should i hit my head against a wall now or later m-audio?!? please help

rony feliz · 4th February 2012

hey hows it going...im exited to say this is my 1st post! im always reading up here for advice now i am in deep need of the slutz advice

i need as much help as i can get. i dont know if i should do a victory dance or slam my head against the wall

well here goes my story...

i was doing my usual online browsing for an interface when i came across a deal that i just couldint believe. i just snagged a M-Audio MobilePre mk II bundled with protools mp9 for 150 bucks brand new! i couldint believe it. i had to call up the company i was purchasing from to make sure that was the price and even the rep who picked up couldint believe it. they put me on hold for about 10 minutes then came back and told me they changed the price. i told them they only changed it because i pointed it out. i heard the hesitation in his voice, he had to honor the price tag of 150 due to their misprint. i did a dance in my chair at work because ive been looking to get protools and protools mp9 goes for 250 by itself. i felt like i was on top of the world until the sad reality hit.

so my initial thought was this:

ill keep the protools mp9 since they come in two different boxes and sell the fast track mk interface since i wasnt going to give it use. my plan was to use protools mp9 and get the interface i wanted. i wanted to get a projectmix i/o , maybe a mackie control.. something of the like...

and heres where it gets fun..

protools mp9 only is compatible with authorized maudio devices... so there goes my mackie control, a 003.. etc

i thought it wasnt a big deal because i still had the project mix i/o as a possibility..

i do a little bit of reasearch and i see that its being discontinued

still... i could pick up a used project mix and call it a day. but my concern is if it is being discontinued, that means no support. no support means headaches, headaches means wasted time wasted time= wasted investment.

im running osx lion and from what ive seen here theres alot of people that have compatibility issues with drivers since it has been released.. i love it, but if i cant find something that will work with what i have, im just purchasing a fancy paperweight.

my question is, is there a maudio interface thats worth mentioning?
can someone reassure me a project mix i/o will work with lion osx?
should i just give up on protools mp9 all together and just sell both for a profit?

whats your advice?

i love protools 10 but i feel like $599 is way too steep to just have the ability to use other interfaces with a program that will be outdated and loose its value. for that i can buy a nice mic, another mic pre or hey... even pay some bills

im looking for something that will be reliable and great quality. i also need something with flexibility. the more features the better. i guess the best bang for your buck.

im using a presonus eureka for a mic pre so im not relying just on the mic pre on the interface so i hope works in my favor..

thanks so much for all of your info
sending many blessings to you and yours

timx1386 · 4th February 2012

Well I'll say that before you bang your head against the wall, make sure your room is properly treated with some acoustic foam..

No but seriously, I've been having the same dilemmas over whether to hang onto PT ... (do I upgrade? do I switch daws? compatibility issues- etc)

First off, I'd like to say THANKS! because for some reason I thought if I upgraded to PT9 MPowered that I'd be able to use any interface. Since thats not true - - that makes my decision making a little easier!

okay but back to your questions.. I mean I'd say it really depends on how bad you 'need' that particular setup you were originally shooting for. As much as I feel like I should ditch my current interface and I feel annoyed that I'm chained to it (thank you PT) ... I still manage to pull off recordings that I'm happy with. If you're THAT afraid of the headaches of owning discontinued gear.. I think that is more of an issue. I mean, I feel like pretty much all of the software/ technology is getting /going to be outdated relatively fast anyway and the amount of 'support' you'll be getting isn't going to last forever either. Maybe I'm wrong there..

I'm not sure what you're currently working with or if you're looking for your first investment.. I've been kind of considering Reaper and then picking up an interface of my choice.. but I personally don't know anyone using reaper and so far havent felt ready to make that kind of jump.

I guess I didn't really offer any help,

but the point is, you still have alot of options. and you still got a good deal. so I wouldn't be too upset just yet. And the whole thing about PT and interface compatibility / the price of upgrading PT is something alot of us are frustrated with - but it is what it is.

gravyface · 5th February 2012

Reaper.

tonemaker · 5th February 2012

+1 Reaper.

