An Open letter to Digidesign

[N-G-NEER]

Hi folks,
Perhaps you are aware of these facts, and maybe you're even working on them, but it needs to be said because no one seems to be saying anything. Protools is a wonderful application that has ease of use and an intelligent interface but there are major flaws that really need to be addressed.

There is no native video support, that is to say QuickTime allows for no output to DV or anything else on the PC side. This has been a bone of contention, discussed on these boards for years. Given the significant increase in Wintel based Protools systems an alternative needs to be adopted. Direct show seems to be the standard amongst your competitors, and even by those who are not in your league. I know you offer a $12,000.00 item which does a far better job than the Direct show alternative, but for those of us who don't have huge budgets, and who do the kind of work that requires video output there are currently no alternatives within the Digidesign world. What are we to do? Go to different software?

What needs to happen is that your company which we all love, needs to look at what is going on around it, and get competitive. Your parent company AVID, is learning these lessons the hard way. A vastly inferior product (in my opinion); Final Cut Pro, has undermined the years of AVID's being the top dog. Now Adobe comes along and redesigns thier video system and it runs circles around Final Cut. It is only a matter of time before Adobe revamps Audition and makes it a truly proffesional Application, with Steinberg's Nuendo nipping at your heels, you need to be compelled to improve this product in so far as at least keeping up with the support that your competitors are offering. PTLE, still doesn't off 5.1 the industry standard or video support on the PC side, all of your competitors do. They may not do it as well as you can, but at this juncture you have'nt offered these components. If your thoughts are that the PC side is but a small number in the grand scheme of things, DON'T. Most of your dyed in the wool Mac only plug-in partners are now offering or are planning PC support. The writing is on the wall. As more, and more Mac-centric Companies offer PC support and have begun to abandon the Mac platform because of greater profitability and the ability to collateralize at a much faster pace occurs, we will see a shift that will leave those behind that don't or won't compete. I fear if you don't see the industry metomorphisis our beloved Digidesign will fall prey to the evolution of all things. Where all those that can't compete, or won't...die.

[s0nguy]

I totally agree with this.....Im about to do some video production and if I cant use my HD rig Im gonna be quite upset...

-S0nguy \

[froyo]

By N-G-NEER

I fear if you don't see the industry metomorphisis our beloved Digidesign will fall prey to the evolution of all things. Where all those that can't compete, or won't...die.

Hello. Well I say to that so what? What if Digidesign dies? Do you really care that much? I know I wouldn't. Don't get me wrong. I like Pro Tools. But I like other stuff too. And I think you are dramatizing consequences too much. Mac's are way too ingrained in the infrastructure. What's more, people who use Mac's and nothing else are way too ingrained in the infrastructure.

PC's could conceivably make a big push. But never to the point of eradication. Not the way DAW's replaced 2". Annihilation. But right now, TDM systems are virtually 100% Mac only. Will that ever change? Probably. Will ever go almost 100% PC? Nope.

By the way, Final Cut has not affected Avid's as much as you think. As far as I know, the only movie ever edited on Final Cut is Cold Mountain. That's one movie compared to what 2,000 or 3,000 in the last couple of years. So what's the point? Final Cut is competition to Avid. However it has not killed Avid's market. Not by a long shot. Will it ever? Probably not. It could make a big dent on the pie, but I doubt it will ever replace Avid's completely.

And that's the point here. Pro Tools may lose market share to other competitors. But who cares if they do? Use whatever you like whether that's Pro Tools or something else. So who cares if Pro Tools is #1 in the market or #120. If you like it, use it.

As for the DV through Firewire issue, man I have been on that crusade for about two years now. I have an e-mail form a Digidesign guy telling me that 'they are working on a solution' for PC's. Well that was over a year ago. Actions speak louder than words. I am on your side on this. Both versions should be truly equal. I am with you on that.

As for the issue of Pro Tools fading away, I really don't care if it ever does or not. I would miss it, but I would move on to something else. No big deal.

