# Avid, the maker of Pro Tools, answers rumors re the Nasdaq



## alexmshore (Feb 25, 2014)

Stumbled across this article which seems to explain that Avid looks to be in pretty bad shape. Personally although I am a fan of Pro Tools, I have never been fond of Avid as a company. It will certainly be interesting to see if they manage to turn this one around, either way I can't see it being an end for PT, surely someone would buy it, however I doubt Avid themselves would let it go that easy..

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2014/02/a ... sic.com%29


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## Guy Rowland (Feb 25, 2014)

Interesting... and fairly alarming.


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## sluggo (Feb 25, 2014)

So I thought about this for about 7 seconds and...wouldn't Apple buying AVID make complete sense?


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## Guy Rowland (Feb 25, 2014)

sluggo @ Tue Feb 25 said:


> So I thought about this for about 7 seconds and...wouldn't Apple buying AVID make complete sense?



Please god no


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## fish_hoof (Feb 25, 2014)

Interesting indeed... many companies go through transitions like this. I think after some restructuring the company will be just fine.


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## pkm (Feb 25, 2014)

sluggo @ Tue Feb 25 said:


> So I thought about this for about 7 seconds and...wouldn't Apple buying AVID make complete sense?



Logic Pro Tools X and Final Avid Media Cut Composer Pro X?


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## Arbee (Feb 25, 2014)

*Re:*

I love Pro Tools (I've used 9, 10 and now 11), but the day Apple buys PT I become a Cubase user.

.


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## gsilbers (Feb 25, 2014)

fish_hoof @ Tue Feb 25 said:


> Interesting indeed... many companies go through transitions like this. I think after some restructuring the company will be just fine.



kinda of.. 
except this is like the 3rd one if i am not mistaken. 

pretty bad shape indeed.


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## alexmshore (Feb 25, 2014)

fish_hoof @ Tue Feb 25 said:


> Interesting indeed... many companies go through transitions like this. I think after some restructuring the company will be just fine.



So far it looks as though their efforts have only made things worse. However I would still be fairly surprised to see them go bust or anything.


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## sluggo (Feb 25, 2014)

Apparently forcing your customer base into hardware and software upgrades a la PT 8,9,10,11 in just a few years is not a good business model.


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## gsilbers (Feb 25, 2014)

sluggo @ Tue Feb 25 said:


> So I thought about this for about 7 seconds and...wouldn't Apple buying AVID make complete sense?


why? apple already beat avid a long time ago.
the pro stuff avid does is a niche market. apple has way more fcp/lpx/hardware around making a lot more money to the company. 
there is nothing for apple to gain except bad debt.


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## Arbee (Feb 25, 2014)

*Re: Avid, the maker of Pro Tools, is being delisted from the Nasdaq*

If I read the background correctly, Pro Tools as a product is doing fine - it's Avid as a company and its other niches that are struggling.

.


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## windshore (Feb 25, 2014)

Avid has been mis-managed for decades. All upper management were Harvard Biz grads, not musicians. They regularly not only ignored customers, but seemed to purposely antagonize them. 

I imagine they will eventually be purchased for a fraction of their current value but I don't expect them to stay competitive through all of this.

They already re-structured. They're about done.


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## jcs88 (Feb 25, 2014)

*Re: Avid, the maker of Pro Tools, is being delisted from the Nasdaq*

Interesting, they seemed to be expanding so much in the last few years.


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## fish_hoof (Feb 25, 2014)

I personally think that the advancement of computers and the insane cost of an HD system hurts Avid. I use PT 11 for all my composing... love it... but for more than the cost of a new Mac Pro, HD systems need some re-thinking IMHO.


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## Guy Rowland (Feb 26, 2014)

gsilbers @ Tue Feb 25 said:


> fish_hoof @ Tue Feb 25 said:
> 
> 
> > Interesting indeed... many companies go through transitions like this. I think after some restructuring the company will be just fine.
> ...



DISCLAIMER - I don't pretend to understand corporate accounting.

That's a point they make in the article. The last restructuring appears to have massively accelerated the losses. What evidence is there that it'll all be better and different this time?

The article does not even mention Avid's video side, and I've always thought that must be the bigger side of their business. I think the very aggressive price wars there must have paid a price (ironically, the swing towards FCP seems now to be swinging back). But I agree that perhaps hardware is their weakest spot, as the market (in video and audio) has transformed over the past decade with regard to using off-the shelf native hardware instead of a company's custom hardware. I regularly use Avid systems that perform far worse than my own PT10 CPTK native rig, and Avid (try as it might) can't put the genie back in the bottle.

They've also antagnised audio customers with some poor upgrade policies. I still don't know of a post house that has gone for PT11 due purely to abandoning RTAS... it will happen in time no doubt, but I suspect they were counting on revenue streams that simply haven't come in.


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## jamwerks (Feb 26, 2014)

fish_hoof @ Wed Feb 26 said:


> I personally think that the advancement of computers and the insane cost of an HD system hurts Avid. I use PT 11 for all my composing... love it... but for more than the cost of a new Mac Pro, HD systems need some re-thinking IMHO.


