Avid Quit Ripping People Off

[@KikiValera]

300% agree...! I started with "Cubase" from version 2.5 and today that DAW has improved a lot, I think it has nothing to envy to "PRO Tools". As you say in your video, the subscription is the most ridiculous thing I've seen lately in a few software companies. Thank you for your advice, you are my hero...!!

[@paulbrembly1417]

I 100 per cent agree with you that owning your DAW is a wise decision. Thank you for your always solid and straight-up comments and reviews!

[@kizersosei4919]

The only exception to renting, that we've seen was Cubase 14, where they give you the option of 'rent to own', pay $14/mo. for 34 months until the entire DAW is paid for.

[@ericktellez7632]

Cubase is a single purchase daw only the yearly update they charge again but it’s a much lower amount.

[@SomebodyPickaName]

@@ericktellez7632 Through Steinberg, it's a one-time purchase. Through Splice, it's $16.99/month for 34 months until its paid for.

[@julesc8054]

About 15 years ago Steinberg had a discussion with us Nuendo users on the licence model and we agreed on an update cadance and perpetual licence model. We've continued to upgrade and they've continued to create great features on a reliable foundation.

[@RasCuban33]

Yep, after my 2012 Mac Pro died I switched over to a Tascam Model 24 with outboard gear and couldn’t be happier. Printing my mix to a Tascam Dp-03 which has mastering functionality, after 20 years of ProTools I’m much happier with my current setup.

[@liambate2301]

I agree 100%. Sometimes subscriptions make sense, for things like internet connection, phone data, etc., which requires the provider to use servers and staff which cost money. But for a SOFTWARE that runs on YOUR OWN PC, should NEVER be a subscription. Just like Logic Pro it should just be a one time payment. I hate these greedy companies that think they can get away with this, just because they are "industry standard".

[@americassong]

I agree. I have a perpetual license for pro tools studio, and last year I forgot to pay for the update plan. I had paying clients, and was able to complete their projects without interruption. If I was on subscription my software would have ceased to function and I would have lost money.

[@Qwitsoender]

Apple are no saints though. Their “pro” apps on iPad, like Logic and Final Cut, are subscription too. Unfortunately.

[@vennox-music]

I have FL24. It has features I love but Cubase. I was a full time user of Cubase from pro24 to Cubase 7 Pro. I wanted a change and went to FL for dance music. Now Cubase 13 came about and I decided to take a look. Splice does rent to own. My son records his band and Cubase was more suited for him. We go halves of the rent to own and any upgrades. It suits us. £7 each a month, easy for him being a student and easy for me. We can run it on both home studio PCs. It works for us. I would NOT do this if it was a sole subscription. Terrible way of doing things. Flushing money down the toilet.

[@studioFiByfi]

Even outright owning the software and going through the proper upgrades, I STILL get the "everything that made this mix cool is missing" when trying to open older files at times.

[@JeanPierrePianists]

100% Agree. I still own my perpetual license But rarely use Protools nowadays. 25+ years and going strong Logic/Cubase/Studio One. Happy life.

[@TomCawoski]

I agree with you Barry 100% - perpetual all the way!!! I own both Pro Tools and Cubase and so I'd be real interested in hearing what you've discovered in terms of what you love better about Cubase/Nuendo over Pro Tools. What you also said that there are things that are still better in Pro Tools than Cubase/Nuendo, that would be cool to know as well. Doing a video comparison might be a great way of steering people away from Avid to something else like Cubase/Nuendo that I'm sure you could do a great demonstration for all to see. Anyway, thanks for your videos and keep up the great work Barry!!! Appreciate you brother!!!

[@Charliejulietteromeo]

Your are indeed correct! I learned the hard way when I cancelled a plug-in package that kept raising their subscription price because they knew clients like myself were between a rock and hard place. I cancelled and lost all the benefits of those plugins. Even worse, when i load up work that I've done in the past I have to spend time now to reassign plugins to replace the ones I no subscribe to. Just don't do - buy them out right if you like them!

