Computers And Recording Software

Being an IT guy and also recording engineer and studio owner, I am often asked what is the "best" recording software. There is no best overall, because it all depends on your specific needs, budget, and work flow. However, many people believe that Avid's Pro Tools software is the best in the business. Although Pro Tools may be the most widely used recording software, in my opinion it is far from the best... especially in terms of price-to-performance ratio.

Similar to the way the term "Xerox machine" is used when talking about a copier; or how "Band-aid" is used when talking about a bandage; Pro Tools, being a pioneer in computer recording software is synonymous with recording in general. In my opinion, that is the reason its most used; name recognition. I believe that many other software packages, including Cakewalk's Sonar (my personal favorite and tool of choice), and Apple's Logic have far surpassed Pro Tools in features, ease of use, and price-to-performance ratio. In my own business, i also have Pro Tools software, but only because clients inevitably ask for it, or have projects that were started in the program. However, 9 times out of 10, when they experience Sonar at my facility, they realize that Pro Tools is no longer king of the hill. Again, it still somewhat depends on the way you work in recording, and your specific needs. But there are far better options around, in my humble opinion. So this begs the question: What's in a name?

I know we are all guilty of this at one point or another... Rushing out to buy that next new hottest thing in an attempt to be on the cutting edge of technology... only to have our pride shot down when something newer and better is released before our product is even broken in. There's always that new processor, new laptop or new OS, the next new Iphone, or video game system or some similar electronic device or setup. Then the next thing you know, yours is outdated and obsolete. 

Is it that the new tech is advancing  faster than we can keep up?  Or are technology companies simply playing on the fact that we will go out and make purchases solely to be at the forefront of new tech ? Are we being tricked into buying things we don't need? Or will those extra few gigabytes or slightly faster processor or slightly higher-resolution  screen make some huge impact on our lives? I wonder if we can answer this question before windows 8, and iPhone 6 comes out.