Yes, unfortunately you have to buy the digidesign hardware to use the software. I find this annoying myself, and I don't care for pro tools enough (nor do i have enough money) to switch from my current MOTU set up.

what about that "MBOX 2" device, its the thing that looks like a flash drive with a headphone output, it sucks that i'd still have to pay 250 for it just to use beat detective. is there any other alternative?

There aren't any cheaper alternatives that I know of. If you're just looking to mix in PT, you could get the MBOX 2 and PT LE and be set to go. There are limitations with the software though. Limited track count, and some other things that I'm not super familiar with. I've used Pro Tools a bit, but like I said, to me, it's not worth it.

Is it worth $250 to use beat detective? Maybe you just need a more solid drummer! ;-P

well i know the drummers need to be more solid, but the drummers i deal with are young, and i want to get the best possible song out of them to help my business. there are about 5 large studios around me and they overcharge real bad, don't give two squirts about the band that comes in, doesn't help get them the sound "the band" wants and the band ends up wasting lots of money for sub par stuff when they come to me and love it and pay a 1/4 of what they had already paid. so with beat detective i'd be able to go that extra step in making the band sound great, and when a band sounds great the song/recording usually sounds great too.

you know, work smarter, not harder.

Most of the bigger recording studios around here are having problems making ends meet so it would surprise me that they would not do their darnedest to make sure the musicians are happy and want to return to their place over and over again. Maybe where you live it is different. If you have found the magic formula for working with this level of musicianship you should give yourself a big pat on the back and stick with it.

The one problem with recording in a large recording studio is that there are time constraints that many mid level recording studios do not have. I know a couple of places around that charge from the minute the band walks in the door and puts down the first piece of equipment to the time they close the door on the studio and the last piece of band equipment is loaded. If the band is not well rehearsed or is having personnel problems it maybe that they are not as efficient as they might be. What ever the cost per hour, rehearsing or working out the drummers girl friend's problems may make the total charges seem excessive but in reality it is the band themselves that determine the cost of the recording. If the band is going into the recording studio they should be ready to record and not be worrying about what key the song is in or what tempo the song is in. These details should have been figured out days or weeks before the recording date. If the drummer cannot play drums that is really NOT your concern - you should be more worried about making him sound good and not providing him with a program to fix up some uneven playing. But if it works for you and you can afford the freight then do it.

One problem has been, in my experience, that the bands want lots of flashy lights on the equipment and want all BRAND NAME - HIGH END equipment that kicks A$$ but they want to pay WAL-MART prices for the sessions. You basically cannot have it both ways. To have an SSL console and a top of the line equipment list you have to get that equipment from someone somewhere and that level of equipment does not come cheap nor are you likely to see it at you local GC or Sam Ash store.

Best of luck and it sounds like you have found your niche.

Thomas W. Bethel wrote: I know a couple of places around that charge from the minute the band walks in the door and puts down the first piece of equipment to the time they close the door on the studio and the last piece of band equipment is loaded.

We charge from the moment that the band was 'supposed' to walk in the door. :shock:

The m-boxII mini is your least expensive combination. You should be able to pick it up NEW on ebay for about $200.00
But you might find a used original Mbox which has more options for less $$$.

good call Natural.

would a used older mbox come with the software?

i found a bunch of very very inexpensive original mboxes on ebay, now will using the old software give me "beat detetive"

thanks again

Well, I have beat detective on Le 6.9. So it goes back at least that far.

I've never yet used it to quantize, but it's a great teaching tool/ humility inducer. I like to practice with PT and it's click track on. Usually that's a good enough visual indication of how accurately I'm playing. But it's also humbling to record without the click and throw on beat detective and see how far off I am. Good incentive to keep practicing. I highly recommend that you have the drummers watch while you do it. Might be good for them.

Once you narrow down your options, you'll want to go here:

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?navid=54&itemid=23954

This is a compatibility grid, It will map out what version of PT will go with what hardware, and OS depending on your computer platform.
Make sure that if you buy older software that the seller transfers to you the licence. this will enable you to upgrade the software to wherever you need to be.

But BobRogers is correct, BD goes back to at least V6.x

Somewhere on the DIGIDESIGN website or magazine ads should be a 1-800 #, just before you take the leap, call them with your plan. They're usually quite helpful.

Or you can buy a M-Audio Fast Track for 100U$.
Just for mix the songs.

mlukas wrote: Or you can buy a M-Audio Fast Track for 100U$.
Just for mix the songs.

I pretty sure that this doesn't include Protools software, so he would still have to shell out at least an additional $200.00 for the software.

natural wrote: [quote=mlukas]Or you can buy a M-Audio Fast Track for 100U$.
Just for mix the songs.

I pretty sure that this doesn't include Protools software, so he would still have to shell out at least an additional $200.00 for the software.ops, yes, it doesnt includes the software.
its just compatible.
my bad >