Bad news for Audio as a whole imo. But, yeah, the whole DSP thing has changed. UA with the Apollo has taken over a bit of that market (for a lot less money). And Waves is now their biggest competitor for the big live market.


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## Daryl (Feb 26, 2014)

*Re: Avid, the maker of Pro Tools, is being delisted from the Nasdaq*

I'm sure that Avid is already regretting the firing of the Sibelius team. Imagine what would happen if the US agreed sanctions against Ukraine.

Having said that, I have a feeling that the team for the new Steinberg app will play a blinder, and even though there appears to be no room for another notation product, it will be very successful, Sibelius will slowly die a death.

D


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## Daryl (Feb 26, 2014)

sluggo @ Wed Feb 26 said:


> So I thought about this for about 7 seconds and...wouldn't Apple buying AVID make complete sense?


Not that Apple would care, but they would lose much of their user base, just as they did when they dumped the Windows Logic users. It wouldn't work this time. People are not stupid enough to get suckered into buying Apple products they don't need, just to stay with PT. Most people would just stick with the version they have and not upgrade.

D


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## maestro2be (Feb 26, 2014)

*Re: Avid, the maker of Pro Tools, is being delisted from the Nasdaq*



Daryl @ Wed Feb 26 said:


> I'm sure that Avid is already regretting the firing of the Sibelius team. Imagine what would happen if the US agreed sanctions against Ukraine.
> 
> Having said that, I have a feeling that the team for the new Steinberg app will play a blinder, and even though there appears to be no room for another notation product, it will be very successful, Sibelius will slowly die a death.
> 
> D



The death of Sibelius is sad for me. I absolutely loved that product and still use it. It was the first program I ever used for making music. I sure wish it would get revived by the original owners. I really wasn't to big of a fan of how version 7 went direction wise, especially coming from 6 which was absolutely great.

If nothing else, hopefully Steinberg can either revive it, or take all of the greatness and apply it to Cubase and Nuendo.

Maestro2be


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## alexmshore (Feb 26, 2014)

I think Avid have done Sibelius more harm than good. I am also interested to see what Steinberg produces seen as they hired some of the old Sibelius team when they got laid off.


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## ed buller (Feb 26, 2014)

*Re: Avid, the maker of Pro Tools, is being delisted from the Nasdaq*



maestro2be @ Wed Feb 26 said:


> Daryl @ Wed Feb 26 said:
> 
> 
> > I'm sure that Avid is already regretting the firing of the Sibelius team. Imagine what would happen if the US agreed sanctions against Ukraine.
> ...




well in about two years time you will be very, very happy

e

:D


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## jaeroe (Feb 26, 2014)

*Re: Avid, the maker of Pro Tools, is being delisted from the Nasdaq*

Pro Tools is industry standard in audio - not just music. way more so than other products used for music, a lot of their customer base is post production audio for film/tv/video games, etc. it has become industry standard and the community has really become dependent on it. this is a large part of how they've managed to get away with angering their user so for such a long time.

we may well see some interested parties with deep pockets (users, employers of users, etc) intercede in some capacity. maybe everything other than Pro Tools and Avid video products will be sold off. they may well split up PT and Avid video. Sibelius - that is a tougher one, as it's been baked into PT some and a smaller market. maybe they would sell it to Steinberg?...

as the article mentions, PT is actually doing fine - it's Avid's management that has been the problem. i don't think we'll see it disappear completely. but, hopefully we will see some pretty big changes in who is controlling it.


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## stonzthro (Feb 26, 2014)

Maybe Behringer will buy them, they probably have the capital...


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## Guy Rowland (Feb 26, 2014)

*Re: Avid, the maker of Pro Tools, is being delisted from the Nasdaq*

Pro Tools Expert has an interesting take on the news.

http://www.pro-tools-expert.com/home-pa ... -bala.html


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## Daryl (Feb 26, 2014)

*Re: Avid, the maker of Pro Tools, is being delisted from the Nasdaq*



maestro2be @ Wed Feb 26 said:


> The death of Sibelius is sad for me. I absolutely loved that product and still use it.


I have been using Sibelius for over 20 years, so it will be a big wrench for me when I transfer my allegiance to the new Steinberg program. However, I already know that it will leave Sibelius in the dust, so in one way I'm also looking forward to it.

D


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## jaeroe (Feb 26, 2014)

*Re: Avid, the maker of Pro Tools, is being delisted from the Nasdaq*



Guy Rowland @ Wed Feb 26 said:


> Pro Tools Expert has an interesting take on the news.
> 
> http://www.pro-tools-expert.com/home-pa ... -bala.html



Good find, Guy. PT expertise a great site.
So it was caused by crappy management of the previous leaders (ultimately, SEC violations re tax filings). At least it wasn't due to crappy performance, but I'm sure this is about the last thing the company needs.

Either way, feels like Pro Tools will survive.

