Sick of Pro Tools LE limitations! HD is rediculou$.. What should I change to???

[SUGARCULT666]

No ADC/track limits/hardware limits etc it's bullsh*t!... I don't have 10g for HD so which program is the easiest change over for a pro tools user??? I'm thinking maybe cubase but I've heard it's nothing like pro tools in how to use it... Any suggestions? The easier the change over the better... Reaper???

[digibird]

Originally Posted by SUGARCULT666

I'm sick of PTLE limitations (No ADC/track limits/hardware limits), I don't have 10g for HD so which program is the easiest change over for a pro tools user??? I'm thinking maybe cubase but I've heard it's nothing like pro tools in how to use it... Any suggestions? The easier the change over the better...

You're headed in the right direction. I bailed on PTLE for Cubase SX years ago and am so happy I did. You will have no trouble learning Cubase - I find it very intuitive. You should read the manual to get all that you can out of the software, but I'd bet you wouldn't need it to arm a track and record.

I've used Cubase with E-MU 1212M, 0404 & 1820M, RME 9632 & 9654, RME Fireface 400 & 800. All set-ups were rock solid, no issues. No proprietary crap here, Cubase plays well with others. You will love it. Make the move.

If you need a hardware recommendation, I would say any RME is solid, and I could really go for the LYNX Aurora, though I have not yet used it. The E-MU software mixer absolutely frustrated the hell out of me (and RME's TotalMix does not), so I wouldn't recommend the E-MU, though the converters are great in the 1820m.

Say goodbye to the Evil Empire. (No, not Waves, Digidesign) But, while you're at it, bag Waves, too, and go with UAD-1 cards with your Cubase set-up. It's a beautiful combo. Have fun.

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by SUGARCULT666

No ADC/track limits/hardware limits etc it's bullsh*t!... I don't have 10g for HD so which program is the easiest change over for a pro tools user??? I'm thinking maybe cubase but I've heard it's nothing like pro tools in how to use it... Any suggestions? The easier the change over the better... Reaper???

You can get a used PT HD2 system with an interface for half that.

Look around the deals are out there.

[SUGARCULT666]

Originally Posted by digibird

If you need a hardware recommendation, I would say any RME is solid, and I could really go for the LYNX Aurora, though I have not yet used it. The E-MU software mixer absolutely frustrated the hell out of me (and RME's TotalMix does not), so I wouldn't recommend the E-MU, though the converters are great in the 1820m.

Say goodbye to the Evil Empire. (No, not Waves, Digidesign) But, while you're at it, bag Waves, too, and go with UAD-1 cards with your Cubase set-up. It's a beautiful combo. Have fun.

This is exactly why I want out, I want to be free to use UAD or Powercore or Duande without friggin latency issues when tracking... I'm hoping to keep using my 002 with whatever I choose to get as I'm only using the ADAT and spdif inputs with my Mytek 8x96 and A2D

[SUGARCULT666]

Originally Posted by thethrillfactor

You can get a used PT HD2 system with an interface for half that.

Look around the deals are out there.

I'm in Australia and I'd prefer to have support when spending that much... I'm talking Aussie dollars, stuff is expensive here.

[Resonant Alien]

Digital Performer + RME Fireface 800 is working solid for me thumbsup

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by SUGARCULT666

I'm in Australia and I'd prefer to have support, I'm talking Aussie dollars, stuff is expensive here.

Support for what?

Its digidesign right?.

If a card breaks down(which they rarely do) you still have to pay to send it and get it fixed.

And you said you didn't want to spend $10K didn't you?

Or is that $10K australian which translates to $8321 american dollars?

(Still for $5K American it still a really good deal don't you think so?)

[SUGARCULT666]

I would rather spend that money on hardware and a couple of UAD cards.

[manning1]

sugar.....
i would try the demo of reaper and see how far it meets your needs.
frankly for me....i dont need add on dsp cards to do a song bcos reaper has so many great plug ins that come with the program.
around 100 last count. therefore i would suggest you see how far reapers own plug ins take you. i mean theres everything installed.
but be prepared to spend the time evaluating cos its very deep.
but some reaper users also have uad cards working with reaper.
check on the cockos forum. (cockos.com)

[Robert Sands]

DP = Done!

Oh and add about 3 Uad cards to the equation.
Don't forget all the UA plugs, too. Don't worry, you'll still be WAY cheaper than PT.

Very powerful system.

