On the subject of production and mastering I can see what Adrew is trying to say with the way today's techno and tech-house sounds but that has more to do with the production aspect of today's music, the types of effects and sounds people are using in tracks, you really cant blame it on ProTools which has been an industry standard for the past two decades. For example there are certain 313 labels that have released classic compilations, these compilations would have sounded better in my opinion if they digitally re-mastered the tracks using software like ProTools. Listen to the way an album on R&S sounds, it sounds good on both vinyl and CD, whether an artist like Carl Craig is going for a 'raw' or 'dry' production sound like with 69 or a clean production. Also there have been classic Detroit techno tracks released on European labels such as Network that just sound better in my opinion because they do a better job mastering the tracks.
I've passed certain '313-List' labels (which will stay anonymous) that are going for the 'dry' production sound because the mastering is a little too harsh and abrasive even though the music content was good.
