My inital thoughts on Softube Console 1

After reading the press release there are some thing I like and don't like about console 1. First of all if the price is right this could be a good seller. There really aren't any good controllers out there except the euphonix series that avid purchased that handles plugins. I don't like that it can only be used with softube plugins because they don't have basic plugins to me, like a simple compressor or parametric EQ, but I guess this is what the channel strip that comes with it will take care of. The “4k” in the name UK 4k makes me think SSL 4k at first thought. I don’t like that the console channel strip will not be separate plugin release, and only comes bundled with the console 1. They said there will be other console emulations to follow, so that is good. I use more than softube plugins when I mix so I would be between the mouse and controller a lot. I'm also not crazy about putting an insert across every channel in my session when mixing. I am not a fan of those type of plugins at all. I'm also not crazy about the fact that if I purchase this it will be yet another piece of hardware occupying a USB port on my computer. Lets face it. Computers don't come with 8 usb ports. And USB hubs can be flaky. But I digress. I also don't see a display on the unit that shows the name of the track you're on, which would be helpful. But  what it comes down for me is what can I do with this that I can't do with a mouse? And would this be faster than using a mouse? With everyone so use to mixing with a mouse to turn plugin knobs, this would be new workflow to learn. I will admit that sometimes mixing with a mouse can be frustrating. Especially when you go to turn the gain up on a plugin 1db, and as you move your mouse away the knob gets cranked to the max. (This happens to me a few times during a mix because of the apple mouse I use and where the scroll position is.) When I think of it I would prefer to use a knob or fader over a mouse. Also if I'm looking at the controller turning knobs I am not focused on what's on the screen and would focus on the sound more. From that aspect I would love it! I would be open to giving this a try though and see if it speeds up my workflow. I like what where Softube is going with this though, and I look forward to see where it is headed.

My Initial Thoughts On Pro Tools 11

So Pro Tools 11 was announced last week and learning more about what it has to offer, here are my thoughts. So far am I not impressed. I really expected Avid to blow our minds with 11, or come out swinging with aggressive pricing. Neither which happened. What we got was the same old Avid. Could Avid really have met expectations? Pro Tools 11 has to be the most highly anticipated DAW release of my generation. So why has Pro Tools 11 disappointed me so far? Lets look at the obvious.

• new features mostly include features other DAW’s had for years
• exclusive new features are nice but no wow factor, or only available with HD
• upgrade cost still way more than other daws.

So starting with my first bullet point, we got what we figured we would get. Mainly 64 bit and offline bouncing. So do this really surprise anyone? I think not. So since I’ve been using these features for years on other daws its not a big deal to me to finally see them come to Pro Tools. I was more so looking forward to new features. The ability to set separate input and output buffer sizes are nice, but not jaw dropping. The gain reduction in the meters are nice but I didn’t see a -db labeling for it and it is only available for HD. Lastly the price. I have never seen Avid run a sale for Pro Tools. And its no question this is a huge release for the them. Its no secret a lot of people will be hesitant to move to pro tools 11 in fear of losing plugin to the new AAX format and other incompatibility issues. (Great thing Avid announced Pro Tools 10 and 11 can live on the same computer.)  So I would think they would do what they can to get as many users possible over to 11. And what better way to attract customers than offering an attractive price? Now I know Avid’s financial situation has been in red for a while and they need all the money they can get, but they have to realize they aren’t the only DAW around anymore. Lets look a basic upgrade pricing from other competing DAWs.

• Cubase v.6 to v.7 ($199)
• Cubase v.6.5 to v.7 ($149)
• Studio One pro v.1 to v2.5 ($149) **which I got for $99 on sale**
• Sonar X2 producer v.1 to v.2 ($119)

To upgrade from Pro Tools 10 to 11 is $299. pretty much the same it has always been. More than the competition. The full price of Pro Tools 11 is $699, which if I’m not mistaken is a $100 more than Pro Tools 10 was. All of the DAWs listed above are cheaper than $699 at full price. Now some may argue that Pro Tools is for “Pro” users justifying the steep price. In my opinion all DAW’s basically do the same thing, and there are plenty pro engineers NOT using Pro Tools. I personally know two Grammy winning engineers not using Pro Tools. One uses Cubase, and the other uses Studio One (thanks to me introducing him to it). However I do feel that Pro Tools 11 gaining features like 64 bit and offline bouncing will help the DAW market because it greatly reduces the gap between other DAWs. This will force innovation as everyone will look to set their product apart from the rest. The next wave of DAW versions will be very interesting!

Though the acting is exaggerated to me, from a marketing and advertisement view I like it. Check out Avid's Introduction to Pro Tools 11 video.

Comment and let me know your thoughts on Pro Tools 11