough to gain new customers and keep the price up, other than its unstoppable 24 year mystique as the "Industry Standard."

So, it really comes down to wanting to work in certain ways. They're both excellent DAWs in the extreme, so it would be hard to go wrong with either. I still value DPs drawing tools for editing MIDI, as well as many other features that I'm comfortable using. I'd probably find most of those features in Pro Tools, but I'd have to relearn how to use them, the commands for them, and assorted niggling details. From the little I remember about working with Pro Tools, it was mostly on the surface within easy reach. That is, you didn't have to dig deeply in dialog boxes as in Logic. So, if that hasn't changed, it's probably still very easy to use, but I hear a lot of people saying they prefer editing MIDI and Audio in DP over PT. I suspect that PT's going to be a little ahead in audio, and DP is going to lead in MIDI. It'll probably always be that way. Those are the philosophies of the respective companies. Either could add whatever they want. After all... it's the same guys doing the work, more-or-less, in all the companies.

Sorry I can't be specific and offer play-by-play of each DAW, but it's not necessary. You can work in either one without being disadvantaged. They're both exceptional.

Shooshie

[monkey man]

Well, that's been nailed down to the foundations and ain't goin' anywhere in a hurry.

15-love, the Shooshmeister serving.

[MikeInBoston]

Wow! Such great responses! Thanks, guys, and a special thanks to you, Shooshie. Since I don't work with audio or do audio recording (I only use MIDI and virtual instruments for my compositions and mockups), it seems that I would gain NOTHING from adding ProTools to my DAW arsenal. Also, I don't need to spend $699 for a crippled version of the full package.

Thanks, guys.

Mike

[mhschmieder]

Shooshie, I vote that one of your best posts ever! To the point, eloquent, complete, yet concise and focused.

[Michael Canavan]

Yeah that was about as dead on about the inherent differences between DP vs PT as I've read! and a good nod to the historical reasons for it.

[toodamnhip]

I mostly agree with shoosh but would warm that I haven't seen motu upgrade Dps MIDI in some time. Eventually., this could spell the end of DP being ahead of pro tools in any way. Pro tools also has MIDI regions which allows for edge editing and MIDI muting. Us users have been begging Motu for regions and MIDI muting with zero result. History is strewn with formerly powerful leaders in industry failing to improve their products and paying the price for such. I would warn Motu about this as it is all too possible for the long in the tooth MIDI capabilities of Dp to become second to Pro tools. Pro tools seems to be working very hard to take over all aspects of the audio DAW world, even having a dedicated music conference to hear from its users and make their products better. Compare that to MOTU users asking for MIDI muting for 15 yrs and you get my point. Of course, MOTU does change things at times after user requests, but perhaps shoosh could remind me of the last time MOTU really uppedd it's MIDI game?
I would add that I have experienced doing major records soley on Pro Tools, after being used to Dp. I hated it at first but quickly got used to it and got not just fine in Pro Tools. Of course, when I went back to DP, it felt like a
Comfortable pair of sweats that fit just right.....but I did for n Pro Tools