[@Barkosaur]

Exactly what happened to me when I decided not to keep doing the Slate "all access pass" anymore . . a painful lesson that keeps reminding me from time to time 😧

[@Charliejulietteromeo]

@@Barkosaur Yep! My issue was with Slate also.... I feel your pain!

[@yurikalashnikov2460]

I used Protools for years back when it was The Standard. Never again. You’re dead to me Avid.

[@TheInvisibleMen]

First, I have been watching your videos for a while and have to say that they are AWSOME and I appreciate them. AVID lost me back when they were still DigiDesign. I graduated from Audio Engineering School back in 2002. The Institute of Audio Research I.A.R for short where they shoved Mac down your throat! I ended up buying a few Macs after and loved it. I owned a Digi 002 Console and when I got a new Mac Digidesign did not make a new driver for the new OS! I waited and waited! I only got to use that console for two years before I could not use it anymore! Needless to say, I was PISSED! Now that console sits in the box and I can only use it standalone. I went to Cubase and never looked back.

[@Brhudsonjr]

I agree all day, Barry!! I have been learning Reaper and Studio One

[@definfected]

Another great video!! I also hate the subscription model. These companies are evil and greedy!! I've been with Logic since I started music production and I intend to stay with it for the foreseeable future. Thanks for sharing!! Much ❤ BJ!!

[@ryanperrault8174]

Nobody wants the subscription model for anything

[@BrianListon]

Except developers. So, not nobody.

[@revp01]

Reaper user here and I agree. I do pay for Roland cloud but it’s the only subscription software I use.

[@J3unG]

Warez, nigga. All you want, what you need, alll bleedin' day long, anytime.

[@KlangWerck]

At Steinberg you get all products as a student with 40% - 55%(Nuendo) discount and with Cubase stock plugins you already have 95% of everything you need! Great Video as always Barry, I appreciate your work very much

[@miroslavhons6205]

Fully agreed; camping on Logic and getting courage for later shifting to Steinberge Stage (cubase, dorico) - times when DSP was needed (supported with avid hw) are coming to an end, M1-4 chips hold tons & tons these days ... al the best Barry. Great topic, great channel !!

[@ProgressiveSoundAudio]

Love your video's Barry. Keep up the great work.

[@Joe_Pass]

You're so right, Barry!

[@pipelineaudio]

I've ridden professional BMX freestyle my whole life. I am on a first name basis with pretty much any hospital emergency room in the pacific islands and north america. And yet, Barry's balls of steel on this video make me look like I'm carrying BB's

[@BarryJohns]

😎😜🤣

[@SteveAdamsChannel]

Bro you captured how I feel about the man and this video like I never would have! I agree 100%! Waves was a great example in the industry to see see how we feel about subscriptions. They have settled on solution that works! PA has done the same however they didn't have to learn the hard way!

[@Scott__C]

When I was a kid I raced BMX. This was in the 70s in Florida and it was first coming around everywhere. So much fun. No gears, just set up your gear ratio and that's what you've got for the race. This was when only 20" bikes were used too. Man, great times. If you don't know the history, look up Scot Breithaupt, the OG BMXer.

[@J3unG]

Barry's a confused man. He apparently has a love/hate relationship with Apple products. He's unwilling to give up on Pro Tool even though Avid Corp is the big chrome, studded phist up every one of the bungholes of it's subscriber base. Barry, I heard, can't even sit down or poo correctly anymore.

[@TheGarageBandSyndicate]

Studio One commercial to open the video. I love it lol

[@johnnydswing]

On the money! Cubase and Reaper are the goats, I love pro tools for the interface is the best looking so easy on the eye

[@truescotsman4103]

I have a perpetual license I purchased in about 2015. I'm fine with the basic product and no updates. They try to tell you the product is update specific meaning they have a different version for each iteration of updates to Microsoft windows. If you have support you always get the newest product updates automatically. If you're on a perpetual license they want you to feel like your product is in default and won't work properly if your version of windows is beyond your support. I'm using the same product I had from the beginning but I'm on a new Windows 11 system and it's working fine. I agree completely. Get the perpetual license or get something else with a perpetual license.

