The Pro Tools 10 Upgrade Thread for existing HD/TDM users .

[zak7]

Hey Guys,

Disclaimer:
If you are happy with the Avid upgrade prices and anything Pro Tools is doing with their existing customers, great! Good for you!

You do not have to post here and convince us that they are cool!

Like many of you I am very surprised with the way Avid is handling the release of the new PT 10 and the Software upgrade prices towards PT10 systems.

I think we can really do something, and waiting is the best thing to do for now and not to jump and buy it right away.

It is sure that we all want the new thing, but at what cost?

We really do not need a new system at such expensive price, our PT HD systems do the job right already.
Look at Tom Lord Alge , he uses Pro tools 5.1 !!!!!

Yes I would happily pay a fair upgrade price but those prices are rude and way too high.

PT HD 7 to PTHD 10 $2499
PT HD 8 to PTHD 10 $1499
PT HD 9 to PTHD 10 $999

Yes that kind of make us believe that to but the whole PTHDX system makes for sense, but not everybody can put $9999 or trade your system for $6999?

Why they can not just give us fair prices for the software upgrades?

Also, you can not just buy the HDX cards if you are not already a registered PT HDX user.


I think to stop the upgrades for RTAS and the Accell cards in PT 11 is very pushy and not sensitive to their customers, is not so easy with this economy to just to spend thousands of dollars in such small period of time.

I just hope that the Program exchange will be decent and not very pricey as I heard it will be.

We do not need that old fashion Digidesign arrogance and marketing manipulation.

We Avid customers use PT because we like the stability and the workflow, many of us know that feature wise PT is not the cutting edge, the hardcore/snob PT users always deny that, but then comes a new feature that is in Nuendo or Logic for 5 years and then they say OMG this is really amazing!

Yes we can see that are great new features in PT 10, but do we really from one day to another have an obsolete system?? NO!

I just think to express clearly our feelings is the best way to change something.

Hold on, express yourself and wait….
Yes, PT sales will go up in the next 2 months, they will laugh at the ones that complain about these prices, they will be blind with the high sales, but a few months later when the Big Guys and Post Production Companies already bought their systems, then they will need us to put money on their table.

[dabigfrog]

I hope the price of used PCIe accell cards drops significantly ... i would love to stay in PT HD8 and go from HD2 to HD3 or HD5 with a magma chassis scooping up cheap cards. I don't mind being a dinosaur, like you said CLA still uses pro tools 5. if it works don't fix it.

we don't do film or post, we do live tracking and lots of mixing and have yet to run out of processing power on our current system, and to upgrade with extra PCIe cards on the cheap I think we will be fine for a while.

we never jumped for PT9 or the native stuff, we can wait a good long while to do the 10X thing.

I bet people will be GIVING away their old TDM plugs....I'll take 'em for a while!

maybe someday i will see a reason to upgrade the whole set up...but not for now...too many great outboard gears i gots my sites on.

[fifthflaw]

Yep $999 dollar upgrade is an insult. New features are cool but when you can't access half of them on an hd rig its a liberty. No way will i give them a penny at the moment.

The forced omni issue disgusts me. Disgraceful behaviour and I'm fairly sure they've misjudged this one

[Paulthe3rd]

Speaking of occupy wall street ......Occupy AVID! What blatant contempt for non big money users. Even the amnesty deal (20 days) screams of contempt. As a long time user, I can no longer argue intelligently with all the Avid-digi haters I come across. UNCLE!.....

[zak7]

Originally Posted by dabigfrog

I hope the price of used PCIe accell cards drops significantly ... .

Well, for sure the prices will drop, but how much??
Is very hard to say, a PT HD 3 Accell still a very powerfull rig, I gues this time Avid will not see after few months that lots of people will buy their new PT HDX.

I just imagine with a PT HD5 for cheap will be more that enough to make amazing mixes, and I rather put my money in hardware.

I am sure a PTHD with a nice stereo EQ in the 2 bus will sound better than just the PTHDX alone.

So Avid, make a nice crossgrade for existing PTHD users!