As much as I love Sibelius, we were already looking at that going away. Pro Tools going away would ultimately be much more disruptive to recording film, tv, video games, etc. (again, I think we're along way from that).


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## Frederick Russ (Feb 27, 2014)

A member of AVID contacted me today listing their rebuttal to what they're calling a rumor about being delisted from the Nasdaq. They said that it was factually incorrect. 
 
Regarding the thread, "It talks about Avid's recent financial results, but Avid haven't filed any financial reports since Q3 2012. It originally came from a publication called TheStreet, who we've contacted and have since corrected their article. TheStreet's article was picked up by CreateDigitalMusic.com (mentioned in the post) who have since corrected their piece as well."
 
Here is the official Avid statement regarding the original article: 

"The financial results being quoted in this article are erroneous. Due to the accounting evaluation and restatement process Avid has been going through, we have not issued any financial statements after Q3 2012. As we have previously reported, as a result of the restatement, previously issued financial statements are not accurate and should not be relied upon. We request that you delete any reference to Avid’s financial results, as your reporting is inaccurate. 

"Avid’s de-listing from NASDAQ and its subsequent listing on OTC is the result of delays in the reporting of financial information -- it was not related to operating performance in any way. 

"We are continuing to work very hard to correct the accounting, which is related to nearly 5 million transaction lines spanning eight-and-a half years. We announced that we are targeting completion of the restatement by mid-2014. 

"We continue to invest in product innovation. Since the beginning of the restatement process, we released Pro Tools 11, Media Composer 7, Sibelius 7.5, two new online shared storage offerings, a brand new mixing console – the S6, as well as a new live sound system – Avid S3L. 

"With a compelling Avid Everywhere vision established, the launch of the ACA, a significant number of new product innovation announcements planned for 2014, we believe we remain well positioned to support our customers’ ongoing success."


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## Guy Rowland (Feb 27, 2014)

Well good. Thanks Frederick.


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## Jack Weaver (Feb 27, 2014)

> "With a compelling Avid Everywhere vision established, *the launch of the ACA*, a significant number of new product innovation announcements planned for 2014, we believe we remain well positioned to support our customers’ ongoing success."



*'the launch of the ACA'?*

I carefully re-read the Avid reply in Frederick's posting and saw no mention of anything that had the initials A-C-A. Forgive my incredulity *but the only ACA I'm left thinking about is the Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare. *

I sincerely hope that the initials ACA refer to some part of Avid's statement that are outside of the portion of it contained in Frederick's post or that I mis-read and mis-re-read the statement. 

If the Avid corporate body really thinks that the launch of ObamaCare is going to save their hide, well.....
unless of course there is some provision in it's 2200 pages of legislation that mandates purchase of Avid products. 

I am grateful however that my Pro Tools works better than the ACA website. 

.


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## jaeroe (Feb 27, 2014)

I suggest people look at the link Guy provided and watch the clip of Avid's higher-ups giving details on what went down. Avid have indeed been taken off of NASAQ, but not for poor earnings, it was for SEC violations. The violations were committed by the previous management, but the errors were numerous enough that the current management couldn't achieve the the necessary corrections in the time allotted by the SEC - thus being taken off (until they are in compliance).

Avid announced in early January that this would be happening, so it isn't some sudden thing, and again - not related to earnings - just incorrect filings. Avid anticipate being in compliance mid year. Once in compliance they should be listed on NASDAQ again.

Avid says this will not affect their end earnings numbers for the period, just how certain income is spread out over the time in question for reporting purposes.


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## Nachivnik (Feb 27, 2014)

Jack Weaver @ Thu Feb 27 said:


> *'the launch of the ACA'?*



The Avid Customer Association

http://www.avid.com/US/press-room/Launc ... ssociation


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## Jack Weaver (Feb 27, 2014)

Whew! Thank goodness... a reference to an acronym from beyond the abridged portion of Frederick's post. 

I wondered if Avid had totally lost their minds.

.


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## gsilbers (Feb 28, 2014)

maybe im being simplistic here but...

a company whos business model was based on outboard DSP to complement the lack of it on computers back in pentium days is now having problems doesnt seem like a surprise.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Feb 28, 2014)

Peeps, this has been going on for a long time. Even the unspun version of this news is barely news.

My take: the world has changed. Every audio and video tech company is in the same boat, even if they have the best management teams ever. And most of them are no longer independent.


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## jaeroe (Feb 28, 2014)

gsilbers @ Fri Feb 28 said:


> maybe im being simplistic here but...
> 
> a company whos business model was based on outboard DSP to complement the lack of it on computers back in pentium days is now having problems doesnt seem like a surprise.



you are being overly simplistic, and you didn't read what's being said here:

this doesn't have anything to do with Avid's earnings. the previous management filed papers incorrectly and that is just being corrected - they've been delisted from NASDAW for SEC violations, until they correct the paperwork errors (which will take a few months). this was a known issue.

re their business model - they started releasing software and hardware to address what you are talking about years ago - on both the Pro Tools and Avid video fronts.

i'm not saying they're the perfect company, but they aren't as out of touch as you think.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Feb 28, 2014)

The company's business model was based on having created a great digital audio system several years before any other company could come close! They had a huge head start on the rest of the world.

