Sanderxpander
I wasn't there, all I know is they used a big Mac with SSDs and RME based MADI.
I thought 192 was a lot, when would you ever record 700 stereo tracks at once??

Movie soundtracks. Lord of the Rings had something like 750 audio tracks. They used to use 3 PT systems all synced up because of the 250 track limit but now they can do it all on one machine because the limit is now 768 tracks.

I'll take your word for it, though I honestly still find it hard to actually think up 700 stereo sources :)

Yeah I think things get pretty busy in a big movie soundtrack. 250 tracks each for music, dialogue and effects. There would rarely be everything playing at once, they like to put lots of things on their own tracks.
 
The effects tracks could get pretty busy. (large battle scenes for example) Lots of dialogue stuff too. And music, well could be lots of cues residing on many track just waiting their turn.
 
I agree for us mere mortals those sort of track numbers are a bit hard to comprehend. PT can handle it all though I believe. Some of the track counts get pretty large even on some larger music productions.
 
I thnk we have gone a bit mad these days with track numbers considering in the 60's they were doing it with just four.
 
When I studied my Jazz degree many years ago I was always very surprised how much sound just 3 or 4 musicians could make when they had to. Massive wall of sound coming from a very small number of people.
 
I try and keep track counts right down rather than just pile them up.

I can understand huge mixes, I was talking about simultaneous recording sources.

VigilantSound
Sanderxpanda: You say hits have been made on every DAW out there? It would be interesting to see a few examples..
 
I realize that a "hit" is subjective but I would consider anything that has went gold to be a hit or even winning an Grammy. I think audio for video games wouldn't count unless it had an actual music hit our sound track.
 
I know that Ricky Martin's living la Vito loco was said to be the first track mixed completely ITB in Pro Tools and become a "hit"
 
Ableton has skrillex who has won a Grammy.. (edit- auto spell doesn't like ableton)
 
I googled hits recorded with pro tools and also hits recorded in sonar but didn't find much.
 
Can anyone verify any "hits" made Sonar or any other DAW?
 )

 That's because Pro Tools is a mastering app. You're wrong if you think Skillrex spit their directly from Ableton to CD.  If you are under a major label, you produce your music in whatever DAW of choice and then it gets sent to the guys who get paid to master tracks and they are either using Nuendo or Pro Tools.
 
 

Or Wavelab, or Sequoia/Samplitude.
I really don't see ProTools as a mastering app. Perhaps only because it's standard and you do need something to play a stereo track and host plugins.

Hello all.
 
Oh Yah..some say...."We have to feed the cash Cows, who are making un-standard standards standard"...and play along with their offerings of "sacrifice" onto us to conform to Pay and Pray, for the time being....amen?..or change them un-standards saying "Industry standard" """Pro""" to sleeping sheep, and feed the grass with a few dandelions for the bitter truths posted on their forums!....opps another change some may need to have as backup plan X?....     LOL....As to be Professional...is to be in part Perfect at what it/they is/are suppose to do.
Now that is reliant on many Factors, and the users of it...and then some standard or measure used to judge it by, that should never change.
 
If it does not perform perfectly ...then it is not PERFECT, and thus cannot be PROFFESSIONAL.
if it does, then it is....and there is no wiggle room in that regard.
 
So where have there been issues?...OS, Hardware, Software, plug ins,...and all have this issue, if upon those issues it is built or reliant on each other for rendering out that product of Perfect in standards...as all things keep changing with one or the other or all involved in to make one work towards!
 
So where is the PROFFESSIONAL in PRO as in PERFECTNESS in being ?....there is none!...at this time line.
All have bugs, all have issues, all are in a state of change continually moving the shell around to make more dosh end up in the till!
 
And with that noted...the next update is coming always!...So where is the standard standards in that?
 
And as such it cannot be called PROFESSIONAL anything!...cause it is never PERFECT!...as yet to be announced by any of them claiming to be PRO...eh?
 
So feed which ever camp floats your boat...but remember always there will be holes to plug!...and cash to spend on fixing, updating, and eventually finishing what you wanted to do....in some form of almost if to a standard of...perfection!=measure of standard that does not change...as it should be perfect in someones IDEAL that should be taken for all, if it applies to all..in all for all...(and even that is changing)..MP3?....oh well..
 
That is for the mind melding of Truth to be Truth about it...on PC or Mac based systems...at this time line always under change...and reliant on Gear/OS, that seems to be in a state of flux and change continually...and the consumers or cash givers...also having change being imposed by technologies changing choices availible.
 
Just saying....if the standards are based on un-standard standards, or constant change (no standards) ..then how can it claim to be perfect or professional if these factors are at its base line construct?
 
I Guess once they make it perfect...it should stay the same!= standard...cause there is nothing better than Perfect.
 
So...they may claim, and toot, and such in PRO meaning something...But if it is changing all the time (and we see it is)...then they are no better in regards to Perfect, if it remains to be updated, and upgraded continually with Issue with all of the variables in a state of change continually... towards hopefully a standard of perfection one day?..or never to keep the flow of cash comin in....I think is the underlying method of, in some circles.
 
And they all have them bugs in play....So, again what ever floats the boat to the other shore, ...is in some case Standardized by the consumer...not the industry.
 
It is the consumer who feeds the cash cow...marketing is the means/ploy to gain the herders  hand in supplying that food in certain directions of Cow feeding...
 
Asking which one is better?...only fuels that direction towards one or the others...or all.. depending on who wants to have fun taking sides in the debate, and who wants to pull out hair using.....
 
 
And I made nothing known that is not already known, but unsaid.
 
PT  and Sonar are ok to do what needs to be done, that can be done with them...and then there are others that do other things ..and some should consider having at hand, when the need arises, that those cannot do....
 
Mastering is with the plug ins!!, and a employed standard baseline used by Industry....some DAWs include mastering plug ins, some do not...some are better than others at employing and rendering a standard towards the industry's mark of...and so the wheel in sky keeps on turning...the one spinning the wheel is the one who is making the un-standard standards be, so more pay out of pocket to try to make that standard be a standard...But even that is changing....mp3?...well it is not moving towards hi fi or above...sort of took a turn backwards for a moment.
 
So where is this industry standard level of perfection in terms of MP3 being widely promoted by Apple, and technology in play back medium?..in terms of fidelity?...and what new standard is coming?
 
Even the industry could change...and where would PT put their claim in being?....again change is not a standard of Perfection...
 
So that whole notion of being the industry standard is a farce!
 
Sip.
Sir Les
 
 
 
 
 
 

While I am mostly just bewildered by your post, what stood out to me was your bit about professional meaning perfect. That's not the case at all. Professional just means it's a tool fit for someone who needs to make a living using it. I have many professional tools, do make a living with them, and none of them are perfect (whatever that even means considering our shifting needs/expectations).

Nowadays professional means audiophile, at least in forums that feature non professionals.
Marketing has sorted that one out :).
 
If anybody has iplayer (mainly UK) I suggest watching Sound City, it's probably been on a US network as well etc:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03sltyb
 
That's the real mentality to make music (get a skillset, tools are just tools)...

CakeAlexS
Nowadays professional means audiophile, at least in forums that feature non professionals.
Marketing has sorted that one out :).
 
If anybody has iplayer (mainly UK) I suggest watching Sound City, it's probably been on a US network as well etc:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03sltyb
 
That's the real mentality to make music (get a skillset, tools are just tools)...

One of my top films of last year.

Splendid stuff.