Accessibility with Pro Tools

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Oran O'Neill

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Aug 20, 2020, 10:39:05 AM8/20/20
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I am a former sighted ProTools user and have been asked to work on a project for TV broadcast.  I haven't used ProTools since going blind and am wondering how easy it is to get back on the horse from the blind perspective?  I have heard about Flo Tools so am wondering how accessible this makes ProTools? The project I would be working on is not too track heavy, it is  9 half hour TV programmes mainly consisting of sync, nat sound and music. 

Could you advise on best place to start learning  ProTools/Flo Tools and let me know if the Flo Tools application is mac only or can it run on PC? Also is it possible to do all editing/scrubbing/automation mixing and tweaking of paramaters for plugins etc.

Many thanks for your help.

Óran 

Michael Holmes

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Aug 20, 2020, 11:56:48 AM8/20/20
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Pro Tools is only accessible on Mac. That being said, you have a leg up by being familiar with the software and terminology already. There are issues with third party plugins sometimes, but PT itself is insanely accessible, as are all Avid plugins and most of the established plugin companies like Waves and Izotope. Flo Tools makes everything quicker and helps with some of the few accessibility gaps.

It’ll be a learning curve, but it’s the way to go on a Mac. I was a Windows guy before going blind, and didn’t have the chance to use PT with eyesight. I always wanted to, so I’m grateful for Avid’s work.

If Mac isn’t an option, I hear Reaper or an old edition of Cakewalk Sonar should work. There are groups like this list for those softwares’ accessibility I think.

I hope this helps,
Mike

On Aug 20, 2020, at 10:39, Oran O'Neill <orano...@gmail.com> wrote:


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Rory McDonald

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Aug 20, 2020, 4:11:19 PM8/20/20
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There is a mail list for reaper, and an entire wikki on the subject as well with guides on getting started and what not. Not sure about sonar though, I take it some probably still use it though, version 8 or whatever it is. 

Rory

On Aug 20, 2020, at 11:56 AM, Michael Holmes <m.richar...@gmail.com> wrote:



Phil Muir

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Aug 20, 2020, 4:17:46 PM8/20/20
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Sonar hasn’t been accessible since 8.5.3 and I wouldn’t recommend using it on Windows 10.  There’s also Samplitude Pro X Suite which is largely based on Sequoia.  That’s another accessible alternative on Windows and you can read about it here and access the Samplitude Access YouTube channel and join the VIP Audio E-mail list on the following website:

 

http://www.samplitudeaccess.org.uk/

 

 

Warm regards, Phil Muir

Vaughn Brown

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Aug 20, 2020, 4:49:17 PM8/20/20
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Yes

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 20, 2020, at 1:11 PM, Rory McDonald <rory...@rogers.com> wrote:

There is a mail list for reaper, and an entire wikki on the subject as well with guides on getting started and what not. Not sure about sonar though, I take it some probably still use it though, version 8 or whatever it is. 

Óran O'Neill

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Aug 20, 2020, 5:04:21 PM8/20/20
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Thanks all. 



Sent from my iPhone

On 20 Aug 2020, at 21:49, Vaughn Brown <jazzdr...@gmail.com> wrote:

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Steve Sparrow

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Aug 21, 2020, 3:43:14 AM8/21/20
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I have used reaper both on windows and mac, and it works very well on both platforms. Yes agree with phill regarding sonar. It has not been accessible for some years now. 
Steve


Phil Muir

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Aug 21, 2020, 4:05:01 AM8/21/20
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One final thought on this.  Not necessarily a deal breaker but if you are planning to work with sighted individuals or you want to demo Reaper then keep in mind that although you can access it, what you are doing has absolutely nothing to do with what is displayed visually on screen.  This means that sighted people can’t actually see how you are working in Reaper.

 

 

Warm regards, Phil Muir

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Slau Halatyn

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Aug 21, 2020, 10:42:40 AM8/21/20
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Since Óran used Pro Tools before losing his sight, I'm pretty sure that the most sensible path forward is to use the DAW he already knows.

Tim Elder

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Aug 21, 2020, 5:46:59 PM8/21/20
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As someone who visually used both Cakewalk Pro Audio (now Sonar) and then Pro Tools, then shifted to Sonar with non-visual access and has now moved back to Pro Tools with non-visual access, I strongly recommend that you stick with the DAW you know.  I'm not changing DAWs again for the remainder of my life on Earth, hence my perpetual Pro Tools HD license.  
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