Avid Sold For Blood Money 

So nice to hear somebody actually voice their opinion instead of tiptoeing around a vendor's feeling. Right on, Barry!

I love my Studio One! So glad I chose it 4 years ago! Barry rock on brother!!! :)

I abandoned Pro Tools a few years ago and since then have tried several other DAWs. I can confirm what you've said -- that MANY of them perform at least as well as Pro Tools. All the major ones are good! R.I.P. Avid.

REAPER GANG!

I can't imagine there's a single person out there who's going to shed a tear for Avid. The industry has been ripe for PT to be replaced for years. And quite frankly, I don't even think it necessarily has to be replaced by a single daw. Collaboration has never been easier.

My Sweetwater rep never hassled me, but did check in from time to time, and did again recently. The main decline in the Sweetwater experience that I've noticed is a lack of fireballs in my candy bag.

SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST BARRY! The real ones that follow you truly appreciate every bit of your analysis and advice. Much love and respect to you for your fearless defense of the truth. 😎

I left Avid/Pro tools back in 2009. I could see the writing on the wall. HDX was so expensive and I saw what kids was doing with Fruity Loops at the time. And I had to ask myself wtf was I doing. I switched over to Logic Pro and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I could get whatever gear I wanted and it worked flawlessly and Logic has only got better over the years just like every other DAW.

I love the fact that you tell it like it is! Keep up the great work and continue to educate us.

You sir, have won the internet today. Theres a bunch of vids with people voicing their displeasure for Avid. However, the genuine passion, and genuine disgust you displayed here, especially at the end haha is THE best. Awesome stuff.

Studio one is incredible for both midi and audio highly recommend.

Logic & Cubase user for the last 5 yrs. Can’t deny how tempted I’ve been to go after the Avid set up - but glad I never did. Thank you for illuminating this travesty. Stay the course, Sir!

Thanks for letting us know how you feel. I left them during the peak of the Sound Designer days (a long ask time ago). They were lying about their high priced hard drives saying they were "proprietary" -- thermal recalibration BS. In front of the SD Rep inside of a Major record label West Coast Studio A, I popped open the drive enclosure out of frustration only to discover that they were the same exact drives (to the model number) that I was getting from the computer store. I never looked back.

Well said! The key point here is “extortion”! What the heck has had people paying fees to use a DAW that has been matched and even outmatched for years by many wonderful programs? Is it brand loyalty, hardware hostage , or MKULTRA??? I used Pro Tools when they first started in the early 90’s. Our studio was actually beta testing the systems. It was great but, there has been so much competition for them in performance, workflow, ease of use AND price. It was a huge insult when they started with the subscription BS. So much so, that I kicked them to the curb. I’ve been a Logic Pro user ever since, and couldn’t be happier. Thanks for pointing this out. New subscriber.

Right on Barry!!! Couldn't agree more. Made the switch (Reaper & Cubase) about three years ago and have no regrets.

As someone working in films, I'm very worried. Even as an independent sound editor. People in this industry don't like change and think you can't make something good if you're not using Pro Tools/HDX. The problem is that film is a team effort and moving my session to a bigger studio (which is undoubtedly using pro tools) becomes an issue. Unless the industry collectively abandons pro tools, we're gonna have a lot of problems down the road by being stuck with a dying DAW that's bleeding us dry. I still think it's totally possible to work around it but others have to be on board and I don't see that happening.

I saw the headline yesterday and knew it wouldn't be long before Barry made this video.

Thank you Barry. Like you I’m a Digi/Avid user since the early days, circa 1989. This was my platform at work so it made sense to set up PT at home. Over the years it’s been a love-hate relationship. I’ve tolerated the Avid business model and been frustrated by the closed system, e.g. trying to aggregate or bridge PT sessions with the rest of the audio apps in my DAW. Modern DAW HW and SW make this so much easier. I’ve recently made the jump to Apple Silicon and soon will upgrade old Avid hardware to RME. Then I may keep my PT perpetual license active for another year while bringing a new DAW online and porting some old PT sessions. Logic is the frontrunner, and I’ll look again Studio One. Best regards

Like you Barry I started with Avid back in the Digidesign days. Paid through the nose for years with a perpetual license and little to show for it. Then without notice they took it away. After major backlash they reinstated perpetual licenses but I couldn't get past the stab in the back. I've moved on with Studio One and Logic and haven't looked back.

