What an embarassment!

[jeffreyc]

Hi, I think we've got to be aware the Pro Tools is a professional audio product (PS. Pro Audio is NOT MIDI stuff). In my experience (I've worked in pro audio for 7 years) that means "Highly Customized". Being highly customized means the system (Hardware and software) are matched and tuned to give optimum performance not achievable by the consumer level products such as Cakewalk, etc.

With that in mind, may I remind that PTF is still a cut down Pro Audio software, and still requires certain level of customizing. The power under the bonnet is far greater than those of digital audio sequencing software (I've used DP, Cubase VST etc). Honestly, PT even in its LE version SOUNDS better.

It's an unfortunate but nevertheless true fact of Pro Audio products. So, please be patient.

[twas001]

I think the biggest problem over all is that most of the people complaining about this are people who don't know how to read (or are too lazy too). Digidesign states that they know there are some hardware configurations that just won't work with PTF and PTLE(with Digi01). I don't care if you build DAW's for a living. Maybe you don't have the right chipset, or maybe some of your peripherals are not installed properly.
The problem is most people think that it is a PTF problem, but maybe could it be Windows?
Digidesign has written software for Macs which is rock solid, and when it comes to Windows, they want to use the best chip and chipsets so they write it exclusively for them. I know PTF is not the greatest thing since sliced bread but I think you have to give Digidesign some slack here. At least for those of use who know that the computer world is not perfect and can get this PTF to work, hey, more power to us. I learned on ProTools at school and I think it great that I can still somewhat keep in touch with it without having to dish out more money. Just think, ten years ago we wouldn't even have a chance to talk about a FREE 8-track hard disk recording system. THERE WEREN'T ANY! So stop complaining and just be thankful if you get PTF to work. If not then try another manufacturer or rebuild your computer to their specs.

[QuikDraw]

That was my point when I started this topic... My system IS BUILT TO DIGIDESIGN SPECS!!!!

My system runs Pro Tools LE with Digi 001 very nicely. And I mean VERY NICELY!!

I'm not trying to bash Digidesign here. I love Pro Tools! Digi software with Digi hardware on a Digi certified computer setup is totally AWSOME!

My gripe is this:

When I bought the Digi 001 for Win98 I built my system precisely to Digi specs. I wanted to run Pro Tools on Win98, and that's what I was going to do. No matter what. I was willing to spend whatever it took to make the system work. And it was simple... Follow the Digi guidelines for system config and components, and the system works. Period.

Not the same with PT FREE. There is NOTHING OUT OF SPEC about my system.

I guess there's no free lunch.

[jdmatt]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lorin:
With all due respect, that's irrelevant. Adobe, Adaptec, Corel, Sonic Foundry, Macromedia, IQS, Steinberg, etc. etc. etc. all seem to have managed to write software that's unaffected by the so-called "staggering" array of possible configurations. What challenges does Digi face that those companies don't?

---

Lorin hit the nail on the head.Digi is a mac-oriented company with an obvious bias.They can't really say they support the windows platform because they don't write the
code to be independent of the hardware configuration unlike a true windows product.
Ps.to support my contention that they are a biased company...I am in the process of purchasing a PT Mix Plus system and was told
to "do myself a favor and get a mac."
Incidentally I currently have digi 1 on the system(P3..500mhz..1/2 gig ram it works fine..but I couldn't get pt free to work at all.I can open my digi sessions,and load the tracks...but I can't play them back..tells me
to increase buffer size in hardware setup..
when I do ..the system reboots and everything is lost.
When I mentioned it to tech support..for the digi 1 system...he said "that's a pc for ya!"
The real problem isn't the pc it's the poorly
written version of pro tools for the pc!!!

I did cave in to pressure on my mix plus system..got a dual G4 with 1/2 gig ram
(I hate it) but I set up an ethernet network
with my pc (a product called dave works great
for this ..I can read and write files back and forth between the two) but it allows me
to use my pc with all my cd creating gear on the ptools files that I switched over from the mac.
The only reason I was FORCED to go mac ..was and is that digi still doesn't produce the
SAME pt for the pc...no matter what they claim.

------------------

[twas001]

I just would like you people to read this. maybe I'm not getting it. This is from the PTF download link.

5. Pro Tools FREE is not intended to work with Digidesign audio hardware. Pro Tools LE & TDM software has been extensively tested with our hardware to provide the most integrated, powerful, and robust digital audio workstations ever produced. While Pro Tools FREE does support the Audiomedia III card on Windows 98/Me, we strongly recommend AMIII owners get the latest version of Pro Tools LE.