And they got the interface right, which is why all the "Pro Tools killers" aren't.

Having said that, the spin about "filing papers wrong"...oh come on.

I like the people I know at the company, and I'm a huge fan of Pro Tools, but Avid was on death watch for a while. Again: the world has changed. They had a good run and I hope they have another.


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## jaeroe (Feb 28, 2014)

i suggest you read their previous public statements and watch their latest company video. this issue has been known - the SEC issue is not a spin. it's the SEC - they have rules (..... unless you're a big bank or the super wealthy). they made public announcements in january that they were going to be delisted because of the accounting statement issue. this is not made up. it's been on their website for sometime. they're not changing their overall earnings.

PT has done pretty well - Avid have been the issue. but, the worse incarnation of Avid management has been replaced. here's hoping the newer people do a better job. right now, they're stuck cleaning up the mess left by the last people - but, that is just accounting stuff. the direction they take with their products is a separate issue.

people have been talking about Avid being on death watch since the late 90's. they're still here.


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## gsilbers (Feb 28, 2014)

well.. if they dont have their correct statement/accounting yet.. then i guess we are all talking out out asses.. right?


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## Nick Batzdorf (Feb 28, 2014)

jaeroe, I posted before that this isn't news.

The Avid death watch I'm talking about was around the time this SEC stuff started. Their stock was crashing - like down to 6? - and it was looking really bleak.

But not filing papers properly? An accounting error? Puhleeze.

Now let me ask you a question: are you in a position to know any more than anyone else about this?


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## jaeroe (Feb 28, 2014)

gsilbers @ Fri Feb 28 said:


> well.. if they dont have their correct statement/accounting yet.. then i guess we are all talking out out asses.. right?



You do sound like you're talking out your ass..... Repeatedly on this subject. I actually read the stuff.

If you're implying i don't know about their NASDAQ status because they haven't finished reporting, you are again missing what's going on...... I suggest checking out guy's link if you are interested in being somewhat informed on the subject.

People were claiming they were delisted from NASDAQ because the company was performing poorly. That is not why they were delisted.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Feb 28, 2014)

jaeroe, I don't know if you're saying all of that to me or to gsilbers. But I don't think your heart could be in the argument that one is supposed to take at face value what a company's investor relations department writes on its website!

And if you were saying that to me, I wasn't implying that you don't know, I was asking whether you're affiliated with Avid. If so, I rest my case; if not, I rest my case.


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## jaeroe (Feb 28, 2014)

Nick Batzdorf @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> But not filing papers properly? An accounting error? Puhleeze.
> 
> Now let me ask you a question: are you in a position to know any more than anyone else about this?



To be clear - this is not an accounting error as in they goofed the math or sent they wrong form to the wrong department. Accounting error as in SEC violation - they didn't follow protocol in the way they were accounting for their earnings. They broke rules. What they laid out on tues or wed is pretty straight forward.

The people who originally reported this story have since changed their reporting on the issue. That should say something. I'm not defending Avid -they really piss me off sometimes. But, more than that, i hate it when people get all dramatic about something that isn't true or speculate immensely about something and pass it off like fact.

Do I know something the general public doesn't - I know people with very strong ties to the company. I have asked one of them. He said this isn't about their financial health. It sucks as they don't need the negative press or lowered public confidence. But, is it a reflection of newly discovered bad financial info - no. He said he knew of no new reason why Avid would close up shop. But also said, in some alternate universe where that were to happen, someone would take on ProTools, as it does pretty good business - PT is definitely not the issue and isn't going away anytime soon.

There are all sorts of questions for Avid still (they haven't reported new earnings in a while as a result of the mess). It's a tough racket, and Avid have made some terrible choices in years past. I'm not saying they're in good financial shape - I'm saying this particular episode isn't any indication of any new news on their financial status.


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## jaeroe (Feb 28, 2014)

Nick Batzdorf @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> jaeroe, I don't know if you're saying all of that to me or to gsilbers. But I don't think your heart could be in the argument that one is supposed to take at face value what a company's investor relations department writes on its website!
> 
> And if you were saying that to me, I wasn't implying that you don't know, I was asking whether you're affiliated with Avid. If so, I rest my case; if not, I rest my case.



That was to gslibers - you and I were posting at the same time.

What's so hard to believe about a company being delisted from NASDAQ for not complying with an SEC order? My father worked for a company on NASDAQ. It happens. Minor infractions, you can go back on when you're in compliance.

If people want to speculate that they were cooking the books because things were going south - i think it's way too early to go there.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Feb 28, 2014)

Ah okay.



> I'm saying this particular episode isn't any indication of any new news on their financial status.


 
I'm saying that too.


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## jaeroe (Feb 28, 2014)

Nick Batzdorf @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> Ah okay.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Then that's two of us.....

Wonder Twin Powerrrrrsssss..... ACTIVATE!......