Cubase’s team, so Steinberg, has being working so hard in the last decade! While Pro Tools has been stuck, Cubase has evolved so much and, provided you put on the work to learn the HUGE feature set, it is the best tool, freeing you to do music as you want it, with minimal expense on plugins if you so choose with its amazing quality built in ones. At least in my honest opinion! I hope Nuendo will be adopted for audio post production for media as it kicks hardly ProTools’ butt.

But tell us how you really feel, Barry..😂 Completely agree 100%. I made the jump to Studio One in 2015 and never looked back. AMAZING product!

If Barry's words lead to more people signing up with other hard working DAW companies that don't take their customers for granted that would surely be a good thing.

It is rare anyone is 100 % right ..this broadcast is the exception to that rule ..it is robustly accurate and prophetic in my opinion and experience….run like the wind folks.

If you have pt and wanna switch to cubase, don’t cancel pt until you get Cubase so you can get that sweet big discount.

Preach on brother!! I've been a Logic user since i started back in 2009 and have never looked back. I can do everything I need and want to within the daw. Thanks for sharing the truth!! Much ❤ Barry!!

I can’t Like this commentary enough! Honest truth with no sugar coating! 100% spot on.

We all appreciate your blunt commentary! A year ago i built my own project studio and have been using Ableton for years back in my live looping days. I considered having pro tools on hand to look "professional" but you've convinced me to stay away from the headache and the extra expense. I very much agree with you that no daw is the best. It's really on personal preference and utility but MOST IMPORTANTLY it's on workflow. Because I've been using Ableton for about 5 years now I'm cranking out mixes like there's no tomorrow. Even though it's not the go to DAW for rock music, my workflow is fast and efficient to where i can mix a session on the spot and deliver a wav file by the time the artist gets in their car to listen on their way home. That's way more professional imo than having a client watch me fumble with a new software and have them wait for a mix. Keep rolling out the great content Barry!

Appreciate your candid comments Barry. I have been using PT since 2003 and it has become second nature to me. With all of the PT files I have, I cringe to think I may have to switch to a different DAW.

Funny. Just yesterday I was reading about Judas in a new translation of one of the gospels and it read "blood money"

You speak truth about private equity firms. I've witnessed it first-hand.

I was a digi 002 user and it just got to be way too expensive to continue to move forward with it. I am an Ableton user today and am happy with the transition that I made. I would hate to be still on protools and have to convert over to something else now a days. Any DAW you take on has a nuance and you have to spend time learning.

Never been a ProTools user - fair enough. But what you`re saying is absolutely right from my point of view and it is not only AVID doing these kind of things toady. I really appreciate that you`re continue to be straight forward here and not just fishing for views. Big thumb up!

A lot of the companies are going at a net loss. They’re fixing their balance sheet so they can be sold to a VC. Native Instruments already did it too.

Yes please! About time a real man speaking up for us!!!

I am not saying that Sweetwater hasn't changed or will not change, but my sales engineer is still pretty awesome - just talked to him the other day. Totally agreed on the value proposition (or lack thereof) for Avid products.

Logic Pro and Reaper user here...never got into PT so I can't speak to the UI or UX but Logic and Reaper are great DAWs that get the job done for me. I've been using Reaper since 2.0 days and I recently started using Logic about 3 years ago. Different DAWs but didn't take me too long to get the hang of it. Reaper is $60 for the full license and Logic is a steal for $200. The plugins that come with Logic are amazing and I use them all the time along with the various Waves/Slate/freeware plugins I own. PT seemed like the go-to DAW in the beginning but the tech has gotten so good across so many brands, I don't see the reason anymore.

Last time a reinstated my perpetual license was in 2021 with a student discount! Since then, I’ve constantly made efforts to find the most suitable DAW replacement for my workflow! So far Studio One Is on my radar and I plan on moving over to it by the end of 2023! Pro tools 2023.6 is the very last version I’ll upgrade to with no cost! I’ll start transitioning my old sessions too! Avid destroyed Digidesign! And now this private equity firm will destroy Avid! Karma is real folks.

