I’m about the do some work in Pro Tools LE. It’s not a bad program, but it’s just lacking in a few departments. Here’s my list of things I don’t like about Pro Tools LE.
1. I’m stuck with the M-Box. It’s not that I don’t like the M-Box, I just view it as a giant dongle. Sometimes I just wish I didn’t have to use it. An example would be when I am doing some sample editing. I just wish I could use my preferred device which is a Motu Ultralite. For some reason I just like the MOTU better than the M-Box.
2. Lack of MP3 Export. Every single DAW has this. I don’t want to shell out more money just to get this feature. It would make things more convenient. It would be one less step to make a test mp3. As it is now I have to bounce it out then convert in another program to mp3. Now that I think about it, it’s not a big deal, but just more of a convenience.
3. Limited track count. It would be nice to have more tracks available. It’s not a super big deal since I have only maxed out my tracks once. This is where Pro Tools really acts like those old recorders. Got too many tracks? Gotta bounce things done to make room.
4. I just recently experimented with using an OMF file. Damn that made things so much easier. Just wish Pro Tools LE could open it with out having to shell out some cash for it.
5. Plugin delay compensation. This would be another thing to have. It’s one of the biggest complaints from Pro Tools users. I don’t think I need to go into the reasons for this.
6. More insterts. I need more inserts on the channel strips! Sometimes I go crazy with the effects. Usually this is happening in the sample editing stage. I don’t really use any dedicated program for sample editing. There just aren’t any great wav editors for Apple computer. I used to have Peak LE. However that thing just sucked. It’s the only piece of software that i regret buying. I miss using WaveLab or Sound Forge.
7. This is probably my biggest complaint that seemed to have developed recently. Anytime I unplug the M-box from USB port, my macbook will crash during shutdown. If I want to unplug it I have to shutdown first then unplug it.
There’s my list of things I dislike about using Pro Tools LE. Truthfully though I do like using it. It’s not bad just lacks in those areas. I really don’t mind it that much. In my view when you purchase an M-Box or any other Digidesign piece of hardware you are buying a piece of hard that just so happens to come with software. Unlike other bundles by other companies which are giving you software that come with hardware. If you view from the hardware that comes with software perspective than it makes more sense. If you buy the more expensive gear you get more features. To support this idea that software comes with the hardware, look at the price of the Pro Tools software. The upgrades are super cheap.