Likelihood to Recommend Pro Tools is great for recording multiple different tracks of audio at the same time with live inserts that you can later remove/edit if they do not suit the track. It always makes a backup of any file you copy in which is essential when working with original copies of files for clients, and you can rest easy knowing that any changes made can be reverted without having to start over or having any work be lost. You can compile many different tracks for larger-scale projects and group or bus them together with ease. The software is very user-friendly for beginners and is a great tool overall for anyone looking to edit audio. The only instance it is less suited it would be if you're only making small audio edits with any adobe video software. Also if your business is not heavy on audio editing or recording it may be a costly investment.
Read full review Honestly, switching to Garage Band from Audacity for my podcast was a game-changer in the editing. I can do it so much faster with the tools that are available in editing--especially when you are dealing with more than one track to edit. I also think Garage Band could be fantastic for recording a whole album initially before sending it to be mastered elsewhere. And I think Garage Band could be perfect for sync music licensing because it's still relatively easy to use!
Read full review Pros Highly-customizable, application and UI (performance, function and appearance). Wide audio format compatibility; Ease of integrating audio of different formats, sample rates; equal ease of exporting. Broadest hardware compatibility. The ability to tweak performance parameters extends hardware's useful life. Read full review Easy and simple interface that can be used by anyone. The visual audio levels are great and help to clean out all the impurities in an audio. Comes freely built in with all Mac computers, which are widely used. Very user-friendly and intuitive at the same time. GarageBand can be self-taught with no experience. Read full review Cons Loop-Based Production - Pro Tools is still in the old world of audio recording where you're expected to record a track from live sources. It has less features aimed at production of loop-based music like electronic music and hiphop. Sample-Based Production - While you can sequence samples, you are expected to use MIDI to trigger the samples, for the most part. Of course, you can sequence them out without using MIDI to trigger a sampler plugin, but that's not the use case Pro Tools was designed for. Creative Ideation - Pro Tools expects you to figure out what you want to record first, and does not have tools for helping you produce or create the music. Read full review Can't save the preferences for the tracks such as turning off reverb etc. Project files are large, a 30-minute podcast episode with only 4 tracks is typically around 1 GB Auto feature to silence guest not talking Optimize for podcasters (I use the old version 6 as new versions hasn't had podcast options) Read full review Usability This is a hard question - I'd give it a 10 for having so many options but a 5 for being user friendly - as it has so many options.
Read full review Support Rating The times I've had problems with Avid, they've responded within about 48 hours, and most of the time with a reasonable solution. More often than not, however, I've had to resort to forums to get answers, because when I'm having a problem with the software, I can't afford to wait 48 hours for a solution
Read full review I have never tried it. It's just simple, and you should be able to navigate most of it via self-exploration and Apple Help.
Read full review Alternatives Considered As discussed above, these other products are likely better suited for home audio production, especially based on their integration of software instruments and their surface-level interface and tools. Pro Tools excels as a tool for professionals, who need to move audio along efficiently towards a polished form, especially in the context of vocal production
Read full review I have used Adobe Audition before but found it to be hard to learn. Some of the features were very nice but too much for what I needed to justify the price. GarageBand is perfect for my needs and it came free with my Mac laptop. That is the best deal in town!
Read full review Return on Investment I actually finish projects, because once I set up templates it's basically plug-and-play. My customers enjoy my videos more now that the audio is better. I might spend too much money on plug-ins, haha. Read full review Amazing value Very easy to get started For novices and professionals alike Loops library is simply awesome Export capabilities very effective to share tracks Read full review ScreenShots