I agree about the subscriptions being a scam. I haven't updated my waves plugins in 3 years now and am using a 14 year old computer and unsupported version of windows just so I can avoid the subscription money pits that leaves you at the mercy of the company to cut you off. I'm way outdated for home projects but at least I own my software and license.

Mr. Johns has a Very, Very, Very Honest point on this subeject and He's 100% Correct on the subject.!!!👍👍👍

I use pro tools, but everything that you say is perfectly true. I can’t wait for Avid to collapse.

Perfectly said. As a artist/musician, but ALSO a tech guy I've been saying all of this for years. It looks like the time of reckoning for avid/protools may be near.

Great as always Barry! I ditched PT years ago. There's nothing worse than corporate greed it destroys everything it touches

Don't fear the REAPER... :) I recorded using PT since 1997 - but in 2018 I got fed up with Avids CONSTANT mismanagement of a once great platform, Kenny Gioia's excellent vids. got me up and running quickly and my workflow in REAPER is AWESOME and probably 2x faster - never looked back! I agree with you too about Sweetwater - their guitar inspection is virtually NONEXISTANT. The fretboard of my Sire H7 was coated in varnish and arrived unplayable. I now shop with my friend Ken Grace at Roxy Music in LaPort, IA - loyalty and quality is everything!

Barry, your knowledge, experience and integrity are rare to come by. Thank you for being a down to Earth person. I have been using PT since the Digi-001 days. I have had innumerable problems with PCs with PT. Eventually, life became somewhat better with a Mac and PT. Now the final straw for me to move on is here. Avid and PT are on their death bed.

"private equity firms are known for ruining companies"....but we're talking about avid, they're a few decades late

Not a ton of MOTU users here but I started with Performer in '86 and DP in '88-91.(Thanks Apple for the built-in audio i/o options). MOTU MIDI implementation was superb from day one and PT was nightmarish for those of us managing MIDI projects. Workflows have change drastically since those days. Once PT became embedded in "Hollywood" ('98-'03) they walled themselves off from the rest of us 'cause they could. Now they're just another host for a parasitic hedgefund masquerading as a music company. Glad I never succumbed to their hype.

I agree with you Barry!! We here you loud and clear!!

Thank you so much for the passionate and candid professional perspective, here's to hoping that this private equity company doesn't kill the program.

I love having low latency inputs and outputs. I work in Pro Tools every day for media work. People know what to expect as well as being able to open my previous work from years and years ago. I can reach back to work from over 20 years ago if a client really needed a remix of anything.

hahahaha, you really went guns blazing. Justice for avid😁

Subscriptions suck, the whole damn computer and phone industry is plagued by them, we should stand up and be counted, this Investment company have seen that subscriptions are cashcows Well said Barry you hit the nail on the head

someone is feisty today!!! hysterical!!! love you Barry

REASON 12 and with All the Best Professional keyboards, Best VST's I am BLESSED.

I have a HDX , SSL 4000 G Plus console, I don’t pay a monthly subscription because I’m still using version 11. I’ve not had one problem! I’ve also upgraded the new digital power platform and the Tangerine unit. I have great outboard selection and I’m always looking for more cool outboard gear. I don’t thing it’s necessary to upgrade for what I’m doing. I love your boldness

I agree with the Sweetwater experience same. It's dropped a bit.

The Native processing available on Apple Silicon, Intel and AMD processors is more than adequate that most people don't need dedicated external processing like the HDX. Furthermore Apple, Intel and AMD all now have native support for USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 integrated directly on the chip so you don't need DigiLink.

As always Barry Sir, you speak the utmost truth. I have been a Pro Tools user for almost 11 years now. When Covid hit us back in 2020, I had Logic installed in my Computer but not Pro Tools as I used it in the Studio that i was working during that time. So I decided to learn Logic and give it a try. Spent about a good month understanding and getting familiar with Logic and started doing Projects in Logic from my Home Studio as all the commercial Studios were shut at that time. Right from day 1 I loved how easy and intuitive Logic is to work with. Still a fan after 3 years but sadly the Film and T.V. industry here in India ( But pretty much the rest of the world ) is still hooked on Pro Tools so I have no choice but to keep paying ridiculous amounts of money to Avid year after year. But I do hear you. Avid was already in trouble but this is some really bad news for all of us Pro Tools users.

