The 'I love ProTools' thread

Ermz

Ermz

¯\(°_o)/¯
Apr 5, 2002
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Melbourne, Australia
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C'mon, don't tell me you didn't see it coming :cool:

I just wanted to try to describe in words the sheer JOY I feel when I work with this platform above all others. Something as simple as going through some guide tracks and adding tempos, meters and markers is an absolute breeze. The workflow it provides you with can almost be called musical. Hell I was just jamming out to the tracks I was marking.

I'm not even going to get into multi-track audio editing here because that would be a novel all on its own. Suffice to say that this DAW feels like an extension of myself whenever I use it. It is such a pleasure to jump to after being forced to mix in Cubase for a few days. It is leagues beyond in intuitiveness workflow, appearance, functionality, it's ridiculous.

Sure it has it's pitfalls like... well, namely Digidesign - Being hardware exclusive, not supporting VST/AU and a few other things. Even with all those drawbacks it's still my platform of choice for editing and tracking whenever possible. The designers obviously consulted professional audio engineers, and didn't leave things to chance like many other DAW makers. The fact that you don't need to surf through endless sub-menus with stupidly verbose options that may as well find their way into a literary jerkoff contest is an absolute boon for someone looking for expediency.

Anyway, this is a thread for PT users to share their thoughts about the platform. Likes and dislikes, and where we think Digi might take the platform in the future, given the impending obsolescence of TDM systems.
 
It's probably because I work primarily in REAPER, but whenever I open up protools I get overwhelmed and can't seem to accomplish anything, even simple things with ease. Only thing I really love it for is for beat detective. After drum quantizing is done, all my editing and mixing is done in reaper. Not bashing the program, maybe im just a stupid noob, but it always gives me a headache.
 
It's just a question of you needing to learn how it works, but once you do I think you'll agree with Ermz (as I do) about its intuitiveness. My favorite thing to do is to have key focus (the little a...z button) enabled for the edit window, so when editing I can easily turn groups on and off (just by pressing their corresponding key) for individual trimming, automation edits, etc., which is super-convenient! Same with the mix window, naturally
 
Also you can number your markers and jump to them via hotkeys to recall zoom settings, window settings, group settings. Essentially jumping from specific points from one end of a HUGE project to another in less than a second with maximum accuracy and augmentation to workflow. *jerk jerk jerk....*

I see people sometimes saying that they're overwhelmed by PT and that they like the different approaches of the less standard, less analogue-signal flow based DAWs. If you have a background in mixing audio solely on hardware and using a desk, tape machine, whatever... ProTools just feels the most natural. If you understand and have the background for it, it just makes sense. It isn't a matter of ProTools being overwhelming, as it's amazingly intuitive. You just have to have the mindset to latch onto that strand and roll with it.
 
Interesting tips guys, and I can see where you are coming from Ermz about needing to have knowledge in analogue audio to really understand pro tools. I started out with REAPER and have never really mixed anything on a full size analogue board. Maybe this could evolve into a WHAT I love about pro tools so you guys can rant specifically about what gets your panties so wet and guys like me might learn a thing or two. Just a thought...
 
Well I've never used analog stuff, but I totally agree PT is like it simply in the fact that it's not set up like a traditional computer program, with tons of sub-menus, obscure options, gargantuan right-click pop-up menus, etc. - very much WYSIWYG, to it's credit! Like I said, after learning on Cubase, it took me some time to get used to not being able to right click on things for any option I wanted, but once you learn their way it's much more streamlined IMO!

