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tel.781/431-8708, fax -8783 • info@paudio.com • 192 Worcester St., Wellesley, MA 02481 USA
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buying a DAW?introWorkstations are us. We have sold hundreds of them: Digidesign Pro Tools, Nuendo, SADiE, MOTU, Merging Technologies, Sonic Solutions, Emu/Ensoniq Paris, Spectral Synthesis, Mackie, etc. We are familiar with their uses, their fast-evolving capabilities, and the realities of owning and using them. We are skilled at helping people to choose a suitable one, and to get started using it. We provide system configuration, sales, installation, and training. After-sale, we can advise you how to troubleshoot, and how to deal with the manufacturer's technical support. This guide doesn't pretend to be complete; the subject is too complex. To fill in the gaps, please contact us directly. for newcomers to DAWsIf you are a newcomer to workstations, you should plan to learn a lot. You will find that you can start using one fairly quickly, but that competence — not to mention mastery — takes time. The learning curve can be steep. Your ways of working — conceiving your projects, dealing with clients, developing your markets (and finding new ones), taking care of your tools, handling operational setbacks, etc. — will probably be very different than you are used to, in more ways than you can anticipate. They're a new world. Once you're familiar with workstations, you'll find that upgrading, or buying another (even switching brands), can be fairly routine.
want a demo?We can tell you much about a workstation by phone or e-mail, or by accompanying you on a virtual study using the phone and this site. Some things, though, you may want or need to see. If so, visit us. We often give demos in our Showrooms. Call for an appointment, please.If you are too far away to visit us, you can probably find a demo with a dealer closer to you. Given the kind of pre-sale and after-sale support that you'll probably find helpful, you should buy from that dealer too. If we're your best option, though, we'll do our best for you. You might book an hour or so at a DAW studio that's near you (they're everywhere!), and get a good demo there.configuring your systemWe normally provide turnkey systems. That means we can specify and gather together the computer, cards, software, monitor(s), drives, cabling, and other peripherals that you may need: plug-ins, external converters, hub, controller, console, speakers, CD recorder, etc. installation & trainingWe routinely install the systems into their computers at our facility. You can do it on-site for yourself, if you wish — it's usually not hard. Also, if you are near to us, we can train you and your staff. That too you can do for yourself; most users do. We charge a reasonable rate for our services. after-sale support, operational & technicalAs with any machine, especially computer-based ones, you may have trouble with your DAW, especially as you get started with it. Our articles (see column to left above) give some tips that will help you. On the other hand, you may have little or no trouble at all, especially if you are experienced at living with DAWs, are working with mature software, and aren't trying to exceed your system's limitations. A system's manual or on-line help can resolve many problems. Online groups are another good resource. Or you may need outside technical support. You are welcome to ask us for such help. If we can solve your problem for you over the phone or via e-mail (or you can pay us to come on site), we will. But we know the limits of dealer after-sale support for DAWs. We are able to do a good job pre-sale — finding a system that suits you, spec'ing it out, and getting you started working with it. Doing that teaches us enough to be able to solve certain problems you may encounter. As every experienced DAW user knows, however, normally your best bet when in trouble after-sale is for you (a) to have developed the skills and knowledge that suit your system, and (b) to turn to manufacturers' tech support. Those are realities of owning a DAW. Learning to work well with manufacturer support is key. Manufacturers' support staffs have the most experience and best resources. They are full-time tech supporters of their products. They have boards to swap, if need be, and software solutions to offer. They have specialized troubleshooting databases to draw upon. They also have easy access to their engineering departments, if necessary. That said, and despite our limits, we can be useful — even essential — to you after-sale. We would like to know when you're having problems, especially if you have difficulty with manufacturers' responses to you. We bring them a lot of business, so we have leverage with them. We can act as a diplomat for you, or translator, or intermediary, or squeaky wheel. We know the routines. We have saved our customers much aggravation. Use us! Copyright 2003, Parsons Audio. We welcome your questions, comments, and contributions >>> Webmeister@paudio.com. |
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| For product information, contact us. Manufacturers' Web sites will help. They can be sketchy or even misleading, but some are comprehensive. Digidesign's, for example (our leading DAW line), is excellent. It will begin to turn you into an informed consumer.
If you're buying a DAW, whether you are a veteran DAW user or a beginner, you should talk with us. We aren't being pushy in saying that. It's just that we keep up to date about these products, we have DAW specialists on our staff, and we have helped a lot of facilities through the process of choosing and using a DAW. That process can be difficult. We should be able to impart something useful to you!
We have written some articles about choosing and using DAWs. You might find it helpful to read them: Choosing and Using DAWs: an outline Computer Hell (beware!) |
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