I see more complaints about ProTools software and hardware errors than about any other DAW or gear. I honestly can't believe people are still buying into that madness. I have used ProTools and was trained on it in a studio environment. It was nice, but that was back around 1998. Times have changed a lot. ProTools is not king of the jungle anymore.

timx1386 · 5th February 2012

figured I'd add again, since I'm also still looking.. this is where current research/reading has lead me:

Reaper ($60) with a focusrite scarlett 18i6 or presonus 1818 or motu ultralite

total package for daw and interface would be about $400-600..

i'd say ditch protools while its still hot (or maybe luke warm) and start out with a setup that gives you alot more options/flexibilty

j.hexx · 5th February 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by timx1386

figured I'd add again, since I'm also still looking.. this is where current research/reading has lead me:

Reaper ($60) with a focusrite scarlett 18i6 or presonus 1818 or motu ultralite

total package for daw and interface would be about $400-600..

i'd say ditch protools while its still hot (or maybe luke warm) and start out with a setup that gives you alot more options/flexibilty

i LOVE Reaper. Been using it since version 2. I used to love Protools (used it since version 4), tho it's a good daw, since i went to Reaper and seen how flexable it is in regards to hardware audio interfaces, it's very relaxed workflow, and other options, made me leave Protools, and stay with Reaper. Not that Protools is a bad daw at all, it's still a great daw, but spending all that money on updates, having specific hardware you need to run PT, made my personal choice that much easier to go to Reaper. I haven't looked back ever since.
Getting the free updates every few weeks to a month, is what i love about Reaper, and the forum community is great too.

SquashPile · 5th February 2012

I like Reaper, but since I started using Studio One Pro 2 that is all I use. Love the workflow.

psycho_monkey · 5th February 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by astroidmist

+1 Reaper.

I see more complaints about ProTools software and hardware errors than about any other DAW or gear. I honestly can't believe people are still buying into that madness. I have used ProTools and was trained on it in a studio environment. It was nice, but that was back around 1998. Times have changed a lot. ProTools is not king of the jungle anymore.

Really? I don't. I see a lot of people trying to run it on non-spec pcs and having problems. I don't really see many issues on well set up pcs or macs.

And we have 11 or so 9 hd rigs, personally I have 3 native rigs. The only issues are with the lynx fw card, which also exist on logic.

samth3mancgp · 5th February 2012

Maybe I'm crazy, but I say ditch MacOS lion and get snow leopard, get the project mix, use protools 9 and all of the plugins you will need and just call it a day. Get a rig that is reliable, and just stick with it!

There are big studios in Nashville that are still running protools 7.4 (or maybe earlier!). On PowerPC G5 macs. They do it because it is stable, and reliable. I wouldn't be surprised to see one still using a TDM system!

You don't need to upgrade or improve something that does everything you need it to. There were never constant "updates" for 24 track tape machines. Why do DAWs always have to have do many updates? I understand some being released to maintain compatibility with computers/OS, but why update those either?

IMHO, YMMV, all the usual stuff. The studio I currently intern at is using PT 8 HD with the blue 192s. Zero talk of updating the system. My personal rig is a project mix, with Mac snow leopard, and protools 9 and I don't plan to update until it simply stops working.

Anthon · 5th February 2012

ProTools, more like LameTools

Don't get me wrong, it is a good piece of professional software, but it has so much stupidities!

I used 6,7 and 8 LE for film/video post-production - always just hated, when you needed DV-toolkit to load OMF files.
Hated that I needed to drag Mbox everywhere I went, just to run it (I'm really glad I never went for DIGI rack). I heard you don't have to now... but I stopped caring a while ago.

rony feliz · 6th February 2012

Thanks for all your replies, I really do appreciate the input!

Ive been reading everywhere about reaper and it seems like its getting a lot of positive feedback and I'm going to have to really look into it.

I personally like the layout of logic imo, I use it for my own projects. I love the fact that you don't have to keep reaching in your pocket for expensive plugins. I don't need a bigillion dollar setup, thats what the studios are for..

