ProTools users got mail like this:

"April 2, 2024

Dear Avid Customer,

The media and entertainment industry has faced several challenges in recent years. From the shift to direct-to-consumer services to unavoidable supply chain disruption to the Hollywood strikes, enterprises through individual creators have all been affected.

Although not immune to these market dynamics, Avid has worked to minimize the impact on our customers, supporting the needs of remote workers with free products during the COVID-19 pandemic, as an example. We are aware of customer budget constraints coupled with increasing demand to deliver and have intentionally not raised subscription prices for most of our product portfolio for years.

However, due to recent shifts, we are reshaping our organization to accelerate innovation delivery and create experiences that have a meaningful impact on customer success. In doing so, we have determined that adjusting pricing for software subscription and annual maintenance of various software and hardware products is necessary.

On May 1, 2024, price adjustments of our software and maintenance will go into effect. These adjustments are aligned with individual market fluctuations. We understand these changes will have an impact on your business in different ways. If you would like to discuss your renewal and/or understand your options, please contact an Avid account representative, or local reseller, who will be happy to speak with you. If you are unsure who to contact, please send an email to [email protected] with your question or concern.

Sincerely,

The Avid team"



and news statement about new AVID CEO:
https://ir.avid.com/news-releases/n...ints-wellford-dillard-chief-executive-officer

 

LOL
Avid is so 2014 and at this point and IMHO so far disconnected fro the end user needs I doubt they will ever be close to what they once were.
Avid is a fine example, next to K-Mart and Blockbuster, of how to destroy a business that was once dominant.

 

I have a useless 10 licence as I own Apple silicon. Avid / Digidesign are:

• An evil company devoid of morals
• Not the industry standard
• a Company that employs Predatory and prohibitive Pricing
• Expects clients to fix its shit programming by paying for upgrades
• Have shit customer service
• Does not reward loyalty
• Indoctrinates educators with bribes

They can Fuck off and when they have fuck off further.

 

I sold my two HD rigs many years back, but last year I was looking to the Carbon as an option but their ridiculous always changing software policies had me give Lynx and Apple my money. IMHO I just don't trust Avid after the last decade of BS and your spot on list.

If Avid disappeared today I doubt 99.8% of the pro audio world would even miss them, lol.

 

I finally acquired a second-hand copy of 12.5 perpetual that I use strictly for my day job. Previously, due to my operating system (MacOS 10.13) there wasn't any k'd version for Mac that would work, so I was stuck paying for the subscription version... which immediately became redundant and a waste of money if I had only a few work contracts that month or there was a lull (such as a recent strikes in Hollywood), etc.

But moreover I can't even tell you how many times I ran into trouble restarting my subscription each time. It would often take days before I could activate it after my purchase and their excuse to me (yeah, after paying a further $40 CAD for their customer service lol) was that it was an issue with their servers and iLok.

And personally, I can't think of a less inspiring DAW to make music in. It was always great for editing but then Reaper has made that entirely redundant for me.

I'm very glad I never have to pay them another cent!

 

Last edited: Apr 3, 2024

Avid can so go fuck themselves. I beta tested for them before Protools existed. And in the beginning, they were like 2 guys and an idea and wanted to work with artists and you could literally call them at home.

Now... no. again, they can go fuck themselves.

 

Hi there,
Any news about the new release?

 

I left my PT sub at version 21.12. Paying for customer service was the final insult.

Plus, I was never a fan of iLok running amok in my OS, nor do I enjoy creating knowing my audio related equipment is actively spying on me, and paying Avid extra to use PT without internet (USB) was too much after years of gouging.

In my very tiny studio, I work with friends and a few clients for mix/mastering/voiceovers/podcast work. I run Reaper, Cubase, Harrison Mixbus and a little FL for personal projects.

I will fire up that PT for clients who need to say "Bro, it was mixed with PT!"

Anyways, I'm happy I tried other daws than the one I was classically trained on (PT) because wtf is "Individual Market Fluctuations based on Software and Maintainance?"

Can we check that on NYSE?

I hate Avid sooooo hard for so many little reasons.

 

I was using PT10 on mavriks and... Had to update the OS.
I fully understand your points. Still, must of my friends are working on PT (I won't get em to change), and I've seen on sister site that few releases gonna work in the coming PT.
I do hate avid and their policy...

 

yes. i believe there are many loyal costumers still.
they are far from being as strong in the industry as they were once though.

 

Agreed. idk, maybe its tradition.. some of them it feels like were brainwashed.
ive met a guy who would think if the track wasn't recorded on pro tools then you're not being as professional.
just like @Stewart Daniels said "Bro it was mixed in pro tools"

 

Yeah, you walk into a Hollywood mix/recording stage it's absolutely going to be PT regardless if even some of the pieces and cues and whatnot were done on other daws....

But if you walk into Fox or anyplace in studio city, or any other movie production studio with orchestra's and whatnot.... hell, there will be 6 PT rigs at least going sometimes for different reasons...

