ALL PRO TOOLS USERS PLEASE READ (and act...)

[dio]

Hello,

I have been reading a lot of posts lately on this forum from users who are getting increasingly aggravated by the fact that they cannot use pro tools when not connected to their interfaces.
A lot of us have laptop setups where portability is paramount. We would all like to be able to take our computers, go sit in front of the ocean, and edit the latest of our wonderful projects. But we can't, unless we also bring with us our digi002's or mbox, cables, extra laptop batteries (the mbox is powered by your computer)... we might even have to find a power outlet.Or we could use a very, very, very long power cord.
In a time where valid recording software is available to most people, wouldn't it make sense that digidesign finally redesigns PT so that we can take our projects with us for mixing and editing?
I am saying this for my own benefit (and that of my fellows PT users), but also for Digi. It is not the time when PT was the only option anymore. Logic has monstruos capabilities, and Cubase has also become a standard in many studios worldwide. I'd rather stick to PT (like most of you, I assume), but I don't exclude the possibility of switching to something else if forced to.
Digi, if I have a Digi002, do you really expect me to buy an Mbox so that I can go mix wherever I want? Or do you expect me to get a copy of Logic, then transfer the session, and then mix it? Wouldn't i just do everything in Logic?
What I would like to do is see how many positive responses to this email we can get, and especially what Digi will have to say about it. We are all here because we love the products, we put our time and souls in it, and therefore are very passionate. I just hope that together we can make clear to the people at digidesign what our (very reasonable) needs are.
Thanks and if you agree please reply.

Dio

[dio]

N

[qgrm]

er....i don't ever edit with a laptop so excuse me if i don't act:)

It just eliminates piracy, cause even iLok has workarounds. I personally think the lack of piracy helps contribute to it's credibility as a "pro" tool.

B.

[Jace Everett]

Sorry dio.

Business is business. And if you think you'd rather mix in Logic than PT I know for sure you've never mixed in Logic !

Good luck on your quest though!

[Slim Shady]

Nice thought, but it probably would have been more effective if you would have searched first and then added your name to the 2 -3 other petitions on this subject that have already been started.

BTW, it's not going to happen - but again, good thought.

[South]

Yeah, I feel you.
I hope to use PT on my laptop without any interface, but
as the reality, I don't think this will happen anytime soon.
They need to sell their hardware to make their living.
There are so many good interfaces out there, and if you could use PT with any of those,
not many people would buy the M-Box or Digi002R.

I use DP 4.1 on my laptop. DP runs without any interface, and supports the built-in.
I record and mix in DP at our recording studio, take the session home, check it on my customer (Sony) speakers...
I know, you'd rather stick with PT, but you could check DP out.
It's cheaper($399 if you upgrade from PT, I guess)and much more similar to PT rather than Logic.

[antiphase]

this won't happen because digi makes their sales off of interfaces. If you're able to mix without one of their precious interfaces, then you can just use some other companies interface, and that would cause them to loose sales. I'm getting to the point where I might get an Mbox, and just rip it apart. Dissconnect the I/O's and just see how much I can strip apart from the inards so I have a small thin circuit board left over I can stick in a slim case, just so I can mix on the road.

[pk_hat]

As much as I have loved using PT over the past 3+ years, I just switched to Logic Pro and it's awesome. Learning curve = not as bad as I expected. You can tailor the interface to make it as simple or as complex as you like, and you can apply all you PT key commands in Logic.

Powerbook G4 + Logic + headphones = compose, edit and mix, anytime, anywhere, with minimal fuss. I'm very happy.

[Drunken Mixer]

If protools was not hardware dependent, then every hack with a Mac would be claiming to have a Protools Suite. Pirate versions would spring up everywhere. I find it comforting to know that after investing in my 002, I have a setup that is not available to just anyone with a computer and a little curiosity. If someone owns a respectable PT rig, that tells you a certain level of professionalism is present.The only time I remember seeing an abundance of Pirated PT software was back in version 4. why do you suppose that is? Well, remember DAE Powermix? this was an extension that allowed (limited) use of PT using the Apple Sound Manager. Well sure enough, illegal copies popped up everywhere, and you couldn't trust someone who claimed to be a PT user. I like knowing that when I say I have a Protools suite, people know that means a quality DAW from top to bottom. Also, when software is designed to work with multiple types of hardware, it tends to be more glitchy due to trying to make it compatible with every possible combination of hardware. That's one of the reasons I prefer Macs to PCs. When they develop software for a MAC, that's all it's for; a MAC. PC Software on the other hand, has to be compatible with every type of clone out there. I'd hate to see Digidesign follow that same path.

Finally, good mixes are done in good studios. A mixing engineer needs a static environment in order to provide consistent sounds. This means intimately knowing the sound from your near field monitors (and how the sounds you get from them differ in other sources) as well as your headphones, and the sound of the room, I hear this complaint a lot on the DUC "I want to mix on the air plane/tour buss" The idea of mixing in front of the ocean may be romantic, but I find it hard to believe that you'll get your best work done in a place as noisy as a beach. If that's really how you work, you probably don't need anything as powerful as Protools.

[Jace Everett]

Not only are you Drunken- a state they I strongly/actively support- you are also wise.

Nice, succinct, and in my opinion, clarifying post. Hell, I can barely mix in a proper environment! A bunk on the tour bus?

Of course I'm sober so you can't really trust my judgement right now !

Jace