Post #118032 by tikibars on Mon, Oct 4, 2004 9:54 PM

Here's a clarification...

All ProTools is, is a digital recording system. At it's most basic functional level, it is no different than recording to tape. It captures sound to a hard disk, the same way old tape machines captured music to magnetic tape.

I hate to break it to ya', but 99% of all pro recording studios track to ProTools (or competing systems) these days. Only specialty boutique studios still use analog magnetic tape.

Now, there are Plug-Ins for ProTools that you can buy to enhance it's functionality.

Plug Ins are little extra programs that you buy to enhance the main program. Your Web Browser may use Plug Ins for tthings like watching Real-format movies, or Flash animation, and programs like Photoshop use Plug Ins for various visual effects.

Some of the Plug Ins for Pro Tools can do things like pitch correction, and you can adjust the timing of things - within reason - even wtihout Plug Ins. But make no mistake: the system isn't magic. There has to be something substantial there for the engineer to work with. No system is omnipotent. There has to be something useable in the performance to begin with, or you're out of luck.

And, get this: talented engineers and producers have been using machines to 'fix' flawed performances, add harmonies, adjust timing mistakes, correct pitch, and otherwise 'sweeten' recordings since the 1930s. It is just easier now!

How much adjustment of the performances occurs after-the-fact is up to the producer (not the band, not the engineer), and it has ALWAYS been that way.

Slick and overproduced pop records are tweaked to heck, and more natural sounding records are tweaked to a lesser degree... but it has been this way since day one, no matter what format the music has been recorded on. Don't blame the recording medium(i.e. ProTools), blame the tastes of the kids who buy these records and want them to sound this way!