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## Guy Rowland (Mar 1, 2014)

Given that I don't understand any form of accounting and procedure, let alone US stuff, I'm with Jaeroe. The "oh puh-lease" comment(s) - any evidence at all to back up the cynicism?

Like I guess most people, we just want Avid to be better, not to collapse. It's interesting how different their audio and video sides are. I'm a (very) occasional MC7 user, and in terms of bang for your buck in the marketplace, it seems a far better relative deal than PT. The pro audio market really suffers from a lack of competition it seems to me, which is what has revolutionised the video side. That may seem a strange comment given the amount of healthy DAWs out there, but in practice in recording studios and post houses, it's a Pro Tools whitewash - at least in part because its just the status quo.

PT does some stuff incredibly well, and is incredibly archaic in other areas (Offline Bounce being the big new feature of PT11 says it all). They've also treated users pretty badly over the years, just because they can. I've love to see some really healthy inroads into the pro markets made by others.

Cubase is probably closest to causing PT trouble in the studio market I guess, but they need to focus on some audio editing, infrastructure and workflow issues I think before they'd cause PT any real trouble. I sometimes wonder if integrating Cubase (full) and Nuendo would be a smart move for them.


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## Daryl (Mar 1, 2014)

Guy Rowland @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> Cubase is probably closest to causing PT trouble in the studio market I guess, but they need to focus on some audio editing, infrastructure and workflow issues I think before they'd cause PT any real trouble. I sometimes wonder if integrating Cubase (full) and Nuendo would be a smart move for them.


Nuendo already has all the features of Cubase, so it is integrated. However, Pro Tools is already established in studios, and the high cost that most people complain about is a drop in the ocean to them, so there is no reason to look for anything else. Also, the number of features needed in a recording session is very small, when compared with mixing, editing, MIDI programming etc. so as long as Pro Tools does recording well, there is no need to change.

D


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## Guy Rowland (Mar 1, 2014)

Daryl @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> Guy Rowland @ Sat Mar 01 said:
> 
> 
> > Cubase is probably closest to causing PT trouble in the studio market I guess, but they need to focus on some audio editing, infrastructure and workflow issues I think before they'd cause PT any real trouble. I sometimes wonder if integrating Cubase (full) and Nuendo would be a smart move for them.
> ...



Actually, talk to anyone in post and they'll give you a long list of what Pro Tools still doesn't do well. Nuendo seems to have very little foothold currently, I suspect partly because it's too specialised. Ditto Pyramix (though that's mostly cos Merging lost the plot development and support-wise). PT is smart in that it's scalable from bedroom artists to the biggest dubbing stages.

So part of the reason for PT's dominance is that it is all things to all men - AND none of the alternatives currently are better in all regards. Factor in inertia and you have the current near-monopoly, despite there being products that are good in their own right. If Cubase and Nuendo joined forces, that's more firepower. I don't think it would be enough on its own though, hence my comment on workflow and editing improvements.


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## Daryl (Mar 1, 2014)

Guy Rowland @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> Actually, talk to anyone in post and they'll give you a long list of what Pro Tools still doesn't do well. Nuendo seems to have very little foothold currently, I suspect partly because it's too specialised. Ditto Pyramix (though that's mostly cos Merging lost the plot development and support-wise). PT is smart in that it's scalable from bedroom artists to the biggest dubbing stages.


Steinberg had a chance to improve their market share a few years back, but chose not to take it. With the new Yamaha hardware things might change, but I've never been able to fathom their marketing decisions, so I'm not holding my breath.


Guy Rowland @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> So part of the reason for PT's dominance is that it is all things to all men - AND none of the alternatives currently are better in all regards. Factor in inertia and you have the current near-monopoly, despite there being products that are good in their own right. If Cubase and Nuendo joined forces, that's more firepower. I don't think it would be enough on its own though, hence my comment on workflow and editing improvements.


I'm still not sure what you mean by "joined forces". Nuendo already includes all Cubase features.

D


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## Guy Rowland (Mar 1, 2014)

Actually I didn't think Nuendo did have all Cubase's midi features?


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## Daryl (Mar 1, 2014)

Guy Rowland @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> Actually I didn't think Nuendo did have all Cubase's midi features?


Yes it does, if you buy the NEK.

However, the caveat is that we're still on version 6 (same feature set as C7.0) and won't get the same features as C7.5 for another couple of months.

D


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 1, 2014)

> The "oh puh-lease" comment(s) - any evidence at all to back up the cynicism?



A public company's stock is falling falling falling losing losing money losing millions report after report. There's management turmoil, mass layoffs, sell-offs of companies they bought at jaw-dropping losses (like well over $100 million)....then it turns out by accident they've been overstating their earnings...

And then employees say "Everything's GREAT, man!"...you'll excuse me for picturing the knight in Monty Python's Holy Grail: "Come back 'ere and I'll bite your 'eels!"


