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I use Pro-Tools LE, why would I want to switch DAW's? A higher up in DP's management told me to post this. Thanks.

Mark

Hi Unicorn Kicks Ass! Welcome to Unicornation... they're a nice bunch, even to us deranged Aussies!

This is a question you have to ask yourself - not us really (just my opinion). If you're happy with Pro Tools LE - why change at all? I use both, as well as several other apps for sound design, re-recording, occasional music mixing etc. DP has a distinct "human" feel about it. It is far more complex and customizable than PT's.

In terms of features, DP blows PT's away. Surround sound for every surround format, delay compensation, unlimited track count. Oh, and get this - they don't force you into buying some crap interface made in China (sorry to any Chinese forum readers - but this stuff is cheap!) just to launch their program.

My advice? Keep Pro Tools going... get DP as well. Why the hell not. Best of both worlds...

Phil Jeffers wrote:Hi Unicorn Kicks Ass! Welcome to Unicornation... they're a nice bunch, even to us deranged Aussies!

This is a question you have to ask yourself - not us really (just my opinion). If you're happy with Pro Tools LE - why change at all? I use both, as well as several other apps for sound design, re-recording, occasional music mixing etc. DP has a distinct "human" feel about it. It is far more complex and customizable than PT's.

In terms of features, DP blows PT's away. Surround sound for every surround format, delay compensation, unlimited track count. Oh, and get this - they don't force you into buying some crap interface made in China (sorry to any Chinese forum readers - but this stuff is cheap!) just to launch their program.

My advice? Keep Pro Tools going... get DP as well. Why the hell not. Best of both worlds...

What he said

Deranged Aussies (that includes you Monkey) make the forum more interesting!

All very good points.

Also, DAWs have become really personal concomitantly with their increase in sophistication. You have to assess your work flow and the type of music you're producing. For me MIDI is very important. PT cannot even begin to hold a candle to DP in this regard.

Best,

MK

Phil Jeffers wrote:Oh, and get this - they don't force you into buying some crap interface made in China (sorry to any Chinese forum readers - but this stuff is cheap!) just to launch their program.

My advice? Keep Pro Tools going... get DP as well. Why the hell not. Best of both worlds...

I feel like i'm in the army again when I use pro-Tools (very limited in the things I want to do). I plan on keeping PT. I just feel like i'm locked into pro-tools, it bugs me no end of the "extras" you have to buy to make it a complete program. That and the cost to moving up.

I've been looking around the site here, I noticed the post about DP and how it crashes frequently. Does just DP crash, or does the whole mac. (Sorry if this seems vaugue). PT usually crashes for me if I try and do something super complication while the song is playing.

Mark

If you are running OS X, only the program crashes, not the OS. The exception (which is rare) is when there is a kernal panic, which is basically a system crash requiring a reboot.) These are extremely rare.

Back in the day, Pro Tools was THE program to have. I never liked it. It always seems cumbersome and the MIDI editing just plain awkward. I fought DP a long time, but once I moved there, I could never go back. I don't experience crashes often, and when I do it is usually very early in a session after a long period of non-use. In my case, I suspect a preference file may be to blame, but again, it is very rare and not worth worrying about.

As for the cost of upgrading, I balance that (in any program) with the increase in productivity, the wider range of possibilities and the actual enjoyment I get from using the program. If it isn't "fun" then it isn't worth my time. That is, fun in the sense of being able to "wow" myself and my audience/clients. With a couple of good plug ins like Plugsound Pro, MachFive and MX 4 (4-example) I can get the score out of my head and onto a CD or DVD in the most efficient and enjoyable way - and I am always happy with DP's performance (at least on a fast G5).

THAT, to me, really is worth the price tag.

Unicorns kick ass wrote: I've been looking around the site here, I noticed the post about DP and how it crashes frequently.
Mark

People don't post so much in forums about how great their system is running. You'll get a skewed view of a program if you rely on crash posts.

