Just started a new course so I need to learn Pro Tools...

[Scissors61]

Pretty much as the title suggests. I'm starting a 3 year uni course that's mostly PT-based.

I have done a search and while I did find a few things that helped me out, I still kinda fancied making a thread as I couldn't really find anything that addressed my specific problem, so sorry if this is a bit of a redundant question...

Basically I wanna start learning pro tools, the only thing is, I'm not sure what interface would be good to buy.

At the moment I'm just using Cubase, but having never really used PT, I don't really know if I'm gonna make a complete switch or just use it for my college work.

I was considering either the M-Audio Profire 2626 or the Digi 003. And my problem is the pricing.

Obviously the 003 seems like it would be far superior considering the vastly increased price (nearly 3 times as much) But like I said, I don't really know anything about any of this...

Even though it'd probably make sense to get the 2626 as I only really wanna learn PT, I don't really wanna spend £360 on something that I'm quickly going to want to upgrade. But then on the other hand I don't wanna spend £900 on something that isn't that much better obviously...

Either would probably be an upgrade on the Firepod that I'm using at the moment. I just have no idea which is really worth buying.

Thanks guys!

 

[MetalJonesy]

well most guys on the forum seem to go for the profire, however im more inclined to the 003 route (i have a 002) mainly due to the extra features you can get with the LE packagae as regards video etc.

ive had my 002 for a good long time now, and its worked really well! i don't think ive had any issues with it since i got it second hand (compared to my motu stuff!)

the 2626 is great due to the 8 pres it has straight away. No Faffing around getting adat pres or pres for the line ins etc like you would have to do with the 003. The main issues that have always put me off the 2626 (even though i have used them countless times and my mates have em) is the fact its M Powered PT, it has to have an external PSU which i hate in rack units) the banked phantom power groups and the lack of the pad switch.

however the one thing the 2626 does have over the 003 for me is the -20dB pad switchs, i find myself (when i have to ) struggling with the input gain on the 002 pres being too high on occasion!

all this, but id say if you dont have much money to spend, id say go for the 2626, for the main reason if you do fancy going for the 003 in the future etc, its already got the adat connections, but in the meantime you can still learn PT pretty much fully with the M powered version (bare in mind its gnna be around £460+ getting the profire as you have to buy the M powered software, where as the 003 has it included as its the LE version (basically the smaller version of PT HD, and m powered being a slightly separate division in terms of hardware and software)

if i was really gnna suggest learning PT, id get a S/H 002 or 003, or even an mbox if its just for learning and doing single tracked stuff! but you will easily outgrow the MBox (even though its an M Box its LE software you use)

I think ive made a bit of sense, but if its a bit blurry ive done a PT course, and used all the PT hardware interfaces pretty much so i think i have a bit of knowledge on the subject!

 

[colonel kurtz]

do you need an interface right now for the i/o, or just for PT?

if you just want something that will give you the software, pick up a used m-box! even if you need to track some stuff, you can do it in cubase or whatever else, and import the tracks into PT for editing/mixing...

 

[MetalJonesy]

my mates selling his M box for around £150, used only once, his laptop doesnt work with it due to the chipset! inc pt 7.4 with full v 8 upgrade free

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

I was pretty much in the exact same situation as you are. I went with the Profire because:

a) The preamps. I've never heard any praises about the preamps in the 003, even though they're supposedly better than the ones in the 002, which I personally find pretty poor.
b) The drivers. I want to be able to open Winamp (or ANY other audio using software) while working in ProTools. Digi drivers won't let me. Not sure if this has already been fixed or if it's just me being stupid, but that's the impression I've got.
c) THE PADS.
d) And of course, the price.

 

[greyskull]

depends if you're gonna use it for recording much.
look into a used 002 or 003 you can get em quite cheap.

Also, buy shortcut stickers for the keyboard.
Once you Know your way round the key command focus shortcuts, you'll be flying through

 

[Trevoire520]

Personally I'd go for the Profire. You get more pre's and they've got pads, more inputs and outputs, 2 seperate headphone sends, 2 1Mohm instrument inputs. Plus as has been said you can use things like itunes/media player without closing pro tools. As an interface it basically pisses all over the 003. I know the 003 is three times the price but price is not the only measure of quality!

If you really want the faders then save yourself a few hundred quid and pick up a Behringer BCF2000.

 

[Scissors61]

I'd really quite like to actually make the full switch over to PT, just for convenience as I'm rubbish at learning two different things that do something similar, I get too easily confused. So just to be completely clear, there aren't any actual differences between PT LE and PT M-Powered?

I'm assuming that the only difference is which hardware you plug into it?

With the Profire and the software, I'd end up spending about £520 which is still obviously a lot less than 900.

Also I obviously want to go for a bit of an upgrade from the 'ol firepod, and I'm guessing either of these would probably be better?

I'm thinking mostly because of the price, and the whole: being able to open other audio-related programs while pro tools is open, I may end up going for the 2626...

Also am I understanding correctly if I say that if I wanna buy external pre-amps or channel strips at a later date I could use them with the Profire?

Sorry for all the dumb questions I'm just a total n00b with this sort of thing, all I've ever known is the firepod-age hahaha.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

I'd really quite like to actually make the full switch over to PT, just for convenience as I'm rubbish at learning two different things that do something similar, I get too easily confused. So just to be completely clear, there aren't any actual differences between PT LE and PT M-Powered?

I'm assuming that the only difference is which hardware you plug into it?

http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=133738 <-- This pretty much sums it up.

Also I obviously want to go for a bit of an upgrade from the 'ol firepod, and I'm guessing either of these would probably be better?

Definitely. The thing that I was most surprised about was the difference in the DA-conversion. Even my girlfriend asked "what've you done to your speakers, everything sounds a lot more clear now!" when I changed the Firepod to Profire. Maybe I had a faulty Firepod or something, but the difference was clearly audible.

Also am I understanding correctly if I say that if I wanna buy external pre-amps or channel strips at a later date I could use them with the Profire?

Sure. You can plug eight preamps straight into the line inputs of the profire, or you can use the two ADAT in/outs. You could, for instance, use the eight built-in preamps (which are actually pretty nice), add an 8-channel preamp with ADAT out, and 2-channel preamp with S/PDIF output.

The Profire2626 supports 26 channels of simultaneous input and output in total.

 

[Scissors61]

That's awesome, I'm probably gonna go for the profire then! Thankyou to everyone who's helped me, you guys all rule!