33 day countdown! Time to stick?

[ejinbc]

Originally Posted by Stephen Bond

4 days left to go! Thanks for the input everyone.

I'm wondering if there is anything else pertinent to the debate or anyone who can persuade me I need to give Avid another £200 for another year of updates?

Stephen

Mr Bond (always wanted to say that)

I think there are just a couple considerations – I am doing the same calculation as well…

1) If you are on Win 10, I think it is possible to freeze at 2020.5 and retain long term use – on Mac that is a much more difficult calculation – it seems each Mac update breaks something in ProTools (YMMV)

2) Is there a feature you can think of (anything) that would really ‘move the bar’ for you if ProTools implemented it ?

3) Is there a current BUG in 2020.5 that is affecting you in any way – right now, for me, on Win 10, 2020.5 is the most stable and snappy version for a while. I have had no crashes (or stops ! ) and I can record 16 Audio tracks, 3 Kontakt VSTs, and a few Waves plugs at 24/96 with 64 bit buffer on MOTU 1248 with no issues for more than 3 hours continuous recording.

4) Is there a feature on ANY other DAW that you really covet that CAN NOT be implemented with a AAX plugin ? I agree ARA might be nice, but is it a feature that is worth $200 per year to hope they implement it?

5) Even if ProTools does add a new (useful) feature, how many versions are you willing to wait until all the introduced BUGS have been removed ? I have been on PT since 9.0, each time they have introduced a new great feature it has taken a while to stabilize.

6) Is the Folder implementation a sign of things to come ? One of the most poorly considered ‘features’ IMHO that ProTools has attempted to implement – currently unusable, for all the reasons I have listed in the sticki. In the past I have been pretty impressed on the way Avid has implemented new features ! Why was Folder Tracks so poorly implemented ?

7) IMHO I do not think there is any MEANINGFUL sonic improvement possible with ProTools. There is no ‘sound of ProTools’.

8) Is is a classic case of FOMO ? Let’s say over the next 2 years Avid implements a feature that no one saw coming (dunno ?), but is super useful to your workflow. Well, you have saved $400, made more music because you weren’t unnecessarily constantly updating your DAW, but now you gotta go on the Subscription model, or pay a bit more than you saved and rebuy the perpetual license (if they still sell it then). It is currently the same price – 2 years of subscription, or buy the perpetual

9) So what are the odds that Avid fixes a critical bug impacting you, or adds a feature that you just gotta have over the next year. If it takes 2 years the price is the same.

10) And finally, how much would you hate not being able to come to this forum and complain about ProTools ?

IMHO, YMMV.
ejinbc

[EGS]

Originally Posted by ejinbc

... 1) If you are on Win 10, I think it is possible to freeze at 2020.5 and retain long term use – on Mac that is a much more difficult calculation – it seems each Mac update breaks something in ProTools (YMMV)...

+1

[zion]

Originally Posted by Stephen Bond

4 days left to go! Thanks for the input everyone.

I'm wondering if there is anything else pertinent to the debate or anyone who can persuade me I need to give Avid another £200 for another year of updates?

Stephen

You can always freeze Pro Tools and your current OS and install a second bootable OS to keep moving forward with your other software if needed, that’s provided the current version of PT is working fine for you. Use that money and buy a another DAW of your choice or plugins or just put the money aside and save it for a future Pro Tools that might offer you a reason to jump back in at a later date. At least you don’t have to worry about them breaking it again. I admit it’s a gamble but It’s one I’m willing to take. Especially since I’m using Studio One 5.0 mostly now. I waited almost 3yrs last time on reinstatement’s. I saved about $1200.00 or more on Ultimate but it also depends on the reinstatement offer at that time or if there is even going to be another reinstatement offer. As it stands the mind of Avid is heavily into subscriptions and that’s what they would love for you do at some point. I will never do subscription!

