What HD feature(s) do you want in LE?

[Shan]

Well, everyone covered everything pretty well here and there is no sense repeating what has been said. So, I just thought I would throw in a few more thoughts. It's time for Pro Tools HD to go native. Keep the PCI part for I/O only. Get rid of the TDM plug-in concept all together. There was a time when external PCI cards for DSP were an incredible idea because we just didn't have the computing power to pull this off. But with the jaw dropping power of the current 4-core and 8-core computers, those days are over. And yes, it can be done. We are absolutely floored at our current benchmark results with multi-core CPU's and had no idea we'd come this far, this fast.

It's probably also time to rewrite the PT spaghetti code from the ground up in assembly. I'll take a wild guess here, but after seeing the development of PT evolve over the past 8 years, I have a feeling that the coders work harder more on patching the PT code and holding it all together, than implementing new code with all the killer features we want. Just look at what PT LE does with the absence of Quicktime. Vital features are quite literally broken. And it doesn't just stop there. I wont even go into my Mac use of the app in PT HD.

I LOVE Pro Tools. But...it's really really really showing it's age and getting behind. My workflow use to be 100% in Pro Tools. Unfortunately, it is now 60% PT and 40% that "other DAW". That percentage gets lower with each passing month. Fortunately, I have created a great new workflow by ReWiring that "other DAW" into PT so I have the best of both worlds. This includes working in HD and LE.

If we don't change with the times, then I'm afraid we will be talking about Pro Tools the same way we now talk about, vinyl, tape, and ADAT etc. I'd rather not put Pro Tools in that type of conversation.

Pro Tools Native!...The 21st Century DAW.

I think it's about time. Don't you?

Shane

[halfguard]

id be happy with more tracks. if ive got to pay 500$ give me unlimited tracks or atleast 96.

[soundguy_2000]

I'm sure it's been said but all non-hardware specific HD features should be mandatory and I don't care if I have to pay the full update price (which I pay to update my HD system anyways! why can't i run that software with my LE and the ilok?).

If not, copy to send, PDC, full import session data, multitrack beat detective and 128 audio tracks would have me fairly well covered.

[Fran d'Valle]

1.- THE SAME SOUND QUALITY
2.- SURROUND 5.1
3.- MULTIPLE INTERFACE SUPPORT
4.- LANTECY ADJUSTING ON EACH I/O FOR EXTERNAL PROCCESING
5.- MORE THAN 32 MONO CHANNELS
6.- NEW FEATURES FOR PROTOOLS LE:
6.1.- NEW 32 DIGITAL I/O INTERFACE
6.2.- S/MUX COMPATIBILITY
6.3.- DIVX VIDEO CODEC
6.4.- MP4 AUDIO CODEC
6.5.- SURROUND 5.1
6.6.- EFFECTIVE DELAY COMPENSATION FOR DSP-CARDS

[Keeron]

Here's my pet peeves list that I've fired off to the powers that be at digidesign:

1. NON REAL TIME BOUNCING and RE-RECORDING. Just as an option. Why it’s not there…who knows? So much is done inside the box it should at least be an option.

2. The new right click function is cool, but the old version (on windows) was a godsend for editing. It has been replaced by holding the ‘START’ key while left clicking which is not as intuitive. The old way should be an option in the preferences.

3. Save able bounce templates ie, 44.1/24bit, 44/16bit;

4. On MIDI tracks, left click in piano layout of the track height selector SHOULD REMAIN track height selector and RIGHT CLICK should be play the note. That’s all backwards and really messes you up when switching tracks height between audio and MIDI.

5. Generally better MIDI editing ie. selecting the velocity points and NOT the actual note to adjust velocity;

6. Create a sub-window to be able to edit MIDI information such as pitch, controllers, velocity ALONGSIDE the notes track like in REASON or any other sequencer;

7. Insert able comments onto specific regions viewable in the edit window…like ‘view region comment’. Right now, ‘killer take’ is part of the file name

8. Applying fades to a track with muted regions makes the fades in the muted region UNMUTED!! VERY BAD.

9. Customizable auto crossfades between overlapping regions. The invisible auto fade feature doesn’t cut it.

10. Remove the nudge sample value of "2" and keep it in multiple of "10's": 1,10,100,1000 etc samples;

11. Make the color of selected waveforms other than dark blue on black background and other weird combinations where you can't see anything. Sometimes the selected waveforms are bright yellow on black background...which is good, other times, it's brown on black...not so good;

12. Show only active tracks in track view.

13. Plugin delay compensation on LE and M-Powered versions;

14. More import session options in LE.

15. Manual voicing in LE and M-POWERED where track hierarchy steals voice.

I have MPT so I am somewhat happy about not getting the 'you have exceeded' track count message in a long time...but I'd love for it to include more busses, more than 18 I/O and the import options of DV toolkit 2.

There's more...but it's late.

Is that too much to ask for?

Shane...what's your Rewired 'other DAW'?

[Shan]

Shane...what's your Rewired 'other DAW'?

Reaper. My absoluteley favorite ReWire plug-in for Pro Tools of all time. Using this in PT really increases my work flow these days.

