Making the swith to Pro Tools

[The Unavoidable]

Heya guys. I'm a soundtech/engineer in training, and it has over the last years become one of my main interests (second only to actually playing music!) and
I am contemplating a future career in the field, or at least like a second job or a very serious hobby.

I have been using Cubase from day one, from a really lowbudget horror called Cubasis, to Cubase SX when I took a few classes and now Cubase LE at home.
So thats how I was born and raised, but now I'm thinking that it might be a drawback to only use Cubase.

So I was thinking that the next time around I get to upgrading my studio, which will be in a few months, I might get a Mbox 2 Pro Factory or something similar
and just cross the line. Since Pro Tools is pretty much standard in the audio buissness I though it might be a good idea to start working with it and getting familiar with it right away. And get access to some of the sweet digidesign exclusive plugins n shit

I'd really appreciate some input from techs with experiance, and anyone else who has some opinion on the subject!

 

[Ermz]

It depends what you need it for.

I find ProTools to be a ton more intuitive than Nuendo in all respects. Editing is easier, gain structure is more logical, the layout is more logical. I started on Cubase, not analogue, and PT still seems more intuitive to me. It's definitely a step ahead of Cubase/Nuendo in most regards IMO.

However, Pro Tools LE basically sucks. I have an mbox here, but it's only used as a dongle to run the software, and even then only used as a conversion/editing suite. LE caps you at 32 tracks, doesn't give you automatic delay compensation, surround sound, a ton of other things, and above all it forces you to use the shitty shitty shitty shitty Digidesign hardware. Now if you're only doing editing, you should be ok for the most part. If you want to mix, you'll feel a bit short changed. If you want to track.... good luck to you.

 

[greyskull]

do it

 

[Metaltastic]

+1 to everything Moonlapse said; granted, I taught myself Cubase through trial and error and learned PT through books and courses, so there are probably more intuitive ways of doing things in Cubendo that I don't know about, but I still WAY prefer working in PT. However, PTLE does indeed suck, not so much the program itself for me, but more the crappy interfaces you have to get to use it. Fireface and Reaper are soon to be my duo!

 

[006]

See, I'm completely opposite. I worked with PTHD professionally for a couple of years and HATED it. During that time I also had PTLE, which was worse than HD, and hated it too. I've always used Cubase as my personal DAW and prefer it over anything else I've tried, which is pretty much everything else out there except SAWStudio. I feel that Cubase is wayyy more intuitive and has a better layout (you don't have to go through nearly as much to do some things IMO) and not to mention that it is much more resource efficient. It all comes down to preference. You really have to try things out and see if you like it. All we can do is offer our opinions and experiences, YMMV.

That said, I do plan on getting an MBox Micro so that I have ProTools compatibility in case a project comes up that requires it. But it will only be to bounce out shit and import into Cubase for me to work on, haha.

~006

 

[The Unavoidable]

So there is no point in getting pro tools unless you get a HD setup? It's not like I have a problem with cubase, I'll gladly use it, I was just wondering if it may cause a problem later on or if it would be better to go PT.

 

[Metaltastic]

My vote is to get an MBOX2 Micro and Mitch Gallagher's "Pro Tools Clinic" (WAY better written than the official Digidesign coursework stuff, I've used both) read through it and do all the exercises, and use it whenever you need a refresher or to work on something you tracked in PT on another system. But it's not worth it to make it your primary DAW IMO.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

There's a reason everyone uses Pro Tools. I use PTLE less and less and Nuendo more and more, mostly because I'm doing more MIDI work. I suppose that makes me a nobody.

 

[The Unavoidable]

My vote is to get an MBOX2 Micro and Mitch Gallagher's "Pro Tools Clinic" (WAY better written than the official Digidesign coursework stuff, I've used both) read through it and do all the exercises, and use it whenever you need a refresher or to work on something you tracked in PT on another system. But it's not worth it to make it your primary DAW IMO.

That's actually a good idea, I might just do that. Like get a Mbox mini and do a few sessions with that until I got the jist of it. Thanks!

