[Macworld]

Post your comments for Pro Tools 8?a solid upgrade here

[dak]

"Other than that, the application has been running fine on my quad-core 3GHz Mac Pro with 8GB RAM..."
Really? The application runs "fine" on your Cray Supercomputer? Could you possibly let us mortals know what it runs like on a more typical ProTools setup, say a MacBook Pro or iMac?

[Jim Dalrymple]

That was funny. I needed a good laugh tonight.
Well, I'm running it on my 17-inch MacBook Pro 2.93GHz, 8GB RAM and it's fast.
I don't have all the plug-ins installed on the MacBook that I do on the studio machine, but I use the notebook to edit audio and get things ready for the mix.

[velocipede]

Didn't you get the memo?
ProTools is not for mortals; it's for ROCK GODS!
I guess that leaves us out?

[Utopian]

What a fool. Most pro tools setups are deployed on Mac Pros and G5 Towers the world over as the dsp and interface cards will only fit into them. Or are you talking about pro-tool LE maybe? But thats not real pro-tools.

A typical pro-tools setup is 24+ track environment in a studio in Miami or somewhere like that, not you making "tunes" in your bedroom with an M-box.

[SouLab]

dak said:

"Other than that, the application has been running fine on my quad-core 3GHz Mac Pro with 8GB RAM..."

Really? The application runs "fine" on your Cray Supercomputer? Could you possibly let us mortals know what it runs like on a more typical ProTools setup, say a MacBook Pro or iMac?

I upgraded to PT 8 recently, and it runs "fine" (haha) on my 2.6 GHz iMac with 4GB RAM. Haven't done any serious recording with it yet, but my old sessions from previous versions opened and ran with no problems so far...

I like the Eleven Free plug-in, sounds pretty darn good to my ears. The other new soft synths and effect plugins sound great, as well...

[jjhohner]

I believe that Pro Tools has been riding a wave of hype over the years that is (much too) slowly giving way to the realization by a lot of engineers that there are other more versatile and less expensive ways to get their work done. Personally, I've never understood the sheep like following it has had, other than a hangover from the days when it was the only show in town.
I teach digital audio classes at a local college, and am required to teach Pro Tools because it is "still the pro industry standard". What I find myself doing a lot, is teaching how to do something in Pro Tools and then immediately telling my students how much easier it is to do the same thing in just about any other software based DAW! Try setting up Rewire to work with Reason, for example. Or getting a metronome to function. And while I'm at it, who ever heard of having hard track count limits. Let the computer horsepower decide if you can make another track. I used to get 64 tracks in Cubase on my old dual processor G4 tower, with judicious use of plugins. Logic barely makes my second CPU light up with 35 or more heavily laden tracks.
I have also noticed over the years that there have appeared a bunch of derogatory names for it, such as 'poor tools', 'slow tools', and HD meaning 'huge disappointment'. With the competition from every other software maker over time, I think this major update to Pro Tools was necessary to even begin to bring it up to the value and functionality realized from most other software packages.
If you own a Mac of any stripe, I would highly recommend Logic Studio as your package of choice. Pro Tools has always required you to buy their hardware, which functions as the copy protection dongle, and actually goes a long way toward protecting Digidesign's hardware sales. Every other DAW out there will work with any audio interface that the Mac can see. With improvements in hardware, in general, as I see it, there are many other ways to make good sounding mixes, for less money than any Pro Tools set up.
Let's not even get into it's kluginess, or the fact that one is constantly having to go to the Digidesign web site to see if your version of Pro Tools will still work with the latest minor OS upgrade. What a pain! In contrast, I was running Cubase SX right from day one of OS X, and although there were a few problems with version 1.x, it was promptly fixed and version 2 was rock solid through every OS update since then.
I ended up switching to Logic when I bought my Intel Mac, as Cubase finally wouldn't work anymore (PPC version). Paying $900 for Cubase again, or paying $500 for Logic Studio with the ton of stuff you get with it was a no brainer!
I've been able to do almost automatic multi-take comping (for instance) in Cubase for years, and every other piece of software out there has always done (and still does) MIDI editing better than Pro Tools. This part is probably due to the fact that Pro Tools started out as an audio app which added MIDI editing over time, where as all the other DAW software start out as MIDI sequencers and add audio functionality as time passed.
I have been in the music industry for decades, and having got caught in the 'gear lust loop', I can finally say that with Logic I literally have everything I need to make high quality productions.
So don't despair if you don't own the biggest spankiest Mac on the market. Go buy Logic and a decent interface and save your self money and headaches.
Sorry for the long spiel, but I believe the reviewer was far too kind to Pro Tools and we need to cut through the hype. I hate hype!
Cheers,
Jeff Hohner

