Who uses Pro Tools?

I personally HATE using Pro-Tools for music making, it's too... "Rigid" in that you can't mess up sound enough for my liking. Also, Digidesign is an evil, evil company that just wants your money.

Unfortunately, I am a studio engineer (in training) and I need use it all the freaking time, it's great for Post-Production work, I'm just curious if anyone uses it for making IDM... or Braindance... or whatever you kids call it these days?

P.s. I myself use a combination of Adobe Audition 3.0, Ableton Live, Max, Pro Tools (for some sound plugins), and a plethora or outboard effects units.

Pros, I'm guessing. And let's not forget GZA.

lol.

yeah all those other companies like Ableton, Adobe, are just altruistic capitalists in disguise. That's why Ableton doesn't cost $400.

Also if you find pro tools too rigid, you're doing something wrong.

i tried the software back when you could get a verison that worked on PC, and i concluded that it'd be a cold day in hell when i dropped $10k on hardware for something cubase already did fine without expensive hardware. maybe back in the days when people were using powermacs and they couldn't run plugins... am i wrong?

Only when I need to feel PRO, you know?

I tell people I use pro tools so they think I'm cool... but I'm not cool enough to use pro tools unfortunately.... :(

heh I used Pro Tools Free in 2000-2001

Pro-Tools is great for recording/multi-tracking instruments/sound sources/etc and mixing... but not for composing. It is more of an engineer's software and less of an artist's software.

You obviously don't need a full Digidesign hardware setup with a HUI console to record in your bedroom. A cheap solution is to get the M-Box. It comes with the software, has decent mic pre-amps and didn't cost me more than $250.

I've used it for nearly ten years and I'm a fan... but I still haven't updated beyond 7.1.1 !!!

  On 1/3/2010 at 11:43 PM, Spittal said:

I personally HATE using Pro-Tools for music making, it's too... "Rigid" in that you can't mess up sound enough for my liking. Also, Digidesign is an evil, evil company that just wants your money.

 

Unfortunately, I am a studio engineer (in training) and I need use it all the freaking time, it's great for Post-Production work, I'm just curious if anyone uses it for making IDM... or Braindance... or whatever you kids call it these days?

 

 

P.s. I myself use a combination of Adobe Audition 3.0, Ableton Live, Max, Pro Tools (for some sound plugins), and a plethora or outboard effects units.

p.s.

Read the rules.

while Protools is definitely more geared towards mixing/editing/recording, i still think it has the majority of DAWs beat pretty hard as far as audio editing and offline effects usage goes. The only program i've used that is as solid in this department is Nuendo. DP and Logic are close 2nds, but ableton doesnt hold a candle to using editing as a compositional tool. In Protools it's very easy to make a drum pattern by just using the scissors tool on a loop using copy and paste, i rely heavily on this method when making tracks and there are very few programs that satisfy me in this department.

  On 1/4/2010 at 5:14 PM, jefferoo said:

  On 1/3/2010 at 11:43 PM, Spittal said:

I personally HATE using Pro-Tools for music making, it's too... "Rigid" in that you can't mess up sound enough for my liking. Also, Digidesign is an evil, evil company that just wants your money.

 

Unfortunately, I am a studio engineer (in training) and I need use it all the freaking time, it's great for Post-Production work, I'm just curious if anyone uses it for making IDM... or Braindance... or whatever you kids call it these days?

 

 

P.s. I myself use a combination of Adobe Audition 3.0, Ableton Live, Max, Pro Tools (for some sound plugins), and a plethora or outboard effects units.

p.s.

 

Read the rules.

Did I break the rules?

I heard once when people break the rules Joyrex sheds a single tear.

As for this whole Pro Tools debate, I agree completely with the people who say "It's an engineers tool, not an artists". I don't agree with some one saying the Mbox pre-amps are good, those sons o' bitches are nooiisisssyyy (at least the line amp is, the mic one it a little better but then you need to go buy a DI), and they don't convert very well. I use an Apogee Duet then just import all the files into Pro-tools later, to avoid using the M-box.