 

[Metaltastic]

No problem dude! And yeah, the Mini I think is what I meant; whichever is the small MBOX2 with two inputs (one mic preamp) & balanced outs, rather than the stupid USB dongle-interface with just a headphone out (cuz the small MBOX2 is only $50 more and still tiny, I can't believe anyone would go for the dongle-interface over it)

 

[The Unavoidable]

No problem dude! And yeah, the Mini I think is what I meant; whichever is the small MBOX2 with two inputs (one mic preamp) & balanced outs, rather than the stupid USB dongle-interface with just a headphone out (cuz the small MBOX2 is only $50 more and still tiny, I can't believe anyone would go for the dongle-interface over it)

Yeah, I saw that, lol. Like, the USB kind of thing was like 2.500 kr (and seemingly useless) and the mini was 2.995kr. Plus, the mini has a picture of Peter Tägtgren eating it!

 

[Gustavo_Loureiro]

You know that you don't HAVE to switch to protools, right?

It's not like I have a problem with cubase, I'll gladly use it, I was just wondering if it may cause a problem later on.

Cubase won't give you any problem

 

[Metaltastic]

Yeah, I saw that, lol. Like, the USB kind of thing was like 2.500 kr (and seemingly useless) and the mini was 2.995kr. Plus, the mini has a picture of Peter Tägtgren eating it!

Hahahahaha, sold! Do you happen to have a link to that pic?

 

[The Unavoidable]

Hahahahaha, sold! Do you happen to have a link to that pic?

 

[Metaltastic]

Thank you, that made my night.

 

[deathtotaliban]

In all honesty it just doesn't matter. Neither program (cubase/nuendo vs. PT) is better for any reason, its all personal choice/preference. In the end its all doing to the same thing...recording and editing audio clips. The only reason PT has made it into the audio world as an "industry standard" is because of superior marketing techniques and their ease of matching hardware with software neither of which change the recording process. Save some money and be smart, go with a Nuendo setup and you won't be disappointed. I have been using it for 5 years now and really have no complaints, except it's about time for a control surface but that has nothing to do with the program. Good luck dude

 

[Ermz]

Are there any good tutorials out there that can teach someone to use Nuendo half as intuitively as PT? I've got a video tutorial series, but all the guy seems to do is spend his time waxing on about how great and awesome Nuendo is, without really showing you any intuitive ways/shortcuts of doing things. I use it mostly out of necessity. Sure, it's resource usage is quite a lot smaller than PT, but with modern CPUs that barely matters anymore. I wish I liked Nuendo more than tools... it would make things a hell of a lot easier... but I've yet to find anything in Nuendo remotely as powerful as the smart tool, beat detective & elastic time. Plus the shortcuts... man, you can do anything in PT with the magic touch.

 

[greyskull]

The only reason PT has made it into the audio world as an "industry standard" is because of superior marketing techniques and their ease of matching hardware with software neither of which change the recording process.

Not quite matey....
the reason its the standard, is because not so long ago computers couldnt take the strain of recording complete session with stability
so digi made cards that took the strain offf the cpu.

So thats what studio used,
coz it worked,
and it was stable

Granted the worlds is far different from pro tools mix now (and thank god for that.... id sooner use le):Smokin:

 

[t-rave]

if your not looking at doing post don't bother with Nuendo...Cubase 4 has just about all the main audio features and the same interface...

 

[Tommy Gun]

I went from analogue boards and 2-inch tape and later ADATs, to Digital Hard Disk Mackie stuff, to Cubase (for about 4 years) and now I'm on to Pro Tools. I will work on any DAW, but after doing some records with Pro Tools, I definitely prefer it. That being said. I agree with METALTASTIC... Learn on a small, inexpensive unit. No sense in jumping in head-first when it's easier to test the water slowly.

BTW... Pro Tools is the easiest DAW I've ever learned to use. And LE is not that bad. Yeah, it's only 32 tracks until you buy the Production Bundle, which you should get anyway, so you'll have Sound Replacer and the other plugins that come with it. And the Plugin Latency is NOT that big of an issue. There are not that many RTAS plugins that use but so many samples. And you can compensate the latency, if you need to, on the fader in the mix window. As far as external plugins, you can go with the UA stuff that has automatic compensation built in to the PCI card. And I'm sorry, but if you need to run a shitload of external plugins that use THAT MANY samples, you probably shouldn't be working off of a low to mid level DAW like LE or Cubase or Reaper anyway. If you're packing that much heat in plugins/tracks/etc... You should be using HD.