Newbie needing help
 

My son is using Logic Pro for School A level (UK) but if he goes on to Uni it would appear he will need to learn the basics of at least another DAW,

So I ask as he already has Sibelius 8 for his music composition work it makes sense to ask the community what will he need for Pro Tools ... is there a Student version as I cannot seem to find a stand-a-lone product unless I buy an older version from Ebay and hope I can get the registration transferred and use that.

He is using a Tascam 4x4 audio interface so guess he doesn't need anything else apart from the software for his Macbook Pro. As I said earlier he currently uses Logic Pro with the School.

What should I be looking for as I am on a tight budget

Thanks in advance for any help guidance (or) should I try ring AVID direct?

Re: Newbie needing help
 

Hi, and welcome.

You might find this helpful.

http://www.avid.com/academic-eligibility

Re: Newbie needing help
 

In that case you might be tempted to subscribe. It is 99 a year but you pay 8,25 monthly. Or just simply 9,99 monthly without annual commitment.

As soon as your son is wanting to buy an Avid-branded interface, it comes with PT software (commercial license) included with one year support plan.

Oh, and welcome to the community :)

Re: Newbie needing help
 

Thanks Tom .. that link took me to a deal at £238.80 or £10.80 per month or with an annual upgrade at £70.80.

So if read right and with comments from JF ... if I buy the £238.80 package it comes with 1 year cover (almost £24 per month) and thereafter I have to buy annual sub at £70.80 but at least he has the software to start with in hard form.

Or I buy for him a £10.80 per month educational deal and he just has a download (to keep safe) and OK to use as long as we pay monthly. (£129/yr)

We bought Sibelius years ago although now upgraded thru to ver 8 and now find we cannot update that without a subscription from now on. Maybe its time to consider going back to Notation from wench we came.

Re: Newbie needing help
 

Not exactly budget like some of the PT offerings but you might also want to look into Digital Performer. They have an upgrade from various pieces of software that aren't even daws that saves $100 US off the full price. That knocks it down to $395 US. No subscription, no dongle; one version that does it all. 30 day fully functioning free trial. Windows and Mac and it runs on some low-spec systems as well as the latest/greatest.

Re: Newbie needing help
 

You can consider that Sibelius thing that you know as how things are right now. The version of Sibelius you have now will keep working, but you won't get updates unless you buy the Support Plan. License itself is valid as long as you can keep using the software you have.

PT is the same. If you buy a "perpetual" license, it means that the license will not expire. However, you only get updates as long as the update plan is active. If I remember correctly (and I may very well be mistaken) the perpetual Academical license gives you 4 years of support, but you need to double-check that before you buy. Subscriptions however are easy to understand. If you have an active subscription, you have an active license and an active support plan. You get to use the latest software as long as your subscription is active. However, once the subscription runs out, the license is invalidated and you cannot use the software.

Which is why I suggested that it may be tempting to go for the subscription in your case. If you plan or even think of buying an Avid interface (which includes PT commercial license and one year of support plan) in the future, which is very likely if your son is learning PT, you can possibly save some money by subscribing at first and saving for the interface for a later time purchase.

It's all numbers, so do your math. Once you understand what this current licensing means, only you can tell which is best option for you.

Re: Newbie needing help
 

Thks Jack (Musicman) .. didnt even know about DP9 (its £316 to me over here in the UK) but then why would I .. have now seen the MOTU site .. one question though .. do I need the expensive interfaces or can I stay with the Tascam 4x4 which runs his Boss keyboard and drum machine. I guess its only the software he would need for either PT or DP9 so I dont have to spend more on hardware for him.

Janne .. I get the drift - I will ring AVID tomm and ask them about the PT Per License for Student and whether it last for 1 or 4 years support - if 4 years then its a no brainer at £238

With the Sibelius because I let the year run out without checking for downloads I lost all the links to the updated plug - ins for him (which were many Gigs).. so Ill ask them if I can do something about that and get back on to the annual sub at some stage.

Really apprec all the help here - brgds Derek

Re: Newbie needing help
 

You don't need those expensive interfaces to run DP9; I don't know about your specific Tascam but if it has the drivers for the computer and operating system in use then you should be good to go. You could always grab the demo to see if it works before plunking down hard-earned cash. 30 days and fully functional.

And as far as contacting Avid keep in mind that here in the US we're on a long Thanksgiving holiday and most companies close on Thursday and Friday. So you probably won't get any answer from the US people until maybe Monday next week.

Re: Newbie needing help
 

Thks Jack - good point about Thanksgiving but I think we have a UK office over here - well it has a UK number but that doesnt mean a lot .. cheers Derek

Re: Newbie needing help
 

Has your son decided on what uni he would like to go to or at least have a shortlist? Before spending any money I would suggest you check out what their courses are like. The majority of university courses will focus very heavily on a particular DAW with maybe a couple of classes in one of the others. There's not much point in you spending money on DP or Pro Tools now only to find when he the uni he chooses will be spending all their time teaching him Cubase.