Thread: On the Avid Frontline

Here's more to stoke the fire a bit. Make sure you read the conversations below the article. Some interesting points.

AIR Virtual Instruments Set*Free - Pro Tools Tips, Tricks & More... - Pro Tools Expert Blog

The severing of Pro Tools from the lower level hardware of MBox and the Digi 00x line always gave them the opportunity to sell off this part of the business. It's never been (to my mind) part of their core business and they may be finding that they are selling as much software with an iLok dongle as they were with a 003 or Mbox dongle.

To me, they are first and foremost a software company. (Those who paid for all that HD equipment may disagree.) I've had some problems with PT10 recently. So I'd like to see them become a better software company. (I don't understand why things are acting up now when they didn't a few months ago.)

Originally Posted by hueseph

Here's more to stoke the fire a bit. Make sure you read the conversations below the article. Some interesting points.

AIR Virtual Instruments Set*Free - Pro Tools Tips, Tricks & More... - Pro Tools Expert Blog

As you say, the comments are interesting. There are definitely people who want a vertically integrated system with all/most of their hardware and software provided by the same company. Apple has had this model forever. It cost them market share in the PC market and has brought Apple near bankruptcy many times. Avid tried that model, but is now clearly abandoning it. We will see. I see a lot of free advice offered to Avid on audio forums. This advice comes from people in the recording business.

I said it many times before...

Avid's NEVER thought of audio as one of it's core businesses... it's broadcast and film... with a nod to audio, as it's necessary to carry the message of the images.

I think that Avid, along with many of the other players in the audio market, bent to the wind in thinking that there was indeed a profitable market in audio. I think that they are seeing that the winds of change are blowing that margin into a dust storm of nonexistent profits.

Hopefully, they'll lead the heard again in dropping this folly of prosumer audio and get back to serving the professional markets with better tools that have a better integration of professional audio as part of their market focus in film, broadcast and professional video.

My humble $.02 worth

More on this.

The Avid News We Didn't Want To Break:*Comment - Pro Tools Tips, Tricks & More... - Pro Tools Expert Blog

I realize that many who use Pro Tools are already subscribed to Pro Tools Expert Group. I'm posting this for the benefit of the rest of us who are not and who might be interested. Could the economy and the file sharing epidemic affect the rest of the Major DAWs?

Avid is heavily invested in the professional market for television and film. In that market, today, their competition is gaining ground. So just like before when Digi Design and essentially went out of business and was absorbed and purchased by Avid, it's happening all over again. Though I also think this could mean the end since they needed this huge influx of cash by selling off its lower end audio stuff to those other companies. As has been indicated, Pro Tools 10 is having its problems. So instead of devoting money, time and resources to that, they are going after the higher ticket broadcast and film industry. This is nothing new in today's economy. Everyone else's software has progressed to the point where ProTools is not as highly regarded as it once was. Most everyone else's software now offers features that have surpassed ProTools. It failed once before and it is failing again. It's rats abandoning a sinking ship. Rats aren't dumb. And they can generally swim better than people. So the rats are migrating to other floating vessels. All the while the humans are flailing at Avid to save the ship with all hands manning the bilge pump's. They are desperate to preserve their high ticket items and are throwing all unnecessary weight overboard. And for those that have purchased the original high ticket, high definition, heavy hardware laden systems, those too have become archaic and unnecessary in our newer computer age. It makes perfect non-sense to those with a sense of cents while we all smell the death and rotting scent of death. I mean to say, how the heck did Ampex die? They had a stronghold in the entire broadcast and recording industry. They were technology leaders. They created some of the first digital optic devices you would find that every single television production facility and broadcast center. Why should this be any different for Avid? Notice even Sony is keeping rather quiet these days. And why should the cost of LEDs that have been around since the early 1970s suddenly skyrocket in price? They are still no different than a simple transistor. Transistors have come down in price while LEDs have increased. What does this tell you? It's all based upon greed. Greed is the prevailing factor in all business plans. People migrate to where the greed is best. Supply versus demand would normally indicate that LED light bulbs should not cost any more than an old-fashioned lightbulb. But today, these new LED lightbulbs are $30 each. So three light bulbs is equivalent in costs to a SM 57. What's with that? Greed. It's a simple equation even for a mathematical moron like myself.

Who needs math when we have greed?
Mx. Remy Ann David

Incidentally, they are maintaining the MBox line AFAIK. It's M-Audio that is going. Along with Pinnacle Studio and the rest of that line. It's going to be Pro Tools and Media Composer from here on in. There is speculation that they are preparing the company to be sold. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. Look what Yamaha did with Steinberg, another Pinnacle line.

By Jove, I think you've hit the Nail on the coffin? Their stronghold in the television industry, like Ampex Before it, is being replaced by the other total control systems such as Dalet. Which not only integrates Master control but the entire news departments and production departments. This world is a changin'. So I wouldn't be surprised if even analog magnetic recording tape also has a resurgence in the not-too-distant future? You know, what's old becomes new again to others. There are still folks that are utilizing Sony's linear digital tape recorders. So why shouldn't others also jump on that bandwagon? It's more easily accomplished with today's technologies than it was 20 years ago. And linear digital tape does not crash. Haven't we all been burned by that? Maybe I should hang onto my DA 88's? LOL. Not! Those are rotating head and not as infallible as linear digital tape. Pinnacle has changed hands now numerous times.

My head is spinning just like my disk drives
Mx. Remy Ann David