I should mention this is an M-box 2 mini I'm talking about. I heard the first gen M-boxes ones were great.

  On 1/3/2010 at 11:43 PM, Spittal said:

I personally HATE using Pro-Tools for music making, it's too... "Rigid" in that you can't mess up sound enough for my liking.

http://trashaudio.blogspot.com/2008/01/workspace-and-environment-tim-exile.html

  On 1/5/2010 at 3:48 PM, Rbrmyofr said:

  On 1/3/2010 at 11:43 PM, Spittal said:

I personally HATE using Pro-Tools for music making, it's too... "Rigid" in that you can't mess up sound enough for my liking.

http://trashaudio.blogspot.com/2008/01/workspace-and-environment-tim-exile.html

1. who gives a fuck what tim exile uses. sure his music is great, but that doesn't mean we should all copy him like the thousands of sheep that use renoise just because venetian snares does.

2. something tells me tim exile's approach is probably more about just recording the output from some crazy reaktor patch that he composes with, rather than a lot of intricate midi sequencing and production in pro tools. like awepittance said, pro tools can be great for editing, which is probably where he's at when he begins using pro tools.

but for me, when it comes to making sounds from scratch...fuck...that...

SLO TOOLS.

i like ableton for composing, but when it comes to that stage of production (mixing, editing, etc.) i find cubase is enough for me. but i'm really wishing ableton better waveform editing abilities, destructive processing, etc.

  On 1/5/2010 at 3:48 PM, Rbrmyofr said:

  On 1/3/2010 at 11:43 PM, Spittal said:

I personally HATE using Pro-Tools for music making, it's too... "Rigid" in that you can't mess up sound enough for my liking.

http://trashaudio.blogspot.com/2008/01/workspace-and-environment-tim-exile.html

Yo, brah. I said it's too rigid for "my liking". Some people were probably brought up using pro tools and are fucking pros and executing exactly what they hear in their head with pro tools. As for me, I haven't used pro tools half as long as some other programs.

It's not really a compositional application. It's for post-production, first and foremost.

And Ableton is owned by Digidesign.

  On 1/6/2010 at 3:51 AM, Braintree said:

It's not really a compositional application. It's for post-production, first and foremost.

 

And Ableton is owned by Digidesign.

I composed my first CD almost entirely in Pro-Tools. With synth plug-ins and all. And that was back in like 2001 (ProTools free...limited to 8 audio tracks...luckily virtual bouncing doesn't degrade tracks...)

Where did you hear that Ableton is owned by Digidesign? Nowhere on their site does it mention that, and nowhere on Digidesign's site does it mention that. Something like Ableton being bought by Digidesign would definitely be in the news. You might be confusing them with M-Audio, who fall under the Avid umbrella (as do Digidesign). Ableton Live has also been distributed by Digidesign and M-Audio.

But you could also look at Reason ($349), Max/MSP ($495), FL Studio-Producer edition ($199).

ya i don't exactly thing that's correct either.

ableton is most definitely not owned by digi. yet.

m-audio is. and digi is actually a subsidiary (a less hidden one these days) of avid.

i pretty much agree with what awepittance said about the whole affair. PT is definitely still the dog's when it comes to quick, surgical slice-and-dice edits for audio. logic is getting there, but hasn't quite grabbed it. for me, it's simply the way the arrange window is laid out vs. how protools session view is. i still far prefer logic overall, but i do miss pt's ease of use for audio jackery.

having said that, PT (and avid for that matter) are fighting a losing battle. both systems still require a ridiculous outlay for hardware at their higher ends, while cubase, logic, and others are providing more powerful features and tools for a fraction of the cost.

it used to be that you needed that DSP hardware to do anything worthwhile. native CPU power wouldn't cut it.

these days, however, that's no longer the case. i have an 8-core 3.2 mac pro, and i have yet to have it choke on anything. that includes projects with 20+ AU plugins as well as 20-30+ track audio sessions. the thing doesn't break a sweat.

apogee, RME, and metric halo all make interfaces / converters that are a damn sight better than digi's overpriced schlockboxes. plus you can customise exactly what you want.

