worth it to learn Pro tools?

swishniak · Post by **swishniak** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:45 pm

im going into a studio next week which runs strictly PT. i was supposed to just play drums, but they asked me how my "pro tools chops are" and if i could "run the session (produce and engineer)"

this is how these guys talk.

i havent used pro tools for 7 years or so - im very happy with Logic8 and use it all the time. .but pretty sure i could pick up PT again quickly if i bought one of the lower end m-powered rigs (which comes with the software) and just messed around on it this weekend.

but is it worth the 240 eur? are that many studios switching to Logic? (or even just Live!?).

wondering if people run in to this .. any thoughts would be appreciated.

SubFunk · Post by **SubFunk** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:49 pm

i wouldn't buy it.

yes most studios use ~HD rigs, if you worked already with it, you can get easy back into it.

unless you feel like doing a lot, lot of work again using PT.

laird · Post by **laird** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:52 pm

Do you have any friends who can help?

Too bad there's no more PT Free you could use to freshen up, I bet you could pick it up fast, too.

Still, if you are paying the studio by the hour, then having someone who knows shortcuts well and really knows everything that has been added or moved around in 7 years would probably pay off.

dj superflat · Post by **dj superflat** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:54 pm

running a session using tools you haven't used for years -- and that have changed in the interim -- seems like a good way not to get invited back any time soon.

swishniak · Post by **swishniak** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:20 am

laird wrote:Do you have any friends who can help?

Too bad there's no more PT Free you could use to freshen up, I bet you could pick it up fast, too.

Still, if you are paying the studio by the hour, then having someone who knows shortcuts well and really knows everything that has been added or moved around in 7 years would probably pay off.

strangely enough almost everyone i know is on logic these days. . oh - the good ole days of OS 9 and PT free.

looking on ebay now..

babkubwa · Post by **babkubwa** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 1:16 pm

if its just a matter of tracking it couldn't be easier. I tend to use protools for tracking everything in the studio then just export all the audio to live for arranging and mixdown. Surely if your running the session then in its your choice to use whatever your comfortable/fastest with?

I'm a bit of a digidesign hater but am considering getting a old mbox myself so I can speed up a little bit and take advantage of pro tools 8 which is just round the corner. Main thing you could do really is just print of a list of shortcuts and a few sections of the manual - make sure your familiar with the different modes - shuffle, grid etc

Got to say - 7.4s elastic audio is more than a bit impressive. Quantize multiple audio tracks and apply any groove you like. Interested to see what kind of madness is possibly with version 8s elastic pitch too.

swishniak · Post by **swishniak** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 2:07 am

babkubwa wrote:...I'm a bit of a digidesign hater but am considering getting a old mbox myself...

thanks for the advices. the sessions went really well actually. watched some youtube pro tools 101 vids and learned a couple shortcuts beforehand. not so intimidated by pro tools anymore. . but would like to learn it better.

does anyone know - if you buy the m-box can you automatically download and install pro tools LE? their policy of exclusive hardware is so strange..

LouisC · Post by **LouisC** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 2:15 am

if you really need to learn something like protools, you're far better off getting something like REAPER to learn.

rapes protools.

leedsquietman · Post by **leedsquietman** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 3:25 am

There are plenty of studios which use Logic or Nuendo if you look around.

Even some that only advertise they have PT have Logic these days and run various other programs too, they just don't bother advertising it because most people are just programmed to assume studio work = pro tools.

I would find another studio and be comfortable using the DAW you're familiar with if it were me. There's plenty that could go wrong and time spnet reading pdfs and interweb looking for a fix is money and time lost.

knotkranky · Post by **knotkranky** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 4:50 am

It's good to know enough to get by. It's academic to the production business like it or not.

leedsquietman · Post by **leedsquietman** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:04 am

This is true. And if you had more time and money, definately something to consider.

But seeing as this project is coming at you very soon, you either need to cancel and gen up on pro tools, or find a studio with Logic. Logic is just as capable as anything else if the other studio hardware is up to scratch.

More people should advocate studios buy other DAWS. For me, a real pro studio should offer PT but also have Cubase/Nuendo, Logic, Digital Performer, Samplitude/Sequoia and then programs such as FL STudio, Live and Reason as they are popular for building songs and using via rewire.

A real top studio would think nothing of spending thousands on equipment, they could easily afford the few hundred dollars each of these programs costs. Just having PT is not good enough in my opinion, even if it is the market standard. If I went to the grocery store and they only had products by Kraft, etc, I wouldn't have it and go somewhere where they had a choice.

fishmonkey · Post by **fishmonkey** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 8:31 am

he's already done the sessions...

fishmonkey · Post by **fishmonkey** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 8:36 am

leedsquietman wrote: A real top studio would think nothing of spending thousands on equipment, they could easily afford the few hundred dollars each of these programs costs. Just having PT is not good enough in my opinion, even if it is the market standard. If I went to the grocery store and they only had products by Kraft, etc, I wouldn't have it and go somewhere where they had a choice.

i hear what you are saying, but software needs a shitload more maintenance than racks of hardware...

it gives me a migraine just imagining what would be involved in trying to keep all those DAWs + plugins working properly, not to mention control surfaces, etc....

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 12:53 pm

the only reason to learn PT is if you're gonna work on an HD system....

swishniak · Post by **swishniak** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 1:03 am

fishmonkey wrote:
i hear what you are saying, but software needs a shitload more maintenance than racks of hardware...

it gives me a migraine just imagining what would be involved in trying to keep all those DAWs + plugins working properly, not to mention control surfaces, etc....

im surprised to hear that - ive always thought of software as the easiest part to deal with. this was definitely the case for these sessions - the protools HD3 (3 192s + expansion cards) was a breeze to get working and sounding good compared to the the feat of connecting all the various new and vintage mics / pre-amps / instruments (!)... patch bays, bad cables, guitar players.

by the way - if anyone is interested more in the studio, PM me. its a new place, pretty unknown, this guy has done a really nice job at putting the place together (its located in poland - near german + czech borders).