[N-G-NEER]

Froyo,

I am afraid you would be surprised at how much of the AVID market has been taken by Final Cut. Discovery has replaced thier AVID's with Final Cut as has WGBS in Boston. If cold mountain was the only movie done with FCP I would never have used it as an example. There are many. And if you are seeing this industry as Mac-centric, I think you need to look outside the area your working in. I work in DC and this area in very PC intrenched, and becoming more so all the time. The Mac platform has consistantly shot it self so many times that company's like Adobe have begun to eliminate thier support. So has AVID. Do I think PC's will entirely replace Mac's....No the PC and the Mac for that matter are very different from what they once where and more similar to one another than you might think. But a recent conversation with a group of audio editors in the LA and Bay areas tells me that many companies are dumping Mac's as each cycle ends (when a project ends). Nuendo is making great stides but I personaly like the PT interface much better. Can I switch? Of course I can but my choice would be to have the software I like make the improvements so that I don't need to. I have used most of the Popular software packages out there, with varieing degrees of competency, and I will continue to learn as need be. I started with 3 track then 4 then 8 then 16 then 24 when I first saw Protools(Soundtools) in 93' I could see the train a comin'! I got up to speed with computers and saw the evolution of the DAW and the MIDI workstations. I used to be a Mac head. I thought they were the end all, to be all but times march on and so do we. So... can I change......You bet. But I'd rather send a wake up call to a company to whom I become a fan of, than have to change to to function in this companies forte. By the way, to AVID, FCP is just the tip of the iceberg. The butt of everyones joke, Premiere, has taken on a new life. It's now intergration with other adobe products like Photoshop and After Effects as well as it's complete redesign makes it significantly more powerful than FCP or AVID for that matter. Only the High end AVID systems are safe from this threat and they're all ending thier lifecycle. TDM is almost 35% PC 3 years ago it was 0! It's a very interesting world we live in. Once again...I see the train a commin'

[froyo]

Hello. My point still stands. I do agree that the PC version of Pro Tools should have the same features as the Mac version. Regardless of if there is competition or not. That's a separate point and it should be taken care of.

My point is that while the industry is making strides towards combining both PC"s and Mac's, it will never be one where PC's dominate completely or Mac's dominate completely. Same with Final Cut. There is a market where Final Cut will be greatly favored and other markets where Avid's are greatly favored. There are some markets that will use both. Many do now.

As for Pro Tools it's the same deal. Yes the PC issues have to be addressed. It's only fair that they do. But big picture, if Pro Tools were to die because of the competition, who cares? And that's a big if. A big if. Are you saying that PC's will kill of Mac applications and Pro Tools better step up and become a PC darling? Or is your point more along the lines of PC's are making inroads and it's only fair that the product be the same? You can see where those are two extremely different things.

I agree that PC's are making inroads. In video graphics and animation, AMD based systems are used all day by the big boys for LOTR, Star Wars, etc. So yes they will probably make some inroads in audio. But they will never kill the Mac market. By the way Final Cut is Mac only, so what does that mean anyway?

I just think you are exaggerating the consequences involved and dramatizing a little bit. For example, where do you get 35% of TDM systems are PC? I have never heard anyone claim to do that. I don't know any music studios that use PC TDM, and people that use it in Post are mostly LE on a PC. Where did you get that figure?

[N-G-NEER]

Hi Froyo,

While I agree that there are systems on both sides of the fence I get the impression that your baseing some of your opinions on what your seeing directly around you. The 35% came from the recent NAMM show. The high end compositing stations have never been Mac they have been PC and SGI as PC is making a stronger showing in that area many of the high end tools are also going that way. Discreet, Eyeon and still others have migrated that way. My comments which I think your misenterpreting are simply that with the numbers of PC users growing a solution needs to be found to keep them from moving to another application. I think that if Digidesign is going to remain the "Darling" of the audio industry it needs to get with the program. I am not knocking any platform. I think they all need quite a bit of work. My comment is that as what has happened to AVID from competition will also happen to Protools should they not keep abreast of the industry.