[JFreak]

There are really three different apporaches to maintaining PT:

1. Set it and forget it, do not pay any extra. The system will work just the same ten years from now and if you are happy with it now you will be happy with it ten years later, assuming nothing breaks.
2. Keep updating all the time, which means keeping your update plan active. You get new features as they are released and can upgrade to newer OS every year. You may have better software combinations and some worse, but you keep going and you always have the latest of everything.
3. Subscribe when you need the software. You will get the latest software for the latest OS as long as you keep paying.

[corp]

Originally Posted by Stephen Bond

I've been a long time Pro Tools user. I bought pretty much every version since v5. In fact, at one time I was paying for the updates of both the TDM and LE versions! Since the TDM rig went I have stuck with vanilla.

Anyhow, I've been thinking about my options for a long time. The yearly Avid tax was more than enough at nearly £100. When it went up to £200 I thought it was time to leave. I purchased another upgrade before the price doubling and that took me to September of this year.

The updates I have received in the last year or so have confirmed what I suspected. Sure, folders is nice but I can't bring to mind much else save a slew of bug fixes. The later are not inconsequential. Pro Tools is the most stable it has been for a good many years. However, I of course do not wish to pay £200 a year to fix things which don't work as they should.

As I have said repeatedly, for £200 I can buy Logic Pro X and receive free updates until a new major version arrives. That money is far better spent elsewhere. Sure I love Pro Tools but it is probably time to stick with what I have, even bearing in mind the punitive policies Avid have in place to return to the fold?

Stephen

Avid is behind the ball especially in regards to the old HDX card. You would of thought with all the hype from Apple and Avid before MP7.1 was released about using 6 old HDX cards we would of seen an updated HDX........nope! Software bugs not getting fixed.....

Try Cubase or Nuendo....

[Carl Lie]

Originally Posted by Stephen Bond

4 days left to go! Thanks for the input everyone.

I'm wondering if there is anything else pertinent to the debate or anyone who can persuade me I need to give Avid another £200 for another year of updates?

Stephen

Good luck sir! Any decision is good if one commits to it (for the most part). I'm up in November. The only thing I'm concerned about is my computer holding up. Not sure I trust apple to give us decent price on anything new and powerful though.

Logic works well. Not ideal but a solid tool. Studio One I can't get into for some reason. Screen seems cluttered to me. Could just be a learning curve thing.

But truly- whatever you do will work for you.

C

[PatriotsBiker]

Originally Posted by Carl Lie

Good luck sir! Any decision is good if one commits to it (for the most part). I'm up in November. The only thing I'm concerned about is my computer holding up. Not sure I trust apple to give us decent price on anything new and powerful though.

Logic works well. Not ideal but a solid tool. Studio One I can't get into for some reason. Screen seems cluttered to me. Could just be a learning curve thing.

But truly- whatever you do will work for you.

C

I wish I could get along with Studio One. It's been 4-5 years since I've tried. Maybe longer. It just seemed unnatural for me. I took to PT like a duck takes to water.

[TOM@METRO]

Originally Posted by PatriotsBiker

I wish I could get along with Studio One. It's been 4-5 years since I've tried. Maybe longer. It just seemed unnatural for me. I took to PT like a duck takes to water.

I purchased S1 just to give it a try, but "still" here I am.

[Stephen Bond]

Originally Posted by JFreak

Subscribe when you need the software. You will get the latest software for the latest OS as long as you keep paying.

Yeah that's what I thought pretty soon after the price hike. Avid want £190.40 a year for the updates. However, I can get a brand new Pro Tools subscription for $299 from AudioDeluxe (not to mention the $30 'DeluxeBucks' voucher) which is £225 in today's money. Really, Avid have priced the updates so high that it make NO sense continuing. Anyhow, I'm not giving them any more unless they come up with something which really warranty the investment.

Stephen

[EGS]

Originally Posted by PatriotsBiker

I wish I could get along with Studio One. It's been 4-5 years since I've tried. Maybe longer. It just seemed unnatural for me. I took to PT like a duck takes to water.

Same here; I decided not to invest the time to learn S1.

I have stopped paying AVID and will run 2020.5 on Windows for the foreseeable future. Vote with your wallet.