[webraider]

I cannot get over how much better Logic is. I'm sure ProTools 8 is better than the previous version, but now that I look at it, it's really trying to copy Logic now and when the de-facto standard is now trying to copy Apple's ProApp, it's not long before it will loose being the "de-facto" standard. It's cross plat-formability is the only thing that's kept it afloat this long. If the new Logic was cross platform, I don't think it would still be this way.
I'm dismayed at the lack of classes in other DSP's when you take classes. They shove PT's down your throat only to find that more and more of the graduating class will go into studio where ProTools is only used half the time and now that's diminishing even more. The only people keeping PT alive are the ones who haven't ventured off it.

[bigpoppa206]

"Really? The application runs "fine" on your Cray Supercomputer? Could you possibly let us mortals know what it runs like on a more typical ProTools setup, say a MacBook Pro or iMac?"
Actually I have to agree with the others, a Mac Pro is more typical of a Pro-Tools setup than an iMac. A Macbook Pro should work for travel, but this isn't MS Word.

[stoneinapond]

How can you seriously say that PT LE is not Pro Tools? There are numerous major releases that at the very least began their life on an LE setup.

24 tracks?

How about 64 tracks running on a 2.4GHz iMac with the resulting product receiving critical acclaim. Made in New York no less.

Remember, inspiration and talent are paramount. The equipment is secondary. Having a nice environment helps, but its the desire and the talent to achieve a set goal that will get you there.

Pro Tools is not for fools. But many try and wonder why they fail.

Hint.....it ain't the software.

[ericewalton]

Hey Jim Im thinking of gettin the same laptop but just with 4 GB RAM. How do you hook up your external hard drive? The Laptop only has one firewire input and that will be using my mbox2pro or digi002. So the digidesign site says to get an express card with extra firewire port. Is that what you're doing? Or is it possible (perhaps better) to use a wireless hard drive with pro tools? Any light on the subject you or anybody could shed for me would be very appreciated.

[daceymathers]

Macworld, on 08 May 2009 - 10:11 AM, said:

Post your comments for Pro Tools 8?a solid upgrade here

Pro Tools 8 equips your system with even more editing and mixing capabilities. Lock regions to the timeline to prevent them from being inadvertently moved or edited.If you want to upgrade you pro tools 8 then first back up your system.Mac users - use a utility like Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper to clone your OS drive to another drive before upgrading - or leave your current OS drive alone and do a fresh install of Leopard to a new drive to which you'll install Pro Tools 8.Windows XP and Vista users - use either Acronis TrueImage or Norton Ghost to backup your drive before upgrading or, as with Mac, do a fresh install of the OS to a new drive and install Pro Tools 8 to that drive.

[aonali21]

Macworld, on 08 May 2009 - 10:11 AM, said:

Post your comments for Pro Tools 8?a solid upgrade here

Pro Tools 8 has a mission to make Digidesign a serious contender in the music-creation market.
Given that Pro Tools 8 is such a significant update in terms of its scope and new features, this review will consist of two parts, with the first focusing mostly on the new user interface and MIDI editing capabilities. I should also note that unless otherwise stated, all references to Pro Tools 8 refer to all versions of the software: HD, LE and M-Powered.