(My point is that while the industry is making strides towards combining both PC"s and Mac's, it will never be one where PC's dominate completely or Mac's dominate completely. Same with Final Cut. There is a market where Final Cut will be greatly favored and other markets where Avid's are greatly favored. There are some markets that will use both. Many do now. )

That was my point. AVID at one time completely dominated the industry much as Protools does now. But they didn't watch the rearview mirror and heed that "Objects are closer than they appear." I was trying to point out how applications can come into favor from noware(Final Cut Pro). Personally I do not like Final Cut. I used it for a year and a half at a post house and found little to like. I cut my teeth in non-linear video on AVID and saw the market get more competetive in the last few years. I was pointing out that even Mac-centric companies like McDSP are now makeing thier plug-ins for PC which is to state simply that even those companies who were Mac only accept the legitimacy of the PC in the marketplace. I pointed out that ADOBE a very Mac-centric company in the 90's is moving toward a PC dominant roster. I stated that it was a matter of collateralizing the R&D costs. This is not about a pissing contest,.. its about the fact that the PC is comming into it's own in our industry and those companies who can't or won't change to accept that will find themselves out in the cold. This is not a competition it's just facts based on the marketplace and the current business model.

[froyo]

Hello. Well I would add a few things to that.

AVID at one time completely dominated the industry much as Protools does now. But they didn't watch the rearview mirror and heed that "Objects are closer than they appear." I was trying to point out how applications can come into favor from nowhre (Final Cut Pro).

My point there would be, so what? Who cares if Pro Tools goes from being a monopoly to being one of many options? As a matter of fact, you should be clamoring for this to happen. Only good things can come from that.

its about the fact that the PC is coming into it's own in our industry and those companies who can't or won't change to accept that will find themselves out in the cold.

Again my point would be so what? So what if they find themselves out in the cold? What is bad about that?

I think that if Digidesign is going to remain the "Darling" of the audio industry it needs to get with the program.

I am still trying to understand why you think this is a good thing. In what way does it benefit you or me or anyone in the audio industry for Digidesign to remain the "Darling" as you call it. Competition is always a good thing. It benefits you and me. I still don't know why you want them to remain the darling.

My comments which I think your misinterpreting are simply that with the numbers of PC users growing, a solution needs to be found to keep them from moving to another application.

Do you hold stock in Digidesign? Why do you care if others switch in mass to another application? In what way would it hurt you if they did? In what way does it benefit you that they don't? Why do users need to remain with Digidesign and not switch to another application?

The thing that time again I read in your comments is that you personally want Digidesign to be the market leader. Not only that, you want it to remain a market leader that 'completely dominates the industry'. Why? Let's say Digidesign makes all the changes necessary to the PC version and it's just as capable as the Mac version. But in spite of that they lose half their market to Nuendo. What would be wrong with that? In what way would that hurt you? In what way would it hurt the audio industry as a whole? In what way does it benefit you for Digidesign to 'completely dominate the industry'?

Lastly I need you to clarify something.

The 35% came from the recent NAMM show.

I need some explanation on that. Did Digidesign say that 35% of all their TDM systems were PC? Or did they say 35% of their new TDM systems sold were PC? What exactly did it refer to?

Look NGNEER, I mentioned from the start that I am 100% in agreement that the PC version of Pro Tools should have every single feature as the Mac one does. No more, no less. What I did mention and you may not have understood, is that I have been after Digidesign for this for at least two years or more. Digidesign's actions speak louder than all the words they say. We agree on that. Those are two separate issues.

What I don't understand is why you want Digidesign to be top dog, and the one and only dog?

[N-G-NEER]

Hi Froyo,

Something this current generation knows nothing about is call brand loyalty. Your attitude is that if that's not around who cares. Well maybe someone is thinking that about you! Doesn't feel very good does it? I like my clients to be loyal and I do my best to always take care of them. It's called, a business relationship. The number of 35% was thrown about the NAMM show by many of the vendors, to show that "they" were supporting the largest growing platform movement.

My point is simple, this is an open letter to Digidesign from someone who cares about what happens to the application I enjoy using. I don't own stock in DIGI I am just a loyal DIGI customer who want's to see the software/Hardware solution that I like survive. I don't understand why you are unable to come to terms with that. Perhaps you're still too young to understand the type of princapals those of us who've lived a bit longer have. Perhaps you think everything and everybody are replacable. They're not. That's why my clients come back to me after the guy down the street lowers his price by ten bucks an hour. It's called LOYALTY. And I hope at some point in the not too distant future you too will understand that. Remember "as you sow, so shall you reap."


