Digidesign has gone too far.

[DaInGaIlToAgL]

Let me preface this by saying that I am a hard core pro tools user and supporter. I think that it is the best multi-tracking and editing DAW out there, that it can sound great if you use it correctly, and that digidesign has done a great job creating software that the industry can use as a tool.

With that said, I am wondering how many other people out there are Pro Tools users that are fed up with having to pay for incremental updates. 7.3 just came out, and in order to get the bug fixes and few new features, you have to pay anywhere from 75-200 bucks depending on what level of 'Tools you use.

Not meaning to start a flame war about what DAW is the best here, you aren't going to convince many Pro Tools users to switch, but I think that if we as a community express our discontent with this practice of charging for updates within versions, that maybe we can affect some change.

I have already emailed customer service, and will be writing a more formal letter soon. If you are concerned, you should do the same... Any thoughts on the topic?

[max cooper]

Originally Posted by DaInGaIlToAgL

7.3 just came out, and in order to get the bug fixes and few new features, you have to pay anywhere from 75-200 bucks depending on what level of 'Tools you use.

These are all bug fixes?

Just being able to reconfigure the mix on the fly (adding or removing tracks) is cool. But there's a good amount of stuff here.
*

With Pro Tools® HD 7.3 software, composing music has never been easier or more efficient, enabling you to concentrate on what matters most — your music.

New Loop Features
The new Dynamic Transport mode allows you to start playback anywhere in the timeline without affecting the current selection by simply placing a Play Start marker — a new feature. You can also edit and move loop selections independently of the Play Start marker, all without manually stopping the transport. Loop playback also automatically updates to the selection without having to manually stop and start the transport. With the new Loop Trim tool, you can turn any audio or MIDI region into a loop instantly. And auditioning audio files is easier than ever: The new Loop Preview mode lets you quickly audition a selected REX or ACID file in the DigiBase™ browser, while Auto Preview mode allows you to audition single or multiple files automatically when selected.

New Music Tools
The new Create Click Track command quickly creates an auxiliary click track with the DigiRack™ Click plug-in already inserted to help you keep time. You can also set a preference to create a click track whenever you create a new session. The new Send to Sibelius command bridges Pro Tools with Sibelius notation software (sold separately), allowing you to export Pro Tools MIDI and Instrument tracks — complete with key changes — to Sibelius. And the new Key Signature ruler allows you to easily add, edit, move, and delete key signatures in your sessions. Add a key signature to define the key of a composition; edit it to change sessions or passages to another key. You can specify the mode (major or minor), transpose MIDI pitches diatonically or chromatically, and even constrain pitches to a key.

Improved MIDI Recording
Pro Tools HD 7.3 software introduces new functions and improvements to enhance your MIDI-recording process. MIDI regions are now always created on bar boundaries to help with looping and arrangement. And you can now click on the keyboard in MIDI and Instrument tracks to quickly select all of the same-pitched notes of your performance. What’s more, with the new RTAS® Engine error suppression options, you can be sure that Pro Tools will keep moving along with your creativity — even when your system approaches its processing limits.

New Music Creation Features
• Dynamic Transport mode allows playback to operate independently of the current selection
• Loop playback automatically updates to the selection without manually stopping and starting the transport
• Loop Trim tool enables you to easily turn audio or MIDI regions into loops
• Create Click Track command and preference
• New Tracks Default to Tick Timebase preference speeds up loop-based workflows
• Key Signature ruler enables key signature changes and transpositions
• Send to Sibelius command offers streamlined workflow between Pro Tools® and Sibelius notation software
• Loop Preview and Auto Preview options in DigiBase™
• RTAS® Engine error suppression options
• Additional MIDI recording, editing, and export features
*

Edit and Mix Faster
*

Pro Tools HD 7.3 software provides several new tools and enhancements that’ll help you speed up your workflow.

Dynamic Mixing
Forget about having to manually stop and start the transport to make changes to your mix configuration — you can now make many common changes on the fly. Go ahead. Add or remove tracks; add, remove, or copy inserts and sends; change a track’s I/O routing; re-order tracks; and make other changes without having to manually stop playback. (Do note that audio may stop briefly as TDM plug-in connections are made, but the transport will continue to roll.)

Faster Workflow
The new Open Recent menu enables you to quickly open any of your last ten sessions — there’s also a direct shortcut to your most recently opened session for even more convenience. The DigiBase browser now displays plug-in settings, enabling you to search them by name or manufacturer. You can also drag and drop plug-in settings from the browser onto empty inserts to add the corresponding plug-in or drop a plug-in settings file onto a plug-in to load the setting. Pro Tools HD 7.3 software also enables you to easily insert and renumber memory locations.

