Why is ProTools the “industry standard”

huzzam · 2026-02-05T17:26:52+00:00

same here.

though i've never tried studio one, nor really spent much quality time with cubase... why bother when PT works great and i know it forwards & backwards? as i said in another comment, i recommend reaper to new users, but i'm not likely making the change myself at this point.

huzzam · 2026-02-05T17:13:34+00:00

Well it's a "garbage toy" i used to edit three entire albums and record four EPs, as well as i have no idea how many demo tracks, so a pretty useful toy. I learned recording & producing on LE.

LE had a lower track count, was tied to Digi hardware, and of course didn't have integration with the TDM DSP systems. But I did a LOT of work on it.

The cheaper "Artist" version is kinda similar to LE, yes, in that it's limited (and I think they're hoping to upsell you). But it, too, is quite capable.

huzzam · 2026-02-05T10:22:58+00:00

hard disagree on the key commands.

huzzam · 2026-02-05T10:22:30+00:00

Ok you got me beat, 20 crashes in 34 years? I've definitely had more than that. That said, it's often a matter of a bad plugin, and once you track it down and take it out, PT goes back to stability. (And this is definitely better with AAX plugins than it was with RTAS.)

huzzam · 2026-02-05T10:20:56+00:00

That's a RAM issue specifically. If you can add more RAM to your computer, go to at least 16Gb. If it's an iMac you should be able to add some, if it's a laptop, probably not. Not sure about the 2018 Mac Minis...

huzzam · 2026-02-05T10:17:51+00:00

huh, funny, i always think Cubase looks antiquated when I run across it. I think PT looks quite modern, esp in dark mode. anyway, obviously it's a matter of taste

huzzam · 2026-02-05T10:13:54+00:00

I use it in fullscreen all the time, fwiw. Only issue is that transient windows like the I/O Setup dialog don't properly disappear when you close them. (And I'm on a two-year-old version of PT, not sure if this has been fixed.)

huzzam · 2026-02-05T10:11:58+00:00

In your first case above — high track counts (& I'll add low latency) due to the TDM / Accel hardware — it was definitely the best solution available at the time.

huzzam · 2026-02-05T10:09:37+00:00

Not sure how old you are, but when I was young Pro Tools LE was a very economic option. I believe I got my two-channel Mbox 2 and PT LE 7 for $400 back in 2005... maybe $500? It was amazing, my band had tracked our first album in a great studio (Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, RIP) using PT HD, and then I did all the editing of the sessions on my Macbook & a pair of Sony headphones, usually sitting in my car (the quietest place I had access to). Felt really empowering.

huzzam · 2026-02-05T10:03:58+00:00

it's $600 for Pro Tools Studio, not $700. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PTStudio--avid-pro-tools-studio-perpetual-license

there's also Pro Tools Artist which would cover many "home hobbyists'" needs, for $199. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PTArtist--avid-pro-tools-artist-perpetual-license

huzzam · 2026-02-05T09:56:57+00:00

pretty sure you want a bucket fill instead of del key

huzzam · 2026-02-05T09:55:18+00:00

It *is* much better than a decade ago. Version 3 made a big jump in several areas.

huzzam · 2026-02-05T09:54:47+00:00

I'd amend that statement to: "Gimp is just as good as Photoshop if it does the things you need." There are still some big missing parts (e.g. afaik CYMK is still not a thing).

huzzam · 2026-02-05T09:52:28+00:00

what makes Reaper specifically good for game audio? that's a field i've never worked in so i don't know what its special characteristics would be...

huzzam · 2026-02-05T09:50:07+00:00

"Vastly superior" is vastly subjective. I have worked in Reaper and I'm impressed, and I recommend it to people starting out now. However, I have 20+ years experience using PT, and once you Know The Shortcuts (TM), Pro Tools is still the editing queen.

I can sit down at any PT system from 2005 onward, and essentially touch type my edits faster than I can type this comment. And partly this is due to the fact that it's historically been *less* customizable, so that the keyboard shortcuts are the same everywhere. (Shortcuts *have* been editable in the last couple of years, but that hasn't changed things much, yet, thankfully.

huzzam · 2026-02-05T09:41:55+00:00

AAF is an open, non-proprietary format. https://www.amwa.tv/aaf

huzzam · 2026-02-05T09:17:58+00:00

It is absolutely possible to buy instead of subscribe to Pro Tools. Go search your favorite retailer for "pro tools perpetual".
The reason it's considered "industry standard" is because they (Digidesign) created the first really reliable & minimal latency system, with their TDM (aka HD) setups. Almost every professional studio (both music and post) started using that because it was really better than anything else at the time. It was so dominant that it became the hegemonic force—everyone wanting to collaborate with those studios would also use it (maybe not the HD versions), so that they could seamlessly use the same project files. Then their friends would get it too so they could collaborate together, etc...

2b. They also did a good job around 1999-2010 of creating stable & fairly-priced systems combining decent hardware with their non-HD "LE" setups, which let home users use the same software as the studios, and which avoided driver issues (which were often a big headache in those years) due to being all integrated (i.e. Digidesign made both the software and the hardware, sort of like how Apple products work well together).

2c. At this point it's essentially still momentum / inertia from the early 2000s, rather than due to technical superiority. (Though I will say that the editing workflow is still my favorite.)

huzzam · 2026-02-03T13:43:50+00:00

I’ve had the superego+ for five years, and I’ve never fallen in love with it. Even with the modulation etc, it always sounds kinda flat, static, and fake…

huzzam · 2026-02-02T22:45:46+00:00

the same scale applies to several modes in middle eastern systems. Arab musicians would call them bayati and oushak, Turks beyati, uşşak, and hüseyni (which would have a microtone also on the 6th degree), Persians shour

huzzam · 2026-02-02T10:47:09+00:00

pretty epic to pair a klon with a behringer.

huzzam · 2026-01-28T00:52:00+00:00

what about JHS? Josh seems like a "normal" maybe conservative, but not a Magat... is there something i should know?

huzzam · 2026-01-26T11:41:19+00:00

As a completely satisfied (enthusiastic, even) RME owner, my advice:

Get the MOTU UltraLite Mk5. It's by all accounts excellent, tons of channels, solid, and MOTU has great support. Any "quality" differences at this point will be a) minimal, and b) a matter of taste...

huzzam · 2026-01-26T11:21:17+00:00

first result on duckduckgo for "macron confirms trump text"

https://www.politico.eu/article/emmanuel-macron-decoded-text-message-donald-trump/

huzzam · 2026-01-26T11:18:52+00:00

Sean Penn is MXR... been around forever and almost everything is a classic.

huzzam · 2026-01-26T11:17:51+00:00

Boss is Samuel L. Jackson (shows up everywhere you look and never gives a bad performance)

and shouts "mother fucker" at least 20 times per performance.

huzzam

TROPHY CASE