I am open to other DAWS because to be honest protools isn't my favorite but every studio I work with uses it. I'm constantly being sent sessions to mix and record at home. I was completely fine with a mbox1 and pt 7.3 until my compter failed on me and my external hard drive wanted to die with my computer

now I have a new computer, tons of music lost and frustrated with desicions

As you can see, I'm pretty much stuck with protools and its not because of my own preference. It sucks because I was looking at the focusrite interfaces, and the mackie contol looks very interesting also... I even was entertaining an apogee duet. I wanted the best interface for the money I would spend, and I know there are incredible interfaces out there that blow maudios overpriced products out the water. But now if I want to use protools mp9, all of the awesome possibilies and options I have are now limited to maudios line. i just can't spend 600 bucks for protools alone

Anyone had any experience with the projectmix on lion?
I was looking at a fast track ultra, but I see a ton of mixed reviews on that. Is that worth picking up?I see it shares the same preamps as the project mix.
How about the new c400 or c600?

Thanks again for all the help guys.
Tim- I wish you goodluck in finding the best setup, I'm interested to know what you end up with!

Now onto looking at reaper for myself!

gravyface · 6th February 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by rony feliz

Thanks for all your replies, I really do appreciate the input!

Ive been reading everywhere about reaper and it seems like its getting a lot of positive feedback and I'm going to have to really look into it.

I personally like the layout of logic imo, I use it for my own projects. I love the fact that you don't have to keep reaching in your pocket for expensive plugins. I don't need a bigillion dollar setup, thats what the studios are for..

I am open to other DAWS because to be honest protools isn't my favorite but every studio I work with uses it. I'm constantly being sent sessions to mix and record at home. I was completely fine with a mbox1 and pt 7.3 until my compter failed on me and my external hard drive wanted to die with my computer

now I have a new computer, tons of music lost and frustrated with desicions

As you can see, I'm pretty much stuck with protools and its not because of my own preference. It sucks because I was looking at the focusrite interfaces, and the mackie contol looks very interesting also... I even was entertaining an apogee duet. I wanted the best interface for the money I would spend, and I know there are incredible interfaces out there that blow maudios overpriced products out the water. But now if I want to use protools mp9, all of the awesome possibilies and options I have are now limited to maudios line. i just can't spend 600 bucks for protools alone

Anyone had any experience with the projectmix on lion?
I was looking at a fast track ultra, but I see a ton of mixed reviews on that. Is that worth picking up?I see it shares the same preamps as the project mix.
How about the new c400 or c600?

Thanks again for all the help guys.
Tim- I wish you goodluck in finding the best setup, I'm interested to know what you end up with!

Now onto looking at reaper for myself!

AATranslator ($159 USD) will convert from Pro Tools 9 to Reaper:
AATranslator - Home Page

No idea how well it'll work, but the author of AATranslator hangs out on a few boards. If it saves you grief in the long run and allows you to be more production using a friendlier/more hardware-compatible DAW like Reaper then the price of AA may be worth it (and you could also advertise that you can support other DAWs to mixing/mastering work).

timx1386 · 6th February 2012

See, the thing for me is that I DO actually like using pro tools.. I've had PT 8LE since it came out and ... I"m used to it. It works for me. I dont really want to switch to a new daw (relearning a new program ..seems like something to avoid if possible)

..the whole problem for me is pretty much inputs. With PT8LE and no firewire port on my computer, I'm pretty much stuck with my mbox2.. right now I"m not looking for an 'ultra portable' setup.. I just feel that if I could leave my mics 'ready to go' running into some decent preamps, the preamps going into an interface with roughly 8 channels, I'd have alot more opportunity to record when inspiration strikes rather than get everything set up / plugged in. if I was worried about portability and sound, I'd probably just grab a duet2 and reaper and be done... but I like the idea of just having Protools session templates so I can just get right to work when I need to AND not have to settle for "I'll just use this mic because everything else is packed away right now.."

I mean, I'm not THAT pathetic. I don't mind adjusting things. I'd just rather have a more 'ready to go' set up .. I feel like I'd get more done and capture more of the magic, and thats what its all about right?

** basically I"d love to keep my setup and just somehow add 6 more 'line ins' to my mbox.. but since thats impossible - I"m looking for the next best thing.**

timx1386 · 7th February 2012

The other really frustrating part of it is: I want to add more inputs .. but I cant just spend money in one place.. either I have to buy a new daw AND interface, a new computer AND interface (and probably daw)... either way, super pricey (atleast for me right now)

... I totally understand upgrading your setup and needed to spend cash to get there.. but this ends up feeling more like "starting over" than "upgrading" - - - This also makes me weary about my next purchase because I dont want to get "stuck" again with a setup I cant grow with at all..