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## Richard Bowling (Mar 1, 2014)

Avid bought a 3D Graphics program years ago called Softimage - made some innovative changes but abandoned it and sold it to Autodesk (who was able to abolish Softimage as competition). I wonder if Pro Tools could suffer a similar fate....


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## chimuelo (Mar 1, 2014)

AVID tried to avoid paying their protection money to the SEC and NASDAQ to save some money during the turmoil.
Not a wise move as everyone knows how that game goes.
Lawyers (swords of the law) will swarm upon you and find "errors" in your accounting somehwere, they always do.
AVID can shake off these pests by simply paying them protection money.

Case in point....Bernie Madoff, investor for the stars, was cleared of any wrong doing before SEC review boards 9 years ago.
AVID has regulators and lawyers crawling all over them and can easily refer back to the Bernie Madoff text book examples of how to stay in the game by cutting in their State and Federal regulators with a small percentage of the action.

Sadly when there's no action, you are of little use to these folks.

So expect to see AVID pay these pests, and absorb the costs elsewhere.
Perhaps another "update" for PT or Sibelius will help.


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## gsilbers (Mar 1, 2014)

jaeroe @ Fri Feb 28 said:


> gsilbers @ Fri Feb 28 said:
> 
> 
> > well.. if they dont have their correct statement/accounting yet.. then i guess we are all talking out out asses.. right?
> ...




we all are !!!!

if there is no real accounting yet, and we are talking about its financial status, then we both dont really know the truth... right? 

so no , not related to nasdaq delisting . just general finances and overal comments about the company. who knows the real reason, of course avid comments will sway into making poeple think the best of the company who requires investors. but in geenral, i dont care about that, it could be general nasdaq politics for all we know and not part of avids problems. or it could be avid being a very bad managed company. and everything in between .

dont care about the nasdaq thing. there's been other issues from a couple of years before we all been following.


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## gsilbers (Mar 1, 2014)

Nick Batzdorf @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> Ah okay.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



me too!


but its not hard to believe they are not well from all the news from previous years. bad management. apple competition. maudio. not taking advantage of making encoders for .mxf for file distribtuion for big studios like apple pro res/disney. wierd pro tools cost structures, PTHD9 pulled of shelved just after being released (glad i bought it!). not moving away from DSP solutions on time. not much products on the prosumer level. layoffs.
and now some wierd accounting issue wiht the sec, which they were warned about it last year.
but we will see once the new accounting comes out.


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## Daryl (Mar 1, 2014)

chimuelo @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> So expect to see AVID pay these pests, and absorb the costs elsewhere.
> Perhaps another "update" for PT or Sibelius will help.


I doubt there will be an update for Sibelius any time soon, if ever, especially if the US instigates sanctions against Ukraine.

D


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 1, 2014)

There just was one a couple of days ago, Daryl.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 1, 2014)

Avid Ships Sibelius 7.5 music notation software


Proven and trusted solution confirms Avid’s commitment to helping composers create high-quality professional scores 


WHAT: Sibelius® 7.5, the new version of the world’s best-selling music composition and notation software from Avid®, is now shipping. Sibelius 7.5 provides innovative new features that accelerate workflows, allowing composers to focus on the creative process and produce more compelling scores, more efficiently. These include:

Accelerated navigation—The new Timeline window allows for a quick view of the entire structure of a score for faster editing and playback, no matter how large or complex the score; composers can jump immediately to any section by clicking on any bar in the timecode ruler or on any landmark
More expressive playback—The fully redesigned Espressivo 2.0 feature delivers complete control over the customization of the rhythmic feel of any individual part of the score, plus improved notation interpretation adds more expressive and realistic feel, and can be customized for swing rhythms
Improved notation interpretation—Sibelius playback has been greatly enhanced, providing better interpretation of notation distinctions such as tempo markings, metric emphasis, grace notes, mordents, caesuras, and breath marks; composers can now hear every nuance of their score played back in realistic detail, without having to hire an expensive orchestra
Easy collaboration and sharing—Sibelius 7.5 enables enhanced collaboration and distribution of compositions through innovative score sharing and social media features; scores can be shared through email, uploaded and published as sheet music on ScoreExchange.com, or shared as video or audio files on YouTube, Facebook, and SoundCloud
Full Scorch app integration—Sibelius scores can be exported directly to Avid Scorch® for iPad for fully interactive playback, practice, performance, and publishing; Sibelius automatically optimizes the score for iPad display, paying special consideration to page orientation, number of staves, margin sizes, and more
Localized for Brazil and Russia—Sibelius 7.5 includes local language support for Russian and Brazilian Portuguese in addition to English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese
WHO: Sibelius 7.5 gives composers, arrangers, music publishers, students, and educators even more ways to express, accelerate, and promote creativity than ever before. It continues to provide the fastest, smartest, easiest way for professionals and students to write music for live performance, film and television, and media entertainment. Flexible licensing for educational institutions and built-in classroom management features make it ideal for teaching music notation, composition and theory.

Jay Terrien, composer/arranger/music director/musician: “As a string arranger I want to hear the nuance of a live player and the new Expressivo features in Sibelius 7.5 offer me just that.”

