Pro Tools - LE or M-Powered?

[Shaun Roemich]

I have an OLDE school Digi001 interface that runs on my Mac B&W G3 450 with ProTools LE 5.something.

I'm looking to turn my newer white iMac into a multi channel DAW PRIMARILY for voiceover work but also to record some of my own music, just like I did with the Digi001 on the G3.

So I walked into my local retailer today looking to put money down on a Digi003Rack with PT LE and the sales guy said "Since you'd like more mic pres (I do), I suggest you buy the M-Audio Profire 2626 instead and purchase ProTools M-Powered."

Help! The out-of-pocket expense, taking into consideration the Digidesign trade in for my Digi001, is nearly the same. I can't seem to find any HUGE difference between the two pieces of software, other than M-Powered is optimized for M-Audio interfaces.

Again, primarily it will be used for one or two mic inputs at a time, connected to my v/o booth but I'd like the ability to record jam session style music get-togethers all at once.

What would YOU do?

PS. My PRIMARY business is video editing.

[Gary Nattrass]

I would go for the 003 you may want to add the Dv toolkit 2 at some stage and it is also more qualified for use with AVID software and hardware.

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?...51&itemid=4898

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?...1&itemid=34321

From what I see above you cant use the DV toolkit with m-powered software or co-host AVID media composer, If you are into video then the 003 will be the best option.

[Shaun Roemich]

Thanks Gary. Should ALSO have pointed out I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Final Cut Pro user. Learned on AVID's Media Composer but bought Apple, so the DV Toolkit does NOTHING for me. For all intents and purposes, this should be seen as a standalone audio solution purchase.

[Jimmy Tuffrey]

The M-powered option seems best value but the LE path is the industry direction. I would also advise LE even though the mbox hardware is not great. Mbox pro seems to be the way to go but is not cheap. Digi have us all cornered. Other brands are so much better from a hardware poit of view. More for the money. In digi'd defense though , they do give you pro tools with the box.

I believe the m-powered software is not fully compatible with LE either.

[Gary Nattrass]

Final cut is also my pref for editing over Avid, besides I cant run Avid and PT on the same mac....crazy as they are from the same camp.

I edit on final cut but all my audio post is done with the PT LE 002 with DV toolkit 2.

[David Beisner]

Well, I'm gonna take what seems to be the minority opinion here and recommend the M-Powered with the ProFire 2626. I've used both LE and M-Powered and from a software standpoint, they're identical. That means you need to make your decisions based on your hardware options. The ProFire 2626 is a great piece of equipment and really gives you a LOT of options. The 003 Rack is also good, but not as flexible as the 2626. The MBox just sucks from a hardware standpoint.

[Arthur Kay]

Well, technically LE and MPowered are not really the same, since with LE you can get the afore mentioned Dv Toolkit. I highly recommend that, because you can work with timecode (not gonna happen in MPowered), more importantly can read OMF files (exchange between PT and FCP) and have more tracks.

I have a HD3 Accel and the OMF exchange and the timecode are really important to do a somewhat pro job. If you need more ins and outs, you can always add an extra 8 channel AD/DA to the 003 later, after you saved up. But the DV toolkit is far more important to you, especially if you work with FCP (as I do btw).
So I would go with a 003 or 003 rack.

Cheers
Arthur

[Shaun Roemich]

Ok folks, let me highjack my own thread.

Please keep in mind I am a ten year pro with mostly broadcast experience. My business model is based on documentary and training videos and not digital cinema.

My audio DAW needs lie in recording voice over in studio and audio sweetening of audio gathered in the field, almost exclusively from camera recordings. At this point I'm not using ANY external audio recording devices. I can "fly" audio out of my NLE into Soundtrack Pro or Pro Tools and roundtrip it without having to worry about timecode, as the audio "leaving" FCP will be the same length as the audio coming back.

I'm confused about WHY, given the above business model, I need the DV Toolkit. I don't see where it fits into MY workflow. And yes, timecode is CRITICAL to me in my video editing but I can't see the "need" for the DV Toolkit and timecode in my audio.

Please enlighten me.

[Shaun Roemich]

<bump>

I'd LOVE some more input, if anyone has the time and the inclination.