That said, I don't mean to be a dick Ermz, but you complain endlessly about the lack of intuitiveness and workflow in modern DAW's, but what do you expect us to be able to do about it? We're not software engineers, certainly not enough to design a DAW, and I doubt anyone who is comes here. Your solutions seem to be either sucking it up and learning the nuances of Reaper (or sticking with Cubase) or sucking it up and spending money on an HD1 rig, but I don't really see the point in all the ranting! Of course, you could say "well you don't have to read everything I post", but I love ya baby, and I can't resist :D
 
I was planning on buying Cubase 5 this summer, but I decided to at least give Reaper a try before buying cubase. I passed a couple of hours today in reaper, and sadly I'll stick to cubase(sadly because it would have saved me 300$ -_-). I found the GUI not intuitive at all, why so many keyboard shortcuts? Why isnt there buttons like arrow/scissors in the top? I also compose a lot more than I record/mix, and I hated how midi was working. And I still don't understand why you have to hold Ctr+Alt just to move the bar vertically. I think the DAW has a lotttt of good ideas, but the GUI is counter-intuitive a lot.

I think it is a good daw for people working with audio only and have the patience to learn all the 3653 keyboard shortcuts though, espeially for the price. The midi was the main thing that pushed me away from it.
 
Metaltastic said:
That said, I don't mean to be a dick Ermz, but you complain endlessly about the lack of intuitiveness and workflow in modern DAW's, but what do you expect us to be able to do about it? We're not software engineers, certainly not enough to design a DAW, and I doubt anyone who is comes here. Your solutions seem to be either sucking it up and learning the nuances of Reaper (or sticking with Cubase) or sucking it up and spending money on an HD1 rig, but I don't really see the point in all the ranting! Of course, you could say "well you don't have to read everything I post", but I love ya baby, and I can't resist :D
Click to expand...

To be honest this thread wasn't intended to be a bitching outlet. The only way I can relate to people how good I feel PT is, is by explaining how superior I feel it is to other DAWs.

I understand the predicament and bitching about it is beating the proverbial dead horse. I just had a situation where I had to use PTLE again to prepare for a session and I was amazed at how it's always like being welcomed with open arms. It is SO MUCH easier to work with than anything else I've tried.

What astounds me is that nobody has tried to challenge it on its own terms. All the other DAWs side step around and implement MIDI/loop/programming/self recording features, then tack a few audio editing things on here and there. Nothing comprehensive though.

Anyway, since Ryan is constantly beating it into me, I'll give the new Reaper 3 a proper try for some mix projects and see how it goes. That's provided it has hardware inserts. If it doesn't it, may as well be a piece of shit on a stick.
 
there is no doubt about it.. hands down, Pro Tools IS the most intuitive, elegant, streamlined, and powerful DAW.... i've tried them all, sticking with some for a few years at a time. i started in the mid 90's with Opcode Studio Vision, with Digidesign's Sound Designer II as my 2-track editor. from there i got Pro Tools 5.x with the old AudioMedia III card, and switched to Peak 3 as my 2-track editor.... but during that time i would still fire up Studio Vision for MIDI... PT just wasn't there yet... and to be honest i didn't even bother learning it very well as i was still recording on ADATS at the time.

after my illness, surgery, and recovery i had nothing to my name... i had to live a while with my family and was stuck for a few years with their PC... and i went through several DAWs, incl. Cubase, Cubase SX, Nuendo, Cakewalk, and Magix Samplitude, learning each very well and using each extensively during this time.

finally earned enough money doing guest solos and the odd mastering job with that PC to start to get back on my feet and purchase a new Mac G4 and Logic... but after a year or so i wanted to kill myself with Logic so i switched to Digital Performer... used that for a few years until i finally built myself back up to the point of getting enough serious work to justify the move to Pro Tools HD3 Accel. I had worked with PTHD a few times during the preceding years... an album i mixed at Suecof's place right after he first got his HD rig, and working with Andy at his place on The Clan Destined and the "Holocaust of Thought" track on Nevermore's TGE which i actually tracked on Andy's old PT Mix TDM system in his B-Room... and despite having never really learned it very well in the past with the small 5.x/AM3 rig i had, it was like coming home. i am absolutely fluent with this system and it was the easiest to learn of every DAW i've ever used.