[@solidsurrounds]

Oh my, that was great ! PT users often think because there may be a huge learning curve to learning a new DAW they stay with Pro tools. It's merely a side step..like you said , "Industry Standards" ..keep up the good work Barry !

[@jarexxsuvexx8212]

The thing with subscription is you are at their mercy whenever they feel like raising the price. Greed can make folks do evil things.

[@Vybescube]

You are absolutely right.

[@BCRilakuma]

For Logic, it provides forever free update. Although Cubase need to pay for an update, you still have a choice. So you are right 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 Therefore I mainly use Cubase and sometimes I use Logic.

[@iocomposer]

Using protools on a mix stage every day. It's more solid and capable now than it's ever been and I'm super happy with it. For what I do, syncing multiple systems to picture with a console and a multiple-user workflow, there is nothing that can touch protools. I'm sure there are better options for music guys but not for me.

[@BarryJohns]

Use what works for you!

[@Barkosaur]

Sure thing, the topic here is more about the ripoff subscription models though, so here's hoping you've got the perpetual license 😁

[@iocomposer]

@@Barkosaur Funny how I interpreted it as Avid bashing.

[@Barkosaur]

"Rant" videos can poke us a bit that way 😁

[@iTrensharo]

It is Avid bashing, but that's fine. It's his channel. He bashes Avid every few months, Lol.

[@delmixedit]

Here’s the hill I will continue to stand on. You’re 100% right about what “can be done”. The part that hasn’t changed is the working in major facilities (both music and post). If that’s the goal that someone has for their career, then they have to know Pro Tools. Now you don’t necessarily need to own it, but how do you learn something you dont have and use regularly?

[@Fernspersonalchannel-p8m]

I use UA luna and I love it. Already made my first album. I just don't see why I would change from that. Paying a subscription is dum. Luna is free!

[@sinsoftherich]

Oh, I read the title and thought they actually quit ripping people off lol. The power of commas.

[@SpencerAnnis]

I JUSTTTT switched from mixing clients in pro tools to Logic Pro and I’m still getting used to it, but it does everything I need and some things are even more intuitive than I was expecting. Interface is smoother ect ect. And on top of that, it cost me less than 1 year of my AVID subscription to OWN ha wild.

[@andrew4982]

The name says it all, people from Avid are avid of money.

[@ShaunBass]

Ashamedly, I rent pro tools. The perpetual license just seemed too big of a purchase. I was a logic user and switched to pro tools because I enjoyed pro tools editing over logic. Just this week, I was looking over my bills and thought maybe it’s time to drop this subscription. And now seeing your video, yeah… it’s time.

[@robduff]

Thanks for saying what we all think about subscriptions. Very entertaining, like your style.

[@gavindaviesmusic]

They are greedy same as Adobe, unfortunately I have to have Adobe as I use Photoshop, Premier Pro, Audition and Character animator for my Spanner & Spoon comedy show but I use Cubase as my DAW and would be lost without it!

[@ulyseslozano5389]

Best video about AVID stupidity ever! Thanks Barry!

[@randallmauger5659]

Agreed. I’ve used Sibelius since version 1 and was very upset when Avid bought it. The original company was much nicer to deal with, as was Make Music, for that matter. While Avid did a decent job of further developing the software, I ended up having to go subscription for a couple of years, which made me really angry. It’s why I only had Pro Tools for a short while. I prefer Cubase anyway, which I’ve used for at least fifteen years. I think it was karma that Steinberg hired the software developers who’d worked on Sibelius, that Avid fired, to build Dorico. When Finale announced they were no longer going to develop their software, they put together a discounted package with Dorico for their users so I got a great deal on the full version, then Avid announced the same deal on Sibelius Ultimate perpetual for Finale users, so I got that at the same time. It was amazing timing for me. I do actually still love Sibelius, but Dorico has many things to offer that can’t be found in Sibelius. Thanks for your strong rebuke. It was good to hear someone else voice the way I have long felt about the situation. I’ve enjoyed your channel for a while now. Keep up the great work!