If only I could just call up avid and get their permission to hook up something a focusrite 18i6 ... if a 'permission' patch were available to purchase, I'd gladly pay for it.

GordZilla · 7th February 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by rony feliz

Thanks for all your replies, I really do appreciate the input!

Ive been reading everywhere about reaper and it seems like its getting a lot of positive feedback and I'm going to have to really look into it.

I personally like the layout of logic imo, I use it for my own projects. I love the fact that you don't have to keep reaching in your pocket for expensive plugins. I don't need a bigillion dollar setup, thats what the studios are for..

I am open to other DAWS because to be honest protools isn't my favorite but every studio I work with uses it. I'm constantly being sent sessions to mix and record at home. I was completely fine with a mbox1 and pt 7.3 until my compter failed on me and my external hard drive wanted to die with my computer

now I have a new computer, tons of music lost and frustrated with desicions

As you can see, I'm pretty much stuck with protools and its not because of my own preference. It sucks because I was looking at the focusrite interfaces, and the mackie contol looks very interesting also... I even was entertaining an apogee duet. I wanted the best interface for the money I would spend, and I know there are incredible interfaces out there that blow maudios overpriced products out the water. But now if I want to use protools mp9, all of the awesome possibilies and options I have are now limited to maudios line. i just can't spend 600 bucks for protools alone

Anyone had any experience with the projectmix on lion?
I was looking at a fast track ultra, but I see a ton of mixed reviews on that. Is that worth picking up?I see it shares the same preamps as the project mix.
How about the new c400 or c600?

Thanks again for all the help guys.
Tim- I wish you goodluck in finding the best setup, I'm interested to know what you end up with!

Now onto looking at reaper for myself!

Here is something to consider... Reaper is free to try out. When you download it you get a 100% fully functional DAW with no restrictions. You can evaluate it as long as you need.... then if you decide you like it... it costs a measly $60.

I repeat..... $60.

Has to be one of the best deals in all of audio gearslutdom

Runaway · 7th February 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by gravyface

AATranslator ($159 USD) will convert from Pro Tools 9 to Reaper:
AATranslator - Home Page

No idea how well it'll work, but the author of AATranslator hangs out on a few boards. If it saves you grief in the long run and allows you to be more production using a friendlier/more hardware-compatible DAW like Reaper then the price of AA may be worth it (and you could also advertise that you can support other DAWs to mixing/mastering work).

AAT works just fine and will do an excellent job converting PT9 to Reaper.
Obviously we don't convert midi or fx (we do list the fx in the notes section of the Reaper 'project Settings'). There is a conversion guide available from the AAT home page which shows exactly what we convert for each daw.

If the OP wants to contact me (via the AATranslator web site) I'd be happy to convert a couple of his PT9 sessions to Reaper so he can try Reaper out.

rony feliz · 7th February 2012

gravyface - hey thanks a million for that. im really going to do some more research into the AAtranslator

Runaway- thanks so much for checking in. in my case i would be using the AAtranslator for my own sessions from logic-->protools if needed or if i take the jump into reaper--> protools

my question is, is there any change in sound quality due to the conversion?

i see it says on your site its a pc program. i have parallels for mac, any luck with that?

the midi doesnt really scare me bc its just a matter of copy and paste.. its way better than the other methods ive seen of converting files

seems like something that will help me in the long run to have.

thanks again

tim- i understand completely where your coming from.. these past years ive bought and traded in more gear than i ever thought i would. at the end of the day i pretty much blame myself for it because of poor decision making.. but i made a decision to get the things i actually wanted and take my time instead of just buying the gear to ''hold off'' until i got the dream gear i got. maybe i didnt get myself an avalon mic pre and a neumann u87 but i got a pair of maudio bx 5, pair of bx 8, a presonus eureka, i couple sm57s and a brand new blue bluebird mic for under 600 bucks. its not the most impressive setup at all, but for all the money i spent and the sound quality im getting from it i feel accomplished. the sound im getting can easily go up against the studios i work with with my dream gear and the musicians i work with cant tell the difference. im not saying that what i have is better, dont get me wrong because im still drooling over the u87s but the reality is i dont have u87 money to spend. that in turn that made me do a buttload of research, and it became a blessing in disguise bc i would of never got the deals i got, gotten to know the products i have and get the sound quality im getting if i had not taken my time.

