Crossroads: MOTU with Logic or ProTools LE 002 with ProT

[joshuafavela]

Hello fellow studio junkies. I am at a crossroads. I have decided to go Mac like most of you big boys out there.
Now the question is MOTU 828 via Logic 5 Platinum
or the Pro Tools LE 002 via Pro Tools (I think it comes with entry level)?
RecorderMan made a point about setting myself up for the future by going Logic since Mac now owns it.
Express which direction you would go.....and why.
Keep in mind the $ and cents aspect of things.
I am ambitious about my home studio but am not a millionare......yet.
Your opinions are anticipated. Thanx!
Joshua - the newest newbie

 

[niconic]

joshua both are great options!
the 828 is a great unit especially the new version (mk2)
Logic rocks! stable powerful, lots of good hosted plugins good audio engine
the only drawback:not the most intuitive soft for a beginner (compare to Cubase sx for example)
the new digi oo2 rack sounds like an amazing deal
1290$ u get the firewire rack with 4 pres (only 2 for the motu) which should sound good cause theyre focusrite, and the rest is more or less similar
to the 828 but for this price u also get the software (Logic cost almost 1000$), ProTools LE 6 is awsome: really stable too and the editing is the best . plus u can export your protools sessions in a lot of studios keeping ur presets...
the drawback here is the midi part which is a bit poor compare to Logic's. (but sufficient for some
musicians)and its limited to 32 tracks (which should be enough for home studio.)
Now its up to you !

 

[lorenzo gerace]

Hi

First of all: I'm a Pro Tools user at heart, both LE and TDM; this doesn't mean I'll have a biased opinion, just to let you know ...

OK, do you plan on doing more MIDI or audio?

To me this is a major factor in deciding which system is right for you; hardware wise the two unist are similar, firewire, mic pres, monitor section, MOTU has come out with some great interface lately like the 2408MK3, Digidesign upgraded the entry level serie with better converters (they are said to be better than the "old" 888/24 and to fall near the HD line) so I think either way you'll be fine.

If MIDI is your thing then Logic is the way to go, for its better implementation and MIDI capabilities, and flawless integration to Macs, on the other side I think it's one of the most "unintuitive" programs for audio applications (I wonder how they called it "Logic"?), and that's where Pro Tools comes in: for audio editing and mixing I think PT is the best, even in its LE incarnation, plus it would allow you compatibility with bigger TDM or HD studios when you project studio isn't enough.

Since the hardware side is similar and thru ADAT and SPdif digital I/O could allow future expansion (like better A/D ,RME, Apogee, you name it) a good solution could be to get the 002 (or 002R if you don't need the control surface) and get Logic that is fully supported via Direct I/O drivers on Digidesign hardware; this way you'd be able to use Pro Tools for the audio tasks and tap into Logic for MIDI stuff (or when 32 tracks with TDM voice style aren't enough), the best of both worlds.

I wonder how these babies will work with the new G5...(and I'm a PC user...)

Hope this helps

L.G.

 

[kierankelly]

I am going to keep this simple .

if you do lots of outside projects (pro tools )

if you do lots of midi ( logic )

use lots of plug ins ( pro tools) They are the best

if you are a guitarist or anything other than a keyboard player ( pro tools )

if you need to print lead sheets or sheet music ( logic )

I have used both and think pro tools is much more user friendly , but you may want more paramter controls

hope that helps a little

 

[golli]

Just to clarify one thing: the 002/002r dont have Focusrite pres, only the Mbox version has Focusrite.
But I'm a Pro-Tools user and love it.

 

[Ras Judah]

Greetings All,

I have a question. I was under the impression that the 'prosumer' version(s) of PT - LE (Free) - weren't upgradeable to the higher versions - Mix, TDM. Is this correct?

I was also lead to believe that work done in LE (or Free) could not be transferred to the higher versions. Have I been mislead?

Sorry to butt in on Joshua's thread but I'd like to know for certain.

TIA

 

[JensenBohren]

I have a question. I was under the impression that the 'prosumer' version(s) of PT - LE (Free) - weren't upgradeable to the higher versions - Mix, TDM. Is this correct?

I was also lead to believe that work done in LE (or Free) could not be transferred to the higher versions. Have I been mislead?

Pro Tools LE uses only your computer to do all of its processing and plug ins. The Mix and HDTDM systems have special cards you install into your computer that do most of the work, keeping your actual hard drive free for the basic things the computer needs to do.

As for bringing an LE .pts file into an HD or Mix system, it works just fine, unless there are some incompatabilities... in that case, they will be deactivated. The place where you might get messed up is when you take a Mix or HD that is saved in the most current file format and try to bring it into Pro Tools Free. Free doesn't recognise the .pts file, as it uses an older .pt5 file type. I believe there is a way to "downgrade" your sessions by doing a Save Session Copy In... then editing some of the options, but I've never bothered doing it.

 

[kierankelly]

I was also lead to believe that work done in LE (or Free) could not be transferred to the higher versions. Have I been mislead?


No as long as you have the same plugins used on both TDM and LE systems it will be fine . I do sessions on both weekly. Remember though if a plugin is TDM it will open as an RTAS plugin in LE and you may have proformance issues. The short answer is they transfer back and forth with no problem if you are careful how you lay your session out

 

[Alécio Costa - Brazil]

I use PT 5.1.1 TDM under OS 9.2. I have been able to open sessions from Digi 001 and PT HD once they use "save session copy in " /PT 5.1.
However, if you want to cross plattforms ( MAC x PC), you shall end up needing some joliet extensions. Also important:
To avoid problems , use the functions:
(x)Reinforce Mac/PC compatibility;
(x)WAVE
save BAK CDr-s as ISO9660.


:

 

[lorenzo gerace]

Originally posted by JensenBohren:

The Mix and HDTDM systems have special cards you install into your computer that do most of the work, keeping your actual hard drive free for the basic things the computer needs to do.

I belive you meant that your CPU is free, as the role of the drive is identical in both TDM and LE systems: it only keeps the audio data on, while the processing is handled by the CPU (in the LE systems) or the farm cards (in the TDM and HD systems).

L.G.

 

[mardyk]

I, for one, don't really agree that audio editing is superior in ProTools. It depends on what you're used to. Now, with Logic 6, you have most of the editing capabilities of Protools and then some. The midi side of PT is laughable IMO. Audio in Logic is awesome these days. For composition it's a dream to use. The only thing I miss in Logic/Native is Rtas and audiosuite plugins. On the other hand you have the UAD and Powercore Cards with fantastic plugins. The UAD versions of the la2a and 1176 are great. The only thing I use Protools for nowadays is Analog Channel which IMO is the best plugin in the world.

Best,
Mardyk