Steve Blackie, composer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist: “Without Pro Tools and Sibelius I would never be able to be doing what I am doing and the new features in Sibelius 7.5 are pretty incredible. Being able to export to many different formats is going to make a lot of things much easier for people.”

Anastasia Devana, composer/musician: “Sibelius has features that help me orchestrate really fast. I create professional-looking scores and it even checks my mistakes.”

WHEN: Sibelius 7.5 is available worldwide from February 28, 2014.

WHERE: Sibelius 7.5 can be purchased from the Avid store or from local Avid resellers.

PRICING: Sibelius 7.5 (full version)—$599.95 USD, €486.56 exc. VAT, or £479.95 inc. VAT

Sibelius 7 to 7.5 upgrade download—$49.95 USD, €41.18 exc. VAT, or £39.95 inc. VAT

Sibelius 7 to 7.5 upgrade boxed version—$89.95 USD, €74.79 exc. VAT, or £69.95 inc. VAT

Sibelius Legacy upgrade (v6 and earlier)—$149.95 USD, €116.81 exc. VAT, or £119.95 inc. VAT

Sibelius competitive upgrade—$199.95 USD, €158.82 exc. VAT, £159.95 inc. VAT

Sibelius trade-up from Sibelius First—$399.95 USD, €318.49 exc. VAT, £319.95 inc. VAT

About Avid
Through Avid Everywhere, Avid delivers the industry's most open, innovative and comprehensive media platform connecting content creation with collaboration, asset protection, distribution and consumption for the most listened to, most watched and most loved media in the world—from the most prestigious and award-winning feature films, music recordings, and television shows, to live concerts and news broadcasts. Industry leading solutions include Pro Tools®, Media Composer®, ISIS®, Interplay®, and Sibelius®. For more information about Avid solutions and services, visit www.avid.com, connect with Avid on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+; or subscribe to Avid Blogs.

© 2014 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. All prices are MSRP for the U.S., Canada, the euro area and the U.K. only and are subject to change without notice. Contact your local Avid office or reseller for prices outside these regions. Avid, the Avid logo, Interplay, ISIS, Media Composer, Pro Tools, Scorch, and Sibelius are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. The Interplay name is used with the permission of the Interplay Entertainment Corp. which bears no responsibility for Avid products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


PR Contacts


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## chimuelo (Mar 1, 2014)

See, the timing was perfect, look at it this way, if you upgrade you are helping out AVID during their struggle with the Federal and State "regulators."
I believe that Wyatt Earp and his gang from the OK Corral were allowed to superceed laws by calling themselves the "regulators" too.


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## kdm (Mar 1, 2014)

Guy Rowland @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> Actually, talk to anyone in post and they'll give you a long list of what Pro Tools still doesn't do well. Nuendo seems to have very little foothold currently, I suspect partly because it's too specialised.



Nuendo has very little foothold because ProTools gained the foothold a couple of decades ago. You just can't uproot an integrated post or pro studio environment, workflow with multiple engineers, compatibility between studios, and with editors just because another DAW does most of the same things. ProTools doesn't scale from bedroom to film post any differently than anything else, but if you want to work in higher end studios, post, etc, you have to learn ProTools because that's what has been in that industry for years. 

Nuendo misses out on some highly used functions like importing session data, drag and drop dual mono support, and a few others. But mainly post has to work within an industry compatible environment, and that's ProTools, not Nuendo or anything else. Europe has more flexibility apparently, as I know there are some full and some partial Nuendo post houses there. 

Despite the reports and speculation of Avid's problems, I really don't see ProTools or Avid going anywhere anytime soon. For example, not speculation or rumor: even if Avid went bankrupt, ProTools, Avid/Media Composer and Euphonics products would end up under a different roof. All have a heavily entrenched customer base that isn't going to jump ship unless someone pulls the power on their machine room, walks off with the iLoks and forces a different workflow. And even then I don't think most would switch. 

I personally use Nuendo and prefer it for many reasons, but ProTools still does some things better than any other DAW. I prefer options and less monopolization, but regardless, I don't want to see Avid fail. This is a relatively small, niche industry, regardless of the money film and games bring in. Any significant blow to the tech/production side would send expensive ripples throughout eventually.


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## Daryl (Mar 1, 2014)

Nick Batzdorf @ Sun Mar 02 said:


> There just was one a couple of days ago, Daryl.


And you think that it was coded in Ukraine? :roll: 

D


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## jaeroe (Mar 1, 2014)

Daryl @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> Nick Batzdorf @ Sun Mar 02 said:
> 
> 
> > There just was one a couple of days ago, Daryl.
> ...



wasn't it publicly states by the Sibelius employees laid off by Avid that they had completed ver 8 and were sitting on it?

again - this is such a small thing for Avid - doesn't make much money.