New Time Shift Plug-in
When you need to edit your work to fit an exact timeframe, the new DigiRack Time Shift plug-in employs some of the best-sounding algorithms in the industry for powerful time stretching and pitch shifting. Excellent for resizing loops in music production, Time Shift also offers presets for common pull-up and pull-down operations, making it an essential, easy-to-use tool in post-production applications.

New Editing & Mixing Features
• Add and reorder tracks; create, move, or copy inserts and sends; and adjust I/O routing on the fly
• Time Shift DigiRack™ plug-in delivers superior time compression/expansion
• Drag and drop plug-in settings from the DigiBase browser onto empty insert slots or active plug-ins for instant plug-in opening and setting recall
• Open Recent menu command allows quick access to your last ten sessions
*

Work the Way You Want
*

With new user customizable features and enhancements, Pro Tools HD 7.3 software lets you work the way you want to work with the utmost efficiency.

Save Your Views
Save up to 99 of your favorite window views with the new Window Configurations feature (aka “screen sets”), which allows you to have all of the right windows — in your chosen size, location, and order — at your fingertips for the project at hand. Save a set of open windows to handle just your recording needs. Create another that allows you to mix audio unencumbered. Have all of the necessary windows ready for your post production projects. Or even tailor Window Configurations on a per-project basis. And if you want to temporarily hide all floating windows and then bring them back exactly as they were, the new Hide All Open Floating Windows command will do just that.

Customize Zoom Toggle and Track Heights
With the new Zoom Toggle preference, you can specify the track height, track view, and Edit grid resolution when zooming. Track height is now continuously variable, allowing you to quickly adjust a track’s height by simply clicking and dragging. In addition, the Track Height pop-up menu includes two new options: Micro lets you see more tracks simultaneously, while the Fit to Window option expands the track to fill your entire screen so you can better view and edit a selection.

New Customization Features
• Up to 99 Window Configurations (aka “screen sets”) to instantly recall custom view arrangements
• Customizable memory locations
• Customizable Zoom Toggle lets you define track view and height when zooming
• Continuously variable track height allows tracks to be instantly resized to any height
*

New Post Production Enhancements
*

With enhanced Avid® system interoperability and support for more high-definition video workflows, Pro Tools HD 7.3 delivers a huge speed boost to your productivity.

New HD Video Workflows
Pro Tools HD 7.3 provides better HD integration by introducing a new secondary time code ruler that displays HD frame rates, allowing you to view positions in both HD and SD timebases and nudge in ½-frame increments. You can also tag AAF (Advanced Authoring Format) file exports with HD frame rates for compatibility with Avid video workstations.

Avid Interplay Integration on Windows XP
Avid interoperability gets further enhanced through Avid Interplay™ integration, enabling Pro Tools users and Avid editors to work with the same asset management system and, as a result, speed up productivity and workflows. As a Pro Tools user, you can open sequences that have been exported for Pro Tools directly from within the Avid Interplay database and export tracks directly back to the sequence. You can also use the Avid Interplay MultiRez feature to work with draft-resolution video in Pro Tools and then automatically link back to the high-resolution video in Avid Interplay. The integration also offers simplified and centrally managed import and export options, and provides version control of exchanged sequences.*

* Requires the Pro Tools Interplay Option and a direct connection to Avid Unity™ MediaNetwork or Unity ISIS™ storage. Please note that streaming playback/recording is only supported with Unity MediaNetwork; Unity ISIS users must push/pull audio and video.

Improved Field Recorder Support
If you’re working with audio recorded by a field recorder, you can conform imported multichannel audio files to a guide track, making it easier to checkerboard dialog tracks, using the new Expand to New Tracks command. Pro Tools will create new tracks for each alternate channel and apply any of the edits and fades from the guide track to these new tracks.

New Post Production Features
• HD video workflow support
• Avid® Interplay™ integration on Windows XP
• Support for conforming audio from field recorders
• Ability to pull-up and pull-down audio media during import?
*

Hardware Support
*

Pro Tools HD 7.3 provides support for more hardware options, giving you greater flexibility to build the perfect Pro Tools system and bridge new workflows.

Apple Intel-based Macs
Pro Tools HD 7.3 software not only works with Digidesign-qualified Windows XP- and Mac OS X-based Pro Tools|HD® systems, it also works on qualified Apple Intel-based Macs, enabling you to build a Pro Tools|HD system around the Mac Pro.

Native Support for Mac-formatted HFS+ Disks on Windows XP
With support for Mac-formatted HFS+ disks, you can now exchange sessions and files between Windows and Mac computers right from within Windows XP. Available as an option in the installer menu, this new feature will greatly improve your workflow and efficiency in mixed platform environments.

