Do I need DV Toolkit 2

[Mick Boggis]

Hi to eveyone
I am thinking of buying Pro Tools LE 8 and its intended use 95% of the time will be for sound editing / design for TV drama in the UK.
I have spent nearly all my pro career as a Re-Recording Mixer on films and although I've mixed hundreds of thousands of tracks from Pro Tools in studios far and wide, I have never sat down and prepped on Pro Tools !
1:To do what I've outlined do I really need to get DV Toolkit 2
2:Can anyone recommend a tutorial source ?

TIA for all any help,

[Jim O'Brien]

hello, I don't think you will benefit from having Dv toolkit unless you intend to import export omfi aaf etc. If you have an hd system close at hand. I use a work around system where I will do all my importing playing in video etc on the hd system and then at home on le sfx spotting, tracklaying etc. if you bring a session from a hd system on to a le system you still get the function of frame tc editing( a friendly bug I belive it's called) without having dv toolkit. Alternatively you could set your nudge value to 40 ms. As the ability to work with tc is the only real benefit of dv tk.

[smurfyou]

You don't *need* it, but it makes life easier. The OMF/AAF function is pretty essential, and it will pay for itself. Besides that you probably wouldn't make use of anything besides the timecode ruler. You could try and find a license for just DigiTranslator if you don't want the whole kit.

[tonepad]

As an early adopter of DVTK there has been no looking back. Yes the workarounds do work but IMO workarounds always take time and time=money. Even though I have an HD rig, I do a lot of Post work on a MB pro out in the field. I like the confidence to be able to start a new session if I have to w/o having to depend on those workarounds...think of it as a scaled down version of an HD rig and you can now work in both directions.

I have had many colleagues who worked w/o DVTK for a time and they have all eventually adopted it and liek me are glad they did.

You could try the workaround route if $ is an issue and see if you agree with my assessment or not and make the change as the funds or need comes around.

Wilson Dyer mpse

http://elranchoaudio.com

[Mick Boggis]

Thanks very much everybody for the lightening responses and clearing that up for me.

[infiniteloop]

Everyone seems to be forgetting about track count!

[tonepad]

Oh yeah that too, but the actual track count opens up the can of worms about whether to run DVTK2 or the the Complete package. If the OP is running PT LE 8 he's getting the tracks we used to get with 7.4 and DVTK. Now it's a more confusing issue and more money to get more tracks. For the most part the 48 you now get with PT8 is a lot of tracks even for post. When I hit that ceiling with 7.4 and DVTK I felt that was plenty esp. on a MB Pro or PC laptop where screen real estate quickly becomes an issue.
But since you mention it and since I haven't been on my MBPro rig since I upped to PT8LE, I gotta check how many tracks I get with DVTK now.

Wilson Dyer mpse

http://elranchoaudio.com

[reichman]

Hey, not just track count, but automation features too are crippled in the standard issue PTLE. Buy DVTK2. You will be glad.

And, like me, you may find in the future that the upgrade from DVTK2 to CPTK is worth it.

Best,

Nathaniel Reichman

[smurfyou]

I agree the crippled automation in LE stinks, but if he is just editing and prepping I don't see the need to pay for the whole toolkit.

Of course if you are getting regular work it will pay for itself very quickly...

[Trazan]

Originally Posted by reichman

Hey, not just track count, but automation features too are crippled in the standard issue PTLE. Buy DVTK2. You will be glad.

Crippled in what way?