Hard to make a suggestion, not really clear on your needs. What is it you need to do that SVP is not doing well enough anymore? Something about the audio? MIDI? GUI? Just stuff in general? What is lacking most, and how would you prioritize the most important features of a new system?

If I were doing nothing but midi, SVP would be perfect and I'd stay with it forever. For audio, it does an adequate job, but its audio editing is primitive, and it's a bit unstable (using 4.2.2 - tried the 4.5.1 upgrade, but it was totally unusable.)

The GUI is important - I'll be dealing with it every day. It is not as important as functionality (must not get in the way of making/remixing music.) It's also not as important as audio functionality/editing. It must be stable - I can't be doing constant restarts and re-takes. I would like to be able to take sessions to another studio for remixing or additional tracking. I would also like to be able to mix and dump (bounce-to-disk) without doing the DAT shuffle.

ProTools looks like it has the features I want in a program (like I said, I liked the fact that the midi editing windows looked like they were based on Master Tracks Pro, which I really liked for its simplicity and functionality - SVP was the only program with audio that came close) - but I'd like to get my feet wet before dropping 10k+ on a full system.

My partner wants to jump into Logic to use vst plugins (which we can now on SVP) and vst instruments (which we can't) - I like vst plugs as well, but i think the AS and RTAS plugs (as well as our outboard fx) will do just as well. Most vst instruments come in stand-alones - not a problem. Besides, Logic drives me crazy. I would never touch 80% of what's there - and refuse to pay for it. Ditto for Cubase.

Thanx
-PDN

Hi,
It sounds like there is probably no real need for Logic. Take a good long look at the MIDI features you need and what PT LE offers-- it IS limited in some respects, but I have not found that I miss any of those "features." I do not do a lot big MIDI production, but I think a lot of sequencers are littered with gimicks that PT LE avoids. Also, the interface is a lot different than most of other traditional MIDI sequencers (no sequence/song layout). Usually this has been a benefit.

If the MIDI functionality is PT LE cuts it (I would try the Free version on a project first), then it is a proven, stable and well-designed application. If not, you might also look at Digital Performer, which offers a lot of MIDI options and pretty decent audio as well.

Hope that helps...

Thanks for the help...

The midi features we need are really quite simple. I do need to make sure PT does record/edit controller messages (we use that quite a lot) and some rudimentary 'groove' quantizing (swing/percentage amount - I know PT does this)

I have tried the PTFree - but couldn't get the audio in on the mac to work. Out worked just fine, but no in (sound manager voodoo?) Our PC only has 64meg of ram, so it won't even load up.

As far as DP - I've used it before and it's not nearly as complex as Logic or Cubase, so it's a thought - I do wanna check out 3.0.

Thanx for the help guys!

-PDN

I've had 001 for over a year now, and my advice to you is to consider all of your possibilities before jumping into 001. The 001 is a decent little system for what it does, and its' price, but it is very limited when it comes to growth. If you take a good hard look at it and decide that it will do everything that you will ever need, right out of the box, and you find that the sound quality(?) is as good as you'll ever need, then great. Otherwise, take a good look around at your other options. My $.02 ...

You mentioned the learning curve.....
Well ProTools is just as steep, if not more steep than the rest.
But I think it is worth it.

If you get the 001, you'll want to use hotline ;) http:// http://www.tracker-tracker.com http://www.hotlinehq.com

PimpDaddy,

I was in your shoes at the end of last year, and the Digidesign promo video was the last factor in convincing me to buy the Digi 001.
First off, I don't use much MIDI at all, I actually steered clear of it altogether for the first 4 months I had the system. I generally use loops to build the basic arrangement of a song and start layering instruments afterwards.
I will say that in the past couple of weeks I have gotten back into MIDI for minimal rhythm sequences, and quite frankly, the 001 holds pretty well with MIDI editing and all. Sure, Logic or Cubase will offer more detailed parameters and overall MIDI editing features, but if you plan to use MIDI sparingly, I highly recommend it. It does quite a lot.
One thing to remember is that all the other packages were aimed at MIDI sequencing first, and audio recording as a bonus. With Pro Tools, it's the other way around.
The sound quality is incredible. Of course, that can vary from user to user, as things like what monitors used and what room you're in can alter our perception of what 'awesome sound" is. The mic pre-amps on the 001 are quite clean and in my opinion, better than a new Mackie board pre-amp.
One more thing to consider, perhaps two.
If you use a Mac, you can use DirectConnect, when using other apps like soft synths, which is a big plus us PC users don't have yet.
Now,plug-ins OK, no VST capability with ProTools but hey, have you heard the RTASplug-ins Yes, they're a little pricey, but well worth it. Besides, WAVES is releasing the Native Gold Bundle for RTAS this summer, perhaps it's already available for Mac, I'm not sure. In my opinion, these are some of the best pug-ins available.
At first, when considering the 001, you feel like they've cut many corners compared to other apps, but you'll come to notice quickly that 3rd part developers caught on and it's soon to offer a whole lot for a package that retails at $800.
Lastly, compatibilty with TDM systems. Considering all of the above, this feature alone makes it even more worthwile, as somewhere down the road, you may want to remix your home project in the 'big room'.
All I can say is, I've had the Digi 001 since January of this year, and not a moment's regret. The learning curve was evident, but after fiddling with it day in and day out, it's a question of (little) time before you can master it. It truly is an awesome package, which will only get better.

Just my $.02...(or perhaps $1)

pk