[@marklholloway]

Historically Avid has never discounted perpetual support renewals. I doubt they ever will. They follow an old model in tech “Support cost over 5 years should equal the same cost as the original purchase price” which doubles the amount the customer spends over 5 years

[@BarryJohns]

They have, I done it many times.

[@marklholloway]

@ In that case I hope they watch and listen to this video! 💙

[@iTrensharo]

They have not discounted perpetual licenses as since Introducing subscriptions... Never. They have, however, discounted support renewals, but only to sell out keys when they were trying to end perpetual licenses. That failed, so they brought them back and I don't see them discounting that under normal circumstances.

[@pendulumdistinction2494]

Affinity is amazing. Reaper is amazing. We have a choice, let's use them. Barry, we appreciate you. There is no future, the future is right now.

[@BernardShreveJr]

I have no interest in "perpetually paying" for the "use" of software. Pro Tools was the "industry" standard, but the whole music industry is changing and so are the who's who of tools. I am a Cubase user (since Cubase SX and now on Cubase 14 Pro). I can choice to upgrade or when to justify making an upgrade. I am fine with this "expense"; since it is greatly reduced in price to upgrade from the list prices.

[@olhsson]

It's worth mentioning that dealers still sell perpetual, just not the Avid website.

[@juansebastianrodriguez9682]

Hi Barry, I totally agree-the subscription model is a rip-off. I bought my DAW over a year ago for $600 from Sweetwater, and I stand by the idea that you should own your DAW. Nowadays, a DAW is equivalent to the consoles of the old recording days. It’s no wonder small studios struggle to make money; they often don't invest in the tools they truly need. It feels like we’re living in a world of supervised consumerism, and it’s disgusting. I’m 100% with you on this! For those of you who don’t own your DAW, it’s time to get real.

[@RJRJ-wz9hf]

I'm with you on this. I also think having a DAW that is always up to date and not being able to use older versions is a big no from me. Some systems wont run it and some people don't need new features.

[@Todzuum]

yep, I think they saw a future problem with modern tech that we’ve reached a pinnacle where you don’t need to keep getting better or up to date software and tech to be able to make professional recordings so they needed a way to make a continuous income , because you don’t really need to keep getting newer items. It’s also possible if they didn’t do this they couldn’t keep the business open

[@massivebeatzz]

Thanks for pointing out this nonsense people talking about it like it becomes free. It alleviates your tax burden. Depends what tax bracket you are in and how much you can actually write off without getting on the radar of the IRS. Many many other things you can write off. Writing off means you can claim it as an expense that's related to your business. This is really a great video with all the other points you're making Barry!😊

[@tgrimes175]

You can literally do more with any DAW over reel to reel tape, cassette tape, or Hard Disk recorder. This means you can make professional albums with Garageband, Bandlab, Audacity, etc. All those free DAWs can literally do more than anything reel to reel tape, cassette tape, or hard disk recorders could ever do. People never knock reel to reel or hard disk recorders, but they will call Garageband, Bandlab, and Audacity toys. Utter nonsense. If you know what you are doing, you can make professional albums with Garageband, Bandlab, Audacity, or any DAW.

[@mickpowell8391]

Right on the money once again Barry. Avid (and Digi before) have been pains in my arss with a long list of gripes.....dropping support for my 001 back in the day, horrendous tech support, pathetic MIDI device implementation, discontinued support for the Artist console and of course the subscription debacle. I swear they despise their customers.

[@moorsoulmusic]

From Digidesigns Session to Avid-Con Pro Tools I've owned and used, but now, I maybe open Pro Tools a few times a year. So I concur with you completely Barry. Peave, Love & Music!

[@chadb1000]

100% agree here too. I was a cakewalk user for about 15yrs and the new Sonar is subscription only (bad move in my opinion). I switched to Reaper a year ago and glad I did!