[Emi]

Nuendo/Motu/UAD/Powercore user here and very happy. the system is rock solid and it sounds good. I work with PT HD too but ..man...I´m sorry but I´ll stick with my system..it´s way too rock solid and the results are way better then a PT system...sorry to say that but I never liked PT though I have it for compatibility only.

[Pasta4lnch]

Originally Posted by Robert Sands

DP = Done!
.

I've been using DP for over a decade. if you finess it a bit, the limits are hard to get to.

I've noticed some drawbacks lately as my sessions are getting bigger but I simply cant afford PT. and for what it's worth I used PT for a few years at a studio I worked at back in 2000 and as far as the actual software was concerned DP runs circles around PT!!! I'm sure DIGI has made advancements but so has MOTU.

their support is ok, could be better, easier. overall a good alternative

[deft_bonz]

Nothing is like PT in use (I don't say that it is the best). I worked with PT, Cubase & Logic. Now I'm using Logic, but that's not because it is the best. It is because my studio partner didn't want to change from Apple to PC Even if you go for DP or something else, you can do as good music as with all other software. Software won't fix musicians and engineering skills

Plus, I'd say that you'll have anyway a steap learning curve. Have fun, it's always nice to learn something new. You'll always find something that's much better or easier to do than with PT or any other software. Each has his pros and contras.

[HEADROOM]

Logic......fireface 800...


nickoosterhuis.com

[dtucker]

Originally Posted by SUGARCULT666

I would rather spend that money on hardware and a couple of UAD cards.

Dude. I can't help but get the feeling that you've already written Digidesign out of your plans. That's fine and it is certainly your choice to make.

But Thrill makes an excellent point: you can find used setups at fair prices. And I'd like to add another. You mention that you have Mytek and API equipment. That's expensive, "high-end" stuff. So, why are you so reluctant to spend $$ on an HD setup?

Before you hastily jump ship to another platform you should also consider your clients (and potential clients). ProTools is pretty much the standard...will you be rocking the boat to your detriment?

Look into pre-owned stuff like Thrill suggested and also think about how a platform change might affect the way you work.

Best of luck with whatever you choose!!

[Daedalus77]

Similar dilemma here. Would [I]really[I] like to go HD but would like to find parts of the total package "pre-owned"—as in possibly getting the Core or Accel cards new but finding a used 192 somewhere, as one example.

Other than the terrors of Ebay, any suggestions on where—what dealers, what outlets, what on-line sources—to look for used HD stuff?

I'm looking at HD Accel 2, to start, at least.

Many thanks.

[knightsy]

What do you want to do with this potential new rig mate? There's too many studios in Perth as it is, everybody seems hung up on having their own studio. Which is why I'm going freelance now, I can do without the hassle of my own shop!

I heard of one guy who spent 40 grand on the latest HD rig and was charging $15/hr for his own time! I should just rent his rig (or I would do if I'd gotten his number).

[barryjohns]

Dutchmusick on eBay is a great dealer and often has used HD2's for sale at great prices.

[taturana]

first i think you´re on the right track.. PT Le is much tooo limited...

that said... sonar or cubase would be my choices for overall best... i myself use sonar 6.2 and really like it.. very powerful choice...

[AlexLakis]

LOL! You guys are too funny!

"I can't stand being on a system that limits me to 48 tracks! But I can't wait to buy a bunch of proprietary, outdated PCI cards that limit me to two instances of EQ a piece and cause IRQ conflicts! Sign me up!"

Ironic, don't you think?

[octatonic]

I'm running a HD3 system- but if I was buying now I would buy:

Logic Pro $1000
RME Madi card $1300
SSL XLogic Alpha Link Madi converter. $3500

This would give you 24 analog IO, 24 digital IO.

Otherwise I'd look at the Aurora 8 or 16 converters.
You could either use a Lynx audio card or their firewire card.

Or an SSL Mixpander

Or an RME Fireface

Or an M-audio Lighbridge (which would allow you to switch between PT M-powered and Logic).

There are loads of options that would work for you.

[Daedalus77]

I hear what you guys are saying about the perils of investing in an HD system. And it all makes sense. We're a Logic Pro / PT LE shop at present, and for much of what we do, the Logic set-up is fully adequate.

But what puts us on the road to an HD system—or perhaps a Nuendo system—is the following...which PT HD seems to do better than the rest...

• Capacity to track a full band, with some effects (plug-ins) live on input—without track misalignment or prohibitive latency.

• Capacity for software (rather than DSP) monitoring when tracking live.

• Full ADC for plug-ins and hardware inserts when mixing.

• Ease of editing and overall workflow.

• Compatibility with the large majority of facilities in the area and elsewhere on the planet.

