Soundtrack Pro vs. ProTools LE - need advice.
by Tangier Clarke
on
May 15, 2008 at 3:31:46 pm
Folks, I am having a tough time finding a good comparison of how Soundtrack Pro 2 stacks up against ProTools (in this case the LE version since that is what we have).
I am a motion picture editor, but work with people who are more familiar with ProTools, not familiar with Soundtrack Pro 2, and feels that Soundtrack cannot compete with ProTools.
I would like some objective (if possible) comparisons or leads to comparisons of these two pieces of software, ideally from someone who mostly deals with sound. I have both Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio and am often told that they can't do what ProTools does; that Logic (8) and ProTools are designed to do different things for instance and are not fair to compare.
The content that I deal with now is mostly short films, industrials, and few things for broadcast. OMF use is a big deal, and I often run into issues with Final Cut exported OMFs and ProTools reading them properly.
I am in favor of an all Apple software workflow, but am open to suggestions on these issues, but ultimately - is Soundtrack Pro 2 really that incapable of doing what ProTools does?
Disclamer: I do like not being locked into Digidesign hardware, but am willing to be if ProTools is that much superior.
Re: Soundtrack Pro vs. ProTools LE - need advice. by Charles Stuart on May 16, 2008 at 1:32:16 am
We ditched Protools in favour of STP a year ago and don't regret the move. The integration with FCP is excellent. Although there are well known bugs (and well known workarounds) in a day to day environment STP does everything we did in Protools either just as well, or often better - and all in a much more open, efficient and economical platform.
Wouldn't go back.
Re: Soundtrack Pro vs. ProTools LE - need advice. by Tangier Clarke on May 16, 2008 at 3:04:06 pm
Charlie, I would like to talk more about it with you and anyone else who posts on this thread for that matter. I would appreciate if you go to my site http://www.tangierclarke.com and send me an email. I don't mind posting my email address on the forum I suppose, I just don't know if it's the smartest thing to do or not - due to spam.
My site has an email form built in. It would just help me to talk to someone so I can make an educated decision both for myself and for the company I work for - Loyola Productions.
Re: Soundtrack Pro vs. ProTools LE - need advice. by Will Salley on May 20, 2008 at 7:57:21 pm
Did you say you have Logic Pro? That should be the best of both worlds for your purposes. I have all three (Soundtrack Pro, Pro tools, and Logic) and each has it's own strengths and weaknesses. I'll list a few of each:
STP - integrates well with FCP and has some nice noise reduction and signal processing built-in. CONS- Not as intuitive as other apple software and has some unusual workflows.
Pro Tools - Industry standard files (at least in the audio post & music recording industries) and excellent dedicated hardware I/O. I assume you already have the DigiTranslator plug-in? If not, it is a must-have for any audio-for-video work. CONS-In addition to the aforementioned Digi hardware being expensive, it's also very finicky. Digi does not recommend or support their systems being used as a video workstation.
Logic - It has the most robust toolset of the three in it's stock configuration, but the integration between Apple's own software and Logic is not as tight as it should be. I think this is because to do so would cause backwards compatibility issues with older version projects. Unlike FCP, Logic had an existing user base when it was bought by Apple.
Logic also plays well with third-party hardware and plug-ins. I think it has some nice tricks that may make your workflow easier than using the other two apps but hey - since you already have all three - use them all.
I
Primary System Info
Mac Pro 2x3.2 Quadcore - 6MBram - nvidia8800GT - SATA internal & external storage - Blackmagic Multibridge Pro
Re: Soundtrack Pro vs. ProTools LE - need advice. by Tangier Clarke on May 21, 2008 at 3:41:37 pm
Thanks for the info. It's interesting that you compared Logic to Pro Tools. I've often been told that they're are totally different pieces of software for different things and that Soundtrack Pro 2 would be a more similar comparison. I appreciate the input though.
As for Pro Tools being industry standard - I recognize this. Though does it matter if we're not delivering Pro Tools sessions to larger audio houses? I am hearing so many people making the switch to Soundtrack and Logic and being just fine. I am sure STP 2 has its quirks just as PT does.
One of the issues I am facing in addition to testing an FCP, STP, Logic workflow rather than an FCP, PT, Logic workflow is whether or not we need to purchase XML-PRO. We have sync issues often when I send my OMF file to our Pro Tools system. With STP 2 we wouldn't have that problem ( I assume) since it imports OMFs and is from Apple. However our sound guy doesn't know STP. In essence, use what we have that does work (STP) or purchase a tool to support what our sound guy knows.
Re: Soundtrack Pro vs. ProTools LE - need advice. by Jack Arky on May 27, 2008 at 6:15:50 pm
I just recently had an experience that made me an STP believer. I also own all three pieces of software (with Digi Hardware) and have used Logic and PT for years for their different strengths: Logic for straight composing, Protools for Music Audio. Even tho I've had STP, I never took it seriously and turned my nose up at it. Was asked to do a final mix for a Broadcast show. They were delivering FCP OMFs. I didn't have DigiTranslator, was annoyed that, after shelling out major bucks to own an HD system I would have to pay another $500 for DigiTranslator, saw that STP would import OMFs built in, so I tried it. STP did everything I needed, has great plug-ins (that all come from years of Logic development) and some fantastic analysis tools that did a great job on issues like power line hum. All of my third party plugs worked fine. Learning STPs workflow was no big deal. Making the jump from ProTools to STP was no difficulty at all. I didn't open the manual once. Did it do everything I can do in PT? No. Did it have everything I needed? Yes. The client was happy, I saved a few bucks and added another tool to the skillset. If you're using FCP exclusively, I wouldn't think twice.
