Should I Buy an HD Rig now?

[barryjohns]

Originally Posted by Steamy Williams

Do you happen to know any more about the configuration of the system that guy was running (i.e. which Magma chassis, and does he use a Mac or PC)?

I recently bought a used HD Core PCI card, which I'm using with my Lynx Aurora 16 and an LT-HD card. The PCI card is currently running in an old G5, but I intend to order a Magma 2 slot chassis with an ExpressCard/32 host card for my MacBook Pro (15" from early 2008). Tech support at Magma told me they have about 150 customers running this configuration successfully. Fortunately they also have 30 day money back guarantee, so I'll be covered if it doesn't work.

I'm not so sure I'd keep investing in a PCI system as they are loosing value at a much higher rate than PCIe based system, especially considering the prices Digi is giving now. It's writing on the wall, I believe. I know people have been saying that for years, but my gut tells me this time its for real.

I own an HD2, FWIW.

[barryjohns]

Reading the link below, I have no idea how Advid/Digidesign is going to survive. They are going down and quick. Honestly, it may be too late to save the company.

Avid Announces Third Quarter 2009 Results

[hipass]

Originally Posted by barryjohns

I'm not so sure I'd keep investing in a PCI system as they are loosing value at a much higher rate than PCIe based system, especially considering the prices Digi is giving now. It's writing on the wall, I believe. I know people have been saying that for years, but my gut tells me this time its for real.

I own an HD2, FWIW.

Any gear is not an investment if your looking for an investment buy some gold.
I buy gear to increase my revenues by being able to do more work.
If you look at AVID's financial statement the company restructure has cut expenses a lot AVID is loosing money but Digidesign has made a profit for AVID.
There are always good deals to be had PCIe cards have been going for 3-5K (used - new) for months now nothing new.

[barryjohns]

Originally Posted by hipass

Any gear is not an investment if your looking for an investment buy some gold.
I buy gear to increase my revenues by being able to do more work.
If you look at AVID's financial statement the company restructure has cut expenses a lot AVID is loosing money but Digidesign has made a profit for AVID.

True, but all the good Digi guys left, it's Avid's leadership that is running Digi, if it were the other way around, I might think the opposite. I run an 80 mil a year operation, when you see numbers like that go that far south, it's hard to come back, if they had the right leadership, it would have never gotten that bad. Now they are living in reactive mode, and never even made an attempt to be proactive. I don't think the Eleven Rack is going to save the ship, but it is in high demand though.

Don't misunderstand, I am a Protools Fan, big time.

[hipass]

Originally Posted by barryjohns

True, but all the good Digi guys left, it's Avid's leadership that is running Digi.

All the guys I know are still there - plenty on talent left.
And you will agree when you see the next major PT upgrade.

[99ster]

Apologies if this has been discussed extensively on here before - but if Avid is in financial trouble it does make me wonder why Apple hasn't simply stepped in and bought up the Avid/Digidesign? It is surely a perfect acquisition for Apple - to dominate pro video & pro audio software completely...? Apple has enormous cash reserves ($ billions) - so they could easily afford to do it.
I suppose this move could get blocked by anti-monopoly legislation - but nothing was done to block Adobe from taking over Macromedia which led to Adobe's almost total monopoly of the graphics/web/media software market...

[synthoid]

Originally Posted by 99ster

Apologies if this has been discussed extensively on here before - but if Avid is in financial trouble it does make me wonder why Apple hasn't simply stepped in and bought up the Avid/Digidesign? It is surely a perfect acquisition for Apple - to dominate pro video & pro audio software completely...? Apple has enormous cash reserves ($ billions) - so they could easily afford to do it.

That would make sense if Avid/Digi were a strong competitor to Logic. As it is, Logic and other native DAWs are slowly but surely eating PT's lunch.

-synthoid

[DP40oz]

Originally Posted by synthoid

That would make sense if Avid/Digi were a strong competitor to Logic. As it is, Logic and other native DAWs are slowly but surely eating PT's lunch.

-synthoid

Cmon now, are you serious?! Yea logics big with the guitar center crowd. Don't get me wrong it does a fine job, but this is like saying "Samson is eating Neumanns lunch".

[evillain]

The smartest/cheapest option right now for you is to download Reaper and try it for 30 days for free, enough time to see if it will work with your exsisting notebook computer.

