Protools....

[boogieman481]

Can anyone with experience and/or knowledge of the software give me Protools Mac Vs. Protools PC pros & cons?

[DMR]

What version of Pro Tools are you considering? The "Professional" line of their products involves purchasing PCI plug-in cards and external devices. Give us more details; I worked with Avid/Digidesign products for years, so I can probably help you out.

[boogieman481]

Well to be honest Protools is fairly new to me. Ive had my own little studio in a spare bedroom and done some great work on my PC software but always been told that Protools is the best way to go. At the same time ive heard that the PC version, altough greatly improving, still lags behing the Mac version. But getting the Mac version would require buying a new computer..... So Im just trying to see if its worth the money

[DMR]

1. ProTools is the way to go for heavy-duty pro recording, but it does involve purchasing additional Pro Tools-compatible audio I/O hardware, some of which is quite expensive. Digidesign did put out a freely downloadable, software-only Pro Tools product, but that was designed for Win 98/ME. Even when run under those versions of Windows though, most people ran into hardware-related compatibility issues of some form or another. I remember trying to get it to run on three or four different Win 2000 systems, with absolutely abysmal results.

Given that, software-only PC solutions like Sound Forge might suite your particular needs (and system configuration) just fine. If you really want to "go pro" though, let me what sort of studio setup you're shooting for and how much $$ you're thinking of spending.

2. At the same time ive heard that the PC version, altough greatly improving, still lags behing the Mac versionThe underlying reason for that is mostly due to the differences between the Mac and PC hardware architectures; it has little to do with software.

The major issue lies with signal-processing latency/timing. As I'm sure you know, doing "real time" audio or video processing (and having it turn out "glitch-free") is very system-intensive in general, and becomes even more so when working at higher bit/sample/clock rates. Without going into details, the hardware design of Mac-based computers basically has a shorter "pipeline" through which your record and playback signals must travel, making it much more likely that no signal processing/timing-related corruption will occur.

[boogieman481]

My band records right now in a spare bedroom of my house. Its a pretty small room and could not support lots of equipment. Its at a point where we are all willing to spend money to get the right gear being we can justify the cost over studio time. We have a demo that sounds great but was recorded on a soundblaster card, so definatly could sound better. So to be honest, i think that if the cost was worth it, we would come up with the money.

[DMR]

Yeah- you'll definitely need something better than a soundblaster card if you want the finished product to sound more "pro".

There are two versions of Pro Tools that you might want to check out- the "LE" version, and the "M-Powered" version. Digidesign has a pretty informative run-down of both packages on their website.

The hardware peripherals available for those systems are much more affordable than the hardware associated with full-blown TDM Pro Tools rigs. There's also a decent range of specific devices to choose from, so you should be able to put together a hardware package that fits your recording needs (sufficient mic/line inputs, etc.) without putting you in debt for life.

The software part of the packages should definitely have enough virtual tracks, effects plug-ins, and other "bells 'n whistles" to give you a good, pro-sounding mix.

[bobbydigital]

I am a owner of pro tools on PC, but I have used the system on both formats, and as of right now, I wish that I had a Mac at home. Pro Tools will be easier to install and get running on a Mac. I had to disable my sound card as well as a few programs in by BIOS menu of Windows to install the program correctly. You will have to go looking on chat forums like this to even find out what programs to disable. Also, Mac computers are made for media. Even though they are a little pricier, the extra money is worth it. They are an integrated system which most or all PCs are not. (integrated system meaning that all of the parts in the Mac are produced to run together as opposed to a PC that has parts from different manufacturers put together. Even though these parts might be good, they are not always a prefect fit for other components of the computer. The only downside for me on Mac was the fact that I while I was fluent with a PC, the navigation on a Mac was not so fast. After a few hours on one I was working almost as quickly as I was on my PC. Anyways, enough rambling... if you have the money, Macs are better for audio.