Switching to Pro Tools???

[funkhaus]

Well, a lot of you have probably seen your share of posts like this, but here goes another one.
So I'm a Sonar user, and I'm thinking of switching to Pro Tools. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not soon, but someday. And my question is just basically: why should I? I mean, I have a few reasons, but they may very well be misguided. The truth is I haven't been able to decipher much from Digidesign's main site, and I'm just basically wondering what I'm going to be getting myself into. Any advice?

For one, what's the main difference between Pro Tools LE and HD? What are the thoughts on the "must use Digi hardware with Digi software" issue? Will that render all my current hardware equipment obsolete (Behringer FCB1010 midi footpedal, Presonus firepod preamp, Edirol UA-1000 audio/midi interface, etc.)? Also, I've grown rather fond of a software sampler called VSampler 3. VSampler 3 runs as a DXi or VSTi plugin. I also love my DXi amp sim plugin "Trash". Does Pro Tools support DXi, VST, etc., or does it only support the RTAS format? What about Rewire? Is Pro Tools fully ASIO/Core compatible? I know these sound like simple questions, but the fact is I just have looked and looked and haven't really found the information.

Anyway, all I'm asking is if any of you Pro Tools users out there can convince a Sonar lover to switch. Thanks a lot for any info!

--Stedman

[Charles D. Ballard]

Anyway, all I'm asking is if any of you Pro Tools users out there can convince a Sonar lover to switch. Thanks a lot for any info!

Why switch? I use both Sonar and Pro-Tools. Sonar is better for composition. Pro-Tools is better for recording/mixing. I would try to convince you to ADD Pro-Tools to Sonar...but don’t try to cram them both on one computer.

Anyway, to answer a few of your questions:

LE is a lighter version of Pro-Tools where the audio processing is done on the host processor. It costs less but does not have the power of the TDM systems.

HD is the newest, most powerful Pro-Tools system. It uses dedicated DSP chips on PCI cards to do the audio processing.

The “must use Digi hardware with Digi software” issues is simply referring to audio I/O... In other words, you can’t use an Echo Layla on your Pro-Tools system but you can use whatever pre-amp you want.

Pro-Tools does not support Dxi or VST. But Sonar does...so use both!

[georgia]

before you switch to protools. check out Pyramix.
mind you.. I'll always own a Protool rig or 3, but i'm purchasing a Pyramix system as well.. RINGS was done all on Pyramix.

cheers
georgia

[Charles D. Ballard]

Very true... after all, there ARE other DAW's out there. Okay, I'm about to come out of the closet.... For years I only used Pro-Tools because I had to. That's right. Until v5.1 I HATED using Pro-Tools.

Anyway, with all the other DAW choices out there it really comes down to budget and need. So I guess we should be asking the question, "What do you expect to do with Pro-Tools?"

[righton041]

I agree that having access to more than one platform is a rocking thing. In my home studio I use host-based systems (PT LE & Cubase SX). I spend most of my time in Pro Tools, but having the flexibility of a more user-friendly MIDI sequencer is handy. Having said that, no host-based system compares to TDM when it comes to recording/mixing.

[Cliff Adams]

[QUOTE]

Pro-Tools does not support Dxi or VST. But Sonar does...so use both!

Pro-Tools does do Dxi AND VST. It can also do Rewire.

[funkhaus]

Thanks a lot for the advice. That's a very good question by the way. So here's what I want to do with Pro Tools: Most everything I do with Sonar. Which basically means:

Use my M-Audio keyboard to compose in MIDI and print and read if necessary. (I mean I'd use Finale if I actually wanted to make sheet music, but Sonar's MIDI score/staff view and ease of use just makes quick on-the-fly composition great)
Manage my band: Record a session with 4 or 5 simultaneous players, etc.
Live performance: Use soft samplers for different keyboard sounds, and a software amp modeller/ wah pedal for guitar. Maybe also use soft eqs and volume levels for a little mixing before outputing it through my PA system.

So yeah, one of the things I have always loved about Sonar is the staff MIDI view, and the ability to just quickly and easily record notes and see what you've done. From the looks of it, it seems that Pro Tools only offered a piano roll view (which I don't care for very much, and use only because it's sometimes necessary!). Oh and also: It seems from what I've read that Pro Tools LE can only do 32!? tracks of simultaneous audio. This bothers me a little bit. I'm pretty sure Sonar can do an infinite number.

What do you guys think? (I mean I'm sure Pro Tools HD doesn't limit the number of audio tracks, but HD is financially out of the question for me, as I'm not a professional musician/producer). Can the "real" Pro Tools software (ie not LE) be used with LE hardware like the Digi 002 Rack?

Any more advice/insight? Thanks again.

--Stedman

[jeffwuollet]

Well, if you're gonna get an 002 sometime, you'll probably be able to find a Mix card on ebay with that money. I'd suggest doing that so you can do much more with recording through a TDM system. It's worth it in my view and if you're running OS9 still, I can give you a butt-laod of plug ins for free.

By the way, ProTools is Protools. Meaning, you put in the Digi CD and if you don't have TDM cards, you download the LE software and vice versa. At least I think you still do that. I'm comfortable with my PT 5.1 and my belief is "If it ain't broke, don't update it". For all I know there are separate Cd's for HD systems. I dunno...

[Angus_FX]

ProTools only does VST if you have the wrapper (URL is in my signature). It can't do DXi, unfortunately.

[Rock_Artist]

Some things to remember:
LE is limited to 32 Tracks.
LE i/o is limited to 18 with 002/R

Pro Tools don't support any note/staff based form of MIDI so you should forget that functionaility.

So why PT?
1. To me it sounds better than all other tools I've tried don't know why or if it's even just in my head.

2. Editing/Mixing of audio is the best outhere no other tool such as Sonar/Cubase/Logic works so well.

3. If you choose to go with DigiHardware you still gets to keep ASIO compatibility and SONAR should support the hardware so you actually just buy a new card with the ability to use PT.

You should find a nice person with PT and try to play with it or look at it and understand it.
Try to bring a small session (just your audio tracks) and see Pro Tools abilities (and still only in editing/mixing , recording also seems better under PT to me).