Anyone here a former user of Digital Performer 6?

[hwalker]

Anyone here a former user of Digital Performer 6?
i just have inherited a new Digi 003 and am about to seriously look into using Pro Tools 8 full time.
Has anyone here had experience with both. What are the main benefits? i have used DP for years because of the big difference in midi editing capability between these 2 DAWs but it seems to have evened out...?
i know i'll be bummed about not being able to bouce offline but maybe the change is worth it?? All the PT8 plugs look pretty kick ass so...
Thoughts anyone please...

[Resonant Alien]

Yes, I switched from DP6 to PTLE8 in Feb. Before, DP6 was my main DAW for live audio tracking and mixing, but I used Logic 8 for loop creation and midi. I am still using Logic for those things, but have used PTLE exclusively for everything else.

I switched from DP after 5-1/2 years because after the DP6 upgrade, I thought that DP was doing something to my audio when I recorded in. I recorded the same setup into DP6 and into Logic8, and then compared these tracks to just playing live through the console of my Metric Halo ULN2. I could hear a change in the audio of the one recorded into DP. The Logic track sounded exactly like the live audio directly through the ULN2. I posted my observations on the MOTUNation forum (in a very non-confrontational way), and pretty much got flamed. I also completely HATED the UI changes in DP6 - I thought it made it look like a toy, so I decided to try something else.

I really don't like recording and mixing in Logic though (just my personal preference with workflow and cosmetics), so I decided to give PT a try. For tracking and mixing, I have been loving PT. There are some very nice workflow elements in PT that are not in either Logic or DP (at least not that I could find). Like the comments box at the bottom of each track in the mix window. Or single clicking the insert slot to show/hide the plugin window. I also did my audio test, and the audio in PT sounded just like the audio in Logic and the live audio via my ULN2. DP still sounded different to me. So, I have been happy with PT these few months.

I also like that PT handles monitoring through effects much better than DP. I could never play live audio or MIDI tracks through DP without cranking the buffers down to something almost unusable. PT handles this much better. That said, Logic still wins the contest in this department, IMO.

Things about PT that I don't like/miss about DP: plugin delay compensation. Both Logic and DP have it, but PTLE does not. You can use the Mellowmuse ATA plug and it works well. It is a small inconvenience to have to do this, but I don't find it THAT big of a deal, at least not for the track counts I work with (typically no more than 15-20). I know some people on this forum have a huge issue with it - I think many of these guys are running a gazillion tracks, so I could see using ATA would get to be more of a pain with high track counts.

I also like the higher flexibility you have with assigning key commands in both Logic and DP compared to PT.

I also wish that I could run PT without the 2-rack space dongle that is the Digi 003 (I am using my Metric Halo ULN2 for analog in/out, and conversion, and only have the 003 connected via ADAT, so I really have no use for the 003, except that PT will not run without it connected).

But, all in all, these are small gripes. I really like the workflow in PT, and I really like the UI. Workflow is a very important aspect that I think a lot of people overlook in a DAW. Unfortunately, you never know how the workflow is going to work for you until you actually have the DAW and use it for a while. And while some people poo-poo the importance of the UI cosmetics, I beg to differ - I think this is a very important aspect of the whole creative process, and if I am not happy with the UI, it affects me negatively, hence why I only work in Logic for a few certain things that I think it does better.

There are some other downsides to PTLE regarding video sync, but because I have Logic, I don't have any issues with these....like if you want the DV Toolkit so that you get the extra features for syncing to video, etc., it will cost you another $1300, whereas DP and Logic both include these features as standard in their $500 packages. This has been the subject of many a flaming post on the DUC, but like I said, for me personally, it's not a huge deal, since I can do my video work inside Logic for now. Eventually, maybe I'll spring for DV TK, but I'm OK for now.

Rick

[hwalker]

Thanks Rick. Very helpful.
Anyone else?

[dmacintyre]

DP6 might have far more midi functionality but I find that the midi in PT8 does pretty much everything I need. I'd like more 2nd tier midi features but the smart tool is the most intuitive way to edit in any host - there is a lot to be said for productivity over functionality. Also, the midi editor velocity handles in DP are ridiculously small.

I tried to like DP but MOTU and the users will just not admit that the overview window is abysmal and having to create separate midi tracks for VIs is just counter intuitive when Live, Logic, Cubase and PT8 all manage to link midi and plugin in the same track.

PT8 is getting close to perfection but Digi / Avid need to unlock the features they have been reserving for HD, facilitate AU/VST either directly or through their own wrapper, activate track freeze and bundle the AIR instruments (IMHO).

D.

BTW, haven't MOTU only just included offline bounce in DP6? If you have lived with it until DP6 you should be OK with it in PT8.

[hwalker]

Actually. DP has had offline bounce for quite sometime i think. At least since version 4 that i know of. Freezing started with v5 i think and midi freezing started with v6 although with bigger vi's i've found it unreliable to useless...