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The title sums up this article. I'm assuming since you've navigated here you're probably considering about buying a Pro Tools LE system. Or maybe you're not sure what the difference between LE and HD is...or maybe you're not even interested in audio recording at all and just happened to type in "pictures of Pamela Anderson's box" and Google thought you meant "Mbox" and sent you here.
Regardless of the reason, shopping for a Pro Tools system can be a little bit overwhelming at first. How big of a system do you need? What kind of inputs do you need? Is my computer compatible? I guess the easiest thing is to start off with a little FAQ chart of all the current systems in the Digi line up. Below is a chart which should help explain the basic differences of the systems and from there you should be able to pick out which one is right for you. An article about the HD systems will be created later. For now, here's LE:
So You're Thinking About Pro Tools LE?
Many people are confused about the differences between Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools HD. If you're one of those people who are confused, then HD is not for you.
Pro Tools was originally a software built by Digidesign that was geared towards the professional recording industry. They offered expensive TDM hardware/software combinations that only professional studios found the need for. Later, as the home recording market started making some noise, Digi decided to offer Pro Tools LE. This software is a light version of the full blown HD systems and offers less features. The biggest difference is the hardware units themselves, but the software also is lacking some key TDM features. The most talked about LE limitation is the track count. Offering only 32 voiceable tracks (48 tracks with the new toolkit upgrade), some home studio users may find that limiting while others see it as plenty. The HD systems also start at around $8,000-$10,000. You can see why the home user should probably stray away from that. I recommend it only to people who plan on working as an engineer professionally and can make enough profit to warrant the purchase.
On the next page I'll show you some photos of the different LE units and give you a little description explaining important things you need to know before deciding on a purchase.
