Avid Pro Audio Community

QuikDraw · #1 10-27-2000, 09:58 PM

I loaded PT FREE on a PII 400, 128Mb single ATA33 hard drive, Creative PCI 128 sound card system.

Demo session plays back fine. Recording latency for MIDI is rediculous, and choppy. CAN NOT record like this. Audio recording is worse. Absolutely unuseable!

Then I did the unthinkable. I uninstalled PTLE for my Digi 001 system, and loaded PT FREE.

This system works flawlessly with the Digi 001. With PT Free it can't access my hardware. I assume that means my SB Live!. So, it won't even work on a system that thrives on PTLE.

What a disappointment! What an embarassment. PT FREE is such a poor implementation that I would think anyone exposed to it, without seeing a real ProTools system in action would be repelled from Digidesign products for life! I have $100 toy multitrack software that is far more useful than this joke of a demo!

PT FREE would be a good idea if it worked on most systems. It should at least be able to work on a system configured properly for PTLE.

Oh well! I just wanted to test it. It failed the test! And I'm a ProTools LE fan. I love my Digi 001 system!

Mike

MacDaddy WGAR · #2 10-27-2000, 10:13 PM

Mike i think you need to calm down first.
A coworker loaded on his Dell 450 P3 and he has a few issue but it works fine. And he uses a PTIII system on a 9600 at work. Consider how many hundreds if not thousands of Windows configurations there are. It will not work magically out of the box for everyone and besides doesn't Digi state that you should have a P3 at minimum?

I'm using the free version on my Mac at home and it works fine. Plus you need to remember that Digi has only been on Windows for about 2 years. Cut them some slack and give them the details instead of slamming them.
And after all it is free and it is NOT a demo. It is a full working version. Hey you never had to make a living with the old 3.1 software crashing 5 or 6 times a day. I lived though those hell days and now run Mix24 on rock solid
G4.
And as soon as our IT department gives a blessing I want to try it on thiss nice new Dell P3 550 boxes at work.
Take a breath and try it again. If not then go pop a P3 chip in your box.

Bill

voicepipes · #3 10-27-2000, 10:22 PM

No...i think the man has a point. If Digi has been in the Windows enviornment for 2 years they should be a force to reckon with. They have the product of choice for many studio's in the Mac OS, the leap to windows is tricky but it can be done..you have to spend the money to hire competent people to deliver the product. Instead they're offering us a version that is nothing more than a beta to see what works and what doesn't. Fine..but say so. They want us to upgrade to the full versions, if this is an example, I'm out. I have a DAW system using a high end audio card and PTF won't recognize it. Every other program tried, from shareware to a $1000.00 have worked just fine. Plus we are not allowed any method to contact Digi to ask questions or obtain help. ProTools is obviously a very good program/system. Its used in too many pro applications not to be. But this PTF version falls far short of their own standards of quality.

QuikDraw · #4 10-28-2000, 02:20 AM

Okay, I should calrify my original post here. The second install I tried was on my PIII 650 machine. 256Mb, AGP graphics, dedicated audio drive, and SB Live!. It couldn't use my SB Live!, and so I couldn't even test it. I tried every trick in the book.

I've restored my original ProTools LE / Digi 001 system the way it was before the experiment, and all is well. Like nothing ever happened.

Prodoozer · #5 10-28-2000, 08:12 AM

"Demo session plays back fine. Recording latency for MIDI is rediculous, and choppy. CAN NOT record like this. Audio recording is worse. Absolutely unuseable!"

I experienced latency while recording audio too, then I muted the track I was recording to. Worked fine. I didn't have any problems with the midi.

MacDaddy WGAR · #6 10-28-2000, 06:37 PM

Mike,
I feel bad for you and others that it does not work. But like I said I lived through some hell years with 3.1 on the Mac and just give them a chance to do a maintainence release down the road. I don't see CoolEdit, SoundForge or any others giving away a free program like this. You would think though that it would work with SoundBlaster considering how popular their cards are. I'm still waiting for Creative to come out with the Mac drivers so I can get one for home. They announced that back in January!

And you have to admit that the number of PC configs are staggering compared to the Mac. And you guys have a lot more setup issues to contend with than we do.
Perhaps if someone knows of some great Windows engineers you could direct them Digi's way

Bill

Lorin · #7 10-29-2000, 04:40 AM

quote:
Originally posted by MacDaddy WGAR:
And you have to admit that the number of PC configs are staggering compared to the Mac. And you guys have a lot more setup issues to contend with than we do.

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?

twas001 · #8 10-29-2000, 08:18 AM

I just want to tell everyone that PTF is as they say FREE! I think it's great. I have to believe that most of you have not read all of the diclaimers that Digidesign has about the use of PTF with the PTLE and Digi01. Maybe you should do that before slamming PTF. By the way I have a 600PIII with 256mb and a SBLive and it works great. I don't think it will replace my Yamaha DSP Factory with MxTrax but maybe I'll buy the Digi01 in the future

voicepipes · #9 10-29-2000, 04:01 PM

The key word that everyone seems to be mentioning is SoundBlaster. Those of us who have been using the Windows OS for a long time fully know its limitations and ability. We for the most part use high end sound cards that don NOT work with PTF.
No one disagrees that ProTools is an excellent program. Its history and useage speak for itself. But, offering a subpar demo that will work for the most part on "home recording" sound cards does nothing for the pro/semi pro user looking for a first (albeit limited) exposure to the Digi enviornment. For many of us, this does not leave a great deal of confidnece. As one person earlier responded "many other companies have been able to make programs work within windows" why is this such a troubled buggy release? Yes there are a myriad of systems its being tested on and it can't possibly work on all of them, but there are just too many people reporting problems for this to be considered a success.
Couple the problems so many people are facing and absolutely no support options offered to obtain information from Digi..well why go any further. Why spend any money to see IF it does work. Give us a demo that works and is an accurate reflection of the "Protools Quality Level" and I'm certain you'd have many of us converting. But not now, not with this.

macb · #10 10-29-2000, 05:52 PM

Since I assemble DAW PC's for a living I feel somewhat qualified to respond to this topic. I downloaded the PT Free program and installed it on a computer we use for demo'ing PC DAW software. I will admit that I work for a Steinberg Nuendo Dealer and if you wish to disqualify my opinion feel free. But the truth is that the program would not run. It crashed at startup every time. The system I was trying it on is a "professional" DAW as I said. It is a Pentium III 600E with 256MB RAM and three ATA-66 drives, running Windows 98SE. I was very dissapointed to find out that I could not try it. I have used ProTools in the past by the way and I respect the level of quality that it has. I must agree though that PT Free is an embarassment.
I just wanted to add that the system is using an RME Hammerfall 96/52 audio card.

[This message has been edited by macb (edited October 29, 2000).]