Avid Mojo and Avid Mojo SDI
Pro Tools HD 7.3 provides support for Avid Mojo® and the new Avid Mojo® SDI, allowing you to bridge your workflow with Avid video workstations to mix audio for video and film. Please note that this Pro Tools release does not provide Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI support with Intel-based Macs; support is planned with a Pro Tools HD software release in 2007. If you wish to work with Avid video on a Mac, you can use a PowerPC-based Mac with Pro Tools HD 7.3 software.

New Hardware Support Features
• Supports qualified Intel-based Macs* along with qualified PowerPC-based Macs and Windows XP systems
• Supports Avid Mojo®* and Avid Mojo® SDI*
• Support for recording/playback sessions from Mac-formatted HFS+ disks on Windows XP

* This release of Pro Tools HD 7.3 software does not support Avid Mojo or Avid Mojo SDI with Intel-based Macs. Support is planned in 2007. If you wish to work with Avid video on a Mac, you can use a PowerPC-based Mac with Pro Tools HD 7.3 software.
*

[statikcat]

Sounds like it should be paid to me. Most companies are charging for UB updates alone but this appears to have a lot more. 200$ is a lot but if you are a functional studio with PT HD I am sure you can handle it..

[chrisp2u]

Agreed. There are a lot of enhancements that clearly make it more than routine free "bug fix" update, and therefore it should be paid.

What do you charge for an hour of your time? Time is money... if you use this for a living and any of the newly added workflow features could save you a few minutes a day, they'll pay for themselves over time anyway.

I'm just hoping they've also improved processing efficiency, especially for us LE users.
---
c

[soundeq]

there's still a BAD bug in 7.2 they NEVER fixed.... at least on HD rigs. It will randomly delete the region you are punching in over, if you are using playlists..

I'm staying in 7.1 till I hear this one is gone.... anyime an app MOVES or DELETES audio when its not suposed to, its UNUSABLE in my opinion.

[mtstudi@pacbell]

Did not they just have a 7.2 update? Why not just skip the last 7.2 upgrade and call this one 7.2? I was here a couple of months ago and someone was defending the last upgrade with similar points.

[zboy2854]

This is an update with a whole new set of features, not just some cs update or fix. The Windows--HFS+ built in compatibility alone is worth the price of admission for me!

Plus, it's not as if other software companies don't charge for version upgrades as well. You won't see Apple giving Logic 7 to Logic 6 users for free, or Steiny giving Cubase 4 to Cubase 3 users for free...

[XSergeantD]

I had mentioned a $20 rebate on bugs we discover on another post. Maybe you can add that into your formal letter.

For some reason we've all become skeptical about newer versions of software and no longer wish to finish a companies beta testing. So many people post that they're waiting to hear about what bugs pop up that I'm surprised we actually hear about the bugs. I guess there always will be the early adopters. I'm an early adopter, but not on something I'm use to make money in time intensive situations

and thanks for copying everything from the digi page. If you could just add the link it'd take up much less space on the thread. thannx

[edyer]

I love software companies.

They sell you something that has problems. A defective product if you will, then they sell you the fix. It's kind of like GM or Ford saying yes the gas tank in the new wanker 1000 explodes when you go over a speed bump at 26 mph but we will fix it if you buy next years model. (exept the software won't burn you alive)

DP 4 had a problem where the program crashed when closing and opening files. Sometimes causing you to lose work. Their solution? Buy the upgrade that last version is now abandonware. It's annoying but that's the game, add a few new widgets to the broken code and sell the fix as an upgrade.

[drew]

A lot of what's new in LE 7.3 was already in HD 7.2 so this cycle is a bit odd in that regard.

[studio freak]

Please dont take this the wrong way,

but if i had payed a fortune for a HD system and then discovered bugs in the aplication.... i´d probably shoot someone !!!

If they want to charge that kind of money there´s no way you can tolerate anykind of imperfections...

[DaveC]

Glad that I'm still on 6.4
Rock-solid!

[Ann Knee Mal]

Not sure if you are all seeing the pattern here but Digi is releaseing two updates a year. The releases are well thought out with plenty of features as well as fixes. At any rate there is only so much that can go into each release not because they are trying to yank every last red cent from their users but because there is only so much time. Just plan for it and be happy that there is a company out there who really is listening to and trying to satisfy its user base.

[Sergievsky]

If only they added pdc...

[theblotted]

still no ADC for LE

[statikcat]

Originally Posted by studio freak

Please dont take this the wrong way,

but if i had payed a fortune for a HD system and then discovered bugs in the aplication.... i´d probably shoot someone !!!

If they want to charge that kind of money there´s no way you can tolerate anykind of imperfections...

All software has bugs and I doubt any company (especially a DAW making) has ever claimed to have no bugs. If you don't want bugs don't use software, especially recording software at all. It is no secret..

