Dual monitors issue

[gcurrie]

It was over 20 years ago that I first used Pro Tools.

I was working for Microsoft in their Multimedia group. Our sound studios were all Mac-based since the PC and Windows were awful for audio and video at that time.

We had been using Digidesign Sound Designer and OSC Deck, and were probably the first place in Seattle to get the new Pro Tools (all 4 tracks!).

Some of us had a good relationship with Digidesign and would evangelize them to develop a Windows version. There was ALWAYS resistance. Eventually they put someone in charge of developing on Windows, but most of his team were contract programmers - meaning Digidesign weren't committing to Windows.

When Pro Tools came out for Windows it was CONSISTENTLY inferior. There were missing capabilities, and an order of magnitude more bugs.

We had a number of meetings with Digidesign management to explore how we could help them improve their Windows support, but they never went anywhere.

It was clear at the time that there was a HUGE cultural bias towards Mac OS, even at the expense of their business.

Today, PT under Windows is miles better than before. However, its obvious to me that there is still bias 'embedded in their DNA' that causes the Windows version to always be 98% of the quality of the Mac version. Close, but no cigar.

[deanrichard]

Gordon,

I actually remember Sound Designer on the Atari ST, and also remember when they abandoned the platform to develop strictly for the Mac. I had a friend who worked with them pretty regularly back then, and while I was not as intimately involved with Digi as you, I had enough contact to note the extreme Mac bias. And to me, as it does to you, that still appears to permeate the culture, even at the expense of the business.

ASIO support is the perfect example. No complaints on Mac, yet constant problems on PC, but with no fix available even after several smaller releases, and one major release. It seems that very little energy is spent supporting the PC version of ASIO.

Thanks for sharing your experiences, which mirror my own.

[YYR123]

Drink the kool-ade - get a Mac (you probably already have one)

It actually tastes good

Originally Posted by Bill Denton

I would anticipate it being "fixed" in PT 11...

[Blissful World]

Originally Posted by gcurrie

It was over 20 years ago that I first used Pro Tools.

I was working for Microsoft in their Multimedia group. Our sound studios were all Mac-based since the PC and Windows were awful for audio and video at that time.

We had been using Digidesign Sound Designer and OSC Deck, and were probably the first place in Seattle to get the new Pro Tools (all 4 tracks!).

Some of us had a good relationship with Digidesign and would evangelize them to develop a Windows version. There was ALWAYS resistance. Eventually they put someone in charge of developing on Windows, but most of his team were contract programmers - meaning Digidesign weren't committing to Windows.

When Pro Tools came out for Windows it was CONSISTENTLY inferior. There were missing capabilities, and an order of magnitude more bugs.

We had a number of meetings with Digidesign management to explore how we could help them improve their Windows support, but they never went anywhere.

It was clear at the time that there was a HUGE cultural bias towards Mac OS, even at the expense of their business.

Today, PT under Windows is miles better than before. However, its obvious to me that there is still bias 'embedded in their DNA' that causes the Windows version to always be 98% of the quality of the Mac version. Close, but no cigar.

Good story. I don't know the exact message you're trying to convey, but if I get 98% of the functionality for 35% of the cost, you just made me feel great about my decision to take the Windows route all over again.

I rather doubt that in 2012 any DAW company can afford to maintain a "HUGE cultural bias" against the biggest PC platform on earth. I don't give Avid credit for being all-knowing, but I give them enough credit to realize they have to embrace the Windows crowd.

[philip888]

0=ZERO problems with Dual Monitors using Pro Tools 9.

Now I upgrade to Pro Tools 10.2 and cannot get the edit/mix window to expand.

What is going on here. Has anyone found a work around? Can't believe this bug is still on the PC side of the fence.

[TOM@METRO]

This is only on this one release. It will be expandable on the next one according to rumor.

[philip888]

Originally Posted by TOM@METRO

This is only on this one release. It will be expandable on the next one according to rumor.

Thanks Tom for a civil answer.

[Bob Nagy]

Originally Posted by philip888

Has anyone found a work around?

You may want to check out my app Skootch.

http://youtu.be/lSITr74hP0I

[TOM@METRO]

Originally Posted by Bob Nagy

You may want to check out my app Skootch.

http://youtu.be/lSITr74hP0I

Skootch also removes unneeded title bars and offer more screen real estate than can be achieved, even when PT becomes expandable again. It's well worth the tiny investment.

[Bob Nagy]

Originally Posted by gcurrie

Eventually they put someone in charge of developing on Windows, but most of his team were contract programmers - meaning Digidesign weren't committing to Windows.

I am not sure what/when you are referring to, or who told you this, etc. But I think it's not correct. I was working at Digidesign in those days, as a programmer. I am in fact the person who kicked off the project to port Pro Tools to Windows, back in 1997. Once I got PT running on Windows and everybody saw that the porting method was viable, the project got put on the master project schedule and multiple programmers got assigned to it, just like any other (i.e. Mac) Pro Tools release.

Sure, there was a bit of something that you might call "Mac bias" in those days. But that was just good business sense. Even after the Windows version of Pro Tools had been available for years, about 95% of all TDM Pro Tools systems were still on Mac. You have to focus your resources where they make the most sense. So you're not going to abandon or under-attend the majority of your customer base just to bring another OS up to speed. As I hoped Pro Tools on Windows would get more attention, this was a bit of a bummer, but I cannot argue that it wasn't a proper business move. All of that was a long time ago, and these days I expect that any such bias has largely dwindled.

I am likewise unaware of any contract programmers who ever worked on the Windows versions of Pro Tools while I was at Digi (from 1995-2002). It was all Digi employees. All programmers who worked on Pro Tools had to have both a Mac and a PC, and eveybody had to be able to do both. That was company policy. So the same guys who worked on the Mac version also worked on the Windows version. There were some of us who were more Windows experienced, and we did tend to work on the Windows versions more, but aside from that it was "dual citizenship" so to speak for everybody.