[@nunoandradebluesdrive]

well, that's why I'm using Reaper nowadays, and it doesn't cross my mind to ever go back to protools. That kind of corporate cornoring makes me sick. Also happened with Adobe and, I changed to affinity designer and photo just like you, - I have a degree on graphic design and worked on that area professionaly a lot of years, I still do design work as a freelancer and for my own music business needs. Those guys from Adobe shown their claws too many times before (remember Macromedia freehand? .. they bought it out to erase it from the competition..they just destroyed it without skipping a beat, ignoring all the professionals as me that used it everyday). Sincerely this is really an attitude that shows exactly what they are all about. Again, I buy my licence for Reaper proudly, as they are doing things with the right attitude.

[@sonnierart]

I relate. Adobe also killed off Macromedia Fireworks, the software I've been using for over 20 years for freelance work. I still use the last Macromedia version (8) that came out about 19 years ago. I'll never go the Adobe route.

[@nunoandradebluesdrive]

@sonnierart it's sickening

[@APMastering]

strongly agree. although reaper leaves tools in the dust. can't even load a VST plugin

[@LoaiHaleem]

You are right 100%, I already done your advices you mentioned (Reaper).

[@noli5510]

Best channel!! I appreciate your perspective and I agree as an engineer, onece you master a tool you will be good with anything to record music. I love logic pro and Nuendo (way better and is fraction of the price). You the man, Barry!

[@davidasher22]

I like salty charismatic Barry! It’s getting me pumped up. 😂

[@Luckeyj01]

Just purchased studio one last night. Pro tools studio is $37 per month. They’ve lost their minds. I likely will still purchase a perpetual license for recording just because I like the workflow of PT but my mixes will be in studio one come the new year! 🤘🏾

[@df4808]

You are totally right Barry !! I'm with you on that point

[@gagsmedia]

Presonus have also scrapped EDU upgrades…so it’s cheaper if you are a Student or Teacher to update Protools than it is Studio One…Let that sink in…

[@claudius3124]

Cubase perfect form me, always been. Tried Protools years ago.. Nope.... ;-) Thanks Barry for the video!

[@iTrensharo]

Avid never puts perpetual licenses on sale. This has been the norm for years.

[@sole__doubt]

"Just Dont Do It" should be your next t-shirt design. ;)

[@BarryJohns]

😎

[@recordingwhiz]

100% correct. I completely agree

[@krissheehy]

Mannn your audio was distorted all the way through this video ahaha. 100% completely agree with you on this though. I've been with Logic Pro since 2010 and haven't spent a penny since. Avid is a wasteland of what it was.

[@AdventureDriver]

One looses access to all projects made with rented/subscription software once the subscription stops, or when the company that maintains the subscription fails. Bad idea.

[@geroldwaefler9485]

You are totaly right ! I think the same !

[@theshawnfussellband]

I love pro tools, but the way they have done their loyal perpetual customers over the years has been nothing short of extortion. Such as raising their yearly update fee up by 100 percent in one move. And they did it during the lock downs. It was a huge F U to the folks who stuck with them while they crawled their way to 64 bit when others had been there for years. Avid has always been the last in line for getting current. Took them how long to get native on apple silicon? Too Long. Reaper had it worked out in a month. You can OWN Logic and Reaper for less than a pro tools sub. I hope Avid goes bankrupt for what it's done to perpetual owners.

[@albertohernandezserradilla3348]

Pro Tools Ultimate perpetual user here, I stopped with the abusive 500$ update plan since AVID releases like 4 updates a year, that makes a cost of 125$ per update. Completely abusive. They think of us as milk cows, just as Adobe does. And yes, purchase your perpetual license for your DAW. Stop being a milk cow. Any DAW nowadays can get the job done, even more if we’re dealing with 64-bit resolution audio motors. Congrats on saying out loud what many of us think Barry.

[@BarryJohns]

That was the final straw for me too

[@UncleT525]

They have the perpetual license of pro tool studio version included with an purchase of an Avid Mbox for $499. If you don’t want to keep the mbox just sell it and recoup the money

[@jorgedejesustejedavaldez5283]

And look like Pre Sonus are going to that round but in a more sensible and respectful way for consumer.

