What will the next Pro Tools revision bring?

[Lee Blaske]

Don't get too excited. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

I think the best strategy is just to use it as it is, and let anything extra come as a pleasant surprise.

I used to spend more time predicting things, and was always disappointed. There are many things I thought would be in PT by now (many more MIDI features, delay compensation, scoring, key commands, ability to flexibly manage tempo, a folder architecture, multiple independent tempo maps, screen sets,a more comprehensive mixer, etc.), and I was completely wrong.

The PT growth path is sure, but slow and steady. There's a HUGE user base now, and I'm certain they never want to rock the boat too hard. It's a tool suited to the enormous middle of the market, i.e. what most mainstream people need. Once something is established as an industry standard, rapid change is not good. With PT, for every enthusiast out there aching for change and new features, there are probably five people punching the clock using PT in day-in, day-out, non-flashy industry jobs, putting together radio and TV broadcasts, training films, phone answering messages, etc. You most likely will never see those people in a forum like this, but they're out there in the world in large numbers. Those people don't want to show up some Monday morning to face an extensively revised, foreign looking version of PT with a huge, brand new manual.

If you want to get fancy, and need something radically different, there are other options.

Lee Blaske

[rojo]

I think this is the truth, the bigger the PT user base gets, the slower and less adventurous the changes will be.
The addition of DSD will probably come after DSD is well entrenched as a professional recording and editing format. The magic of DSD is it's simplicity, but right now nobody's figured out how use it for editng processing etc... Without converting it to multibit PCM, but the conversion is just math so it ends up being pretty harmless. They're planning on bumping it up to 128xfs also?, so it's not settled in yet.
There is no do it all system right now, I'm running 2 computers in sync for various programs (HD3, Logic and Pyramix)and a third for backup.
A few other DAWs already have Delay comp. so it's a fair bet that PT will be shamed into it. Maybe we'll see the return of somethng like DirectConnect and MasterList once the formats are settled in.
All the features that Lee Blaske mentioned would be appreciated by me, maybe I would add built-in syncronization to all existing formats so you don't have to plunk out another 3grand for another ugly box.

[Dopamine]

I agree, PCM is dead, but change will come slowly.

[Barnabas]

I predict a key combination for Bounce-to-Disk. [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[nukmusic]

64 tracks(24bit/96k) and lots of plugins with "ONE" HD card......... [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[auxsend1]

I'm talking the next step after HD. What does everyone think will change?? Also, *when* do you think we'll see it? 3 yrs? 5 yrs?

My predictions:

1. Completely delay compensated throughout. (plug-ins, aux sends, etc.)

2. Possibly higher bit/sample rates??? (we're already pretty high)

3. Revised DSP architecture, along w/ more powerful chips, results in far more plug-in usage than one would think w/ the next hardware/software iteration

4. Direct Stream Digital ?? (I would really love to see Digidesign make the move to pulse width modulation, finally ending the whole analog vs. digital debate; yes I know there will still be naysayers)

Of course, such a change is very dramatic, since it wouldn't provide backwards compatibility w/ basically *everything* digital that exists right now. But I do feel that we're starting to hit the limitations of PCM. If Digi were to go DSD, it would virtually guarantee the success of SACD over DVD-Audio, which I feel should happen either way.

So, what are your thoughts ??

[digiengineer]

Originally posted by Dopamine:
I agree, PCM is dead, but change will come slowly.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">According to whom? I have the largest stock of DSD recording equipment on the West Coast, and the stuff isn't excatly flying out the door.

The problem with DSD is two fold:

1) There still isn't an exceptable multi-channel recorder above 8ch. on the market (yes, I know Genex has one on the way, but it is still vaporware). What good is DSD when it starts life as 96kHz PCM?

2) The consumer market isn't exactly flocking towards DSD. Thusly, many hardware manufacturers are having a hard time justifying creating DSD gear. Sony, the co-creator of the format, has cut production on a low-to-mid cost DSD player from 5 models to 2.

The most I predict from Digidesign in the future is:

1) 48 ch. 192kHz Pro Tools HD.

2) 32 bit files.

3) Onboard DTS and Dolby Digital Coversion.

4) The much asked for Delay Compensation (not just on certain RTAS Plug-Ins).

5) DSD will be as popluar as the Digital Compact Cassette (ooooohh, that's takin' it back a few years [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] )

Of course, I was quoted in 1993/94 "It's never going to get better than Pro Tools 3!"

[Jeff Schmidt]

Yo Lee - based on your "wish list" it appears you'd like PT to be Logic.

Why not just use logic eh?

BTW - everything I've heard has the bulk of PT users in Post - not music.

[John McDaniel]

Originally posted by rojo:
...but the conversion is just math so it ends up being pretty harmless....

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">[img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] wow

hmmm...

"just math so it ends up pretty harmless"

[img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

who'da thunk it

math...

...harmless

[img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Kev]

[quote]Originally posted by digiengineer:

Of course, I was quoted in 1993/94 "It's never going to get better than Pro Tools 3!"

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">That was an amazing time. I wonder if things have really got that much better. It seems that rather than get better it just gets more .