So i just downloaded Reaper and I am already very impressed. Just by searching around the buttons and menus I was able to quickly do things without looking at the manual..(which I will read in it's entirety).

This may be exactly what I am looking for......maybe.

Is anyone else using this software? Any pros?

I can not seem to find any updated threads on it...

[hipass]

reaper is a toy

[barryjohns]

Originally Posted by hipass

All the guys I know are still there - plenty on talent left.
And you will agree when you see the next major PT upgrade.

I hope you are right, as I said, I'm a Protools Fan Boy.....

[shanabit]

Originally Posted by hipass

reaper is a toy

Reaper is not a TOY, Protools LE is

[evillain]

Quote:
Originally Posted by hipass
reaper is a toy
Reaper is not a TOY, Protools LE is

We may need to start a new thread for this....

but my first impressions is that this is a very serious software.

[evillain]

and i need to figure out how to properly put "quotes" in my posts..

[deuc647]

Im not a business guy by any means, but if i needed to generate revenue in a hurry, id just have every single software engineer work around the clock and implement ADC and charge for the update. BAM, instant money generator

[te-problematique]

Originally Posted by deuc647

Im not a business guy by any means, but if i needed to generate revenue in a hurry, id just have every single software engineer work around the clock and implement ADC and charge for the update. BAM, instant money generator

Thereby undermining your entire business model. nope, not a business guy

(not that I wouldnt love to see that btw)

[Bassmankr]

Frankly it doesn't matter jack sh*t who is using what software. They are all just tools. Tools need to do a specific job for you. The cost of the tool is the other component, if it is an expensive tool it better pay for itself in a very short time or you are just someone who likes to waste money. All of these non-protools apps can output Wave files, specifically Broadcast Wave files which are just time stamped Wave files. If you need to go to another studio for whatever reason and they run Pro Tools HD, they better well be able to import your Broadcast Wave files and get started with what they are getting paid to do, if not then don't do business with them since it's a basic function to import files which reflects on the studio's competence. There are fanboys and hype with alot of these tools, as the more someone spends for a tool the more they need to rationlize it (basic human nature). Additionally on the net there is covert marketing, the practice of companies spinning public opinion about their products. They will pretend to be end users, chiming in with posts that glorify their products and trash the competition. The best policy in general is just to take all things you read in print with a grain of salt. If you break down any software purchase as a business decision first and do plenty of research and better yet try it first for compatibility and function then you will have done "due diligence" and spent wisely.

[divingduck]

Originally Posted by hipass

Any gear is not an investment if your looking for an investment buy some gold.
I buy gear to increase my revenues by being able to do more work.

My UM900 is up £1200 since I bought it. Beats gold over the period! Of course, don't know what second-hand gold is retailing at...

Originally Posted by hipass

I buy gear to increase my revenues by being able to do more work.

Most importantly.

[divingduck]

Originally Posted by evillain

and i need to figure out how to prop

like this?

erly put "quotes" in my posts..

[greyskull]

id like to know more of your thoughts on this too.
a friend is selling an HD3 rig at a very nice price...

[Sean Sullivan]

I agree that I wouldn't buy a PCI pro tools rig at the moment, it's getting phased out soon and a lot of the new plug-ins can't run on the old cards. Get a PCI-E and a Lynx Aurora or 192, because 96 I/O aren't that great to begin with, and are losing value quick.

I've always used Pro Tools, but at the moment at home I'm learning Cubase 5. I'll probably invest in SSL Pro Convert, since the price dropped to around $300, if I need to move between studios or bring in a session from another studio/DAW.

I'd love to have HD, but at the moment, it's not a good investment for me. But, I talked to someone recently who claims HD tripled his business (he was using Nuendo) so if you already have enough steady business to keep you busy, I'd have to imagine HD would only help you.

[Phaidon]

Originally Posted by barryjohns

Reading the link below, I have no idea how Advid/Digidesign is going to survive. They are going down and quick. Honestly, it may be too late to save the company.

Avid Announces Third Quarter 2009 Results

You couldn't be more wrong in your estimate regarding Digi's finance.

Let's talk around February next year! ;-)

[spicemix]

Originally Posted by Phaidon

You couldn't be more wrong in your estimate regarding Digi's finance.

