Pro Tools

In short: Protools is a top-notch hardware depended software (meaning, the
software works only with specified audio hardware), originally made as a
post-production system for Mac users only, nowadays however, many
engineers are using it for music production as well claming it to sound
the best among all recording/editing softwares. Though made for Mac,
it can run on a PC (different version), but still works best on Mac platform.
From personal experience (and I'm not a"Protools engineer"), my opinion
on it, is that all in all it's a very good software in terms of sound, stability
(not crashes often) and stamina (funny term for a software… meaning that it
can run many plug-ins at once without slowing down. It tells you it's limit).
It's interface is somewhat none user-friendly when you first see it, many
functions have to be enabled through the menus and a lot have to be defined
specifically for home or studio use and for music or post production purposes.
My impression is that it's interface is still not fully ready for music recording
and editing. Designed logically if you work a lot with audio, but still very
uncomfortable if you don't (and even if you are).
It's biggest advantage is the fact you can add more PCI cards if you want more
plug-ins processing power (depends on your computer).
You can also check Steinberg's Cubase, Protools biggest rival. For my opinion
it's far more comfortable when it comes to music recordings, especially for
amateurs. Though it might not have some of the Protools advantages and
features, it works just fine. Basically, both systems are more or less equal.

All you need to know about Protools
All you need to know about Cubase
Or google.

Have a nice day!
Elvis

I wrote an article entitled

The Pro Tools Myth
http://www.recordingreview.com/beginner_guides/pro_tools_myth.php

Brandon

I learned recording on a ProTools LE system, mixing on Protools HD with a gazillion plugins . If you are just getting into recording, you are better off with Cubase or one of the other inexpensive recording software packages, in my opinion. Pro Tools is great, don't get me wrong, and if you plan to record many tracks and want to be able to take them to nearly any professional studio for mixing or mastering, then you may wish to consider ProTools, as it really is the industry standard. But it is very expensive, has a big learning curve, you have to use Digidesign or M-audio hardware, upgrades are continually offered and continually charged for, and did I mention its expensive?

The cheapest way to get into protools is with the M-box, which has two channels. Now that the M-box2 has been released (about $500, but includes MIDI inputs) you can find the original M-box at various music superstores for about $350.

Digidesigns ProTools website: http://www.digidesign.com/news/details.cfm?story_id=3734&localonly=N