[MPA] ProTools

[Peter Kirn]

OS X DAWs:

Cubase SX and Logic for OS X are both getting rave reviews. Cubase SX 
gets my edge now because of its better support for VST and VSTi -- 
well, better's the wrong word, as Logic supports ONLY Audio Units 
plug-ins, an evolving format from Apple, and still lacks ReWire 
support. These are both excellent apps, in any event, I just would 
expect to continue booting into OS 9 for the next couple of months.

Digital Performer for OS X is what many of us are waiting for. The 
pre-release version is due this month at NAMM.

Anyone relying heavily on MIDI is likely to need one of these three 
apps in addition to Pro Tools; despite Pro Tools' beefed-up MIDI 
features, it's mostly geared at people only occasionally doing MIDI. 
All four apps are fantastic and all four are used by pros. It comes 
down to a matter of personal preference. Because of the prohibitive 
cost of switching, both in terms of time and money, I think the old 
advice still holds true: chances are you'll want to stick to the DAW 
you know.

One other note: if you just want multichannel audio at the entry-mid 
level, BIAS Deck is an option. I think Deck is a great choice for 
people doing multichannel audio for DV but musicians or people wanting 
the extra features in a DAW are better off spending a little more cash 
on the Digidesign, Emagic, MOTU, or Steinberg options.

Peter Kirn