i felt like i did a pretty good job until my computer died out..but as we all know not everything can be perfect and last forever, now im stuck with having to choose an interface. let me correct that--- im stuck with choosing a maudio interface. i would love to have 8 channels as well, i dont need anything to record on the go.. i dont mind a rack..when i need to record drums i just run a snake into the basement. i just want something good enough that i dont have to think about for a while. shoot if it were up to me id still be using my mbox1

i actually favored the preamps on that one compared to the mbox two. my brother in law has one, just didnt do it for me. maybe it was the focusrite preamps? maybe i just got a good one? im not sure.

and i understand about the whole setting up thing trust me you are not the only one! just setting up my guitar stuff takes me about 20 mins. its not that we are lazy, but if i have one hour free time to record in silence and it takes me 20 mins to setup, that leaves me with 20 mins to record and 20 to packup and not leave a mess. its all about maximizing productivity. if it was up to me, id leave everything out just the way i like it, warm up the tuby goodness of my amp and start recording. being that i have infants in my home thats a big no no

and im pretty sure the wife would hang me from a guitar cable if i left all my stuff out

the focusrite 18i6 is insane! i didnt even look at that, i was looking at the saffire models.

and i wonder if enough people ask for a ''paid permission patch'' to use another interface that are in the same boat as we are would they make it happen? i wouldint mind dropping $50 to use mp9 with any interface i please. its when your taking about 600 bucks for pt10 from 250 for mp9 that make my teeth cringe

.

i know protools is the industry standard, and if you want the ''pro'' tools then you have to be able to spend the ''pro'' money but almost all the DAWS out there have no problem with interchanging interfaces. logic pro is 200 bucks. 200 happy bucks im glad to spend. i dont need to pay for plugins, i can use any interface i want, shoot reaper better take my money now because for the price its amazing as well! why hit us with a price so steep for a feature that other DAWs offer for less than half the price with more features!!!

anywho..

it seems its come down to 5 interfaces...

M-Audio ProFire 610 (i really like)

M-Audio fast track ultra

M-Audio fast track ultra 8r (the rack version)

M-Audio fast track c600

and im still keeping hopes up for the project mix i/o though.

what do you guys think?

thanks in advance guys

Runaway · 7th February 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by rony feliz

Runaway- thanks so much for checking in. in my case i would be using the AAtranslator for my own sessions from logic-->protools if needed or if i take the jump into reaper--> protools

my question is, is there any change in sound quality due to the conversion?

i see it says on your site its a pc program. i have parallels for mac, any luck with that?

There is no change in sound quality. Usually the actual source audio is not altered unless stereo files require splitting (required for some daws) or converted to aif (an option when embedding in OMF) - even then there is no change in quality.

Will the conversion sound different? That I can't tell you as you will probably be using different fx then were available in your original daw.

As to parallels I can't see why not - I know we have users running it under emulators like Wine

timx1386 · 9th February 2012

Rony, that does really suck that your computer died. I really should be trying to put aside a little money to upgrade/replace mine if it ever craps out.. Hopefully I still have a while before that day comes! I totally agree with you on what you said- and you said it quite well. I also can't afford (but wouldn't be upset if I owned) a u87, but try to do my research / collect gear that gets me a good sound for my budget. I've been pretty happy so far. I've off-and-on heard/used the term 'mid-fi' and I feel like its a pretty good term to describe where I am/what I'm shooting for.

Fedex brought my 18i6 today - I'm pretty excited!! I'm lucky to have some space to keep some stuff setup.. so hopefully now I'll really start to optimize my free time to work on stuff. ((and someday if I ever get there- I can add the 8 ADAT inputs))

I had a hard time with my DAW decision. I was real on the fence : reaper/PT10/logic . .. I went with reaper and SO FAR I'm not regretting it a bit. I paid $230 for the 18i6 and $60 for reaper... I feel like it was a real good and affordable choice!