I think you hit the nail on the head - the last few years, more and more project studios have been popping up to fill the void of large format studios closing their doors. None of the small ones i have been to or spoken to have used pro tools, they are on Cubase, Studio One and even reaper. Once the final door closes on the bigger studios, there is a whole generations of producers and mix engineers that have been happily using and proficient at other DAWS ready to take the place. The writing has been on the wall for pro tools for a while - i still use it from time to time when i am working in larger studios - but even the majority of engineers at the studio i work with, will bounce down at the end of the night and go and mix on their DAW of choice. Pro Tools hardware being installed has kept them afloat thus far, but its time for the changing of the guard.

Active investor firms are like locusts. One of them bought out my old employer and they got rid of the CEO who created the company, replaced the entire board, went through rounds of firings (company never had a mass layoff prior), brought up the stock price and then sold. Another private equity firm replaced them, and did the same thing. The company is now a shell of what it used to be.

Barry, you are spot on. Look at what happened to Olympus camera company after they were sold to a private equity firm. Olympus went from Being a leader to cheesy. I took my PT 11 off line and stopped upgrading my PT license and stopped upgrading g my old Mac Tower. When this tower tanks I will be totally done with PT. Don’t think the equity firm even cares if they are a viable company in the future. They will keep the company going if they get enough blood. If not they will shut down the whole business without notice.

Learned everything in PT in the past. 2 years ago started freelancing (for post production) so on a budget at the start. Hell no I wanted to pay PT every month. (Want to use more then 1 video in your project? Pay 200 every month please) Switched to Nuendo; best choice ever. I can even work faster and more efficient for post production workflows. Hollywood needs to adept Nuendo; it will make everyone's life better (and cheaper)

Luv the candor. You are 100 and a gem. I started with digidesign and session 8, and went to DP for the midi/digital audio integration. So glad I did.

bro you are truly a voice in the wilderness. thank you

I am a Pro Tools and Logic Pro X User and Studio One is so powerful since years and on eye-Level with Logic. I did a comparison „soundwise“ and Studio One sounds fantastic. No need for Pro Tools as long as you don’t need & admire the typical Avid workflow. And Barry is so right, the „Input latency“ years are over since the new Chip Generation. ✌️✨

When you’re right, you’re right. I had high hopes for Avid to be able to turn things around within the last few years, but that ship has sailed. I’m switching to Studio One. SMH.

I agree with you. I am a perpetual PT ultimate user and I use ProTools since version 4 as my main DAW. I probably made my last renewal... And I hate that. I am starting the hard process of getting comfortable with a new DAW for my mixing tasks. I Own licenses of Logi Pro, Digital Performer, Cubase and Ableton Live. The nearest to my liking is Digital Performer and I am considering Studio One. If AVID (that in the latin original language means GREEDY) changes for the worst this is the very moment I'll change. I was hoping to see some improvement... How can you possibly do worst?

It is sad that new generations don´t care much about this and they all just accept.. while this companies are stenghtening their choke on them.

I worked at GC, and was the founder of GCPRO. When PE came in, it was the same story. The job of an MBA is to cut, cut, cut and make the boss proud that they reduced costs so they can move up the food chain.

I love your channel... thank you for speaking the truth! God bless you!

I agree! I REFUSED to go over to the avid subscription in 2015(?). I'm still working on my last version before they''d forced me to pay a license/subscription (PT12.4) and it's working just fine. I also have Studio One. Avid is just another corporate greed story (and sadly, not the only one).. Thanks for the video.

I'm surprised that anyone is surprised by Avid selling their soul to a private equity firm that is almost certainly going to sell off the parts and dismantle the company. Avid was a shitty company run by shitty people using their market dominance to rake people for 'support subscriptions' that rarely offered anything past 'You need to create new user settings.' You have to pay $3,000 for that? I've said it before and I'll say it again: One day they're going to teach about Avid's downfall in business classes as an example of greed destroying your business. It's the New Coke of NLE's.

Some would say you're being a little harsh on those poor PE firms...after all, they don't get to deduct EVERYTHING and have to declare SOME income from their operations. I would say you're being too nice. I've also seen firsthand the destruction wrought by PE; in fact, I've spent the last 4 years working to try to recover my career after PE laid me off after 13 years as a successful CTO doing nothing but pumping cash to them. So, you go Barry. I've never been a PT guy - I always liked and supported Cakewalk and even THEY are playing stupid games now. When it's time, I'm buying Studio One upgrade and never looking back. Thanks for all you do on this channel!