The think is that the pricing for new PTHDX system is not so bad...seems reasonable , but is terrible for existing users, they give us a nice finger!

[IM WHO YOU THINK]

I have a HD3 accel system. I run pro tools 9. I don't think Digi owes any thing to existing customers. It's kinda a silly price schedule, but I don't think it makes Digi/Avid bad. They made a product that worked and continues to work. I've learned you can't buy these things for what you expect them to become, you have to buy them for what they do today. I'm considering adding a pro control and maybe a few accel cards. I think it would be better for me at this point than shelling out another few G's to Avid.


My system records/mixes. I'll continue to record and mix with it. Let the early adopters buy new systems. I bought what was reliable for many years with the biggest return on my investment, a HD system. Eventually technology had to surpass what I purchased, but my system still works as intended. In this economy, I can't foresee an upgrade in my near future. No harm, no foul. My cards dont fit with Avid's future, but they work in mine.

7G's in hardware would do more for my sound than 7Gs in Avid's pockets.

[James Lugo]

There hasn't been an upgrade since 6 that interests me. Just make music.

[ryst]

In a free market you have choices. So just choose to do business with a different company. Avid can charge whatever they want. And you can simply choose not to do business with them anymore. It's really that simple.

[Big Ale]

Still on 7.4 HD Acell 3 works great only use it for tracking I'm more than likely going to keep it there for many more moons.

[neon]

well, I really think all is pretty relative here.
the prices are not bad for new users, but very insane to HD users!

I think the cross-grades are ridiculous .
Why an AVID HD user can not buy just the cards???
Is not that with the new Systems you can use any cards??? so prove me that also in any level!!!!

So why they ask you or "force you" to do a cross-grade with your HD system plus an AVID or DIGI inteface to get the HDX card plus a new Avid Interface?

We should be able to just trade our HD cards for the HDX card!
Many do not use or want to use an AVID or DIGI Interface!

Also the prices for the PT to software to HD users is abusive and even more ridiculous when many features are not gonna work because of the 'Cards Limitations"
So to ask $2499, $1499 and $999 for a handicapped version of PTHD10 is pretty indecent and unkind .

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by James 'LA' Lugo

There hasn't been an upgrade since 6 that interests me. Just make music.

I think you'll like the handles and clip gain though.....

[neon]

Originally Posted by narcoman

I think you'll like the handles and clip gain though.....

handles??? what is that?? their evil horns??

[Zep Dude]

Avid has thrown audio users under the bus. Look at all the attention they paid to Post people in their presentation. That's what they know, it's their world and their turning Pro Tools into a post oriented DAW -and pricing things accordingly.

When did Digidesign EVER charge $1000 - $2400 just for the software upgrade??

Furthermore, although they added a great deal of things for post people (if I ever have a song with 500 tracks I'll kill myself rather than mix it), they didn't fix the basic problems that plague MIDI, VI's and the like. There are many threads about the irregularity of Midi timing and VI timing that was not addressed in their $1000+ upgrade.

With this upgrade they demonstrated that they are intelligent software designers, that they listen to people's needs (video people) and have no understanding or care of the audio world.

Let them cultivate the post world and sell a few thousand systems to them for elevated prices. The rest of the DAW world is already chomping at their feet and within a year or two will be ready to take their place as the the new audio standard. Remember NS10's, remember SSL's?, remember Genelec's? Remember Studers?....Remember Pro Tools?

[elarreal]

Will you be buying the upgrade to Pro Tools 10 HD or HD Native?

[boomboy]

The update to 9 offered me no great advantage and, at the price asked for the HD8 to HD10 I'll be declining this one also. Unlike 9, the current upgrade is appealing, just not at that crazy price. Maybe Digidesign should realise that many of us don't run gigantic post studios (with accompanying budgets) and go figure why many of the non-post people will be sticking with earlier versions of PT. Especially true in this current economic climate.

I have what I consider to be a storming HD Accel rig and, especially after the MIDI advancements offered by PT8, can easily answer the question "Will the current upgrade earn me more money/bring me more clients?" with a clear "no!".

