Comment Pro-Tools is just a tool... (Score 1) 716
Think of it as a replacement for the tape machine ( although it does alot more ).
Besides the recorder, you need microphones, cables, mic-preamplifiers, compressors, etc... Check out some pro-audio websites and see what Neumann mics cost. Like German cars, they're *expensive*!
Then there's the studio space itself. A good studio is designed from the ground up to be a studio. A lot goes into the acoustics of a good studio; think noise isolation, reverberation, etc... Add HVAC to the equation and it's even more expensive. So, whether or not your using pro-tools or not, someone needs to pay for the use of the studio physical space. The more money that went into the studio construction, the more money the band pays per hour/day to record there.
Then add the time of the engineer(s) and producer. Building a CD is some ways similar to building a software release. There's a long list of tasks that need to be done by creative/technical people, and someone needs to run the whole thing... that's the producer. The better they are, the more they get paid.
Yes, pro-tools has done alot to make recording more affordable, but not to the point where you're gonna see the savings passed on to the consumer.
As long as the RIAA and the big five continue to act like the crooks they are, any money saved will end up in their pockets, not your's, or the musicians' who really deserve it.
