Audition - What are we using it for?

Question

As someone pointed out in a recent topic (http://www.adobeforums.com/webx?128@@.59b54e04) that "most" topics concern, AA 'bugs' and other hardware and/or OS related problems. Ozpeter rightly explains the obvious reasons for this.
Maybe I've got too much time on my hands but given my recent experience in developing a support utility for AA (http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.59b4f363) it has become obvious to me just how diverse the use and the way we all use AA.
I thought it might be interesting and perhaps even useful and educational for members of the forum (and maybe even Adobe) if users offer some insight into where, how, why and for what purpose they use Audition.
What do you think about the idea of this sort of feedback in one area (or at all)?

Answer 1

Well, to answer Runaway in greater detail, I use both AA and Pro Tools. What has driven me from using AA as my main DAW is not only the PTs wonderfully integrated MIDI support (it should be, after all Digis been doing it for a very long time) but what have also become for me serious limitations on AAs part.
Here are some my issues with AA:
The VST/DirectX amnesia bug is one whereby AA will not remember session effect settings. I generally prefer to use certain DirectX and VST plugins rather than the AA effects and it takes time to set these up with particular effects and custom parameters assigned to specific tracks. When I exit the session AA forgets the settings. In other words, when I revisit the session for a revision or whatever I have to re-enable each effect as AA reverts to a default setting upon exiting the session. I used to take this behavior as just something I had to live with until I began to use Acid Pro and Pro Tools. It was when I started using other DAWs that I realized AA was seriously broken in this regard.
Stability is another area where AA falls flat and its only gotten worse with AA 3.0. I found 2.0 to be more stable than 1.5 (which was a nightmare) and I have learned the hard way that with AA you save early and often, otherwise it WILL crash and kill your work from the last save point.
In all the time I have been using Pro Tools it hasnt crashed once. I value that quite a bit.
AAs MIDI integration is thoroughly wonked. Why it was even introduced in this condition is one of the great mysteries of the universe. To say - as I have read - that its still in a state of development is understating the situation to say the least.
And support? Digi releases patches to fix bugs found after release in regular order. So does every other DAW maker for that matter. We still dont know if Adobe is going to fix AA 3.0s bugs or release the fixes as AA 3.5 and charge us for them.
Ive been using this product since the days of Cool Edit 1x. It was the first DAW on which I learned to edit digital audio. But it wasnt until I began to use Pro Tools that I started to understand AAs limitations and faults.
And I didnt purchase Pro Tools so I could play with the big boys. It was because I wanted to learn something new and see how far I could push my talent and abilities. I also had the opportunity to pick up some engineering sessions at a local production house and they like many other professional studios here in Austin use Pro Tools. (My buddy Ray Benson of Bismeaux Studios uses Nuendo, but thats another story)
Once I began to use Pro Tools I began to see what I had been missing: a supremely refined user interface with astounding power and the feeling that I was driving a luxurious and slick program that was a delight to learn and use. Every time I use Pro Tools I find a new reason to love it, as its that deep and constantly opens new ways to appreciate it. The recently released version 7.4 is just mind blowing.
And as far as having to use proprietary hardware, thats a plus for me. Look at it this way: youre going to have to buy a sound card anyway. If youre a pro you wont be using a Creative Labs card, youll be using a something on a professional level. For a little less than twice what one would pay for AA 3.0 alone you can purchase an Mbox 2 Factory Pro with PT 7.4 and youre good to go. Program and sound card in one. Whats not to like?
Like I said at the start of this, I still use AA. It has certain features that are still useful to me, such as the Edit window and its audio restoration toolset. But I dont use it for mission critical projects. Its too buggy and too unreliable for that. And I wont automatically buy the next version as I have been doing since the Cool Edit days. I find myself considering other alternatives such as Sound Forge and Wavelab.
Im not saying AA is a bad productits just that what I need from a DAW has changed and in its current state AA doesnt fit the bill for the majority of my needs.