Originally posted by The Audacity Works They've been saying that for years. In fact, when I first bought into TDM, people were saying to wait because "right around the corner, computer horsepower will spank ProTools".
That was over eight years ago. Since then, computers have been able to run much more complicated plugins (such as convolution reverbs or physical modeling) and more of them, but the whole latency and realtime monitoring issue is still a pathetic joke. I'm really interested in why this is, as I would
kill to get the performance, response, and feel of TDM in a host-based environment.
Because it isn't a priority for DAW and plug-in developers. They have to meet demand for frills, not real, useable features. It's also because, unlike with PT HD systems, the audio drivers are not written by the same people who write the DAW and design the hardware. The recent Apogee/Apple alliance is a step in the right direction. There has been some talk about Apogee Symphony users getting very low latency (32 samples) on new MacPros, although this kinda falls apart once you start loading on the plugs. But I think this type of integration is critical if a native DAW developer wants to create a product that competes with PT HD systems. Same thing with the Steinberg/Yamaha alliance. Think about the advantage Apple has had because it makes both the software and the hardware on which the Mac runs. Granted, Apple doesn't make its own motherboards anymore, but they still are in the unique position of being able to ensure compatibility between its own software and hardware; it doesn't have to care about other OSes or processors or anything. This has resulted in a very good user experience, devoid (for the most part...I'm generalizing) of the hiccups that many (but not all) PC users have had. Microsoft has to write Windows to take into consideration a whole host of CPUs, RAM chips, video cards, printers, etc. Apple doesnt. This isn't intended to be a Mac vs. PC discussion, but I think the same dynamics are at work here. Once native DAW developers choose to join with hardware developers (and, oddly enough, Apple is both), you'll start to see great things. Until then, stick to PT if you need true low latency operation.