Next on the list I'm hoping to add a GAP73 or another rnp (...or one of those other pre's there are a million threads about

) to EVENTUALLY have decent pre's on all my interface's channels

anyway, sorry to ramble.

I honestly don't have experience with those particular interfaces- but wish you the best on your decision!!!

timx1386 · 10th February 2012

okay just a quick note: so far.. I love this focusrite 18i6 !!

-the 2 pre's I think sound better than the ones in my mbox2,

-I use a macbook, I plugged the unit into my computer and reaper saw it immediately, I didn't even install any of the software that came with it yet- it just worked .. which was a nice feeling.

-in terms of maximizing time and having a setup 'ready to dive into' when you get a moment to make music or feel inspired... I have a "basic template" in reaper that has all my tracks labelled / assigned to specific mics.. If I sit down and want to lay down a guitar, I open reaper, prime the guitar track and hit record.. Being able to record something 10 seconds after sitting down at my desk- real handy!

-quality of the unit seems pretty nice / well built (I havent opened the thing up or anything but for the price, its a lot better than I expected.)

-reaper already "sees' the extra 8 adat inputs even though I dont have the octopre extension, but leads me to believe if I were to add that on, it would take about zero time to setup as well.

-latency? probably on par with my mbox 2 - so its not an issue (for me any way- I actually dont even notice it!)

um yeah. If i had taken time to write that up a little better it'd probably belong in the "review" section but.. I'm just too excited and want to get back to playing with it.

4th February 2012	#1
rony feliz Gear interested Joined: Feb 2012 Posts: 27 Thread Starter	should i hit my head against a wall now or later m-audio?!? please help hey hows it going...im exited to say this is my 1st post! im always reading up here for advice now i am in deep need of the slutz advice i need as much help as i can get. i dont know if i should do a victory dance or slam my head against the wall well here goes my story... i was doing my usual online browsing for an interface when i came across a deal that i just couldint believe. i just snagged a M-Audio MobilePre mk II bundled with protools mp9 for 150 bucks brand new! i couldint believe it. i had to call up the company i was purchasing from to make sure that was the price and even the rep who picked up couldint believe it. they put me on hold for about 10 minutes then came back and told me they changed the price. i told them they only changed it because i pointed it out. i heard the hesitation in his voice, he had to honor the price tag of 150 due to their misprint. i did a dance in my chair at work because ive been looking to get protools and protools mp9 goes for 250 by itself. i felt like i was on top of the world until the sad reality hit. so my initial thought was this: ill keep the protools mp9 since they come in two different boxes and sell the fast track mk interface since i wasnt going to give it use. my plan was to use protools mp9 and get the interface i wanted. i wanted to get a projectmix i/o , maybe a mackie control.. something of the like... and heres where it gets fun.. protools mp9 only is compatible with authorized maudio devices... so there goes my mackie control, a 003.. etc i thought it wasnt a big deal because i still had the project mix i/o as a possibility.. i do a little bit of reasearch and i see that its being discontinued still... i could pick up a used project mix and call it a day. but my concern is if it is being discontinued, that means no support. no support means headaches, headaches means wasted time wasted time= wasted investment. im running osx lion and from what ive seen here theres alot of people that have compatibility issues with drivers since it has been released.. i love it, but if i cant find something that will work with what i have, im just purchasing a fancy paperweight. my question is, is there a maudio interface thats worth mentioning? can someone reassure me a project mix i/o will work with lion osx? should i just give up on protools mp9 all together and just sell both for a profit? whats your advice? i love protools 10 but i feel like $599 is way too steep to just have the ability to use other interfaces with a program that will be outdated and loose its value. for that i can buy a nice mic, another mic pre or hey... even pay some bills im looking for something that will be reliable and great quality. i also need something with flexibility. the more features the better. i guess the best bang for your buck. im using a presonus eureka for a mic pre so im not relying just on the mic pre on the interface so i hope works in my favor.. thanks so much for all of your info sending many blessings to you and yours Last edited by rony feliz; 4th February 2012 at 09:33 PM.. Reason: spelling error