I used Protools in the hardware native days. Once I went to Logic I realized how much better things can be, especially if you use MIDI. I now use Ableton/Reaper and have realized any DAW will work. The saying is true, the best DAW is the one you know. Why people have continued to support Avid over the past 10 years is a mystery to me. Are people really that inflexible and stuck in their ways??

Hey Barry, Love the humor in your videos, man! Currently rocking the HDX2 Ultimate for my work in broadcast and music mixes. Tracking sessions get pretty massive with over 100 tracks-keeps me on my toes! Also, doing a lot of live mixing with the AVID S6L linked to my HDX rig via MADI, which is definitely fun. Your video was spot-on, and I appreciate the insights. Really itching to try new things, but my clients almost always request Pro Tools and honestly, I'm not sure how I would keep my workflow without it. Seamless integration into their edit systems makes it a go-to for mixing online and tracking with SMPTE timecode. That said, I'm really getting tired of getting nickled and dimed to death by these assholes. I've been a user since version 7HD and I'm definitely looking for another way. Anyway, thanks for the video and keep the great content coming!

You Sr are speaking truth . I thank for taking courage and share this message .

PT is still the standard in recording centers like LA, Nashville, NYC, Atlanta, etc. as well as the film industry. It will be interesting to see which competitor steps up to take its place. BTW, there is a good thread on VI Control "Avid acquired by private equity firm". It offers some interesting perspectives.

I love these hot but accurate takes Barry!!! You keep these corporations honest.

Peformer, Mark of the Unicorn, Midi Hell, etc. Been down the road since the early 80's. As a professional it was a foundation to make a brilliant career when there was one to achieve. No longer there is not professional music "business" or studio "biz", subsequently there is no common denominator for amateur music people. Furthermore, those who can still make a serious living in music still speak the common language of Pro-Tools for a novel fee. If you aren't in a professional service oriented production facility, nobody cares what you use or what you pay for to satisfy your creative release. The bottom line, it's about art; we made pretty good records with Performer and a DX7 !

Barry you're a gem! I moved to Logic years back, and never looked back. With a Tech-day-job, I've been disgusted with the whole subscription trend, and have to watch (and listen) as those customers express their frustration at the greed and hassle... and all of ~that~... with subscription based licensing. All I can say to AVID is: Thanks for paving the way... and... see ya...

Pro-tools had a great workflow for doing the work of replacing the analog recording studio. What it did it did well and wasn’t difficult to use. But try to do anything that it considered “advanced” and you hit the wall of either the feature being an upsell or practically impossible. They started slipping early 2000s by doubling down on non-native (dsp) audio processing, slow updates, refusing to implement sample accurate editing and automation, and their buggy copy protection. They refused to innovate. The last pro-tools I used was pro-tools 10 because it was obvious how limited it had become for no other reason than preserving the high prices. Other daws were much more capable and just as stable for many users. Since they went subscription, Ive been tempted to try it again just to see if I’d still love it as much as I used to. But, I realized that it just isn’t worth it.

I saw my first avid red flag in 2007 when they were charging extra money on top of the software cost, just so you could bounce your session to mp3🤣

I've been using PT for 15+ years. I fly through sessions at breakneck speed. I went through the entire Logic course on MacProVideo and in the end found the editing cumbersome when compared to PT. I don't know about the other DAWs. This is what concerns me the most, having my workflow inhibited. Other than that, I'm totally ok with switching. I just don't know to which DAW. It takes many, many non-billable hours to learn and form an opinion over.

Same here, started in 2003 and my MacPro died at the end of 2021 right before the price hike. All things happen for a reason.

He’s right. Digidesign was so much better than Avid.

Few years ago I decided to get into recording. Created our own songs and recorded them by ourselves. I tried many DAWs and finally decided to go with Studio One. One of the best decisions I ever made :D it's just all around good and not even expensive.

YOU ARE TOTALLY RIGHT, BARRY.