We'd also retain our Logic capacity, of course.

Any other thoughts—preferrably in the U.S.—for getting used HD rig components?

[taturana]

well ... capacity to track a full band... with nowadays dual core computers is something about any daw can do today.

compatibility, is a separate question... it´s compatible with other PT systems... and that´s all. i work with plenty of studios who use other daws and it´s not a problem to me.

i regularly import files from other daws into my sonar setup and don´t have a problem with it... i also have a PT m-powered for opening files

the only thing remaining being the ADC (for outboard, since sonar has it for plugins) and software monitoring...

not enough to make me want to spend the dough.. i´ll take the difference in new pre´s....


now let´s talk about the stuff PT does not have.

1- decent MIDI implementation... simply not enough for what i do.
2- freeze
3 - score view with tab(yes i know they bought sibellius)
4 - track folders
5 - 64 bit mixing
6 - non realtime bounces
7 - native vst support
8 - freedom to choose interfaces
and many more....

PT le is sub par... could not use that professionally. and yes, even 48 trks is too little for me ( i regularly track drums and percussion on my recordings and that´s normally around 25-30 channels by itself, and i like to keep all tracks separate for processing, so no bounces). PT hd is too expensive and for the price i can get a lot better performance with other setups (like for example cubase/sonar on a dual core2 a mixing controller and lots of pre´s)

and though i´ve heard excelent stuff about the UAD i would only buy one if they came up with an updated card...

[Gear Tramp]

Originally Posted by AlexLakis

LOL! You guys are too funny!

"I can't stand being on a system that limits me to 48 tracks! But I can't wait to buy a bunch of proprietary, outdated PCI cards that limit me to two instances of EQ a piece and cause IRQ conflicts! Sign me up!"

Ironic, don't you think?

Very!

[Slaytex]

1.) If you want compatibility with PT get an mbox.
2.) Don't throw too much of your hard earned money on digital shit as it losses it's value quickly. Only get what you need.
3.) Get Cubase SX/Nuendo if you need video and an RME interface and LYNX/SSL converters and call it a day.
4.) For compatibility I always bouce all my tracks to one continuous file after I'm done with the project so I can throw them on a DVD to backup. 10 years down the road I can always pop in the DVD and allign all tracks to ZERO and remix if I want. This is the ultimate compatibility.

With computers being so powerful (and cheap) today native systems rock!

[True North]

Originally Posted by manning1

sugar.....
i would try the demo of reaper and see how far it meets your needs.
frankly for me....i dont need add on dsp cards to do a song bcos reaper has so many great plug ins that come with the program.
around 100 last count. therefore i would suggest you see how far reapers own plug ins take you. i mean theres everything installed.
but be prepared to spend the time evaluating cos its very deep.
but some reaper users also have uad cards working with reaper.
check on the cockos forum. (cockos.com)

I'll go with Manning on this one. I am an Audio guy so I cannot speak from the experience of Reaper's MIDI based functioning. For Audio, there is really no better value on the planet than Reaper. It is extremely efficient

The downsides are that it's not stable with some Wave plugs and the 'workaround' for UAD cards is not really workable for anyone with a Mulitcore computer. For those two reasons, Reaper is not my primary DAW, but for someone who has not become reliant on UAD and Waves plugs I would not hesistate at all to reccommend it. I know of some users who have stopped using their UAD's in favour of Reapers functionality and efficiency.

[BradD]

I'm wondering where Thrill is seeing these HD2 setups with interfaces for 5K. Sign me up if you see that deal.

I'm in a similar position as Sugar, and I think I'll be headed to Samplitude later this year.

[n8tron]

i have an 002 as well and us DP with it as well as pro tools.

Even though I use pro tools most of the time I like dp a lot. It does everything and does it well. The only issue I've had is that if I go from pro tools and immediatly open dp sometimes it doesn't catch the digi core audio manager right and will have an issue. But if I've been using dp and i open it up a second time its super stable.

[andsonic]

I would second the posts about rigs with Lynx or RME. I wouls just like to speak up for Samplitude/Sequoia. Sounds great. Plays nice with others (Our studio includes Logic & DP, I'm checking out Reaper). Full ADC including hardware loops. Best workflow on the planet and mastering features. Did I mention that it sounds great to? In our room with the same interface and same audio files it is clearly (flame suit on) a better sounding product then logic or dp (thru the same convertors).

But yeah, make the jump. I know you'll be happy wether you hit Cubendo, Sonar or Sampliquioa.

[Slim Cutty]

REAPER!!!!