Why PROTOOLS HD? Why not firewire MOTU or RME?

[entice77]

Hi all,

I am sure most of you know that there are many interfaces on the market to choose from that provides the end user with smaller scale and compact audio solutions.

But what has always baffled/confused me is that I can never figure out what's the damb difference between a PROTOOLS HD system and a smaller fireface interface such as the MOTU traveler or the RME?

I mean the price is MASSIVELY different between the 2 systems but....... IS THE SOUND DIFFERENT? IS THERE MORE HEADROOM ON A PROTOOLS HD SYSTEM AND ARE THE A/D CONVERTERS BETTER THAT THE FIREWIRE INTERFACES? BASICALLY...IS IT IN ONE'S BEST INTEREST TO GET A PROTOOLS HD SYSTEM? AND CAN ONE USE LOGIC PRO WITH HD HARDWARE?

Most of the top acts in America I know have done their records on a PROTOOLS HD systems, the Shakira and Wyclef Jean, "hips don't lie" single for example was recorded and produced on the protools HD system....why? What are their reasons for picking Protools?

Also i have often noticed that the American products just sound a little better. Is this due to the HD system or experiece, maybe both?

Please someone explain to me why protools charges so much for their system and does their hardware audio solutions really offer a better sound?

I know that they do their DSProcessing on a PCI card that slots into your PC or MAC but if that's the only difference, then that can't mean a thing, only that a guy with a firewire and MAC setup can maybe take a bit longer to produce a song than a guy with the HD PCI card slot into the computer.

Let's talk about it here?

WHY protools HD?

[Charles D. Ballard]

But what has always baffled/confused me is that I can never figure out what's the damb difference between a PROTOOLS HD system and a smaller fireface interface such as the MOTU traveler or the RME?

. . .

I know that they do their DSProcessing on a PCI card that slots into your PC or MAC but if that's the only difference, then that can't mean a thing, only that a guy with a firewire and MAC setup can maybe take a bit longer to produce a song than a guy with the HD PCI card slot into the computer.

Just for starters, you almost answered your own question but you went astray at the end. Your premise that DSP processing “[doesn’t] mean a thing” is false. It means a great deal. Also the data that can be pushed through a PCI slot is a lot more than what you can get through a FireWire port.

[entice77]

Just for starters, you almost answered your own question but you went astray at the end. Your premise that DSP processing “[doesn’t] mean a thing” is false. It means a great deal. Also the data that can be pushed through a PCI slot is a lot more than what you can get through a FireWire port.

Ok, but what if you don't need a lot of data to be pushed through, like at the moment I at most will record 3 channels at the same time. And why does DSP matter so much, doesnt logic and protools work the same with regards to this and when I say work the same I mean, get the same result in the end? (The processors used to process are just in different places)

What I am basically trying to figure out is how do I get the protools world class standard on a smaller scale? I am assuming it lies in the A/D converters, if so which ones? Please help a brother out here? Thanks.

[narcoboy]

you can and people do MIX world class records on systems other than protools.

The thing is, protools gives other more useful benefits than sound quality. In fact, there should be no advantage in sound quality terms at all.

Protools offer, for the recordist, the same low level latency of other high end DAW systems (
RADAR, soundscape , fairlight etc etc). This latency (or lack of) is fundamental to the recording and over dub process. Why? Monitoring. Its just soo much easier and more convenient than native systems. Native WILL catch up, but its still a long way off at the moment.

Logic and other native systms are very often used in the making of big records (and small ones !!).

Reliability and dependability of system are also very importaqnt. When you're moving from studio to studio or projects get handed over you need a dependably identical system. PT offers this (as do soundscape etcetc).

Anyway - i could go on forever - you CAN make world class recordings on native systems and there are plenty out there. It just so happens that PT is a system used in the majority of studios.

[Stiff]

Lots of the top guys in the industry here in Sweden use Logic, I see it MUCH more often than Pro Tools, especially songwriters (which we have quite a few good ones of here). I should add though that they still have a Digi HD system.