Let's talk around February next year! ;-)

You have just made it clear that no one should buy an HD rig until February.

Do you think it will actually ship by then? I was hearing NAB (April 10) a while ago.

[oudplayer]

Originally Posted by barryjohns

Reading the link below, I have no idea how Advid/Digidesign is going to survive. They are going down and quick. Honestly, it may be too late to save the company.

Avid Announces Third Quarter 2009 Results

Yea... revenues from sales of products down $170mil (9 month) compared to 2008, and R&D expenses dropped about 20% - doesn't look particularly great. They're gonna need to come up with the "protools killer" real soon...

[gainreduction]

Originally Posted by oudplayer

They're gonna need to come up with the "protools killer" real soon...

While I think many will agree it´s about time, the question is how many of us would actually buy it. There are many satisfied HD users who think they already have a rig that does everything they need and more. On top of that, the global financial crisis and the black hole formerly known as the music industry.

Just thinking out loud here. it´ll be interesting to see for sure.

[zboy2854]

It should also be pointed out that all those folks here wringing their hands over the latest Avid earnings statement should take a look at the earnings statements coming out of most companies during this depression. Most of them tell the same story--demand down huge, cost cutting to the bone (i.e. layoffs), etc.

Let us not pretend this is somehow exclusive to Avid or even to the recording gear sector. The whole economy has been circling the drain. Why in the world would anyone view Avid's earnings without taking that into consideration as well?

And if Apple's earnings statements were scrutinized, you'd find that their pro audio and even Final Cut portion are but a pimple on Apple's ass. And what are Steinberg's earnings? Oh, that's right, they're not even a publicly traded company. Point being, attempting to glean any kind of insight into the future of one particular company during a depression, when revenues are down across the board year over year and cost cutting is the new buzzword for pretty much every company is an exercise in futility.

[spicemix]

Originally Posted by zboy2854

It should also be pointed out that all those folks here wringing their hands over the latest Avid earnings statement should take a look at the earnings statements coming out of most companies during this depression. Most of them tell the same story--demand down huge, cost cutting to the bone (i.e. layoffs), etc.

Let us not pretend this is somehow exclusive to Avid or even to the recording gear sector. The whole economy has been circling the drain. Why in the world would anyone view Avid's earnings without taking that into consideration as well?

And if Apple's earnings statements were scrutinized, you'd find that their pro audio and even Final Cut portion are but a pimple on Apple's ass. And what are Steinberg's earnings? Oh, that's right, they're not even a publicly traded company. Point being, attempting to glean any kind of insight into the future of one particular company during a depression, when revenues are down across the board year over year and cost cutting is the new buzzword for pretty much every company is an exercise in futility.

You are the expert, but I would compare AVID vs. SP500 over the last five years to see what is secular vs. market-driven.

Steinberg is owned by Yamaha.

It's possible the patient will rally.

[zboy2854]

Originally Posted by spicemix

You are the expert, but I would compare AVID vs. SP500 over the last five years to see what is secular vs. market-driven.

Oh, no doubt Avid has far underperformed the S&P over time, I'm just saying people shouldn't view the current earnings in a vacuum without considering what's going on right now with all companies both in the same sector as well as in the greater economy, nor view it as any greater predictor of the future specifically for Pro Tools.

[Cellotron]

Originally Posted by barryjohns

Reading the link below, I have no idea how Advid/Digidesign is going to survive. They are going down and quick. Honestly, it may be too late to save the company.

Avid Announces Third Quarter 2009 Results

Well, they layed off 44 Digidesign employees last week, including a number of folks who apparently were key to PT's development to date, and seems they are also planning on a good number of more layoffs coming soon as well. They're in the midst of outsourcing a lot of the coding, testing and support staff to the Ukraine and elsewhere.
fwiw - my contact in Digi didn't know of a release for an "HD Next Generation" in the near future at all. Avid branded faceplates are going to replace all the Digi and M-Audio logos on the hardware soon though.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[tamasdragon]

I do not know what are the plans at avid, and at digi, but I definately think that these alarming things are seems more scary than they really are.
I mean almost all big company lost much money during the recession, almost all of them fired many people, which is sad.
But still not one of us is able to see what's going on behind the scenes. I hope it is going to be better soon. And I really honestly hope that avid will not ruin digidesign.
TD