DP on 2 computers...

[TnMike]

I want to run DP at home and on a ProTools HD rig at another studio. Is there an additional charge to have 2 installations?
Can DP use ProTools HD hardware?
Thanks,
Mike

[James Steele]

I want to run DP at home and on a ProTools HD rig at another studio. Is there an additional charge to have 2 installations?
Can DP use ProTools HD hardware?
Thanks,
Mike

AFAIK, regarding the installations, I think you can install on multiple computers so long as you are not using both simultaneously. Don't hold me to it, but I think that's it. You'd have to call MOTU to be sure.

AFAIK, PT hardware, I'm pretty sure DP can use it with Core Audio drivers in "dumb" mode, however running in TDM mode is problematic since Digi no longer supports other DAWs besides PT. Search the board and you may find info about last compatible version of DAE, etc.

[bdr]

to quote from the inside cover of the 'Getting Started' guide:

"YOU MAY:...(b)physically transfer the program from one computer to another provided that the program is used on one computer at a time and that you remove any copies of the program from the computer from which the program is being transferred"

Seems a little restrictive and possibly hasn't been revisited for a while as many other companies allow 2-3 concurrent installs by the same owner in view of many people owning desktops as well as laptops.

[stephentayler]

Interesting question..... it depends on the particular scenario. I work in a lot of commercial and private studios, and I would say that if it is someone else's studio, and their computer, it would not be ethical. I would hope that if I asked for DP that the owner would provide it, and I always take my laptop as a matter of course.

However....... I see no problem with taking my iLok around with me so I can install my plugins as and when I need them. I guess if DP had this kind of protection then it would get round this issue......

Which brings me to another interesting scenario. I have my desktop and laptop sitting side by side, so if I want to do something clever and run DP on them both simultaneously, is that wrong?? Because I only have one iLok the chances are very slight that I would do this anyway. I also have Logic and ProTools so I would be more likely to run different programs in sync with each other........

Cheers

Stephen

[Phil O]

My setup is unusual in that I have a separate area for tracking and mixing. Each area has a Mac Pro with DP set up on both machines. I called MOTU regarding this setup and they said it was within their license agreement to have 1 copy installed on two machines as long as only one copy was being used at any given time. They did imply that this was only for installs at the same facility, although they did not say that emphatically. In your situation I would definitely give them a call before installing at the PT studio.

This is my living and I'm very hard-nosed about doing things by the book when it comes to my use of software, because that software is someone else's living. I take advantage of any opportunity to proselytize regarding this topic. I think I'm only second to MLC here in that regard. Just sayin'.

Phil

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Proselytize? Me? Never. I'm a happily married man.

[TnMike]

Thanks everyone for your response.
Will using DP in conjunction with ProTools HD hardware still keep the HD quality that ProTools HD is so famous for... Or does the HD quality come from the ProTools software? Does this make sense?
Thanks,
Mike

[Shooshie]

I actually own two licenses for DP. I can use it on two machines concurrently without guilt!

Shoosh

[spirit]

It is highly debateable whether the "HD" sound is inherently any better than DP native. HD convertors are pretty good quality, but there are comparable convertors available for DP native. Convertors affect the sound quality of new material being recorded, and the sound you are monitoring through your speakers- but not of the final recording if the mix is done entirely in the box.
Also HD interfaces can be used with DP native up to a maximum of 8 input and 8 output channels using core audio, which should pretty much provide the converter sound/quality of the HD interfaces.

Another area where sound quality might differ is in the math that is used to send audio to and from plugins and to mix everything together. HD systems use 48 bit fixed mixing, and probably DP uses 32bit float. This is a complicated and big subject, lot's of opinions, but probably the quality of the plugins one uses and one's skill at recording, using plugins and mixing have much more effect on the sound quality than simply whether one is using DP in it's "native" mode, or using digidesign/avid HD dsp processing cards.
If digidesign/avid TDM mixing cards were present in the past DP has been able to run in the alternative "DAE" engine instead of the MAS audio engine. For a long time it has been tricky to get DP to work stably in DAE mode, and some features otherwise available in ProTools and DP (pitch for example) are not available with DP in DAE mode.Support for this mode has been discontinued so it would take some work and research to configure a system with the right versions of DP and PT- and then any updates could possibly "break" it.
There are a few plugins (notably Eventide, TC electronic reverbs and a few other miscellaneous others) that are available in TDM format but not available native, and some of the Digidesign RTAS instruments (boom, hybrid etc.) are pretty good sounding. But there are many equal or better qualtiy plugins available for DP native so that, again, there is not really so much a superiority to one or the other (there are also AU plugins for DP that are not available when in TDM/RTAS only "DAE" mode). More just like different artists may prefer different brushes.
So probably not worth the time to configure to use DAE mode. You could use core audio to access 8 channels of the HD converters. core audio used to be buggy with digidesign/avid stuff but supposedly with PT9 initial reports were that core audio is more stable than previously.

[Fibes]

Thanks everyone for your response.
Will using DP in conjunction with ProTools HD hardware still keep the HD quality that ProTools HD is so famous for... Or does the HD quality come from the ProTools software? Does this make sense?
Thanks,
Mike

I use Apogee hardware with DP and PT and it's better than PT hardware.

I prefer DP to my workflow.

I also used to argue with people about "getting as many bits in" by recording hot into DACs. DACS always sounded better to my ears at lower levels but the magazines, internet and some pros told everyone to record hot.

Use what works for you.