[dillon99999]

everyone knows that digidesign has a monopoly on this music industry.

but they make a great product that has stood the test of time, and is endorsed and used by just about every major studio in the world.

the main reason why i prefer pro tools to other DAW systems, is the COMPATIBILITY.

i like the fact that i can record songs, and then take the tracks to a bigger studio for a better mixdown.

this saves me tons of money, as i can do most of the work in my home studio and save the most important part (the mix) for a professional studio that was designed to get the best mix.

and lately i've gotten my mixes so tight that many of them just need mastering at a quality facility (hence skipping the mixdown sessions).

m-audio is the catalyst in this scenario.

that's why they call it m-powered - because the struggling musician is literally empowered (FINALLY!).

so although you have to deal with a big monopoly and perhaps a company that is somewhat slow to fix problems / etc. - you are still in a better position at the end of the day, because your alternative in the past, was to have $30,000 for a TDM HD-1 system.

so, consider the alternatives in a world that is filled with greed.

without m-powered, we would still be "wishing" we had the money to buy a TDM system.

another alternative was to get a digi 002 ($1,200+).

but the firewire 1814 only cost me $384 on ebay!

just my thoughts - overall, my experience with pro tools and m-audio has been good.

i currently own:
m-audio keystation 88es (one of the lowest priced midi controllers with 88 keys)
m-audio black box (one of the best solutions for a working musician that needs guitar effects)
m-audio 1814 (best bang for the buck with regards to inputs / outputs using pro tools)

each of these products gets a 100% satisfactory rating from this consumer.

would i buy from m-audio again? CERTAINLY.

i am very grateful that m-audio understands the needs and budgets of struggling musicians.

i think that people forget all to quickly how far this thing has come.

i could never afford a TDM HD-1 - but i really don't want all of that gear in my house either (i don't make enough money to even pay the electric bill on that type of equipment).

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i see a lot of people come to this board and post a problem due to their HARDWARE not being compatible.

people actually believe they can get a pentium III running this stuff.

the bottom line is that you MUST do your homework, and make sure that you buy a system capable of running this software the right way - plain and simple.

read over the compatibility documents - come to the forums BEFORE YOU PURCHASE SOMETHING.

READ - READ - READ - EDUCATE YOURSELF.

if you buy something that doesn't work, and you never read the warnings, then who's to blame for that?

it is very hard for them (digidesign and m-audio) to test every possible scenario - but they have done pretty good as far as ruling out what DOESN'T WORK.

so for that alone, i commend them for at least telling us what they do know, and what to avoid.

if you have further issues with the software, then perhaps someone on this board will be able to assist you.