as always, horses for courses.

one final consideration is that digi (and, again, avid) historically have done a smashing job of getting themselves firmly entrenched in the music (and film) industries.

to the point that production houses, edit bays, and music editors all use avid / digi just because that's what they've always done. this adds a bit of work for me as a logic user, because when i deliver cues for a film project, for example, rather than just delivering TC-locked protools sessions, i have to give audio files with timecode references, etc.

this sounds minor, but hollywood people really dislike doing things differently to how they're used to.

anyways, this'll all go away as standards become more... well... standard, and corporate influence decreases on how media works.

whee.

I apologize and retract my statement that Ableton is owned by Digidesign. Although Digidesign consulted the guys that did the timestretch software for Ableton, and had them use the same code for Pro Tools 7, there was hearsay that Ableton was bought or going to be bought by Digidesign. I apologize for any offense and any nerdgasm this may have caused. Especially to those that may claim allegiance to any and/or all software platforms, you fucking sheep.

Eat a dick and stick to the subject at hand. Pro Tools is not primarily a compositional tool.

  On 1/6/2010 at 6:41 AM, chenGOD said:

  On 1/6/2010 at 3:51 AM, Braintree said:

It's not really a compositional application. It's for post-production, first and foremost.

 

And Ableton is owned by Digidesign.

 

I composed my first CD almost entirely in Pro-Tools. With synth plug-ins and all. And that was back in like 2001 (ProTools free...limited to 8 audio tracks...luckily virtual bouncing doesn't degrade tracks...)

Yeah? I wrote around eight albums worth of material between 2001-2003 with Acid Pro, only using audio files. Bravo.

eat a dick yourself. it totally can be used quite easily as a compositional tool.

I haven't used it since it was free but i guess because I like a product I must be a sheep. Is that how the line of reasoning goes?

As for recording 8 albums using whatever, I simply was saying it's totally possible to use it as compositional tool. But no, you;re right, I'm sorry it can only ever be used as a post-production tool. baaaa

I think Pro Tools originally just set out to be a "Digital Tape Recorder" back when digital was all new hot shit.

Now adays it's more or less just an "Audio" tool, it has uses for everything from composing to ADR to Sound effects.

on a side note I don't really like Logic all that much, I find that it's far too buggy (at the moment).

  On 1/7/2010 at 12:40 PM, chenGOD said:

eat a dick yourself. it totally can be used quite easily as a compositional tool.

 

I haven't used it since it was free but i guess because I like a product I must be a sheep. Is that how the line of reasoning goes?

 

As for recording 8 albums using whatever, I simply was saying it's totally possible to use it as compositional tool. But no, you;re right, I'm sorry it can only ever be used as a post-production tool. baaaa

Eh? Reread what I wrote. I'm agreeing with you that it can be used as a compositional tool, but that isn't its main function. It's mostly supposed to be used as, and lends itself to, post-production work. It is far more powerful as a production tool than a compositional one.

Shit, I've used Sound Forge 4.5e to write songs, and that didn't even do multitracking.

lol im interested how you would use soundforge for actual creative composition of any sort?

  On 1/7/2010 at 12:40 PM, chenGOD said:

eat a dick yourself. it totally can be used quite easily as a compositional tool.

 

I've used it to compose before. I like it. It works fine.

HERE is an old myspace of mine with a couple tracks I did using only Pro-Tools (the tracks are called "GUNSINTHESKY RMX" and "1ST PERFECT PITCH"). I did them a while ago.

  On 1/8/2010 at 7:21 PM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

lol im interested how you would use soundforge for actual creative composition of any sort?

It's a lot of cutting and pasting, and making sure the time between pastes fits perfectly. Huge pain in the ass.

  On 1/8/2010 at 9:37 PM, Braintree said:

  On 1/8/2010 at 7:21 PM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

lol im interested how you would use soundforge for actual creative composition of any sort?

 

It's a lot of cutting and pasting, and making sure the time between pastes fits perfectly. Huge pain in the ass.

Done the same thing myself mate!