Welll, today was the day.  Finally bought the upgrade from PTLE 8 to 10.  Yippeee!!!  Can't wait to get it installed and start using it on my mixes and compositions!  Just had to share!

Cool, Donald.

I just installed the demo last week and have been playing around with it.

Probably need to pick your brains though. I can't get it running without my CPU taking a massive hit.

There was me thinking that because Avid had moved away from the previous hardware restrictions I'd have more luck this time around. My guess at this stage is that it must be a basic configuration problem. Probably need more than the demo time left (3 weeks) to make a decision on whether to just concentrate on the blistering efficiency of Cubase. I would like to work on both platforms though.

Any tips would be most welcome :o)

I made the jump from v7.4 to 10.  I also had to update from XP to 7.  Between the two upgrades, I lost a chunk of CPU power and find myself in a position where I now need to double my ram or buy a new computer to power everything.

As far as the DAW itself, I like the new version so far.

Sorry to hear you guys are having trouble.  I suspect there may be some issues with respect to optimization.  Also, there are some settings to tweak within PT itself.  Im not at home at the moment, but i will post more after i get home and have PT in front of me.  Ive not encountered any CPU issues.

Also, the good people at  <a href="http://duc.avid.com/">the Avid Users Conference </a> are very helpful.  

Admittedly, Pro Tools is very finnicky about settings and such.  But if you pay attention to the compatibilty lists they provide, then you shouldnt have any real issues.  I'll try to provide more info when Im back home and see if i can helpmout here.  Want you to like it, too, Rab!  The learning curve is steep, i know, but well worth it.  I absolutely love mixing, composing, and just playing with this program.  

Donald M

heres a list of videos on optimizing your system

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=5FEC1AEC94DB22D6

Thanks, Donald. I'm working through these items right now and will let you know how I get on.

A steep learning curve.... yes, I'll bet. But, think of the learning curve for someone who has never used a DAW before.... Now that's steeper.

To give an idea of the CPU differences (so-far) between Cubase and Pro Tools:

Cubase 6 -- Over 120 plugins (which includes plugins from my UAD 2's) and the DAW doesn't break a sweat. Pro Tools 10 -- Six UAD2 plugins and my CPU is absolutely thrashed. My hardware is well up to the job and appears to be "qualified" to the Avid spec.

It's got to be just the basic hardware configuration needing to be tweeked to suit PT 10. I feel pretty confident I'll get there..... it's just a matter of putting in the time and being patient :o)

i havent actually installed 10 yet, but with 8, i just did a mix with 56 tracks, some audio, some intrument, with VIs, plug ins, and probably 15 Aux busses.  maybe 80 or so plugins.  No issues. 

ill check my settings and let you know what i have.

By any chance, are you using any VST plugins in PT uing a vst wrapper such as FXpansion?

Okay, sitting at my PC with PT 8.0 running the session I just mentioned. I was wrong.  I have 51 tracks, some instrument, some audio, a Master and and 16 aux busses with a total of 101 inserted plugins.  Checking the CPU meter while running the session bounces between 60-70%.  And Ive not had one glitch with playback, or anything during this entire project.  One reason the CPU usage is a bit heavy is because I am running so many simultaneous VI plugins.  (I know, convert to audio...yadda yadda!)  Including 8 VI's running in Reaper, which I have instatiated on instrument tracks in Pro Tools, as well as running Reason (for the drum tracks in this case).  Both Reaper and Reason use the Rewire. 

A couple things to check on your system.  On the Setup pulldown menu, click on Playback Engine.  I find that once I've got everything done, I can usually do just fine with the H/W buffer set to 256 or 512 for final mixing playback.  Sometimes have to drop it lower, but not often. I have my host processors set to 3, even though I could have 8, but the truth is 4 of those are "virtual" processors, so there's really only 4, and setting it to one less than your actually have makes a difference in how PT uses them.  (I'd give you the full technical explanation, but the truth is, I can't remember what I all I was told at the time I did this...I just know, it works!)  When I did that, a whole host of problems disappeared! 

I have my CPU limit at 99%, DAE playback buffer Level 2, Cache size Large, Plug in streaming buffer, Level 2.  (sometimes fiddling with that can alleviate the load on CPU.)

This along with some of the other general PC optimizations fix just about all the problems I was having.  Most of the issues I've encountered since have been either user stupidity - er, I mean, user error - or something with the PC itself and not PT. 

Hope some of that made sense!

Donald M

I'm getting the hang of this now, Donald. A manual would be better than the built-in "help" though.

Managing to get more efficiency - but still quite a way to go in getting things fine-tuned. I've been doing some comparisons and made some nice discoveries. Firstly, I think the audio engine is really clear and the UAD2 plugins seem to sound better on PT10. You can imagine my joy when I found that out. I have a small mix setup and have been trying out "stuff". The VST plugins work better than the wrapper versions, btw. The routing will take some getting used to - but once I get the basics, it'll become easier from there. Cubase is so intuitive, logical and fast to work with - but after 10 years using it, it would be like that. I've every confidence that I'll be able to master PT though. If someone's used a DAW for years and has grasped the more advanced priciples, it should be easy enough to make the transition from one platform to another (I hope).

Do you not have the Pro Tools PDF manual that comes with the program?  That IS the manual.  I agree its the not the easiest to navigate! 

I have Cubase as well, but I have always preferred PT.  And the new refinements in 10 (ie clip gain real time control, the channel strip, the new delay, etc) are awesome! 

