This nothing new guys.

[Fastermouse]

I know many of you have been happy with Digi/Avid at times, but I have been a dissatisfied customer for years. ProTools is my preferred DAW but the support and details have been a disaster. Every step has been a time consuming mess. I have a custom built PC that was built to the proper specs, and besides the fact that the builder first installed RAID (a problem that was taken care of in 1 week) it has always been up to date and running perfectly.

Every update, every addition (MP3 option), every step I have taken to use Pro Tools since 6 has been fraught with crashes, blue screens, lost data, and down right failure on the part of both my software and the company. Pre-Avid and with Avid.

I have a Presonus 2626 that won't link with my 003r since a firmware update. I lost a valuable day of guitar overdubs when the MP3 option crashed during a bounce (it was a known issue with the option that was not posted anywhere on Avid's user base.) I spent months and $100s on a blue screen issue, replacing hardware and paid phone calls to Digi that turned out to be a program bug that they were aware of but didn't mention until I had replaced my motherboard and the issue still persisted.

I dread every time I boot up because I am terrified that some new issue will raise its head and waste my time. Unexplained issues with Elastic Audio ruining sessions, Stand alone programs that worked fine with my hardware that no longer link to the 003r (even things as simple as WMP no longer recognizing the hardware. This is a tiny issue that I don't have time to deal with, but it worked, PT update and now it doesn't)

I simply don't have time to fix issues that crop up. I learn to work around or without. I spent a week working with a drum and bass out fit that saw PT screwing up every day for 6 days. Mysterious issues that never repeated but still required breaks in the sessions for me to create and import audio into new sessions. White noise bursts after the issue was "fixed", bounces that play back at increased tempo, the list is endless...

And to top it off, as much as he was a help to others and I am sorry he lost his job, because some help is better than none, I have 16 bookmarked links to threads where people have serious PT issues and DTS posted questions to the OPs about the circumstances involving their problems. The OPs would answer DTS' question, and then DTS would never respond.

This is one area that really irked me. I understand that DTS didn't have time to respond to every issue, but when you do respond to an issue, finish what you start! I didn't want to bite the hand that feeds so I let this go, but it fit right in with the "we are listening" crap.

How many people have wasted $$$$ on Pro Tools that have major issues, and then give up? The people that we never see, or never see again? Most of us here have time and money and studios to run, whether pros or serious projects, and we develop a skill at making this crap work, but 1000s I would guess have bought into the Pro Tools myth and had it fail them.

I have hung on, hoping like you guys that it would get better. Many of you know so much more than me and have shown hope, so I thought I would trust the feeling that it was going to someday get better.

Well I give up. I am not dumping all my Pro Tools related stuff, but I now see that when it is time to replace anything, it can't and won't be Avid related. Because Avid will not be there. Either they will not support me as a customer, or they will simply be gone.

I am running 8.o.5 because I just spent $$$ on a new motherboard and it cost me the money I had to move to W7 and therefore PT9. (Due to the above mentioned problem that Digi/Avid was aware of but would not address until I had accepted every possible blame and replaced perfectly good and approved hardware) Any problems I may see in 8 will never be addressed. I accept that. I was planning on saving for a new work station and moving into the future with all new Pro Tools 10 or whatever was available and having another 3 years or so in the Pro Tools world. Now I learn that my hardware will not be compatible either.

Why should I stay? My computer is incompatible, my hardware is incompatible, my DAW is disaster prone, and the company is uncommunicative, unhelpfull, and frankly behave like ass-holes.

I am sure I will be back here to get help from you guys but most of you will be on equipment I can't afford or gone on to other forums. Thank you for all your help. I have put out 3 eps of my own and am about to release a full length CD that I am really proud of. Dozens of musicians have had a chance to hear their music preserved and been really excited. And it is because of you guys. Shane, Tom, Albee, Danander, and so many others that have made me feel like I had a community to turn to. Because if it wouldn't have been for you I would have thrown this [bleep][bleep][bleep][bleep] in the dumpster 3 years ago.

I really am a hobo now.