DAW Study Series - Avid Pro Tools

The Old Workhorse...

It would seem that from the beginning of time that Avid has held the number one, DAW of choice award, but that wasn't always the case. To listen to some professional's it would appear that if Adam & Eve had been composing and recording some tunes that Pro Tools would have been their software of choice. There is no doubting the position of power that Pro Tools holds within the industry, being hailed as the standard by which, all other contenders to the throne, are judged, but like everything in this life, it has it's faults.

Chris Lord Alge

Top of that list is cost and it's strategic position. Due to it being the industry standard it's not really aimed at the home studio user, although lite versions exist, it's aimed at being the connecting block between expensive hardware and software. Take a look around any of the, mixing masters, Dave Pensaado, CLA etc, and their surrounded by hardware, thousands of dollars of rare, now unavailable hardware, and that's what makes up a Pro Tools HD rig. That's were Avid sit, in that all singing bells and whistles, thousands of dollars worth , professional recording studio.

Have I managed to record at home on a version of Pro Tools? Yes most definitely, as many do, but for hundreds of bucks, you get a two pane software package, a few standard plugins and your done. Others, for less money, offer a more complete, tailored to the home studio user bundle, of DAW, 3rd party plugins, 3rd party VST instruments, drum packages such as Addictive Drums 2 and more. That's what I'm getting at, their aimed more at work flow and musical creation, Pro Tools expects you to be an established force, mixing everyday, earning your crust, in a professional environment.

Pro Tools... Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Pro Tools is finally a 64-bit application. A long wait on that one, but don't think for a minute that 64bit will sound better or be faster, that's just a myth, 32bit in tests in a 32bit OS is just as fast and both have no part at all to play in sound they create.
• The new audio engine improves performance and makes possible long-sought-after features such as offline bouncing. Features that have been available in other DAW's for years.
• The metering options with the gain-reduction meter are a nice touch. Again nothing awe inspiring.

Cons:

• It might take some time before you can use all your third-party plug-ins in Pro Tools 11. Controversial move by Avid to only support AAX plugins leaving RTAS and having never supported Vst, despite some amazing free Vst plugins being available, behind. Again Avid lean to their market of Pro Studio's not the home user.
• Avid have created a distinction between Pro Tools and Pro Tools HD, making it impossible to get HD software features without buying HD hardware. Again leaning to their market of Pro Studio's. 
• PACE iLok protection. All for protecting against piracy but then having to buy a usb dongle  and register with a 3rd party, and keeping it plugged into the computer for some, including me, is an inconvenience too far.

In conclusion we can see the benefits of Pro Tools, if operating in the same market it's aimed at, Pro Studio's, but if your sitting in that basement, bedroom, kitchen, wherever, then there are better, less costly, more bang for your buck, options available to you, some of which I will be analysing later in this series.