Never Mind The ProTools,
It’s a New Wave of DAWs!

by Drew Townson

Ten years ago, five years ago, heck, maybe even three years ago, the concept behind Digidesign’s ProTools TDM platform made a lot of sense. In order to perform advanced DAW tasks such as multitrack recording, mixing, sequencing, a computer needs to be able to handle a lot of DSP (digital signal processing). That computer needs an ultra-fast processor, a fast bus speed and lots of RAM. Well, in nineteen ninety-something, the average desktop PC didn’t have the juice to crunch these tasks at a high level. So TDM was the right solution, moving the operation to the “outboard” TDM mix-cards. Now, simply put, that premise has changed. There are Mac G5s and Windows PCs that are so powerful and lightning fast, they could arguably be referred to as “supercomputers”. This has created a generation of so-called “Native” DAWs that take advantage of these vastly improved machines. Not to take away from what Digidesign has done, which is to pioneer the world’s most popular DAW. And make no mistake, it is an amazing system, and by that I mean their HD Accel TDM systems, which have an entry level price-tag of around ten grand, not including the computer. Over the last decade, ProTools has become and industry standard for production professionals. Without a doubt, PT is King of The Hill. And this has created a mind-set in the would-be recordist, that to be “for real” I have to get ProTools. To be compatible I have to get ProTools.

BZZZZZZZZZZ! Wrong! The issue I see everyday, is that, well, who has ProTools HD money? Without a budget in the tens of thousands, what does the buyer do? The buyer goes out and buys the inexpensive and limited ProTools LE. That idea will work, but it is not necessarily the best choice when you realize that for almost the same money, there are other systems available that equal or surpass the power of ProTools HD. Even more challenging for the LE user is making the humongous leap from LE to HD, which is at least a five thousand dollar span, minimum. Hey, did you think that Digidesign would never have a competitor? In the world of DAW, it’s about “better, faster, and cheaper.” So, before you jump, the other software names to seriously consider are Steinberg’s Nuendo, Digital Performer from MOTU, and Logic, offered by EMagic/Apple, all of which work on the “Native” platform. There are others too, but these are the big three pro-level competitors to “PT”.

Nuendo

Let’s first look at Steinberg’s Nuendo V2, a powerful multitrack recording, editing, surround and film-post program, and arguably the world’s best DAW. It is an amazingly well-designed system. Like other Native systems, Nuendo uses the computer’s own processing power to run its engine. The prerequisite is a fast machine, like Steve McQueen. If you have a later G4, a nice new G5 or a recent Windows PC (Nuendo was originally designed for Windows users), you can reach in to the hundreds of tracks. Nuendo uses a digital operating engine called VST. VST is now a widely used and growing format, enabling full 192K recording, and offering a world of tools like plug-ins and virtual instruments.

Benefits: Nuendo is a full-blown media production system. If you have used Steinberg’s Cubase, Nuendo will be a snap (Cubase is more oriented toward midi sequencing and composition). In fact, Nuendo V2 contains full Cubase features. But even if you’ve only toyed with another DAW, Nuendo is user-friendly and fairly easy to learn, with a very nice user interface. It also incorporates some standard features which ProTools to date does not have, like every channel on the mixer having a full channel-strip with EQ, and automatic delay compensation for plug-ins (a great “no brainer” that Nuendo has had since day one, and PT is now finally getting around to). It has plenty of Midi, too, enabling the use of the popular Native Instruments and virtual samplers like Halion and Sample Tank. If surround is your thing, or “mix to pix,” Nuendo has those features fully implemented. In fact, some broadcast and film facilities now use it as their main production system. Basically, there’s very little that ProTools HD does, if anything, that Nuendo doesn’t do. Amazingly, the Nuendo software has a low street price of under $1500.

Sonic Superiority: The most compelling reason to use Nuendo, however, is its sound quality. Yes, there is a difference! Nuendo uses a 32-bit floating-point digital recording engine, which not only yields a smoother, more analogish sound, but also has more digital head-room in the mix-bus, and notoriously weak area for other DAWs. This results in a bigger, more three-dimensional final mix, even when mixing “in the box” (writing the final mix-down file to disk, inside the computer).

Plays Well With Others: As far as hardware goes, this is where the user really has some good choices at different budget levels. Unlike ProTools HD or MOTU’s Digital Performer, Steinberg does not offer its own core PCI interface card. There are multiple I/O systems to choose from, the most popular being the I/O cards and converters made by RME, which work and sound excellent. And with new Firewire technology, you don’t even need a PCI card anymore. For instance, Apogee, which is known for their line of musical sounding A to D converters and word-clocks, offers 8 or 16 channel converter systems using Firewire, which plug right in to the computer, and bam, you’re done! You can also use the converters from MOTU. You can even use Nuendo with Digi 001/002 hardware, providing up to 18 channels of I/O.

