Can anyone here recommend another daw?

[nigelpry]

The comments about all DAWs having their own idiosyncracies is absolutely true and it is also very true that you endure a long and frustrating learning curve, because your mindset naturally looks for how software x does PT function y.

Sometimes the paradigms are not close enough, and it takes much reading of manuals to figure it out.

It is much worse converting to another software when you are already experienced, because you don't want to learn from scratch, you want to run before you know now to walk.

I use Cubase and Logic regularly, and both are able to do the things you ask.

I also bought Harrison's Mixbus, but while the mix window is fine (if not so 'crisp and clean' looking), and sounds great, with built in eq and compression algorhithms direct from Harrison large format digital mixing consoles on every track (number of tracks limited only by cpu power), and with 8 mix busses each with mix bus compression, I find the edit window a bit clunky. Mixbus does not do surround, either. Maybe one day ...

From experience, I can say this ... I used Cubase from day 1 on the Atari, when it was MIDI only, and its predessor before that, Pro 24. That is twenty five years of experience. I synced the computer with reel to reel, and used portastudios before that.

Why do I mention this ... well ... not saying your the same as me, but here's some things that may influence you ... bearing in mind I had to learn Pro Tools and Logic at the same time, when I started a university degree (as a mature student retired from main career) in 2008.

1) Within one session of using pro tools, having never seen it before, I was entirely comfortable using it ... yes I had to search for a few things and read a little, but mostly I found it obvious and intuitive,

2) I still find Logic very frustrating and counter-intuitive in certain aspects of its functioning, although some things are beautifully implemented,

3) So attuned am I now into Pro Tools way of doing things, I even find myself scratching my head from time to time in Cubase even though I know it inside out (hell, I was even approached to be, and became, one of its beta testers before it first came out)

I use Pro Tools mostly, because it is so easy to use, and the gui of both the edit and mix windows is pretty much spot on, a joy to use in almost all aspects. PT11 promises to 'fix' my two biggest frustrations .... Virtual Instrument performance and the fact that if you choose to see mini-faders for send slots, you can only see two of them and you can't them see if you have anything set up in the other 8 send slots. Wow, I'd have happily paid $500 as a one-off toolkit upgrade fee just for that ... mini-faders visible for as many of the 10 send slots as you want ... brilliant!

Anyway, sorry for my ramble, but the point is, if you've been using PT for a while, you need to face up to the fact that it will be an unsettling and frustrating time learning another DAW. You can do it, for sure, but I suggest you wait until you reach the point where decisions regarding pro tools can be made with certainty. Why learn something else if you dont need to.

I'd thoroughly recommend you follow Righty's very useful advice, which is to hang fire until PT11‘s release, as the landscape has every possibility of changing by then, given that Avid have acknowledged they are aware of the poor reaction to CPTK's unannounced withdrawal.

[Avidfan]

Originally Posted by nigelpry

The comments about all DAWs having their own idiosyncracies is absolutely true and it is also very true that you endure a long and frustrating learning curve, because your mindset naturally looks for how software x does PT function y.

Sometimes the paradigms are not close enough, and it takes much reading of manuals to figure it out.

It is much worse converting to another software when you are already experienced, because you don't want to learn from scratch, you want to run before you know now to walk.

I use Cubase and Logic regularly, and both are able to do the things you ask.

I also bought Harrison's Mixbus, but while the mix window is fine (if not so 'crisp and clean' looking), and sounds great, with built in eq and compression algorhithms direct from Harrison large format digital mixing consoles on every track (number of tracks limited only by cpu power), and with 8 mix busses each with mix bus compression, I find the edit window a bit clunky. Mixbus does not do surround, either. Maybe one day ...

From experience, I can say this ... I used Cubase from day 1 on the Atari, when it was MIDI only, and its predessor before that, Pro 24. That is twenty five years of experience. I synced the computer with reel to reel, and used portastudios before that.

Why do I mention this ... well ... not saying your the same as me, but here's some things that may influence you ... bearing in mind I had to learn Pro Tools and Logic at the same time, when I started a university degree (as a mature student retired from main career) in 2008.