[The MPCist]

$999 to update to PTHD10? Hmm.. let me think about it. PASS.

[Mr. Light]

I'm throwing in my $.02 in hopes that the folks at avid read this:

I'll not be making this upgrade. As an HD4 user that usually goes every other upgrade (currently at 8) I draw the line here. I sincerely hope their business tanks for completely disregarding the "semi-pro" crowd. Seems like a step backward to me but what do I know about marketing.

I'll go on record by saying I've always been a believer and have supported my favorite DAW but that ends here. This is quite honestly the first time I've ever considered a different DAW.

[DaveE]

I love the Pro Tools GUI and I'd love to uprade to HD10 but in this economy it wouldn't make much business sense. Had they stuck to the original update pricing I would have already bought it, no doubt.

Even if they were to lower the price now, they'd just piss of the early adopters. This company really has a knack for pissing people off.

[jonathan jetter]

i'm on 7.4 HD now. i can't think of any way that i feel limited in my work.

i will be updating to 9 soon, because i want to use some of the new Waves plugs and want to upgrade Komplete, and i want a better/faster computer.

10 looks great but man...that's a lot of $$$.

and not being able to use 3rd-party converters in HD-world is sort of a dealbreaker over here.

[Mr XY]

$1k for a software update is a joke - I would love to run the current version but I won't get sucked into paying that amount - just the principle of the thing - it's too much.

I guess it's some sort of ploy to make upgrading hardware seem like the better option, but that won't be happening anytime soon for me.

Please vote here

[Clueless]

I bought a PT HD Native card in mid-Sept. I'd love to trade that in for an HDX core system, but it appears that AVID don't offer any Native trade-ins that don't also require the trade-in of an obsolete I/O unit, which I don't have. I'm not complaining about the price, but what's up with the straight-jacket approach to "you must upgrade from arbitrary configuration X to arbitrary configuration Y"? I just want to switch my processing platform from Native to HDX.

[neon]

I am copyng this here , so then you can realize how MEAN, Dishonest and unsensitive AVID is towards their existing HD users!

They basically told us, we only care about the rich (post guys to a (95%), hard working music studios, Producers, engineers, we do not have ANY feeling about you, we do not care!
Now we know Pro Tools is a DAW with the POST guys in mind, not both, not Music guys.

Just check in detail the prices, the upgrades the trading hw prices, lots of no sense and plain rude deals....even make me feel they are laughing at us !


All the new features are cool, OK!! but the Bitchin is because the unfair exchange system from Avid to the HD/TDM user.

an HDX card is $6999

Trade In HW from HD3 to HDX PCIe Card + PT10 $6363

That means that the kind fair discount is :$636 from asystem that few days ago was 12,000 !

OK, WE DO NOT EXPECT TO GET 8K BACK...OR 6K...BUT $636 ??

THAT IS JUST PLAIN RUDE AND CRAZY!


From the DUC:
Avid Audio Forums - View Single Post - HDX upgrade prices


From Bitterwater.com:

Avid Pro Tools|HDX System (HDX w/HD OMNI} $9999
Avid Pro Tools Omni Interface: $2995
Avid Pro Tools HDX card is $6999

Funny the "Package" HDX w/HD OMNI is $9999
If you could buy independently is $9994 !! Cheaper hahahaa! do not make sense!!!!


and now, if you can not trade your hardware to HDX ...do not worry we have very affordable upgrades to have your TDM system with PT 10

PT HD 7 to PT HD 10 $2499
PT HD 8 to PT HD 10 $1499
PT HD 9 to PT HD 10 $999

...but remember not all the features works in TDM Systems!
Pay a lot and get a great deal!! a limited version of PT 10!!!!

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by Zep Dude

Avid has thrown audio users under the bus. Look at all the attention they paid to Post people in their presentation. That's what they know, it's their world and their turning Pro Tools into a post oriented DAW -and pricing things accordingly.

When did Digidesign EVER charge $1000 - $2400 just for the software upgrade??

Furthermore, although they added a great deal of things for post people (if I ever have a song with 500 tracks I'll kill myself rather than mix it), they didn't fix the basic problems that plague MIDI, VI's and the like. There are many threads about the irregularity of Midi timing and VI timing that was not addressed in their $1000+ upgrade.