DP5 is one of the more stable apps that I own. In the few months that I have owned it, I have only crashed it twice, and that was because I was doing stupid things that I figured would probably crash it. In fact there are a lot of other stupid things that I figured ought to crash the program and didn't.

mckelly wrote:Deranged Aussies (that includes you Monkey) make the forum more interesting!

Wha... De-ranged? Aussies are quite well ranged over the entire continent.
Monkey realises he was sleep-talking, but insists on continuing...
I could swear someone called... OK, I might as well:
"Someone f%$#@&* called!". There. I feel better now.

mckelly wrote:For me MIDI is very important. PT cannot even begin to hold a candle to DP in this regard.
Best,
MK

I never get tired of hearing this comparison.
May things remain the same, even though the only certainty is that they won't.

Thanks for some clarity, DP is my next purchase. I'm excited!

here is how well DP performs on my G5 dual 2.0 ghz with 3.5 gigs of ram, I am running 10.4.9 and DP 5.12.

I was working on a project yesterday, and decided to add a Garritan solo violin. I lowered the buffer setting to 256 and recorded the MIDI track while the Mac also loaded and played the violin. This project had approximately 40 audio tracks, and it was running three Altiverbs and a gob of DP plugins.

Today I am mixing, and I say to myself "why is this screen redraw so slow and why is the processer way high?

I go to the buffer setting and..... DOH!
256, holy crap, I set it back to 1024 and back to business as usual.

DP 5.12 is very reliable.
Dan

Unicorns kick ass wrote:I've been looking around the site here, I noticed the post about DP and how it crashes frequently. Does just DP crash, or does the whole mac. PT usually crashes for me if I try and do something super complication while the song is playing.

DP 5.12 and OS 10.4.9 on an Intel Mac is stable for me. It's the same deal really -- if I try to do too much while tranport's in play it may crash, but under usual circumstances it holds up nicely.

That's not to say DP's a great fit for everyone. I don't want to give you false impressions. For me, though, it gets the job done.

Unicorns kick ass wrote:I use Pro-Tools LE, why would I want to switch DAW's? A higher up in DP's management told me to post this. Thanks.

Mark

No reason not to use both if you like. I do. In fact, I switch back and forth between Protools LE and DP all the time. I have yet to find a single DAW that can "do it all." Just looking at the specs, I suppose Logic Pro *might* come closest -- but, like so many others here, I can't stand the interface, so it doesn't matter if it IS the Holy Grail: I just don't like it. Purely subjective. Now, if Logic were to get a complete makeover, I might be tempted to give it a second (third, or forth) look.

In any case, coming from Protools LE, you will be totally stoked when you see just how much you can do with DP without any need for DV Toolkits, MP3 Options, or other Digidesign carrots-on-sticks.

Cheers

stiefelmusik wrote:In any case, coming from Protools LE, you will be totally stoked when you see just how much you can do with DP without any need for DV Toolkits, MP3 Options, or other Digidesign carrots-on-sticks.

Well Said!

By all means check out DP and other software, but beware of getting itchy feet just because the grass seems greener. What features do you really need which you don't have? Is it really such a drag using a Digi interface? etc.

chrispick wrote:

Unicorns kick ass wrote:I've been looking around the site here, I noticed the post about DP and how it crashes frequently. Does just DP crash, or does the whole mac. PT usually crashes for me if I try and do something super complication while the song is playing.

DP 5.12 and OS 10.4.9 on an Intel Mac is stable for me. It's the same deal really -- if I try to do too much while tranport's in play it may crash, but under usual circumstances it holds up nicely.

That's not to say DP's a great fit for everyone. I don't want to give you false impressions. For me, though, it gets the job done.

Me also, with the exception of OMF import dramas... 5.11 was OK for this.

You'll easily get 60-80 tracks running, with plenty of Aux's, plug-ins etc.

Mac only (along with Peak) means it kicks ass, because Mac is simply more reliable and powerful.