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Screen Magazine - Index

Screen Magazine - Screen Magazine: Vol. 29, Issue 12 - Index

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ProTools 7: The Composers “All-In-One” Dream Tool By Darryl Duncan
I am pretty sure that by now everyone who has anything
to do with music production, be it on an amateur, semipro
or professional level, has heard of ProTools. However, I
believe that not everyone fully realizes just how complete
a package ProTools truly is when it comes to an all-in-one
music production power tool. No matter at what level one
might be, ProTools offers just the right package (HD, LE or
M-powered) to be able to conceive, create, sequence,
record, manipulate, edit, mix and master all without ever
needing to leave the ProTools environment.
It wasn’t always this way. In the earlier days of DAWs (Digital
Audio Work Stations) around the late ‘80s, recording digital
audio was basically all these systems did. Back then these
systems were physically huge and often cost a fortune
just for a basic 16 track digital audio recorder. At the time,
these systems were primarily used by the biggest recording
artists or the largest recording studios. Today all of that has
changed dramatically with ProTools having the capability
to achieve over 192+ track counts, with multiple effects
and plug-ins at a fraction of the price. Now, John Doe high
school student can get a basic ProTools package for his
already powerful PC or Mac and out of the box have all
the tools he needs to create broadcast/CD quality music
in his bedroom studio only limited by his own lack of music
production skills.
I was first introduced to ProTools in 1995 while working as
the lead composer for Electronic Arts Florida. The moment
I began to use the software I felt as if I was an expert at it
within hours. Not to say that I was that amazing at mastering
software quickly, but simply because of the clean, intuitive,
easy-to-use power of ProTools. Sure, there is some basic
recording knowledge and digital audio protocol one must
be familiar with, but for the most part, it is the type of
software that anyone with a passion for music composition
and production can be productive with quickly.
In the last five years or so Digidesign (makers of ProTools)
has made great strides in listening to what many composers
have been asking for and have made ProTools as much of
a powerful music composition tool as it is a digital audio
tool. Early on the ProTools MIDI functions were very basic
and left a lot to be desired. Now ProTools has all the tools
any composer could need to do “everything” from musical
inspiration to final mix. The MIDI capabilities in ProTools are
now more powerful than ever and give me the ability to get
all of my ideas hashed out quickly.
What is even more exciting is the fact that with the emergence
of “super computers” for consumers, there has been an
explosion of Soft-synths, effect plug-ins and sound generators
for computer music systems. These computers have amazing
power out of the box, and ProTools is taking full advantage
of that power. Now, the true virtual studio is a reality. There
are powerful virtual instrument plug-ins to create the most
awesome real drums, guitars, effects and more. ProTools
is leading the way with this virtual power and with their