[@mochachaiguy]

I'm a perpetual owner ALL THE WAY. I never want to be in a position where I can't open up a session any time i want regardless of being on any sort of plan. I abhor software subscriptions and have two Ultimate perpetual licences I use for my post production work. This price hike is getting to me though. Seriously considering letting my second licence lapse for the time being, and the secondary system doesn't need all the bells and whistles of the latest versions, and there is already so many other tools I have to update on an annual basis, the value proposition is fading for anything than my main rig.

[@TheImageDoctor]

AVID and ALL of the "leading" (big name) vendors in the "music market" are making last minute money grabs because the ENTIRE market is being commoditized from top-to-bottom. Free and low-cost DAWs can produce the same results as expensive name brands. (Though app "stability" may generally be a tad better with name brands.) Off-shore guitars, amps, and multi-FX pedal brands are mushrooming across the market, with options that sound just about as good as the big-boys at 1/10 the price. Pioneering companies like Kemper and Avid are now in the final stages of life because they never truly considered how their OWN product lifecycles would flow. They just figured (stupidly, same as always) that everyone would happily pay stupid money for the rest of time, just for the privilege of having a name brand. Sure, some will. 98.7% wont. JM2C...

[@clicks59]

Thanks Barry. My first DAW was Reaper. I decided to take some commercial music college courses. The school uses Apple and Pro Tools. About that very point in time, Pro Tools went to all subscription. I opted to get a Pro Tools Studio subscription for my DAW, just to help with my college courses and take home projects. There are a lot of great things about Pro Tools. The cost isn't one of them. I'll get the student discount for as long as I can then I'll have to make the decision to ditch Pro Tools and head back over to Reaper or buy a PT Perpetual License.

[@keyjay_hr]

Bought a perpetual pro tools license with a collegiate discount in 2018 and haven’t even touched it since I graduated in 2020. Not even worth dealing with the bugs and poor performance compared to studio one on my windows machine.

[@wernerotti6712]

You are right - 👍 !!!

[@katentu]

One of the synonym for Avid is Greedy

[@MexManny]

when i tell people i mix in cubase people look at me like im late 😂

[@roblouden3861]

My doctor told me I’m allergic to subscriptions! 😂

[@wren23_bass-synths]

Totally agree with you. Many of the studios that I've worked in lately are using Logic Pro. I remember 10 years ago when doing sessions, Pro Tools was the standard in studios, but it seems Logic and even Ableton are in many pro studios now. A lot of people think that a deep learning curve and steep price made it better, but they're wrong. I myself use Ableton and I'm perfectly satisfied with that. I did think about getting Logic, but I don't really see the point of it.

[@christopherpaul1810]

I use Reaper by choice! I also use Sibelius, and pay $10 a month for subscription/updates and that's less than decent Chinese take out. Great deal! Everyone's going with cloud subscriptions these days, it's the way of the world. I made it not even half way though this video.

[@bboymac84]

He said OPPOSITE of Nike 😂😂😂

[@davidpatrick1813]

Do I use your what for discount to buy through you to help your work..? I am looking for an external SSD for my mac mini ... M1 2020

[@tylerstooksbury3050]

It’s so frustrating. Pro Tools is my favorite DAW. I started with 7.3 M-Powered. It’s what I know. It’s what makes me the most creative Luna is the best alternative that I’ve tried. They’ve done a great job at making it much more friendly to pro tools users. But it still doesn’t hold a candle to editing in Pro Tools. I love Pro Tools. I want to work in Pro Tools. I think if they made the perpetual upgrades more affordable and simpler for the consumer, they’d get a lot more volume in sales. $299 perpetual license and $99 yearly upgrades would be very very popular I think.

[@kellcoleStyleEnt]

I agreed I paid 780 to own pro tools out right I use to Do subscription a few years ago but it’s not worth it at all

[@argeswara]

Perpetual It Is!

[@jbva804]

I feel you on your thoughts of Adobe. I used to love using Audition. It's baffling how they won't allow you to buy a perpetual license.

