Dr. Koss’ Corner: Woe is Us, The Upgrades Hath Cometh

“Why are they doing this to me?” “Those greedy bastards.” “Why do they always do this?” These are a just a few of the gems the have come my way since last week’s announcement of Pro Tools HDX and Pro Tools 10.

The Doctor Is In...

To address just those three points – let’s start with the first one. Why are they doing this to me? Well, they aren’t actually doing anything to you. You have what you have and nothing they have announced or released will change that. You can choose to get in line and be a good consumer and do the upgrade. You can choose to buck the system and refuse to upgrade.

In reality, it’s going to be quite some time until having Pro Tools 10 is a necessity to work in professional audio. And you can be sure that by the time it is, it will be a hell of a lot cheaper than it is now. So, really, what they are doing is pitting your (and my) desire to have the newest greatest thing against a hefty price tag and letting you decide which way you want to go. I think the anger comes in when we realize that what we want may not be all that consonant with what we can or should afford (let alone need.)

Second point – Those greedy bastards. News flash – Avid is a corporation. They have shareholders. As a corporation, it is their job to make money. If this doesn’t sit well with you – I sympathize. Let’s grab a coffee and I’ll definitely go down that road with you, and then some. Turn on the TV or hop online and you’ll see that a lot of people are beginning to question the consumer culture we live in. It’s a culture based on constant consumption and limitless upgrades, from cars to iPhones to computers. The only way to change that is keep your wallet closed. And ask yourself, do I NEED this or do I WANT this? Sometimes the answer is both, sometimes one or the other and, of course, sometimes neither.

The new Pro Tools HDX card

Third point – Why do they always do this? To be fair, they haven’t released a new card-based system in nearly 10 years (PCIe was in the middle there, but that really was a reaction to a change in computer technology, not an upgrade or redesign.) Besides, see point number 2 – it is their job to innovate new technology and entice you to buy it.

The fact is, HD is based on chip technology, and in that world 10 years is a lifetime. Don’t get me wrong, I often worry about giant landfills stuffed with ADATs, DA-88s and DASH machines. It’s high time companies got more responsible about what happens to this stuff when it has outlived its technological lifespan. That aside, this release was well overdue. Whether or not that means it is time to mortgage your worldly possessions and pony up – that is a different story.

Spec sheets and flaming rants aside, how the market moves is basically up to the consumer. If prices are too high and feature sets too low, something will have to give on the manufacturer’s side. I still maintain – what you used yesterday to make a great record will still let you make a great one today.

Shane Koss is a NYC-based composer, producer/engineer and music technology specialist. He’s also the friendly face of Alto NYC. Get in touch via http://www.altomusic.com/nyc.

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