N-G-NEER

[froyo]

Hello. NGNEER I just wanted to find out exactly what you were trying to explain, so I obviously didn't mean any offense or attack. It appears you took it personally.

However it is a little bizarre that you would comment on my work habits, my age or my clientele amongst other things when you have absolutely zero idea about any of them. You have no idea who I am, how old I am, how long I have been in business, who my clients are, how long I have had them, etc. I don't know why you felt you had to react the way you did, but suffice it say you have zero knowledge of anything you speak about me. Absolutely zero.

The only reason that I kept asking you detailed questions is this. It is fine that you enjoy Pro Tools. So do I. It is fine that you care about it and want it to continue. However these after all are only tools. Mac, PC, Pro Tools, Logic, Reason, mics, cables, etc. These are strictly tools. I like them and I like to use them all. As an audio engineer, I like to have the option to use all of the options available to me. I don't like to limit myself to only one software, one computer platform, etc. If you think that is being disloyal that is your choice. I am just using every option I have available to me and not limiting myself.

However so often in this industry I see professionals get emotionally wrapped up around the tools they use. These are just tools. A Mac is not any better than a PC. Pro Tools is not any better than Nuendo or Logic or whatever. Yet people dedicate too many emotions to them. It appears almost like a religion or a competition. Often times these feeling to the tools we use can spill over to unproductive, irrational confrontations. Just look at how you reacted to my questions and started to attack me when I questioned why you were so personally and emotionally involved to Digidesign and Pro Tools which after all are just tools.

Because as a professional I like to use all the options available to me. I have also been around in the business long enough to know that competition is always a good thing. Every single time. It is always infinitely better to have a healthy market where many companies can compete. It only produces better tools and better prices. One company controlling an entire market is not good. It never is.

That is something you should know by now if you have been in any business for any length of time. Yet it was something I was pointing out with my questions. If you read your post you will see that you not only want Digidesign to stay in business, you want it to remain the 'Darling' of the industry and to continue to dominate the industry completely. This is just not a good market environment for any industry, audio included.

Do I care if Pro Tools goes out of business? On one hand, yes I would miss Pro Tools. But in the big picture of the audio industry, no it would not be that big a deal to me. I am an audio engineer that uses tools. I don't have any emotional ties to the tools I use. I simply use them to produce an end result.

No offense was intended with my questions.

As for the 35% of the market, well see I think you were not very clear from the start. When you first mentioned you made it seem like Digidesign's TDM market was 35% PC. This came as a shock to me as my experience throughout many, many years in the business in many markets (NY, LA, Miami, TX) has shown me that as far Pro Tools TDM, virtually 100% of the market is Mac.

I agreed from the start that PC is making inroads into the industry. I just pointed out from the start that in my opinion you were overdramatizing the consequences of what may be at stake. I still think you are. Pro Tools does have a PC product. They do need to improve it to be up to snuff. But they would not go out of business. At worst, they would maybe lose some market share. And my point all along is that is something that can only be a good thing to you and the entire audio industry. It will improve Pro Tools in the long run.

Peace.

[N-G-NEER]

Dear Froyo,

You are most correct! I did not mean to attack you personaly and if I came accross that way I am sorry. I see too many upstart wanabe's who think they are. When I start hearing things like who cares they'll allways be someone else That's where I'm going in my head. You have made many rational points in this post. and I commend you for that. I too use many tools for many jobs. Some just for one function and others for still additional functions. I cover many bases and have taken pride in my ability to move from one system to another. I also use several platform Mac Unix, Windows. Frankly they all suck, but that's what we have right now and it keeps getting better. I wish sometime companies wouldn't try to package consumer apps as pro (like we wouldn't know better) I take pride in my education and over 35 years in the business the fact that I've done hundreds of albums, countless comercials and a few films. I do appreciate competition as long as we are talking apples and apples. Too many times I'v seen Toys that they try to make sound like real applications ie Protools vs Vegas. So I do appreciate what your saying, perhaps we both got off on the wrong foot.

Thanks
N-G-NEER