Here's a couple of other helpful websites you might consult.  First, you can do no better than ANY of the how to vids from <a href="http://www.groove3.com/str/pro-tools-training/">Groove 3</a>.  Nice thing is, you can buy and watch right online.  I've learned more from these than any book could ever do! 

Also, I highly recommend you join the <a href="http://www.pro-tools-expert.com/"> Pro Tools Expert</a> website.  Russell K, who runs it, has a ton of how to vids on here, all freebies, and they are massively helpful tips and tricks for Pro Tools and the various plug-ins. 

Thirdly, the <a href="http://duc.avid.com/">Avid Audio Forums</a>, or what used to be known as the "DUC" (Digidesign Users Conference, or the Duck!), is still an great place to ask questions and get help from pro users.  Many of the participants are studio pros and they are ALWAYS willing to help!

And you can always ask me!  I've finally arrived at the point where I feel I can say I've become an advanced user of the program.  That doesn't mean I'm an "advanced" mix engineer...just means I feel I really understand and know how to do things with this program!  I'm at the point where I no longer have to think about "how" to do something, and can focus instead on the "art" of getting a better mix.  Hopefullly, my mixes are improving!

I have already done a HUGE amount of optimization as I follow that stuff closely and put it all into place right after the purchase.  Pro Tools 10 combined with Windows 7 is a resource hog.  :D

Hmm...I will be checking that once I get 10 installed.  I'm not going to actually install it until I complete a current project I'm working on, as I have a deadline to meet, and don't want any complications from the upgrade.  Once that's done, I'll upgrade. 

It sounds like you have a more powerful system than mine, so maybe it won't hit you as hard.  I can run around 15-20 tracks with maybe 1-3 plugins on each channel (depending on how much memory/cpu the plugin requires).  Using any more than 3-5 virtual instruments at a time is about the max I can handle.  I have 4 gigs of ram and a Xenon 2.66 dual-core box, so it's not very modern or powerful in comparison to what people run today.  ...so running Windows 7 AND Pro Tools 10 together vs Pro Tools 7.4 on Windows XP Pro cuts everything roughly in half for me.

One possible way to alleviate the drain on resources from VI's is to use Reaper via Rewire on a PT instrument track.  (Assuming they are VST's and not RTAS).  Reaper handles things a bit different and hardly puts any strain on the over system.  In the session I mentioned I believe I have 8 VI's running, all VST's and all on Reaper tracks within PT instruments tracks.  Nary a glitch.

I'm sure you do this, but for those that don't, another trick is to rid the VST/RTAS/AU instruments as quickly as possible and render to audio (bounce). If you can stand it, bounce the new track almost immediately and unload your VSTs.

The more quickly you get your session to audio, the more efficient your processing. Think about how much work has to be done to pull in individual 'streams' of audio from multiple virtual instruments while simultaneously playing audio and processing effects. The lim-fac that causes the most latency is usually from the pipe between the hard drive and the processor and not the effects. Yes RAM helps but at the end of the day, high GB sampled instruments are the brain drain.

There's a psychological upside to that as well... once you're in audio, you typically stop tweaking around with the part. Huge time saver.

That is a very important tip, Rick.  For those who haven't already started this practice, you can stripe your VST/MIDI to an audio track simultaneously while you work on it.  I learned this lesson the hard way (as I do most lessons).  If for some reason you upgrade and the virtual instrument no longer works or some other problem occurs, you will still have the audio track to work with.

Absolutely right about getting your tracks rendered to ease the hit on your CPU. Certainly in Cubase, Ive done exactly that for a very long time. I've discovered another thing while playing with routing and adding busses in PT10 which has REALLY pleased me. Making a comparison with Cubase and PT10, I do believe the audio degrades somewhat as it passes through various submix / groups / aux busses on the way to the master buss in Cubase. I really can't explain it - but the clarity seems very "intact" while doing the same thing in PT10. I'm fast becoming a convert :o) Lots of great help on those links, Donald. I already subscribe to Groove3, btw. Back to the studies... LOL

@Rick, yes, I totally agree.  And most of the time, I do that.  But often, when I'm building up an arrangement and want to layer up several sounds or sound combinations, I'm often switching between patches, VI's, etc until I get the blend I want. THEN, I'll convert to audio for the final mix.  What I've found with Reaper inside PT is that I can create massive layers with little drain, which makes me happy!

@Rab - glad you're converting!  And so glad you got into Groove 3.  So many helpful vids there and on the Pro Tools Expert blog site.  You'lll be a pro in no time.

BTW, I loaded up PT 10 last night.  Had a few minor hitches, but all is well and I LOVE the new plug-ins, especially channel strip and the new DelayIII  Wow, that one is awesome. And real time gain control within a region, er I mean a clip, is amazing! 

I loaded in the very same session I was dicussing earlier and, oddly enough, it used LESS CPU.  Go firgure!  Oh, well, me happy!

@Rick - another thing I do often is if I'm working with mainly MIDI drum loops playing sampled kits, then I will convert those tracks to audio just as if I had recorded live drums, so I have a kick track, snare track, toms, etc etc.  Then mix the audio tracks the way I would a live drum track set.  Get so much better sounding drums that way!  More time, but worth the effort!

In fact, I process most all my synth sounds like their acoustic counterparts once I convert to audio.  I mean, why not?  If you'd eq and process to some degree, a real string section, why not a sampled one?  In the end, I find I get more realistic sounds and better mixes.