[@neve2254e]

Hi Barry, ProTools Ultimate is only $599.00 a year. I currently own a perpetual license, I still have to pay an update fee yearly to stay up to date. Do you remember owning tape machines, an analog desk. I would spend thousands a year to pay a tech to come out and service that stuff, not to mention that it cost over a half a million dollars to own it. Now my DAW running on my laptop has all that i need and I am only paying $600.00 a year!!! If you are making a living doing this, Is that really that expensive? Enjoy your content. Thank you.

[@robflores5172]

You can literally make Reaper look and operate identical to Pro Tools. You can learn Pro Tools for a fraction of the price with more features.

If I had been paying, not to talk about "subscribing" to all software I have used along many years, I'd be homeless or starved to death by now. Fortunately there a lot of options for people who don't like to waste their money out there, and I never doubted to make good use of them.

[@brianspence8822]

100% Barry, couldnt agree more. I use cubase which has been great. I did get a full perpetual license of protools last year when it came free with its M-BOX. I did have a ua apollo but I needed more inputs so I sold and got the MBOX which has been great for myself as im just having fun in my basement

[@christopherdunn317]

I still use a Roland vs-2480 and its fine its about recording music not faking it like most do !

[@GRJLS.]

I can’t even buy a Pro Tools perpetual license off their website.

[@BarryJohns]

You can at retailers.

[@TJenga]

I bought perpetual when 10 came out and I even they offered the upgrade for cheap I did that just because I liked some of the new features but I still have the option to stay where I’m at and use it just fine until I want to upgrade again. That is the best option in my opinion and the other way makes 0 sense even as a hobbyist like myself.

[@PurpleMusicProductions]

Love it Barry! I have Pro Tools perpetual but would certainly not do a subscription. That is insane and makes no sense. It would be nice if Avid did a black Friday sale for a perpetual license on Pro Tools Ultimate but good luck on that logical concept.

[@ericjervis2926]

BJ - All of Avid's 'Plans' are subscription. Simple. Because Avid does not release BUG fixes for past versions (even over the past year), everyone is in a perpetual cycle of minor new feature addition, small new bugs introduced, some old bug fixed, and maybe some new free MIDI "hostageware". So it goes. If you stop the "Paid" perpetual license maintenance fee (a subscription), you are left with a somewhat stable version of Pro Tools that may or may not have bugs in a feature/workflow that you rely on, and a bunch of dead "hostageware". I still use Pro Tools 2024.6 as it is mostly stable for me.

[@MrStubat]

The scammers also won’t let you use both the S1 controllers and the old Mix series at the same time on Eucon.

[@BarryJohns]

Yep

[@simonsays9368]

Hello Barry,, thanks for ALL your information, ,friggin a WONDERFUL Guru. Please give your input on this question. I am looking at an RME Fireface 400. Is this still a viable interface (since firewire is outdated)? The unit I am looking at is selling for $250.

[@BarryJohns]

It was a great box when it came out, however, fire wire is basically dead, so I would avoid it for that reason only.

[@DanielGomez-ei7yx]

FL Studio is the go too. You can hook up hardware gear. And good CPU.

[@tonyvalenti6614]

I agree and hate subscription EVERYTHING! I will say that AVID lowered the cost of MBOX Studio from $899 to $499. In addition they changed the inclusion of 1 year subscription of Pro Tools Studio to Perpetual. Getting an interface and perpetual license for $499 is not bad at all. As for Adobe, I got both Photoshop and Premiere in their perpetual Elements offering inexpensively and they are plenty good enough for me. I don’t do MS Office 365 either. The only software I subscribe to is Quicken because I’ve used it for 15 years and the 2010 version no longer installs. Had MS Money before that until MS killed it like they did Digital Photo. I agree though, Software as a Service is a rip off. It’s not limited to Avid.

[@indigoskywalker]

absolutely spot on! the only thing avid have over the competition is really good smpte support

[@kingech_B15]

I hope avid sends you a perpetual license key

[@MarkWRoberts]

Yep, I even told a few of the reps at NAMM I couldn't justify their extortion plan.... LMAO 🤣Ive been a long time Logic Pro and Cubase Pro user for ever... also Wavelab for Mastering... yeah, I'm good... appreciate you Barry!