5th February 2012	#9
samth3mancgp Gear nut Joined: Nov 2009 Location: Western Maryland Posts: 111	Maybe I'm crazy, but I say ditch MacOS lion and get snow leopard, get the project mix, use protools 9 and all of the plugins you will need and just call it a day. Get a rig that is reliable, and just stick with it! There are big studios in Nashville that are still running protools 7.4 (or maybe earlier!). On PowerPC G5 macs. They do it because it is stable, and reliable. I wouldn't be surprised to see one still using a TDM system! You don't need to upgrade or improve something that does everything you need it to. There were never constant "updates" for 24 track tape machines. Why do DAWs always have to have do many updates? I understand some being released to maintain compatibility with computers/OS, but why update those either? IMHO, YMMV, all the usual stuff. The studio I currently intern at is using PT 8 HD with the blue 192s. Zero talk of updating the system. My personal rig is a project mix, with Mac snow leopard, and protools 9 and I don't plan to update until it simply stops working. __________________ My Home Studio! *Brambleton Sound*

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Please, help me with my live setup!	el cochino	Remote Possibilities in Acoustic Music & Location Recording	0	24th February 2007 02:05 PM

4th February 2012	#2
timx1386 Gear Head Joined: Jan 2012 Location: MA Posts: 42	Well I'll say that before you bang your head against the wall, make sure your room is properly treated with some acoustic foam.. No but seriously, I've been having the same dilemmas over whether to hang onto PT ... (do I upgrade? do I switch daws? compatibility issues- etc) First off, I'd like to say THANKS! because for some reason I thought if I upgraded to PT9 MPowered that I'd be able to use any interface. Since thats not true - - that makes my decision making a little easier! okay but back to your questions.. I mean I'd say it really depends on how bad you 'need' that particular setup you were originally shooting for. As much as I feel like I should ditch my current interface and I feel annoyed that I'm chained to it (thank you PT) ... I still manage to pull off recordings that I'm happy with. If you're THAT afraid of the headaches of owning discontinued gear.. I think that is more of an issue. I mean, I feel like pretty much all of the software/ technology is getting /going to be outdated relatively fast anyway and the amount of 'support' you'll be getting isn't going to last forever either. Maybe I'm wrong there.. I'm not sure what you're currently working with or if you're looking for your first investment.. I've been kind of considering Reaper and then picking up an interface of my choice.. but I personally don't know anyone using reaper and so far havent felt ready to make that kind of jump. I guess I didn't really offer any help, but the point is, you still have alot of options. and you still got a good deal. so I wouldn't be too upset just yet. And the whole thing about PT and interface compatibility / the price of upgrading PT is something alot of us are frustrated with - but it is what it is.

5th February 2012	#3
gravyface Gear addict Joined: Jan 2012 Posts: 454 1 Review written	Reaper.

5th February 2012	#7
SquashPile Gear Head Joined: Jun 2010 Location: Alabama Posts: 69	I like Reaper, but since I started using Studio One Pro 2 that is all I use. Love the workflow.

5th February 2012	#10
Anthon Gear Head Joined: Jan 2012 Posts: 42	ProTools, more like LameTools Don't get me wrong, it is a good piece of professional software, but it has so much stupidities! I used 6,7 and 8 LE for film/video post-production - always just hated, when you needed DV-toolkit to load OMF files. Hated that I needed to drag Mbox everywhere I went, just to run it (I'm really glad I never went for DIGI rack). I heard you don't have to now... but I stopped caring a while ago.

