Film Scoring - How Much Does industry standard REALLY matter (ProToolsHD vs Nuendo)

[bound]

So I'm getting my first "real" DAW and it's come down to 2 options:
Cubase (and later Nuendo but cubase for now)
Pro Tools (later Pro Tools HD)
Whichever route I take I want to be sure of now, so that I've familiarized myself when the time comes to get a big-buck system. I don't want to go with Cubase than re-learn everything for Pro Tools HD. Now here's the real question that's bothering me. How much does the Industry Standard matter in the film industry? I've poured over both Steinberg's and Avid's websites and Nuendo seems more and more like the better option, BUT apparently most big name hollywood film companies use Pro Tools HD. So should I just get over it and get Pro Tools or can I still get up there with Nuendo?

[TimOBrien]

Are you really going to be working for or with a big-name studio?

If not, use anything you want because all anyone cares about is the final stereo .wav mix you give them.

[bound]

Are you really going to be working for or with a big-name studio?

I would hope so haha. I guess you have a point though. I'm not saying I'll be working with Christopher Nolan or JJ Abrams, and I know that it's a long hard road with VERY little chance of actually making it onto a hollywood blockbuster, but if that was the goal in mind how much does being able to share files with the sound designer, editor, producer etc. matter? And how much is that actually impacted by what DAW you use?

[TimOBrien]

The CONCEPTS are all the same.
Learn the basics and you can use any daw.

Employers don't care if you know every bazillion keystroke combination.
The goal is to be competent with the concepts and be able to get a project done.

And don't forget that software goes away. Protools and Cubase and all the others
will eventually be overtaken by something else (as they overtook others). Far more important that you understand
the underlying principles and can adapt to the changing market.

[bound]

Thanks for the advice
I think I'll go with Cubase. It seems to me like the better choice, and like you said if I really need to transitioning to Pro-Tools shouldn't be that difficult.

[michaelhoddy]

One huge issue here is collaboration. As has amply been stated, you can do great work with basically any DAW, but I think the real issue is whether you plan to do it all yourself all the time. If that's the case, what you use is basically immaterial.

I don't like Avid very much, but if you're going to work with others in any market where's there's anything remotely resembling an industry, I hate to say it, but Pro Tools is really the way to go because everyone (and when I say "everyone," I mean everyone who's working for hire on any sort of ongoing commercial basis) pretty much knows it and has it. It becomes very easy to work with others and in all sorts of environments without the antics of converting sessions.

A lot of folks switch from some other DAW to Pro Tools for this very reason, not so much for feature set or anything else. Comparatively few folks who are working in the audio field for a living switch from Pro Tools to something else, unless the project is going start to finish under their roof.