Pro Tools one advantage is in post production for film and TV. I expect therefore that the new owners will attempt to exploit that area and charge eye watering amounts for its use there. After all, if blockbuster budgets are in hundreds of millions, with huge profits, why wouldn't the new asset strippers think they should have a cut of that. The rest of it - PT in the music industry and Media composer they will not care so much about. It's a great opportunity for Da Vinci to ramp up and use the Fairlight audio component it has to replace PT in the audio industry.

thanks for this awesome video. Been PT user since SD and ST turned into PT, but I always knew it so well that I stuck with it. Why learn something else if I make a good living using PT? But the last few years, I get it. It's sucked big time and churned up my wallet a bit as well, along with absolutely no tech support while more bugs have shown up than ever before. So, it was great to hear this today from you so I could get fired up and make some changes to my studio. Thanks again for this video. Your raw emotions are well earned and on display in such a great way that there's no way to not basically tear up while watching...

As a freelance working in post in Europe, I can't see any worst news that what you are saying Barry. There is nowadays no other soft that would allow us to go from one studio to the other seamlessly. You turn on the mac, you sit, you work. But hey, you might be absolutely right as often and this full subscription model was a preparation for this sale. You pimp the product a bit, turn it into a cash cow and then you can sell it to the money oriented guys. But there is still an option for them to make the software sexy for a broader audience is to finally merge Media composer and Pro tools. The way Resolve works. but with tons subscriptions for an online media management system, a technology that avid owns with interplay. I feel it is unlikely they would do it though...

Barry, you angry old man. Every word that came out of your mind was in my heart for that unmentionable company. It's like you did the Vulcan mind meld or something... Anyway, I turned my back on them in the 90's when you had to buy their interface to use the program. There are far too many other DAW's that do professional work. Im good with my Apogee Symphony and Nuendo. Thanks for your videos

OK, I’m one of those newbie home users that just had the pants scared off me. I was a DigiDesign MBox 2 user about 12+ years ago and started learning Pro Tools 8. Then I had grandchildren and had to give up my audio project room. Well, they’re not babies any more, so I just got a good portion of the room back and invested in two brand new drum kits and cymbals along with a Yamaha EAD10. Decided to get back in to playing with audio and a month ago got the recently released MBox Studio along with a year of Pro Tools. So, I’m only just starting to learn Pro Tools from scratch again. Now I don’t know what to do. Waste the money I already spent and not use my year of Pro Tools? Throw more money at another DAW? Getting back into it I completely agree that Avid let greed supersede innovation. I really do like the new interface and the good thing is it works with any DAW, but I’m really frustrated this is happening just after I decided to give it another go. I know I’m not a pro, and have less to complain about than those of you that have invested lots more, but man, my timing sucks! 😞😡😞

Thanks again, Barry!

Preach brother preach!!!! Everything you stated was BULLSEYE ACCURATE! Everyone kept saying I was speaking nonsense when I stated that Adobe Photoshop and Logic Pro would both go subscription based. I was right about Adobe they went subscription based, and I am half right about Logic.... so far. Logic for IOS is subscription based, and I suspect Logic for OS will be right around the corner. I also think Finale Notation Software will also become subscription based in the near future. My main DAW is Logic Pro, however, I am seeing writings on the wall with them, so I have been learning to use Reaper as well, because when Logic does become subscription based, I will be able to seamlessly transition to Reaper from Logic. I foresee in the near future 90% of recording, photography, and film software will be subscription based.

I love your brutal honesty, keep up the good work.

Somebody's pissed. Personally, I think the industry needs more of this kind of commenting. Way too much ass kissing going on. I enjoyed this.

Avid did the same to many companies they bought, M-Audio and Sibelius being cases in point.

Thank you, Barry! Keep fighting the good fight!

My Sweetwater Sales Engineer all of a sudden “retired” this month. Same thing happened to my buddy. I had worked with SE since 2009. I’m sure the experienced “old@ guys or gals are being pushed out.

Thanks for the video. I agree with you. I get concern when a company gets bought out by a private equity firm that doesn't know anything about the products that company sells. Nor do they understand the culture of the company, whether it's Avid with audio and video media or for that matter Mi Pueblo with groceries. It's just how much money they can get from that company.

I TOTALLY agree with your opinion on Avid. I have been a Protools user since 1993, but I switched to Nuendo for post AND music composition in 2017. I have used Cubase since 1987. No tears from me for Avid.