1) Within one session of using pro tools, having never seen it before, I was entirely comfortable using it ... yes I had to search for a few things and read a little, but mostly I found it obvious and intuitive,

2) I still find Logic very frustrating and counter-intuitive in certain aspects of its functioning, although some things are beautifully implemented,

3) So attuned am I now into Pro Tools way of doing things, I even find myself scratching my head from time to time in Cubase even though I know it inside out (hell, I was even approached to be, and became, one of its beta testers before it first came out)

I use Pro Tools mostly, because it is so easy to use, and the gui of both the edit and mix windows is pretty much spot on, a joy to use in almost all aspects. PT11 promises to 'fix' my two biggest frustrations .... Virtual Instrument performance and the fact that if you choose to see mini-faders for send slots, you can only see two of them and you can't them see if you have anything set up in the other 8 send slots. Wow, I'd have happily paid $500 as a one-off toolkit upgrade fee just for that ... mini-faders visible for as many of the 10 send slots as you want ... brilliant!

Anyway, sorry for my ramble, but the point is, if you've been using PT for a while, you need to face up to the fact that it will be an unsettling and frustrating time learning another DAW. You can do it, for sure, but I suggest you wait until you reach the point where decisions regarding pro tools can be made with certainty. Why learn something else if you dont need to.

I'd thoroughly recommend you follow Righty's very useful advice, which is to hang fire until PT11‘s release, as the landscape has every possibility of changing by then, given that Avid have acknowledged they are aware of the poor reaction to CPTK's unannounced withdrawal.

Well said! Thank you for the info and your insight!

[Avidfan]

So I tried presonus studio one! Pretty impressive! Minimal learning curve coming from ProTools! Wow!

[Jay_uk]

May as well throw this one into the pot as well
http://ardour.org/

[YYR123]

You know I go through this every once in a while too and while I'm not HD user I do have money invested in the product but I find it's just easier as some of the previous commenters have said to fire up ProTools

I do have studio one - b/c I just got a studio live board - which was killer but others didn't like it b/c it didn't have motorized faders

Sounded great - loved the fat channel

Behringher X32 now on its way - to our facility

[Shan]

Originally Posted by Avidfan

...What daw would be a smoother transition from protools?

If you're looking for a minimal learning curve, try Studio One. There's nothing wrong with having more than one tool to get the job done.

Shane

[John_Toolbox]

Logic is definitely NOT garageband, they are two completely different programs. If you don't like garageband, don't write off logic, they are not the same thing at all.


I abandoned my PT TDM rig and used Logic 9 exclusively for a year back in 2009, then went back to Pro Tools when version 9 came out. I still use Logic as a sequencer, but I do all of my mixing, recording, and editing in pro tools.

Here's why I came back to PT:



1. While it is 64 bit, Logic has a lot of limitations related to 64 bit that are annoying, and depending on how you work, you may end up using ve pro or some other program to host your VIs anyways. One really annoying thing is that when you record enable a VI, or multiple VI's, they all get allocated to a single CPU core, which will probably overload. This is usually not a problem if you only record one track at a time, unless you're using a very CPU intensive VI, but it's a really annoying problem that can stop you in your tracks.

2. Logic's mixer is not even close to being as good as pro tools. No separate left and right pan controls, no panning on busses, etc. the ability to reorganize tracks is painfully tedious compared to pro tools.

3. Logic's audio editing is limited and clumsy compared to pro tools.

4. Logic's audio engine will drop samples and keep recording if the cpu gets stressed, or sometimes without any apparent reason. I do not like relying on it for recording.

On the plus side, Logic comes with a huge offering of vi's, synths, plugins etc. For the price, it is a very good deal. Logic has, at least for me, a very powerful and easy to use MIDI sequencer. But, I've been using logic as a sequencer and pro tools as a mixer for a long time, so I'm somewhat set in my ways. You also get track freeze, offline bounce, etc. But PT11 will have most if not all of this, and then some.

I'm probably forgetting more things, but my general opinion is that Logic is a good deal and makes a great addition to your pallete of software, but simply can't replace Pro Tools. Both programs have different purposes, and different strengths. Compose in Logic, record/edit/mix in pro tools.

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by John_Toolbox

2. Logic's mixer is not even close to being as good as pro tools. No separate left and right pan controls, no panning on busses, etc.
.

What ??? Can this be right ? What the heck is that about ???

[bashville]

Originally Posted by John_Toolbox

Here's why I came back to PT:

1.

2.

3.

4.

On the plus side, Logic comes with a huge offering of vi's, synths, plugins etc.

Compose in Logic, record/edit/mix in pro tools.

What JT said.

[John_Toolbox]

Originally Posted by YYR123

What ??? Can this be right ? What the heck is that about ???

Yep, you can work around the panning by putting a plugin that has separate pan controls on the track and pan from the plugin...

The only way to pan a bus send is to use two busses and an aux. (and an instance of a plugin with separate pan controls on the aux track if you want separate pan controls).

As clumsy as this sounds, it was a big deal when logic got busses (I think version 6), the mixer used to be even more limiting.