[bilco]

Quality: 9
I'll give this a 9 because it doesn't have notation or the awesome MIDI features of some aps and it does not have ADC. But dollar for dollar, I don't think you can find a more powerful set of editing tools for audio. It is compatible with many (I want say all) pro recording studio facilities. A PT LE session recorded in my bedroom will open up seamlessly in a PT HD studio in Nashville or anywhere.

It is intuitive to use for a newbie that just wants to lay down some tracks in a hurry, yet it goes as deep as the most experienced audio engineer could want to go when it comes to editing features. You don't have to understand or use all of those features to get good quality recordings, but they are there if and when you need them.

I like that they have kept the view in the windows consistent from PT 5.0 all the way up through PT 7.X. I like that consistency (unlike the move from Cakewalk Pro Audio 9, which I liked the layout of to Sonar, which I don't like at all.) Not everyone has to have or needs to have or should have Pro Tools, but I maintain it is a GREAT audio recording and editing application.

Reliability: 10
Of course PT LE Users are locked into using Digidesign hardware, but because they are, the reliability of this software should be very high. For me it has been. 5.1, 6.4 and 7.3 have all been very reliable and stable, even 5.1 on Win 98SE was solid. I don't think it ever crashed in and of itself. Now that I have moved to the Mac side, I have machines that literally never have crashed for me and the software is just as stable, reliable and consistent on the Mac as any software can possibly be. The reliability issues that folks run into are in my opinion caused by:

1. The bandwidth limitations of USB for the Mbox1 and Mbox2 series. Same thing with Firewire; it's better than USB, but nothing else is going to have the bandwidth or stability of a PCI card. The Audiomedia III card and Digi001 that I had and have given to friends are still rock steady pieces of hardware that will last a long, long time and PT 5.1 and 6.4 software that went with them is pretty much crash proof in my experience.
2. Problems are caused because someone did not RTFM!!! I know there are legitimate complaints about Pro Tools LE, but most of the pleas for help I see about PT LE (or ANY audio software!) are the result of people being in too much of a hurry to read the documentation, research the compatibility documents and setup the software and hardware in EXACTLY the order and way that it is specified in the installation guides. I mean, I even got PT Free to work on a PC because I specifically went out and bought a machine that Digidesign recommended. PT LE is picky about the configuration and it takes following the instructions to get it done, but I have never had the hiccups and stuttering and dropouts in PT that I used to have in Cakewalk.

Overall Rating: 9
I have to preface this by saying that, just like the Borg, I have been assimilated. I am a dyed in the wool PT fanatic now and I really can't see ever needing to move to a different recording ap. I had been a fairly contented user of Cakewalk, Cool Edit Pro, Sound Forge and n-Track, but none of them accomplished exactly what I wanted. Cakewalk Guitar Tracks Pro was very intuitive to use out of the box, but the editing was limited and I really object to the whole "you can't sell this to anyone or we excommunicate you forever" concept. I bought the damn software. I should be able to sell it if I feel like it. Plus, it was really glitchy and unpredicatable. So, I began looking at Pro Tools. I started with a download of Pro Tools Free and in spite of its many shortcomings, I had fun using it and got hooked, which was of course, the intention they had in mind by giving it away for free. I looked for the cheapest way to get into LE and found a used Audiomedia III card on ebay and paid Digidesign $50 for a CD of PT LE 5.1. That combination still works great, is rock solid and I just recently gave it to the son of a friend who needed a recording rig and doesn't have money to get one. Digidesign lets us tranfer the ownership of the hardware and software and sell it to whoever we want to. Fax in the paperwork and they register the new user. Civilized and a big plus in my book. Hear that Cakewalk?