Pro Tools LE is the best multitrack editor with the shortest learning curve there is IMO.

You can get it for PC or Mac for $450 with an MBOX.

Pro Tools Free is OK for 24 tracks of just editing as well. And runs on PC or Mac. If you do not need to do track transfers Free could be the way to go.

Dan,
(IMO) You should just go into a DAW system. Stand alone stuff becomes a doorstop in just a few years or even months. The price of a computer / interface / software system has finally gotten to the point that it is more affordable, sounds ok, and works well. Use it a couple of years and then get a new and better one. It's where its going and you can't fight it. I hate it but presently it seems sonic fidelity isn't as much of a factor any more among the considerations when purchasing recording systems. If it was all the manufacture's would still be producing analog recorders and mixers and people would still be buying them. Your time and hard earned cash is much better spent on a DAW computer set up. Once you get your feet wet you won't be sorry. Good Luck, Fats

I suggest a Mac with Pro Tools. It is the most stable and consistant platform out there IMO. You can start with the entry level stuff, like mentioned earlier and work your way up to the high powered 192k stuff with out a learning curve. No other option offers this flexibility.

Macs are very easy to learn and understand. They are more stable becuase the hardware/software developers have less variables to take into consideration (ei. different mother boards, OS types, etc.). This makes for designing a predictable solution.

HTHs

Darren
http://www.dixondigital.com

Well, I was speaking about a windows PC. They are half the price and are getting fast enough to do even what a Mac is capable of. It just takes a little more configuring to make it happen. A Dual 1800 AMD with 1 gig of memory and 2 - 80 gig drives, one of them swapable, just cost me around $1600. To me it made more sense because in every 12 months there will be 2 new generations of Mac. Apple releases a new system every 6 months and at $3500 per who can afford that unless your a commercial facility charging $100 or more an hour? With a windows PC, I can upgrade every 12 to 18 months, getting new OS and Production software (and it's "getting better all the time") to boot. In addition sample rates and formats will continue to evolve and this way it is less costly to continually upgrade to the latest converters and sample rates. Digidesign just announced a new LE 32 track 96 k system for $2500 and it looks killer! Even though I just went with a 24 bit Cubase system, now I can hardley wait to upgrade to that. See what I mean........Fats

What a load of bollocks. PC's are as stable if not more so than MAC's these days.

Anyway, it all depends on you're budget. A full-blown Pro-Tools sytem with enough DSP, I/O's and a control surface, is going to cost way more than going with some of the other things you mentioned. Something most sales guys are going to avoid telling you. They liek to get you hooked, and then you'll find yourself spending more and more money to be able to do what you really need to do.

Also, Mackie has a special right now if you buy a D8B.

The RADAR stuf is supposed to sound realy good.

So the first thing is to figure out what you'r buget is, and takle it from there.

dan, you might also get good input on this subject on the Daw side of the board...

"Luke, I am your fatha! Come to the Daw side!"
:D

P.S. Check out the dual amd post about the machine Opus is building for Santana :eek: