Sounds Like You Got the Solution to Your Problem?

I'd say don't be fake. Go with eight.

Ms. Remy Ann David

ProTools MPowered, he said in the other thread.

You might as well sell your copy of ProTools as well, as you will have to buy it afresh with the M-Audio gear.

Thanks for the post's guys...
Does anyone have experience with the the ProFire 2626 or the NRV10?

Can the NRV10 be used as a standalone mixer?

-mark

Pro tools employs some pretty expensive dongles.

the Alesis IO26, while not being the greatest interface ever (but is fairly decent for the price and has reasonable drivers), is still miles better than anything offered by M-Audio or Digidesign in that price range.

Don't fall for the pro tools m-powered hype. Almost any other sequencer is better IMHO and nothing else ties you to hardware (fairly poor to at best marginally satisfactory hardware for PTLE/M-Powered).

RemyRAD wrote: Sounds Like You Got the Solution to Your Problem?

I'd say don't be fake. Go with eight.

Ms. Remy Ann David

HAH!

This was edited after I posted yet no edit stamp is at the bottom of the post. It also makes my post which follows make no sense.

I call shenanigans!

fmw, what do you mean with "Pro tools employs some pretty expensive dongles." ???

The Alesis was only about $400 bucks or so, and a similar equiped M-audio device is about $800...but i know that in the $400 range, you can get nothing close from M-audio...but I was hoping that the NRV10 or the ProFire2626 for about $800 dollars would have as good or better quality than the Alesis IO26.

I'm sure there must be someone here who has seen or used a NRV10 or ProFire2626?

I thought ProTools was "industry standard" "cats ass" "the only one to use" of the recording software, and because you pretty much have to use their devices, so they cant be that bad, can they???

It sounds like ProTools/M-Audio is not all its cracked up to be?

Thanks!
-mark

The M-Audio interfaces you mention have more I/O connectivity but I don't think the quality will be any better than the IO26, in spite of the price.

What you must remember is that Pro Tool HD, as used in most studios is totally different. It does not have much of the severe limitations that Protools LE and M-Powered have. It has an advantage in that you can bring your projects in to a PTHD studio and mix it within a compatible file system. The newest versions also have a good elastic audio timestretching. But that's about the only advantages.

Disadvantages - restricted number of audio tracks (32 in v7 and 48 in v8), no plugin delay compensation, less MIDI features than almost everything else, ties you to hardware which can only be graded as 'satisfactory' when excellent equivalents exist for other platforms, etc.

However, you must choose your own path. You might find that you like the system, it might work better for you given that it provides more compatibility. You might not be hamstrung by the restrictions if your work is more audio based and not requiring a large track count, and you might not find it too inconvenient to have to enter plugin delay compensation values manually.

I just believe that if you demoed other sequencers, you are more likely than not to prefer the GUI and the extra functionality and freedom to choose your audio interface to have a better quality signal path and less driver issues than M-Audio interfaces typically seem to deliver.

And believe me, there are PLENTY of people who believe and follow the hype of pro tools. The name and reputation conjures up images of greatness that is only partially true.

The M-Audio interfaces you mention have more I/O connectivity but I don't think the quality will be any better than the IO26, in spite of the price.

What you must remember is that Pro Tool HD, as used in most studios is totally different. It does not have much of the severe limitations that Protools LE and M-Powered have. It has an advantage in that you can bring your projects in to a PTHD studio and mix it within a compatible file system. The newest versions also have a good elastic audio timestretching. But that's about the only advantages.

Disadvantages - restricted number of audio tracks (32 in v7 and 48 in v8), no plugin delay compensation, less MIDI features than almost everything else, ties you to hardware which can only be graded as 'satisfactory' when excellent equivalents exist for other platforms, etc.

However, you must choose your own path. You might find that you like the system, it might work better for you given that it provides more compatibility. You might not be hamstrung by the restrictions if your work is more audio based and not requiring a large track count, and you might not find it too inconvenient to have to enter plugin delay compensation values manually.

I just believe that if you demoed other sequencers, you are more likely than not to prefer the GUI and the extra functionality and freedom to choose your audio interface to have a better quality signal path and less driver issues than M-Audio interfaces typically seem to deliver.

And believe me, there are PLENTY of people who believe and follow the hype of pro tools. The name and reputation conjures up images of greatness that is only partially true.

leedsquietman, that was a great reply. Thank you!

...no plugin delay compensation...Are you talking for plug-ins like VST's and such? Does most other recording software programs (like cubase4 or sonar) have auto plugin delay compensation?

Very good, honest post. Thank you again!
-mark

edit...

Are there any other software programs that have good elastic audio time stretching (quantizing of audio files?)

Greener wrote: ...It also makes my post which follows make no sense.

Most of your posts don't make sense anyway. ;)

unclejemima wrote: fmw, what do you mean with "Pro tools employs some pretty expensive dongles." ???

It is just a criticism of software that requires a particular piece of hardware in order to run. I can't tell you how many issues I've encountered with software that uses dongles over 20 years in the computer business. Turning the dongle into a mixer or recording interface doesn't change a thing. If every sequencer and piece of recording software used a dongle, I would go back to a mixer and hard drive recorder. So far Pro Tools and Cubase are the only ones so I have lots of other fine choices.

unclejemima wrote: ensation...Are you talking for plug-ins like VST's and such? Does most other recording software programs (like cubase4 or sonar) have auto plugin delay compensation?

In Pro-Tools M-Powered and LE you have the Ctrl-Click on the green volume indicator on the mixer. This will display the latency in samples. Then you have to add a delay compensator in your chain. So they have made it a manual processes. In HD and almost all other DAW software it is automatic. I don't think it's a big deal. The elastic audio, general quality of the built in plug ins, and work flow make it worth it for me. Before Pro Tools I used to use Samplitude.

pr0gr4m wrote: [quote=Greener]...It also makes my post which follows make no sense.

Most of your posts don't make sense anyway. ;)

Fair call. :P

perhaps ProTools 8 (due out soon???) will address the delay compensation?

It doesn't.

It seems weird to me that someone with Samplitude would ditch it for Protools LE/M-Powered.

Samplitude is universally acknowledged as having excellent plugins in the box, heck, they even sell their plugins to users of other DAWS now.

I don't think the stock protools LE/M-Powered plugins are any better than Cubase, and I think Logic, Sonar and Samplitude all have better. Yes, you can buy 'bomb factory' upgrades or whatever that do include nice plugins, for extra cost.

Do you have the chance to play around with ptmp on your brother's setup. You should maybe try that out and compare it against using Cubase LE with your IO26 and see which you prefer.

Other DAWS with good timestretching are the elastic audio in SOnar, Reaper. Cubase is OK but not as up to date. Logic is still missing a good time stretching option and Ableton Live was the first with elastic audio, but they are using a less expensive algorithm right now.