Requirements for pro tools

smelni

smelni

Veteran
I have been searching the internet for this info and have only become more confused.

If I have avid 5.2x on a win xp system - what do I need to put pro tools LE in place to allow me to properly edit sound. I am looking for the lowest cost option so hardware faders and controls arent necessary - just a software interface to allow me to get into subframe editing and cleaning up sound.

thanks for any advice.
 
Because Avid is a picture editing application and ProTools is a sound editing application. However if you don't understand this then even having PT will not help you "properly edit sound". If I go get a really cheap camcorder will it let me be a proper cinematographer?
PT Le will barely get you to a real sound post minimum. In experienced hands it will go a long way, but you will probably run into problems if you don't understand a post audio flow and how to work around Le's limitations. Actually you will run into problems with any DAW if you don't understand the flow.

None of the picture editing applications are very good at sound. And as a rule you would be better off working with a sound post person early on, because a lot of what you do to the sound may either not translate or actually cause serious problems.

If you really want to do sound in the NLE then at minimum you need decent speakers properly set up in a calibrated room. If you haven't got that then your just wanking off because what you hear has no relationship to what others will hear. Part of why you hire a sound person is because (in theory) they understand that and are properly set up, so what they do will translate into the real world.

You can't possibly do a decent job of cleaning up sound unless you are accurately hearing the sound in the first place.
 
Understood to everything you are saying - and the conventional wisdom is always to get people involved early on. That is not always possible and for certain points in a project it might be better to get sound "better" instead of perfect for a number of reasons.

That said, I understand that I need a tool that is better then a NLE for getting more control over sound. One option that has been recommended is PT and I am simply looking for advice as to how to set up a system in terms of what software/hardware is the minimum (speakers not included).

Of course a calibrated room will give you a better relationship to the sound you are editing but without that you can get started. You can work with subframe sampling to get your dialogue in "better" place and/or see where your sound is truly lacking. Will you be able to properly mix - of course not.


So perhaps I misspoke - I need to get the sound "better" rather then "properly clean it up".

No - a cheap camera will not make you a cinemetographer - but it will help you to begin to understand how cameras see and how your artistic vision can filter through it. So in the absence of the ability to get a 100K sound platform PT will help get closer and if there are other better (relatively low cost) options I would love to hear about them.
 
Dave_Fisk said:
I would also recommend Nuendo. It's much more powerful for the money. I know lots of guys getting fed up with Digi, and switching to Nuendo. Myself almost being one of them.

-Dave
Click to expand...

Me too. Even though I cut my teeth on Avid and PT I converted to Nuendo. I see it as the FCP to Avid Xpress. A newer program with less of a professional base but therefore works harder to really please it's customers. Avid/Digidesign has really lost that "Eye of the Tiger".

Another program I am finding is great for short form projects is Audition. Everytime I crack that thing open I am amazed with how great it is for such a cheap price.

Cheers
 
Well if all you need is subframe editing then FCP will get you there in a NLE. The problem with using PT is getting the sound back and forth in sync. It's not hard to do but you have to be very diligent in your work flow.
The cheapest route would probably be an Mbox. If your careful about your work flow you don't really need DV tool kit. Lots of films were edited on Le before the tool kit was around. BUT if you want to just tune things up in a nondestructive way you will need to use OMF transfers back and forth and that adds a lot of the price of the tool kit so...
Nuendo, I didn't like when I played with it a few years ago. But it's gone through a few versions since then so??? It is great at the price but its ~~$1500 or so for the software and you need to get a decent interface so add another $500. Now your past the price of an Mbox and the tool kit. The one big thing that PT has over Nuendo is user base. You can hand your PT session to almost anyone in post or music. It's not a beter worse thing just numbers but it might be a factor. Since you are on Windows there are some other options like SAW, and the Sony multi track (Audion I think). Both may fit your needs better.
 
Do you know of any resources for the avid-PT workflow?

do you have to handoff to PT or can you do wome work in PT and then continue in Avid?
 
Basically either you finish up in Avid and move to PT for the sound then bring back the mix into Avid for the layback, OR you use OMF to translate your sessions back and forth to the Avid. OMF has some flaws but it works pretty well Avid <> PT. OMF is not too great FCP <> PT. Things that may not get transfered (or may be altered) are volume automation (and clip automation in the Avid). If you check all the right boxes Avid will export the automation and PT will import it but I'm not sure if it works in reverse. Fades are done differently so I'm not sure how well they go back into the Avid (probably as a slew of "FADE files"). Plugins of course wont translate at all.

What will transfer is clips and positions and track layout.
 
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