With this upgrade they demonstrated that they are intelligent software designers, that they listen to people's needs (video people) and have no understanding or care of the audio world.

Let them cultivate the post world and sell a few thousand systems to them for elevated prices. The rest of the DAW world is already chomping at their feet and within a year or two will be ready to take their place as the the new audio standard. Remember NS10's, remember SSL's?, remember Genelec's? Remember Studers?....Remember Pro Tools?

good points!!

[PMoshay]

Let me just simplify what seems to be the main issue.

1. HDX Cards & Path to 64bit looks very good, the actual price for a HD user to HDX is a very good path and at a reasonable price when you really look at it. Good plan moving towards 64bit PT too, but it was not thought thru from a current HD owners buying full perspective.

2. THE BIG MISTAKE: Charging current HD users $999 for an upgrade that you expect them to pay for twice (when they do the HDX upgrade)..... and no plan in place for the current HD owner to satisfy this question.

Dilema for us all (which angers people)...... i want PT10HD now and i know i will eventually upgrade to a HDX system....... but if i pay $999 now, then i am wasting money because i will get the PT10HD upgrade when i exchange my hardware........

I don't think that Avid thought thru the buyers perspective on this........ but this can be fixed if they act fast to stop the anger. I do see lots of people looking for a way out of Protools now, and thats a sad thing for all the people that work so hard at Avid to make Protools so great.

Avid : Please respond to you loyal HD users before you could loose your margin that will keep you on top.......
Things move quick these days, and you could loose much you have worked so hard to get

I remember Nokia & RIM (Blackberry) laughing at Apple a few years ago when the iPhone came out saying that Apple had little chance of getting in the cell phone business, nevermind the business/corporate end of the cell phone business....... look how fast that sweep went.

[Mike O]

Originally Posted by Clueless

I bought a PT HD Native card in mid-Sept. I'd love to trade that in for an HDX core system, but it appears that AVID don't offer any Native trade-ins that don't also require the trade-in of an obsolete I/O unit, which I don't have. I'm not complaining about the price, but what's up with the straight-jacket approach to "you must upgrade from arbitrary configuration X to arbitrary configuration Y"? I just want to switch my processing platform from Native to HDX.

There must be more of us...

[neon]

and shame on the Big Mixers and Music Engineers that we respect so much.

They do not need a PT rig for free, they make already tons of money.

Don't you think if you were in our foot you will be pissed also?

Is not better to keep the integrity than to get some Avid benefits and be on a video or any sort of advertising supporting Avid?

Yeah sure, you may say, he is just talking about how good is the new software and system, well we know that too!


But you are helping the Hype that makes Avid be so mean every now and then!

[UnDeFiNeD]

Anyone know if a PT9HD to PT10 cross grade is available?

Sorry, but I mix for a living, and HDX' feature set looks cool and all, but isn't nearly worth the investment for me.
I'd like to go PT10 from now on. Anyone know if that's a viable option?

Cheers
Alex

[recordinghopkins]

The only reason I went to 9 is because I'm not on an HD system and I went from 18 i/o to up to 32. I was recording in venues with 24 tracks to cubase, then importing into PTMP8 and sending 18 stems to the console for OTB post mix. Now I can track in PT9 and send every channel to it's own fader.
PT10, HD or otherwise, offers no such value to me in it's features. The only real advantage I see the HD route affording my work flow is low latency for punches, but for now I'm quite happy to save the cost of an HD system by automating mutes at my punch points and continuing to monitor at zero latency off the console.
Like others have mentioned already, my money is better spent on outboard gear that will have a much larger impact on my sounds than the money pit of yearly software upgrades.

[T_R_S]

I already got it. Sorry to be the lone wolf but the RAM Caching thing is amazing
Sessions run like a hot knife through butter drive issues are gone!
- you can't call it slow tools anymore!

[recordinghopkins]

Originally Posted by T_R_S

I already got it.

This, from the user that keeps the PT logo as an avatar