Hello I'm new here and need recommendations

[skylolo99]

Hi everyone-
I'm new here so please be kind. : )
I'm sure this subject has been spoken about ad nauseum here but please bear with me. I'm about to leave my Roland DAW for ProTools LE or something similar. I need advice on whether to go with a Macbook Pro or a similar powered PC Laptop. Also I was wondering if any of you folks had recomendations for recording software similar to ProTools LE or if I should stick with the ProTools.
Thanks so much,
Mark

[garageband]

Pro Tolls marries you to Digidesign hardware. Macs are more stable than PCs, not a small thing considering you are making a computer into a recording machine with lots of programs and drivers and data going everywhere and hardware being driven at once in real time.

[paul999]

I'm with garageband Mac and cubase. (although he didn't say the cubase part.). Welcome to the forum

[skylolo99]

Thanks for the quick responses.
Mark Cutler > Singer/Songwriter > Providence, RI

[garageband]

Die-hard Digital Performer user.

[mindundermatter]

I use Pro Tools, but if you don't want to be tied down to their hardware, there are lots of other viable options. I would go with the Macbook for the same reasons that were mentioned. It's more expensive, but it's also more reliable. You won't have any problems running whatever DAW you choose. If you do go Mac, you may want to consider Logic or DP, since they are Mac-based DAWs. Then you can use whatever interface you want.

[skylolo99]

Thanks folks-
OK - I just got the macbook pro (4 gig RAM and 500 gig hd) and I'm almost certain to get protools with mbox 2.
I have a naive question - will I be able to do mixes on the macbook without the mbox 2 interface attached?

[garageband]

will I be able to do mixes on the macbook without the mbox 2 interface attached?

No, it's great question. It, to my mind, is the single best reason not to use Pro Tools. PT will not run unless it can see a piece of Digi hardware. This makes your interface essentially a dongle. Want to work on something on another computer or laptop on-the-go? You'll need to unhook your interface and let Little Brother tag along.

I'm almost certain to get protools with mbox 2.

This is a very odd to conclusion to arrive at considering what's been said. How did you decide this?

[skylolo99]

Thanks for the response-
The reason I'm almost certain to get pro tools is because the studio where I do my main tracking uses pro tools and I wanted my system to be able to talk to theirs. Are there other solutions? (As I said earlier- please excuse my ignorance- I've been using an old Roland to record demos and I'm just getting into this arena) : )

[garageband]

I wanted my system to be able to talk to theirs

Another great question. This is a common misconception. Your outside studio will be able to generate and use standard audio file formats to both import to and export from your personal system. It's very common these days for the individual to generate track in one DAW to be flown into a different environment. It's not a big deal and takes about a minute to import them and slap them up where they need to go.

The usefulness of opening up whole projects as seen in the studio is somewhat diminished by the fact you are unlikely to have the same plug-ins you have.

Your DAW should reflect your personal situation, not dictate yours. The hardware thing is really big. Look at the Digi site and hardware very hard. If you go PT, those are the only interface options you'll ever have. I can plug in a 003 and DP will run through it just fine. A PT user can't use my Fireface, which is a vastly superior box.