I hate 'writing' with it, or producing with it, as it's just not how my brain works in that regard with daw's and sequencers etc... and I like things that are more of "an instrument"..... and while if I were recording some band that was like the Foo Fighters or something along those lines, (and while I haven't recorded them lol), I've done plenty of other "live" acts where PT is gonna be the better screwdriver for the job then Ableton etc generally...mainly just because familiarity for them, and most of the engineers and 2nds and whatnot working with know it, and hell, it's usually defacto installed system in studios in LA and the States at least, although I'm more then sure if someone were to set up Reaper and whatnot other option, they could probably get it done just fine... It's funny how often though when I'm working with those people they have to run off stems or tracks for me to 'fix' or work on with another DAW, as PT can't do it easily....

But for recording or lining stuff up to picture and their nomenclature and their workflow with directors and DP's and whatnot, they just are familiar with the format and the different file exchanges etc....

And these people don't like to change much.

 

At lot of professional workflows are automated, and those that aren't, these guys just mechanically pump out film mixes using it. They aren't using it in a creative workflow, in every sense of the word, it is a tool.

Tracking a huge session, printing stems from the DAW you actually create in (again, in a professional environment), this is where Pro Tools shines. I don't think it offers bedroom studio producers the same benefit that it does the guys that do post production as their 9-5, regardless of the marketing that tries to hint to the contrary. And I think (hope) most people aren't that oblivious to this fact.

 

I didn't get into PT until version 8 or 9.
I got used to the workflow and it was great for my needs.
But after all the AE errors and strain on resources i tried a few other D.A.W.s and there was only one that really, really impressed me.



LONG LIVE REAPER!!!!

 

I couldn't agree more ArticStorm, yeah... it's just what it is for those people, and some upstart young engineer or programmer will occasionally "bring up" the idea of using Reaper or whatnot, and will have done the work to pretty much make it match workflow etc, and the old dogs will just ignore and reach for their iLoks attached to their belts like a Leatherman on crew guy on tour.... sigh...


And I like to work with audio as you do, and it's always fungible and evolving, and with different things that are only available in certain formats, whether it be vst/vst3/au and whatnot... it's always amazing to see these guys get impressed with some tool you and I probably consider as 'stock' at this point, as there isn't an AAX version, and lord knows they aren't crossgriding or using other hosts (at least since the days where you needed Garritan/Gigasampler etc for the most part), and they also mostly aren't "writing"... or in a fashion you and I would consider production or whatnot in the same sense... sure, there are guys like Reznor and Ross that do, but they aren't the 'norm', and there are others obviously... but at the end of the day, and when edits come and orchestra's and choirs and the director is there etc... it's damn ProTools....

So yeah, some don't like to change, don't mind paying for it (or someone else, which trickles down to screw everyone else...

anecdote kinda time: I can't tell you how many times a film or documentary or whatnot will want to use a piece of my music or a song, and it's always the same kinda song and dance: "Well, we running a little low on budget right now, so ... um, would you mind taking less then...." , followed by the "we will hit you back with the next production" nonsense, which of course rarely happens as they find another sucker... to which now I just plaintively ask: "Did you paid the Kraft catering people?, and did they work on a discount?" ... to which is answered with mumbles, pauses and silence before I decline. And sometimes they "find" the money, and sometimes they don't. I don't care at this point. Sure, I like to get paid for what I do, but I'm not doing it for less or free for bs of "exposure" or "future considerations" which is nonsense. And there is always some kid that will do something for nothing with fruity/apple loops, and the suits don't care or notice a qualitative difference more often than not, as they are just trying to justify their jobs and salaries as unnecessary middlemen. (not ALL, but the trope exists for a reason)...

And regarding changing daw's: yeah, sure it's a pita. I've done it many times over the years, and have had to become bi/tri lingual with everything from Opcode to DP to Ableton to Reaper to Logic to what have you, and also being able to at least 'get around' PT enough to drive a session if I have to (but that's awkward for me fumbling around on it).... and I don't like it, as I like to pick a lane kinda, and for me, Ableton over the last 15 years has been my "writing/production partner" as it's great for that, as more, well at least at first, an instrument for me then a DAW... but it has grown.. and there are many things that frustrate me about it that they simply choose to ignore... but it's made some headway, and that's OT. But I'm also checking out new Logic, plan on getting into Reaper again after a decade of not having used it to properly assess it.... and I've tried the Bitwigs and others, and hey... whatever.. When you find your happy zone for creating, you tend to want to stay in it (and not in a non-growth way), as I imagine you are quick and back of your hand with your tools and don't have to reinvent the wheel/routings or RTFM at every turn....

and I guess those guys are just like that with PT, as they aren't trying to change paradigms or move the ball down the pitch... they are just functionally getting their job done and checking out at the end of the day... (not saying great things haven't been recorded with PT or produced on them, just saying sometimes it's more in spite of it...)...

And I used PT since V1, and I don't even think it was until v3 or v4 that they even had midi.... it was just impossible to use in any way what I was doing or the bands and productions I was working on with.... it would simply be using Digi hardware as a front face for Opcodes StudioVision or eMagic's Logic etc.... and while they got that finally, whatever steps forward they took, and for some tools they make that are good for some people I get, .... they have taken so many more steps back.

 

man that is shit. i don't get the deal with the aax
if you work with PT and another DAW in your computer you have to install the same plugin twice.
people who only have PT and eventually decide to change daws would have to install all their plugins all over again.