ProTools HD7.4 to 10 Pros / Cons

[passmore]

You can get HD10 for $600.00 now - it 's a no brainer upgrade

[NicksMix]

Originally Posted by passmore

You can get HD10 for $600.00 now - it 's a no brainer upgrade

I'm not one to update just for the sake of updating. I'm trying to see the value in the upgrade other than just saving money by upgrading now.

What features / stability / workflow updates are in 10 that 7.4 does not have other than the features I listed in the OP?

[Mr. Wilson]

To the OP, I'm a bit confused by the fact that you say you run pt10 (plain I assume) but you don't have a feel for it over 7.4. Since I've long since left the 7.x/8.x and work in PT9/10 HD it seems it would be obvious to the user how the upgraded versions feel. 9 was the came changer in allowing the end user to work with their interface of choice. Then 10 came along with further enhancements such as clip gain which is the big one and then in the HD version the ram and disk cache. I use 9HD and 10/10HD and depending on what I'm doing: either post production audio (using mostly 9HD) or MX creation using either 10 or 10HD depending on where I'm at in the process. 9HD is fine for 90% of my post work, but I really feel the enhancements of 10/10HD working on MX creation. It's kinda a 50/50 (10 to 10HD) for me right now. If I'm tracking I don't mind working in plain 10 but when I'm mixing and editing I like popping in my 10HD ilok and enjoying those options. I don't personally need the extra tracks but the ram/disk cache is very nice. In your case since you have 10 already I'd just work that awhile, but if you can ever justify going HD I think you'd see and feel the options from the performance boost that PT HD offers.

[NicksMix]

Originally Posted by Mr. Wilson

To the OP, I'm a bit confused by the fact that you say you run pt10 (plain I assume) but you don't have a feel for it over 7.4. Since I've long since left the 7.x/8.x and work in PT9/10 HD it seems it would be obvious to the user how the upgraded versions feel. 9 was the came changer in allowing the end user to work with their interface of choice. Then 10 came along with further enhancements such as clip gain which is the big one and then in the HD version the ram and disk cache. I use 9HD and 10/10HD and depending on what I'm doing: either post production audio (using mostly 9HD) or MX creation using either 10 or 10HD depending on where I'm at in the process. 9HD is fine for 90% of my post work, but I really feel the enhancements of 10/10HD working on MX creation. It's kinda a 50/50 (10 to 10HD) for me right now. If I'm tracking I don't mind working in plain 10 but when I'm mixing and editing I like popping in my 10HD ilok and enjoying those options. I don't personally need the extra tracks but the ram/disk cache is very nice. In your case since you have 10 already I'd just work that awhile, but if you can ever justify going HD I think you'd see and feel the options from the performance boost that PT HD offers.

I run PT10 on my laptop, and 7.4 & 8 on my HD rigs. I like gain clip, and haven't experienced disk caching yet -- but like the idea of it since I work with a lot of sample streaming anyways. I guess I just don't know if clip gain and disk caching is worth $600? Are you able to install your HD ilok into your laptop and run HD native without TDM cards installed?

[Mr. Wilson]

Yes you can run 9/10 HD natively, suchas on your laptop, which I do... but you won't be able to run TDM plugins without the TDM hardware interface. You'd have to make sure you have the RTAS or AAX version of any must have plugin.

[NicksMix]

Thanks for the info! I made the switch. Had to upgrade from windows vista to 7 as well. No. Qualms there. Should I have done 64 bit? Who's doing it?

[DaVogi]

Originally Posted by NicksMix

Thanks for the info! I made the switch. Had to upgrade from windows vista to 7 as well. No. Qualms there. Should I have done 64 bit? Who's doing it?

yes, otherwise you can't really use more ram for disk caching.

[NicksMix]

I think my machine is limited to 8GB, so I'm somewhat on the fence.

[sound_music]

i just made this exact transition. went from 7.4HD on tiger to 10.3HD on mountain lion, and i can tell you it's a giant leap.

up side: ADC bump to 16k rules, disk cache rules, and clip gain and real-time fades are next level shit.

down side: for me, being a creature of habit, having to get up to speed with the new layout and new features all at once has been challenging. luckily i ran HD 8 for awhile before going back to 7 (stability issues with 8 on our old PPC G5--just wasn't cutting it), so i had some time logged on 8 at my place (and 8,9,10, in other studios), which has definitely helped a bit in terms of getting used to the layout on my own rig.

STABILITY. in my room, now 10 days into the transition to HDX, we still can't seem to get the system totally stable. have had all kinds of trouble, which is disappointing. (smokin' new 12-core westmere, fresh SSDs, maxed ram, machine totally optimized for pro tools as per avid guidelines etc... should have been a no brainer.)

i waited until v10.3.4 thinking all the bugs would be worked out by now, which is totally not the case yet! (in avid's defence, i think some of the stability problems have to do with mountain lion... really not a big fan so far!)