In the last couple years, starting especially with 7.4, Pro Tools has closed the MIDI gap and, in my estimation, has leaped ahead of the pack in that regard. It is a very common phenomenon that a person having learned one complex system in fine detail, will feel that system must be superior to all others, simply by virtue of the fact that they know so well it's ins and outs... and don't recognize it's shortcomings as such, because they view the work-arounds that must be implemented to circumvent them as "normal" work-flow, and they haven't really worked much outside of that comfort zone. But anyone who's learned many or most of the world's DAW platforms to a more than just cursory "fooling around with it" level of facility, cannot but come to the same conclusion that i have. Pro Tools has the edge for multi-track recording, editing, and... with HD... mixing as well. period. full stop. endorama.

so let's us PT users get this thread going in the spirit of Ermz's request... to discuss, among PT users, what we like... shortcuts, work-flows, features, etc....

let's NOT have this turn into a thread where Reaper and Cubendo, et al users come to complain about digidesign or to rant about how awesome the DAW they use is. Make your own threads for that, suckahs! ;)
 
James Murphy said:
It is a very common phenomenon that a person having learned one complex system in fine detail, will feel that system must be superior to all others, simply by virtue of the fact that they know so well it's ins and outs... and don't recognize it's shortcomings as such, because they view the work-arounds that must be implemented to circumvent them as "normal" work-flow, and they haven't really worked much outside of that comfort zone. But anyone who's learned many or most of the world's DAW platforms to a more than just cursory "fooling around with it" level of facility, cannot but come to the same conclusion that i have. Pro Tools has the edge for multi-track recording, editing, and... with HD... mixing as well. period. full stop. endorama.
Click to expand...

so true
 
I used different DAW's in the past years: Sonar 3,4,7 and Logic but when I switched to Pro Tools (M-Powered) I immediatelly felt better. My workflow has improved immediatelly
 
Sorry James, I don't know if that Cubase/Reaper comment was pointed at me, but I wasn't trying to make a versus thread. I was just trying to share my limited personal experience, and I would love for this thread to blow up with PT tricks, as I stated before. Carry on:kickass:
 
Lasse Lammert said:
so true
Click to expand...

So you've finally come around too, Lasse?

I've noticed that so many people defend other DAWs to the death, faults and all - maintaining that most things can be done just as fast, if not faster than ProTools. At the end of the day, which workstation consolidates all of those features and makes them as darn easy and intuitive to combine? All seems to be about rose coloured glasses, as James alluded.

Knowing a system's ins and outs, and being able to circumvent them as part of 'normal' workflow procedure does not trump a system where those workarounds never have to be implemented in the first place.
 
Ermz said:
So you've finally come around too, Lasse?

I've noticed that so many people defend other DAWs to the death, faults and all - maintaining that most things can be done just as fast, if not faster than ProTools. At the end of the day, which workstation consolidates all of those features and makes them as darn easy and intuitive to combine? All seems to be about rose coloured glasses, as James alluded.
Click to expand...

yep a couple of months ago.
I still hate PT LE with a passion and w/o the toolkit I'd still say Cubase4 is far superior. (but I don't wanna have to discuss that any further).

BUT PTHD is a completely different thing and definitely the best and most professional DAW out there. I LOVE the opacity of the tracks in PT8 makes drumediting so much easier
 
That's a fair point. LE is very arbitrarily cut down. It hardly competes with full-featured native DAWs, but I do prefer to do all my editing on it over Cubase 3. Even without the MPT I don't mind so much. Agreed about the opacity.
 
FarBy0ndMetal said:
Sorry James, I don't know if that Cubase/Reaper comment was pointed at me, but I wasn't trying to make a versus thread. I was just trying to share my limited personal experience, and I would love for this thread to blow up with PT tricks, as I stated before. Carry on:kickass:
Click to expand...
nope, it was not pointed at anything or anyone specific.. just a general request for this thread.
 
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