Gain Control: If it’s a control-surface you crave, with tactile little knobs and magically moving faders, again Nuendo will not disappoint. It can interface with almost any controller on the market, including the $999 Mackie Universal. Plus, Nuendo even has its own big-budget control desk, the ID, which is on the level of Digidesign’s $60K Icon. The ID is for the full-blown pro user, with a starting price of $17K.

Plug Me In: Speaking of PCI cards, there are a couple of fantastic card-based plug-ins which are designed specifically for VST systems (but can be used less effectively by RTAS and MAS, as well). There’s the t.c. electronic Power-Core card, a PCI board which comes with some great plug-ins and offers more plug-ins a-la-carte, like the amazing Sony Oxford plugs. My favorite is the Universal Audio UAD-1 card, which offers the best-sounding “vintage” plugs in the marketplace, like the 1176 and LA-2A compressors, Pultec EQ and many more. The advantage of the card-based plugs is that the card itself does the processing, taking the load off your computer. Some designers are making plug-ins only for VST. Sonalksis, a developer out of the UK, is making a couple of the best analog-modeled compressors and EQs available anywhere. And never fear, all the popular plug-ins by Waves and Antares are not only available in VST, but they cost less than their TDM counterparts.

The World of MOTU

Before Nuendo or Logic came on the scene, the best alternative to ProTools was the well-loved Digital Performer, by Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU). This native system is still going strong and has legions of dedicated followers, using its Mac-only software. It is known as a “musician’s DAW,” due to its user-friendliness and fully integrated package systems. Digital Performer, whose roots are as a sequencer, is built on yet another native platform, called MAS, which also offers a whole family of software. Like Digidesign, MOTU bundles whole core systems with matching hardware and software, making it easy for the user to build the desk-top studio. Or build the porta-studio for that matter. MOTU’s traveling 828 system enables the lap-top recordist to do a deep-woods session on the computer’s battery power alone. They offer a whole array of nifty converters, and of course MIDI tools; midi being what built MOTU’s popularity in the first place The 896HD Firewire system provides incredible 192K performance for entry-level money, while MOTU’s 24I/O system offers the most channels of I/O, dollar-for-dollar.

The “DP” users I speak to always hail how easy it is to create a song with the software. In a way, it may be the perfect choice for the modestly budgeted artist who has equally modest actual engineering experience. Musicians who are handy with a keyboard or solid in their MIDI skills love “DP”. The quintessential DP user is a one-person, one-stop shop; arranging and building complete songs from idea to final mix using “DP”.

Price wise, Digital Performer is very affordable, having different levels of systems ranging form a couple of grand on up. Unlike ProTools, MOTU continually offers upgrades and new hardware to their loyal users at prices which don’t break the bank. And you are not locked in to using MOTU’s own hardware. Not only can you use, for instance, a Nuendo/RME converter or sound-card with DP, you can also use MOTU hardware with Nuendo (on a Mac). Though you can certainly use “DP” as a pure multitrack recorder, it’s not necessarily considered the strong-point of the system. Entry level price on a “DP4” system consisting of the software and a 24I/O core/converter is a mere $2,000.

A Logical Alternative

An overview of the new generation of DAWs would not be complete without taking a peek at EMagic’s Logic. A quick look into Logic (Mac only) reveals a tremendously powerful DAW application with a humongous feature-set. Logic is essentially a VST program, but can work in both VST and TDM simultaneously. Many ProTools users actually use it in conjunction with ProTools through the ESB (Emagic System Bridge). Logic also comes bundled with its own array of excellent plug-ins, a bonus which many users point to as the reason they chose it. Like Nuendo, it offers both 24-bit and 32-bit floating-point recording, up to 192K. Logic Pro 6 even comes with a built-in sampler. The depth and complexity of its parametric controls is extreme. This makes Logic’s learning curve the steepest of all, although the newer revisions of the software have gone to great lengths to fight its user-unfriendly reputation as “the DAW for computer geniuses.” Logic provides a workstation for the expert who wishes to work at the most detailed, zoomed-in level.

Like Nuendo and MOTU, Logic is affordable, plays well with others, and interfaces seamlessly with external hardware and control-surfaces. Apple now owns Logic, clearly wanting to increase its market-share in the worldof desktop production. The price of Logic Pro 6
software is only $999.

There are dozens more details and even other DAWs we could touch upon, but my word-counter has reached the red-line. All of these DAWs offer good performance and good price, and are clear alternatives to ProTools. Rest assured they all have user groups, tech support and a growing knowledge base.

While compatibility between DAWs is improving every day, it’s true that it is still not super easy to import ProTools sessions in to other DAWs and vice-versa (although it is possible). Importing audio-files is never a problem, however. So for those of you who still feel you must get PT, or already have PTLE, here’s the perfect solution for you: Get Nuendo, for instance, and also get an M-Box, or Digi 001 or 002, and simply install it on the same computer. That way, you can say to a potential client, “Yes, of course I have ProTools. But wait ‘till you experience this other program I have!"