Shane

[Kris75]

Well, everyone covered everything pretty well here and there is no sense repeating what has been said. So, I just thought I would throw in a few more thoughts. It's time for Pro Tools HD to go native. Keep the PCI part for I/O only. Get rid of the TDM plug-in concept all together. There was a time when external PCI cards for DSP were an incredible idea because we just didn't have the computing power to pull this off. But with the jaw dropping power of the current 4-core and 8-core computers, those days are over. And yes, it can be done. We are absolutely floored at our current benchmark results with multi-core CPU's and had no idea we'd come this far, this fast.

It's probably also time to rewrite the PT spaghetti code from the ground up in assembly. I'll take a wild guess here, but after seeing the development of PT evolve over the past 8 years, I have a feeling that the coders work harder more on patching the PT code and holding it all together, than implementing new code with all the killer features we want. Just look at what PT LE does with the absence of Quicktime. Vital features are quite literally broken. And it doesn't just stop there. I wont even go into my Mac use of the app in PT HD.

I LOVE Pro Tools. But...it's really really really showing it's age and getting behind. My workflow use to be 100% in Pro Tools. Unfortunately, it is now 60% PT and 40% that "other DAW". That percentage gets lower with each passing month. Fortunately, I have created a great new workflow by ReWiring that "other DAW" into PT so I have the best of both worlds. This includes working in HD and LE.

If we don't change with the times, then I'm afraid we will be talking about Pro Tools the same way we now talk about, vinyl, tape, and ADAT etc. I'd rather not put Pro Tools in that type of conversation.

Pro Tools Native!...The 21st Century DAW.

I think it's about time. Don't you?

Shane

Could not agree more my friend.

[airon]

OK... this is what feared would happen...lol...

Let me rephrase this...say Digi were to hop on here and tell you that you are granted 3 wishes for Pro Tools LE. 2 of the wishes can only be for LE to have a feature from HD get implemented, just as it is in HD; the final wish, and that ONE wish only can be for something no version of PT has, what would it be?

The more concise and practical the responses here, the better chance we have of Digi reading, and then considering what we wish to happen most for LE, and/or DV Toolkit & MPT.

Two things from HD I want in LE...

Automation(snap shot, VCA, glide,etc.) and track counts. Audacity can handle more tracks than PT LE, never mind every DAW out there. Industry standard? Thanks a lot. I want to cut dialog, effects and music for the stage at home without a $10000 dongle that I simply don't need. Sorry lads, it's not for me.

One thing I'd want that neither HD or LE have? Good joke, but I'll give it a poke.

High end configuration options. This includes freely definable keyboard shortcuts(and that includes a damn fine keyboard config editor).

To be honest I'd have to add two more. First, offline-bounce and offline-bus recording(that excludes hardware inputs obviously). The best offline bounce is in Reaper right now. It would probably be the biggest time saver for many of us here. The last show I mixed had four stereo mixes and an eight track stem config, that I actualy couldn't do at the same time because four DSP farms(mix system) wasn't enough. The guys over at two of our sister shows use Nuendo and bounce the whole thing out in one go.

Post-centric is the need for more than one region bin. If that's not in 7.4, then I don't see myself waiting for you lads to wise up any longer.

[lundquistaudio]

Other than the big things already mentioned in this thread, several easy things (coming from a long-time Sony Vegas user fairly new to PT)

1 Realtime Automatic crossfades (default)
2 Volume handles for each media clip, independent of track fader
3 Show All Automation--be able to view and edit all the track automations (vol, pan, effects, etc) simultaneously without having to switch back and forth between each one. Vegas displays them all at once, different colors.
4 This may require a big rework of the code: Be able to import or paste clips of many different formats or sample rates into the session without PT having to "process" the clips into the rigid session parameters. Vegas can use any type of wav, mp3, whatever all in the same session real time without all the processing.
5 SOLO button for busses (without the solo-safe bandaid). How many times have i wanted to just solo the drums or vocals without having to mute all the other busses.
6 Default to all the most common edits, like snapping or aligning track heads, autofades, all the simple no-brainer stuff that requires "configuring" in PT
7 ... many more annoyances that should be no-brainers in the modern world, like drop-down or pop-up menus instead of all the "secret keyboard shortcuts". More flexible and intuitive zoom bars like every software program these days. PT does some things well but for editing and mixing it's pretty archaic compared to Vegas or other programs.

Thanks
Chris

[3JDamon]

My take on it is that the full compliment of HD features is worth the money, no question. So I look at it from the other side of the table:
- would I pay $10k for ADC? Hell no.
- would I pay $10k for 96 tracks instead of 48? Hell no.
- would I pay $10k for 32 simultaneous inputs instead of 18? Hell no.

In each case I've found ways to deal with the problems. I've been doing manual delay comp since LE first came out, I mixed on a 266MHz G3 for two years so I'm no stranger to submixing, and I've bought 3rd party interfaces to record more than 18 tracks at once using alternate software when necessary. It's a pain in the butt, but it's rarely a serious problem and the extra gear I rent out enough that the rentals have paid for the gear anyway.

Yes, it would be nice if Digi could make it easier for you, but for dozens of painfully obvious reasons, they can't. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

Just think if Digi hadn't supported multiple CPU's as well as they did (dual-CPU Macs were out for over 4 years before they were supported). Just think if they hadn't supported XP to the extent they supported Macs (they didn't support NT/2k worth a damn, and nothing before that).

Some Hyundai's come with more features than some Mercedes. I don't hear the Mercedes owners complaining...