PooTools --- Strike One !!!

In my previous blog post, I hinted at my skeptism and dislike for digital recording. I'm not necessarily referring to the sonics, but just the process of having to deal with computers all the time in a recording studio. Well my experience last night further strengthens my love for the analog tape machine and the recording console.

Since my house plumbing is completely fixed I decided to do something fun, right... ya know, get my very first ProTools, which I'm now dubbing PooTools or ShitTools, system up and running. Wrong! Let's go back a little... I downloaded the PooTools manual and read it thoroughly so I'd know which system settings I had to change in my MacPro, as well as the entire process for installing PooTools. Easy enough.

After changing a couple "System Preferences" and installing PooTools, I excitedly and anxiously started the PooTools application. The screen slowly faded from blue to dark blue and a little box appeared telling me in 4 different languages that I need to restart my computer by holding down the "Power" button. My initial impression was that this was routine and part of the installation process. Once again, Wrong! Every time I tried to start PooTools my computer locked up and I got this message.

Totally bummed, I called my ShitTools guru friend and explained to him my problem. To make a long story short, I basically fell victim to the whole pre-Intel Mac vs post-Intel Mac tomfoolery. I thought I installed PooTools for Mac OS X Tiger, which I did... but they failed to mention that this was the version for Macs pre-Intel processors. In the latest Mac line of computers, the MacPro, Mac switched from Mac processors to Intel processors. Translation for the user - NO SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY!

After realizing that I repeatedly crashed my Mac (and who said Macs don't crash, hah and pft), my ShitTools guru directed me to immediately uninstall PooTools and click here, click there, click nowhere and repair the hard drive which I probably just screwed up. After this wonderful experience, it seems my computer is working fine, but the three hours I spent working on this are all for nil. But... I think I will have my hands on the correct version to install today.

Perhaps I'm oversensitive and entirely impatient with recording software and computers, but I'd much rather just take a mic, plug it into a preamp, and plug that into my tape machine... and start recording. Hopefully PooTools won't bitch slap me around today when I attempt to install it again... this time, with the correct version.

Dear ProTools, Don't Let Me Down...

Having prided myself on being a recording engineer working entirely in the analog domain, it pains me to say that I just bought one of Apple's MacPro computers to be the brawn behind my very first ProTools rig. This is a beast of a computer. I've never owned anything that comes even close to the processing power of this machine.

Specs for the techies:

• Two 2.66GHz Dual Core Intel Xeon Processors (with independent 1.33GHz buss)
• 4GB Memory
• 250GB 7200rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s Hard Drive
• NVIDIA GForce 7300 GT 256MB Video Card
• 16x Superdrive
• WiFi with 802.11n capabilities
• Wireless Keyboard & Mouse
• OS X Operating System

I had to rationalize this purchase, but it really will serve the greater good. I've got a recording session scheduled with Haarp (ex Rat in a Bucket) at Truck Farm Studios from August 17-19. We're going to do all the tracking there on a 2" Studer (analog of course, duh), then dump it into ProTools so I can take it back to my mixing studio. ProTools will allow a seamless transition in and out of many studios to my mixing studio. I don't have much experience with ProTools, so hopefully the learning curve won't cause me to physically destroy my new MacPro, which cost me a small fortune as far as I'm concerned.

I should have it in my paws sometime in the next week or two...