[The Weed]

I agree with Bob, that's a click-bait article.

If you're producing your own podcast, not too many people are going to ask you what DAW you are using. Audition or Reaper are as good as Pro Tools for any kind of podcast. For making music, Cubase, Logic, Reaper, and even Audition and others can and are used. Pro Tools was first, many major studios and Post Production Houses use it, so what.

The educational discounts are deep, if you qualify. Lynda.com and Groove3 are relatively inexpensive learning centers, the DUC is free. If you're not going to qualify for the educational discount, but want to acquire Pro Tools because you want a job in the audio industry and knowing Pro Tools is a requirement, then finding the money to purchase it and learn it is just investing in your future.

If what you want to do is podcasting or music creation or anything else in the audio realm on your own or with others, having and knowing Pro Tools is not required and may not even be the right DAW for what you want to do.

The issue I see raised in the article that needs to change is those who use Pro Tools looking down on those who use something else. Pro Tools and any other DAW is a tool to an end, not the end in and of itself.

Personally, I've had Pro Tools for 20 years, I've taught the basics to college students and radio producers and others. I do voice work. When other voice talent ask me what DAW I recommend they use, Pro Tools is far from the top of the list, not necessarily because of cost, which is a factor, but predominately because of the learning curve and complexity (unless a voice talent wants to also do more than record and edit one mono voice track), system requirements and just general pickiness with OS and hardware. Remember, AVID is DIVA spelled backwards.

All that said, I started with Pro Tools when there wasn't much choice besides Cool Edit, and I'm not about to switch any time soon.

As always, YMMV.