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## jaeroe (Mar 1, 2014)

chimuelo @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> AVID tried to avoid paying their protection money to the SEC and NASDAQ to save some money during the turmoil.
> Not a wise move as everyone knows how that game goes.
> Lawyers (swords of the law) will swarm upon you and find "errors" in your accounting somehwere, they always do.
> AVID can shake off these pests by simply paying them protection money.
> ...



what in the world are you talking about? do you actually known anyone with a company listed on NASDAQ? i do. if you have some explicit knowledge, please do share. but, this just sounds like paranoid conspiracy theories.

Avid is a small company - they just make a few products. they tried to expand too quickly and over-stepped and had some boneheaded managerial moves.... management out of touch with the talented people they had developing their products. bernie madoff had access to massive wealth, knew everyone in the finance world, and was essentially above the law. completely different.

when a company is doing really poorly - meaning drastically poor performance changes in a relatively small period of time, the management gets the boot. that happened with Avid. if you drive a car into a ditch, you cause a problem in an instant that takes much longer to repair. same with the previous management. the previous management (now gone) didn't have their ducks in a row and didn't follow protocol with SEC filings. the current management is left to clean it up, and knew it would take more time to fix than the SEC allotted.

the current management is saying the end result for earnings of the period in question will not change. i.e. - no cooking of the books went on. if at the end of all this (with well respected auditors looking over things) that turns out to be untrue, then we'll have something to worry about. but right now - there is just a lot of speculation going on and it isn't based on anything concrete.


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## Nick Batzdorf (Mar 1, 2014)

> And you think that it was coded in Ukraine?



Absolutely NFI!


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## chimuelo (Mar 1, 2014)

Sure do Jaroe, I have investments galore, including my pension at a Wall Street Invetment Bank, that was paying 13 checks a year until I decided to cash in in 2011.

Moodys right now is being sued for downgrading the Feds Credit to AA, and were in their legal rights according to regulators and lawyers.
This lawsuit will never pass, but it will get continuances for months after months costing them millions, so everntually they will just cave in and pay their protection money too.

In your world this is known as settling out of court.
In the real world it's shakedown money, this is the way business works. 
To believe and read how these SEC folks are protecting investors has some truth to it, but they prefer using their lawyers as Swords of the Law, as it pays much better.

Just go back in time, I know it's not fun having to actually read something instead of absorbing another headline, but Bernie Madoff, Jon Corzine and many others are always found to not being involved in any wrong doing, and pay the regulators some protection money and it's over.

Do you not read which CEOs are handling such accounts, and read about Commodities or something..? Right now the big money makers are based on cash coming from the Feds new "balance sheets" and trust me when that money stops, the investments they are attached to will dissolve as well.

But it's a feast there, we are actually being forced to trade and invest since the Banks are no longer in the business of community investment projects. Those small Banks were eaten up by Geitner and Company as they don't like competition or anyone inteferring with their "regulatory" Deep State designs.


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## Daryl (Mar 2, 2014)

jaeroe @ Sun Mar 02 said:


> Daryl @ Sat Mar 01 said:
> 
> 
> > Nick Batzdorf @ Sun Mar 02 said:
> ...


That would make sense. I remember talking to someone who codes as a member of a big team, and they told me that to introduce one new member took 6-9 months to integrate them seamlessly. I also don't think that the Sibelius employees were fired the second that they released Sib7, so they must have been working on something for all those months. Therefore it makes sense to me to think that that 7.5 was coded in London, so as yet the new Avid team has not really produced anything. Sib 8 will be the big test.

D


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## jaeroe (Mar 2, 2014)

chimuelo @ Sat Mar 01 said:


> Sure do Jaroe, I have investments galore, including my pension at a Wall Street Invetment Bank, that was paying 13 checks a year until I decided to cash in in 2011.
> 
> Moodys right now is being sued for downgrading the Feds Credit to AA, and were in their legal rights according to regulators and lawyers.
> This lawsuit will never pass, but it will get continuances for months after months costing them millions, so everntually they will just cave in and pay their protection money too.
> ...



how does this give you some special insight into a company on NASDAQ? you are not the only person with investments. i was asking if you knew anything specific about smaller companies on NASDAQ, etc where what you're saying has happened. do you or anyone you know well have experience with that? i do know several people who work for companies traded on NASDAQ and my father was fairly high up at a company on NASDAQ for years. he was one of the original employees and shareholders. never once have i heard of what you are talking about.

what you are talking about concerns large financial players with lots of money, that general or sometimes loose great deals of money. that is quite different than the situation here. i live in NY and have a lot of friends who work in finance - a few are pretty big players. they do talk about some shady dealings that go on, but shakedowns from the SEC and lawyering up with companies that don't generate profits isn't part of it.


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## Guillermo Navarrete (Mar 4, 2014)

Hello, 



alexmshore @ 26th February 2014 said:


> I think Avid have done Sibelius more harm than good. I am also interested to see what Steinberg produces seen as they hired some of the old Sibelius team when they got laid off.



Not some, all of them  
If any of you is interested I invite you to check Daniel Spreadbury's blog, where you can check what is going on regarding development of this new software: 

http://blog.steinberg.net

Sorry for the off topic.

Best regards,
GN


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