So doesn't this mean that if you already have Protools LE with the Digi01 system you don't even need PTF? Or is there that much of a difference between them? I don't understand what the confusion is.

[QuikDraw]

So, twas001, I'm only allowed one computer? I'm not allowed to experiment with new products? Just because my Digi 001 system works I should never ever try anything else? Maybe I should never have stopped using my cassette four-tracker... It worked perfectly! (actually, I haven't stopped using it, just cut back a bit!)

Other than track count limitations, and the fact that PTFree will NOT work with Digi hardware (i.e. the 001), there is not much difference between PTLE and PTFree. Mixing, editing, automation... All seem to be the same.

The confusion is, I, being a somewhat experienced PTLE user and moderately experienced computer tech, would like to offer my fellow musicians a chance to use ProTools FREE. I know my way around the program, and I'd like to know a foolproof way to set up PTFree so that my bandmates could have a great and cheap system for doing simple track limited demos.

No, there is NO BENEFIT to running PTFree if you already have PTLE. PTFree is a stripped down version. However, testing it on a system known to run a higher version of Pro Tools seems like an obvious thing to try.

I don't want my friends and associates using Cubasis, or Cakewalk Guitar Studio, or anything else that is not ProTools. I've been waiting for years for ProTools to become an affordable solution for PC recording, and it finally has (Digi 001).

I was willing and able to shell out over $2000 for a Digi compatible PC, and an additional $900 for the Digi 001. My friends are not quite as addicted to engineering as I am, and won't spend that kind of money.

All I'm looking for is a useable way to set up and run PTFree. I want to be able to tell my friends, "Get PTFree. It's the best 8 track + MIDI home recording program out there.". I want to be able to set it up and make it work. I want to know what hardware it needs in order to work. I want to play with it enough to know the best way to monitor recordings (which so far seems to REQUIRE an external mixer due to massive latency).

These are shortcomings of PTFree. I don't need to worry about these issues with my Digi001 system.

I have a back-up partition in my system that lets me restore my entire system drive in less than 20 minutes. So I rather enjoy playing with new software. If something goes wrong, I just put it back the way it was. Instantly. Okay, maybe 20 minutes is a long instant

I will continue to try PTFree until I figure out why it doesn't work on my system. Maybe I need to pull the Digi 001 PCI card out of the slot? I already had to uninstall PTLE in order to try PTF, might as well go the next step and pull the card...

[twas001]

I'm not trying to say that one can not experiment, I'm just saying that it's a free program, and as you know not all experiments succeed the first few times around. Everyone (with the exception of a few) seems to be bashing Digidesign for even attempting to put out a free program that only works with a few systems. I do believe it would be great if I could get it to run on my laptop, but it's only an amdk62, so I haven't even tried. Yes it would be great if all of my friends could download it and use it, but maybe Digidesign will hire someone that knows more about Windows programming and rewrite the whole thing. I would love to see them release a Protools for Yamaha DSP Factory, but that would make it so people wouldn't buy their hardware. I hope you can get it to work, but if not at least you didn't dish out a bunch of money for PTF.

[eldog]

Quote from Mach...
"The system I was trying it on is a "professional" DAW as I said. It is a Pentium III 600E"

And exactly want studio use your so called "professional" DAW.

Not: Fox, Disney, Warner Bros, Todd A/O, Paramount, Record Plant, Sony, Village Recorder, Media Ventures, The Lot, Sound City, NRG, or any other facility I have ever worked at or been in.

Nothing but home/project studios.

where do YOU work anyway???

yea, I thought so...

[Rednroll]

If you really want to go that route, The "Professional" studio that I worked in Used Ams Neve Audiophile editors...I believe Disney uses those too.....or maybe even an SSL editor. So I too can say that MAC Protools systems are not a "Professional" DAW like YOU are leading us to believe. In fact let's go even further and say that the real "professional" systems are 2 Inch!!! and a computer shouldn't even be used for "professional" work. Yeah...let's talk professionalism and criticize people for trying to expand their PC systems for professional use, which they are quite capable of. I guess if you where really a pro, then you might have heard of SSL or AMS Neve. Yeah, you're the real pro here eldog. NOT!!!!!

[This message has been edited by Rednroll (edited November 02, 2000).]

[twas001]

I just want everyone here to know that I got PTF to actually work perfectly on my laptop. I wasn't sure it would work being as its and amdk62 475mhz and I know for a fact that it's not a genuine Intel chipset its a via chipset so I don't think the chipset and processors are as important as Digidesign states they are. I don't quite know why everyones still having problems with it but if I find a trick to it I'll be sure to let everyone know.