What is the advantage of Acid vs. using only PT for the same task?

I am asking this only to be informed. But, for a while I've been using say one 'dummy' PT session to create a custom WAV file to import into the 'Real' session, with great success. Never having gotten to know Acid(or similar programs like Goldwave,etc.) thoroughly, what are the advantages of using Acid over PT alone? Thanks for your thoughts, Roy

ACID allows you to mix and match different loops that were originally recorded at different tempos....all in sync and all playing at the same tempo. Can't do that with PTLE...well not very easily. ACID is a different type of tool than Goldwave.

Roy, Expanding just a little on B.Ray's comments, with Acid I can 'tune' samples and phrases. I can take a bass line, play it in C, and then just do the bass line in the next measure in F or G. This works pretty well over a limited tuning range anyway. On paper anyway, I can use MIDI events to cause Acid to play certain phrases. Acid supports, on paper again, unlimited tracks, so you can mix an awfull lot of stuff together pretty easily, which can be interesting when you're doing 'ambient' sorts of things. Sonic Foundry gives away something they call an 'Eight Pack' every week, which is essentially someone's song using 8 loops. Always fun to get some free loops, and the songs are usually fairly interesting. You can use their free version to play these pieces. All that said, I really find that I'm not using it much anymore, but maybe one of these days I'll play with it again. Cheers, Mark

B.Ray,Mark, Thank you for your replies. I do have Acid, and have listened and toyed with the pre-created 8 Loop SF packs. But, what I was interested in were any practical aspects to actually creating loops/WAV's to import into PT sessions(as opposed to pre-created loops). I was trying to see if I was missing anything. I do find it interesting, Mark, that it can change a loop's pitch. If it's a truly solid function, that could be useful, but I had not known to try that. B.Ray, One more question, please. How is Goldwave much different than Acid? Thanks, Roy

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR> But, what I was interested in were any practical aspects to actually creating loops/WAV's to import into PT sessions(as opposed to pre-created loops). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Things I use ACID for: 1. Mind Expansion, Creativity Enhanser . 2. The one shots are great to put together my own beats. Fills are ready to go, just drag and drop. 3. Short diddys made super quick for TV, radio, etc. The SMPTE code allows for exact timing! 4. Auditioning waves and loops, render then import to PTLe for a scratch beat to build on. 5. Grab little "ear candies" for render then import to PTLe for use. 6. Import my PTLe song (scratch) in ACID, build the entire rythm bed then render the ACID stuff to .wav and import into the PTle song as a stereo track. This should get you hooked on ACID!

Okay, Roy... Let me express this visually.... Understand?

wow...they are both drills...yet they are different drills. Seriously, Darren, you've gone to a lot of trouble to impress SOMEbody. So who? Acid is obviously a killer device, no dispute. pk does great work with loops in Acid. And as I said if it "truly inspires creativity, I say go for it." Here, though Darren, I look for real answers, and have no use for picture games. Roy

It just took you over a paragraph to clarify what your 'picture examples' were supposed to mean. Very good. But, next time just say what you mean. For instance," So if one wants to continue to use tear down a wall, take it to the shop and use a drill press to hang a picture rather than simply using a hand drill, well, that okay." I guess "one" means ME. Also, that's a pretty strong analogy in the first place. I do amazingly intricate sample work with PT. You? I have much respect for you and your knowledge, but when we talk, talk to ME. Oh, and I feel great, thanks. Roy

Hi Roy, After reading the many responses you received, I was reluctant to add to the thread, as it seemed everyone was pretty much on target with their comments. It looks as though you may need a little more light on the subject, and that's all good... Think of Acid as simply a loop-based sequencer that works only with audio files. You don't record into it, and you don't use it to trigger your Korg. Simply put, you paint all the loops you want on a canvas, set the tempo of the project, and it all locks in gear like Big Ben after a weekly maintenance check. I've often talked about how powerful and easy Acid is (and it looks like you remembered rather well!), but I've steered away from it in recent months. Why? Because I found myself too reliant on the loop(s) and less focused on the song. Mind you, that was my perogative and for someone else, it may be all they need to compose and that's a wonderful thing. We all have our ways and what we're comforatble with. However, just last week I opened it up again and found a new inspiration. As a result, I use Acid for what it is and in a more 'functional' matter, as opposed to a paint-by-numbers compositional tool. The absolute best thing about Acid, is the ability to preview loops from your explorer window in real-time while a project is running. This alone, if anything, is a great reason to have such a program on your system. Say you have a song at 107 bpm and you have a few bars of a drum loop and bass line on your window, while your browsing through your various loop folders, click once on any given file and you can hear it at exactly 107 bpm, before even deciding to use it. It may not always sound great, but you know that's what you're getting. Once in a project, you can highlight the loop, hit +/- on your keypad and there's an instant pitch change. Within a certain range, all these tempo and pitch alterations sound pretty smooth. I now look at Acid as a great kickstart tool when I'm feeling in a bit of a creative funk. Even though I love playing my guitars and bass and keys, a few pre-made bass loops locked in time with a rhythmical groove can inspire me to play it live later in PT and add a few of my own variations. Maybe it can inspire a killer melody while you jam over it, you can then just re-arrange the bed of the track in Pt later and ditch the loops! If a specific drum loop is what the song calls for but you're adamant about making your own instead of a pre-made loop, use the loop as a reference, then go right ahead and get busy with channel 10. Again, I think Acid is great and I will most definetely keep using it, but as someone replied earlier, it's great at what it does for a specific task. If I'm working on a jingle and a deadline is breathing down my neck, believe me, PT isn't my first choice. I hope that cleared some of the fog. I think it's also a matter of experimenting with it and discovering what it can or cannot do. A few hours a day and you should master it within a short time. Conclusion, Acid = greatest music sketch pad, ProTools = great recording/arranging/mixing pad. pk p.s. you can email if you want more details about Acid or Reason -