PT Artist-Full or dumb down version?

[Soliloquay]

I am looking to take the minimum subscription: Pro Tools Artist. I am not interested in any of the other 2 versions. For 1 thing I’m unimpressed by the fact that the other 2 versions offer Dolby, and surround sound. I also couldn’t care less about all the hype about their plug ins.

Anyway although my preferred choice is PT Artist, I am still cautious about subscribing to PT Artist because I do not want to get something that does not even live up to the standard of the Pro tools 8.3 version which I currently use. Meaning I do not know whether or not they have dumb it down by removing some of its features and offering them in the Studio/Ultimate. ( For example: I am also looking to get the Sibelius Artist subscription and I decide to read the manual. In doing so I paid special attention to the parts that say Sibelius Ultimate only. I then compared it to the older version which I own, and found out that some basic elements that was in my and the original version of Sibelius and now being sold as Sibelius Artist, while the version that I own but run on an older computer is now being sold as Sibelius Ultimate with a bigger subscription price tag.)

The way I look at it is if the seller had added some new advanced features to Sibelius Ultimate beside the irritating Microsoft Ribbon and charge more for it and charge less for the older version but with the irritating Microsoft Ribbon, I could say that they were being fair by making the Ultimate more pricey, but what they did by dumbing down the original version and offering it for less I find disgraceful and a lack integrity.)

With that said I am worried that they might be glossing over the inefficiency of PT Artist by highlighting the so called plugins. I am also worried that Pro Tools Artist might be a dumb down version and less than say PTLE 8.3 similarly to the way Sibelius Artist is a dumb down version of the old Sibelius 6.2/Ultimate.

Upon reading the "Pro Tools Reference" manual and looking at some of the statements marked Ultimate/ Studio only, I came across this statement on Page 10 right column. The statement is in reference to Tracks:
“Routing Folder, Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only). When creating a new track, select from the list of channel formats supported by your system.“

As a result of this statement I was just wondering if this means that PT Artist offer audio, aux and master fader tracks just in mono only

If anyone know the answer to this please reply to this post

In other parts of PT Reference manual where it speaks directly to elements that are specific to Ultimate/Studio I have noticed that most of it has to do with Dolby and surround sound and i am OK with that because those elements are of no interest to me. However, i am still skeptical that other details as to how the 3 versions differ might not be mentioned and i do not want any surprises.

As mentioned, I do not care about all the effects that I get I am more concerned about what else the software can do besides process effects. For example: I want to know if the Artist version can rewire Sibelius Ultimate or if that is a feature that was taken out and only offered in the more pricey versions.

I am only interested in the basics and the old version that I run today 8.3 is basic enough and include all that I wanted. I just need to upgrade because the computer I use is old. Long story short if PT Artist is a dumb down version, that has less features than say the old PTLE 8.3 version, I will subscribe to neither of the three.

I did try to get the PT Artist on a trial basis but by the time I turn around they gave me the Ultimate with option to buy Dolby for $99.00 and links to buying either the Studio or the Ultimate; a move that made me furious and which I found extremely repugnant.

Subsequently, If anyone is currently running the Artist version and can give me some feedback on some of the concerns that I mention above I would like a conversation with you.

To members: Please do not attach the link to the software because I know exactly where it is and what it speaks to, and what it speaks to are mostly the plugins. Any intelligent person would want to look beneath the surface to see what they are getting aside from just the plugins.

[JingleDjango]

Why don't you get a trial license or pay for one month and see how it suits your needs?

[jeffro]

Originally Posted by Soliloquay

...in reference to Tracks:
“Routing Folder, Audio, Auxiliary Input, Master Fader, and Instrument tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel (Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only). When creating a new track, select from the list of channel formats supported by your system.“

As a result of this statement I was just wondering if this means that PT Artist offer audio, aux and master fader tracks just in mono only

If anyone know the answer to this please reply to this post...

The "Pro Tools Ultimate and Studio only" comment is specific to multichannel tracks. Pro Tools Artist does have stereo tracks.

https://www.avid.com/pro-tools/comparison has more info but please ask if you need clarification on anything else.

[Soliloquay]

Originally Posted by JingleDjango

Why don't you get a trial license or pay for one month and see how it suits your needs?

Hello, Thanks for your reply
As I mentioned above in my post "I did try to get the PT Artist on a trial basis but by the time I turn around they gave me the Ultimate with option to buy Dolby for $99.00 and links to buying either the Studio or the Ultimate; a move that made me furious and which I found extremely repugnant."

No matter how many times I tried to get the Artist on a trial basis they prevented me from getting it. They are only interested in selling Studio and Ultimate. I am pretty angry at them right now hence the term "repugnant" in my post.

[albee1952]

Indeed, getting Artist for a month or two is a great way to test the waters(and avoids any confusion over features in the free Flex trial). Artist is really a great value for anyone that doesn't need to record more than 16 inputs at a time. Plus, the included extra plugins(see the link that Jeffro provided) include 2 great compressors(Fairchild and SMACK!). The only extra plugin I would recommend buying is a good reverb(D-Verb is okay, but having more options is better). My favorite "budget" reverb is IK Multimedia's CSR package(4 reverbs for under $100). I could mix radio-ready stuff with no other reverbs. Melodyne 5 Essentials in included and does excellent tuning for vocals and any monophonic sound. Add EZDrummer 3 and start making music

BTW, I highly recommend a physical iLok 2 or 3 for licenses as "cloud" authorization is not completely reliable, and if you have an old key-shaped iLok, it won't work on any 64 bit OS(but if you have old licenses for stuff that is still compatible, those can be moved to a new iLok).

[Obsidian Dragon]

It's been a long time since I used Protools LE 8.3 but a search reminded me that it supported 48 mono or stereo audio tracks. The current Protools Artist only supports 32 audio tracks. In my opinion, Protools Artist is "dumbed down" and I am not inclined to suggest it. Your use may difer and it may be sufficient. I don't use Sibelius, so can't comment on that. If you want to use Protools, I recommend the middle tier (Studio) but that costs more. If you are not happy with the direction AVID has taken with Protools, there is nothing wrong with dropping Protools (any version) and use another DAW. Some like Apple Logic, others like Presonus Studio One, and many use Reaper as an affordable solution. Use what works for you.

[Obsidian Dragon]

I found this on the knowledge base link and it looks like you need to choose the appropriate version of Protools that is compatible with the Sibelius version.

https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...n-Requirements

(Pretty specific version requirements)

It doesn't say Artist, Studio, or Ultimate however.