6th February 2012	#11
rony feliz Gear interested Joined: Feb 2012 Posts: 27 Thread Starter	Thanks for all your replies, I really do appreciate the input! Ive been reading everywhere about reaper and it seems like its getting a lot of positive feedback and I'm going to have to really look into it. I personally like the layout of logic imo, I use it for my own projects. I love the fact that you don't have to keep reaching in your pocket for expensive plugins. I don't need a bigillion dollar setup, thats what the studios are for.. I am open to other DAWS because to be honest protools isn't my favorite but every studio I work with uses it. I'm constantly being sent sessions to mix and record at home. I was completely fine with a mbox1 and pt 7.3 until my compter failed on me and my external hard drive wanted to die with my computer now I have a new computer, tons of music lost and frustrated with desicions As you can see, I'm pretty much stuck with protools and its not because of my own preference. It sucks because I was looking at the focusrite interfaces, and the mackie contol looks very interesting also... I even was entertaining an apogee duet. I wanted the best interface for the money I would spend, and I know there are incredible interfaces out there that blow maudios overpriced products out the water. But now if I want to use protools mp9, all of the awesome possibilies and options I have are now limited to maudios line. i just can't spend 600 bucks for protools alone Anyone had any experience with the projectmix on lion? I was looking at a fast track ultra, but I see a ton of mixed reviews on that. Is that worth picking up?I see it shares the same preamps as the project mix. How about the new c400 or c600? Thanks again for all the help guys. Tim- I wish you goodluck in finding the best setup, I'm interested to know what you end up with! Now onto looking at reaper for myself!

7th February 2012	#14
timx1386 Gear Head Joined: Jan 2012 Location: MA Posts: 42	The other really frustrating part of it is: I want to add more inputs .. but I cant just spend money in one place.. either I have to buy a new daw AND interface, a new computer AND interface (and probably daw)... either way, super pricey (atleast for me right now) ... I totally understand upgrading your setup and needed to spend cash to get there.. but this ends up feeling more like "starting over" than "upgrading" - - - This also makes me weary about my next purchase because I dont want to get "stuck" again with a setup I cant grow with at all.. If only I could just call up avid and get their permission to hook up something a focusrite 18i6 ... if a 'permission' patch were available to purchase, I'd gladly pay for it.

9th February 2012	#19
timx1386 Gear Head Joined: Jan 2012 Location: MA Posts: 42	Rony, that does really suck that your computer died. I really should be trying to put aside a little money to upgrade/replace mine if it ever craps out.. Hopefully I still have a while before that day comes! I totally agree with you on what you said- and you said it quite well. I also can't afford (but wouldn't be upset if I owned) a u87, but try to do my research / collect gear that gets me a good sound for my budget. I've been pretty happy so far. I've off-and-on heard/used the term 'mid-fi' and I feel like its a pretty good term to describe where I am/what I'm shooting for. Fedex brought my 18i6 today - I'm pretty excited!! I'm lucky to have some space to keep some stuff setup.. so hopefully now I'll really start to optimize my free time to work on stuff. ((and someday if I ever get there- I can add the 8 ADAT inputs)) I had a hard time with my DAW decision. I was real on the fence : reaper/PT10/logic . .. I went with reaper and SO FAR I'm not regretting it a bit. I paid $230 for the 18i6 and $60 for reaper... I feel like it was a real good and affordable choice! Next on the list I'm hoping to add a GAP73 or another rnp (...or one of those other pre's there are a million threads about ) to EVENTUALLY have decent pre's on all my interface's channels anyway, sorry to ramble. I honestly don't have experience with those particular interfaces- but wish you the best on your decision!!!

10th February 2012	#20
timx1386 Gear Head Joined: Jan 2012 Location: MA Posts: 42	okay just a quick note: so far.. I love this focusrite 18i6 !! -the 2 pre's I think sound better than the ones in my mbox2, -I use a macbook, I plugged the unit into my computer and reaper saw it immediately, I didn't even install any of the software that came with it yet- it just worked .. which was a nice feeling. -in terms of maximizing time and having a setup 'ready to dive into' when you get a moment to make music or feel inspired... I have a "basic template" in reaper that has all my tracks labelled / assigned to specific mics.. If I sit down and want to lay down a guitar, I open reaper, prime the guitar track and hit record.. Being able to record something 10 seconds after sitting down at my desk- real handy! -quality of the unit seems pretty nice / well built (I havent opened the thing up or anything but for the price, its a lot better than I expected.) -reaper already "sees' the extra 8 adat inputs even though I dont have the octopre extension, but leads me to believe if I were to add that on, it would take about zero time to setup as well. -latency? probably on par with my mbox 2 - so its not an issue (for me any way- I actually dont even notice it!) um yeah. If i had taken time to write that up a little better it'd probably belong in the "review" section but.. I'm just too excited and want to get back to playing with it.