T2 User from 10 years ago re-engaging with recording - should I upgrade? Advice appreciated

[21tones]

I bought T2 in 2005 for home recording. I largely used audio (guitars and bass, vocals) plus some midi piano and a VST drum package. Plug-in use was limited to reverb, compression and a few others.
I do classic rock and pop in the style of the late 60s and 1970s.
I haven't done any recording for a long time now, but got the notification about the current sale prices.
Now seems the right time to get back in to some recording and I'm wondering whether I need Waveform, or even whether I would benefit from upgrading to T6.
Would T6 run with Windows XP and 2gb of RAM? If not I would have to get another computer or try and do something on my laptop which has Windows 7.
Having got my head around T2 I'm worried about having to commit lots of time to learning something new.
Recording/mixing is just a way of preserving songs I write rather than trying to craft an audio masterpiece!

A key issue would also be whether I could work on the songs I did in T2 in T6, or 7, or Waveform.
Your advice would be appreciated. I remember this forum as being very supportive and helpful
Thanks in advance of any responses

[jabe]

You can have multiple versions installed. I've got 5-8 on this PC, in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Older projects should open without problem in newer versions, but if they're saved in a newer version, you might not be able to then open them in the older version they were created in, because of new features.

I'm confident that T6 will run on your XP machine, but I don't know how smoothly. Unless your PC is getting short of space, I can't see any disadvantage in installing T6 anyway. Your T2 will remain intact and you can look at the newer features (there are videos and so on). Your Windows 7 laptop should handle T6 well enough (there'll be the interface question to deal with)

I can't think how T6 would prevent you from recording in the same way as you did in T2. Newer features should be able to make things easier, should you wish to use them. I'm sure the learning curve will be small.

Waveform 9 is likely to appear in February or March.

[BushmasterM4]

If T2 works for you.. well don't upgrade. I started with T3 and used it for years. Then once I upgraded to T4, all went to hell (plugin wise). And all other versions including Waveform will not work with my favorite plugin. Yes a support ticket was sent to Tracktion developers and the plugin developer. While the plugin developer now notes the issue in their readme file, both say its the others issue. As mentioned by jabe, if you do upgrade, be sure to copy (backup) all of your T2 edits, because once you open a previous edit (song) in a newer version of Tracktion or Waveform then it may not work in the original version.

[klangbastler]

just try t6, it's free!

and see how it goes, how much you need to relearn, etc. ...

[HansP]

I do classic rock and pop in the style of the late 60s and 1970s.
...
Would T6 run with Windows XP and 2gb of RAM? If not I would have to get another computer or try and do something on my laptop which has Windows 7.

If you upgrade, Tracktion and Windows, compared to what was possible back then, you will have quite a good "studio" in a little box.
In a Win7pro notebook with a fast i7, I was able to manage up to 70 tracks, though with a lot of freezing.

When familiar with T2, then T6 is not particularly difficult. Still, plz get informed about some new features, as they might be helpful game changers.
Sure the handling of plugins has been improved. There is a lot of free plugins suitable for vintage music styles. (e.g. look up "Klanghelm" free downloads, some Voxengo, Kjaerhus Classic series, Meldaproductions free package for a very useful EQ, a saturator, and 2 audio analyzers... )

I would recommend a recent Windows version for stability, speed, security, and capacity of handling bigger sets of data (mixes).

T6 has a few stability caveats, but if you don't make money with your projects, it may be worthy to get along with it. Racks are totally exciting and powerful, but a few of the more complex things can't be done in this version, as it might mess up something. Same with automation, if not too complex, it works well.

[21tones]

Thanks for the helpful and encouraging responses. The key thing seems to be keeping copies of the T2 files if I work on them in T6. I'll probably try that route and see how I go. Initially I'll see how things go on my old machine running XP as that is in the space where my instruments are and is hooked up to the audio interface etc. I noticed a 331 page manual for T6 but don't know if I have the inclination to work through it!
I understand that the plug-ins might be an issue.
Hans P thanks for the suggestions on plug-ins to look at. I vaguely recall using some Kjaerhus Classic ones, but generally stuck to free ones.
Thanks again everyone

[BushmasterM4]

XP will be fine. I used XP up till last year then switched to 7.