[zboy2854]

Originally Posted by statikcat

All software has bugs and I doubt any company (especially a DAW making) has ever claimed to have no bugs. If you don't want bugs don't use software, especially recording software at all. It is no secret..

Well said. BTW statikcat, you need to add a signature line that says something like "When I say who's the master, you say Sho 'nuff", or maybe "Leroy! Playtime's over, boy..."

[ProPower]

Where as many of the new features look great I am sad to see that there is no mention of improved MIDI editing. For example, many have commented on how painful it is to shift window views, (2 mouse clicks at least-no keyboard shortcuts) to go from editing notes to editing velocity (or any other midi parameter. There have been several lengthy DUC threads on MIDI editing improvements desired.

I am anxiously waiting to see if there are real enhancements in this depatment (that escaped the published "new features list") once people get 7.3 up and running.

-Lee

[quincyg]

bug fixes should be free and fast, period.

upgrades could be a seperate paid option. legally it should be digidesigns responsibility to fix bugs for free.

i would love to see some of these software companies get hit with class action suits in order to hold them accountable for the advertised functionality of software that the are selling.

you are supposed to get what you paid for, right?

[edyer]

Originally Posted by quincyg

bug fixes should be free and fast, period.

upgrades could be a seperate paid option. legally it should be digidesigns responsibility to fix bugs for free.

i would love to see some of these software companies get hit with class action suits in order to hold them accountable for the advertised functionality of software that the are selling.

you are supposed to get what you paid for, right?

That was kind of the point of my sarcastic thread. They add a new function though and call it an upgrade. Sort of like if GM or Ford said that the new Wanker 1000 has an ashtray and a trunk added but we also fixed the exploding gas tank. Software writers make mistakes and can't see every possible combination of plugins etc that may come along. And you should pay for upgrades to the software. Otherwise it would be much more expensive if you payed once and got "free" upgrades. But Most people would probaably agree that if it's just a matter of it's broke then they should fix it for free. That is what has always amazed me about software.

[World Of Wiz]

Originally Posted by DaveC

Glad that I'm still on 6.4
Rock-solid!

I'm still on 5.1.

[zboy2854]

Originally Posted by ProPower

Where as many of the new features look great I am sad to see that there is no mention of improved MIDI editing. For example, many have commented on how painful it is to shift window views, (2 mouse clicks at least-no keyboard shortcuts) to go from editing notes to editing velocity (or any other midi parameter. There have been several lengthy DUC threads on MIDI editing improvements desired.

I am anxiously waiting to see if there are real enhancements in this depatment (that escaped the published "new features list") once people get 7.3 up and running.

-Lee

I think you need to reread the 7.3 feature set, as well as the Pro Tools manual. With 7.3, you can create and save screensets, which would allow you to change the views as you see fit, including with MIDI.

Even pre-7.3, it's simple to switch the editing view on a MIDI track, just use the keyboard shortcut Control-Command-Right Arrow (or CTRL-Start-Right Arrow on PC) to switch to different parameters, or with the Left Arrow to go back the other way. With a MIDI track, to go from Notes view to Velocity view takes one key command to get there.

[zboy2854]

Originally Posted by quincyg

bug fixes should be free and fast, period.

upgrades could be a seperate paid option. legally it should be digidesigns responsibility to fix bugs for free.

i would love to see some of these software companies get hit with class action suits in order to hold them accountable for the advertised functionality of software that the are selling.

you are supposed to get what you paid for, right?

Digi does have free bug fixes, they're called cs updates. So they already do what you're claiming it's their responsibility to do.

7.3 is not being billed as a bug-fixing update, it's a whole new version with a whole new set of features. They could just as well have called it 8.0, and everyone would say OK. But because it's just 0.1 higher in the naming system from the previous version people are assuming it's a bug fix version or a lesser upgrade. In fact, nowhere in the 7.3 information did I see anything mentioning "bug fixes".

[rectifier]

Strange they didn't wait for Namm, they must have something big(ger) lined up

[uncle duncan]

Originally Posted by Ann Knee Mal

..... be happy that there is a company out there who really is listening to and trying to satisfy its user base.

If they're listening, why is there no ADC in PT LE?
Why does digitranslator cost $500?
Why can't PT use hardware from other vendors?
I think digidesign is listening to it's shareholders more than it's users.

[statikcat]

Originally Posted by uncle duncan

If they're listening, why is there no ADC in PT LE?

Pretty sure last time I checked LE means LIGHT edition.

Originally Posted by uncle duncan

Why does digitranslator cost $500?

You got me there

Originally Posted by uncle duncan

Why can't PT use hardware from other vendors?

You can through lightpipe