I have Symphony and Protools on same system, but they cannot be open at the same time, even though I'm using an Mbox (another Avid product) as my audio interface. I record a lot of voice-overs while editing, and want the ability to simultaneously open up an audio program to record and sweeten a VO track before bringing it into Avid. Yes, I know I can use audio punch in, but it doesn't offer the same power and flexibility as a full-fledged audio program. Consequently, I'm using Sound Forge to record VO's, which can be open at the same time as Symphony.
Since Protools and Symphony/MC are both Avid products, why can't both be open at the same time? Audio programs by other companies (Sony Sound Forge, Adobe Audition) do not have this same conflict with Avid's editing software. Contrast this with the Adobe suite, where every program the company sells is seemlessly integrated with each other. Do the editing and audio developers at Avid ever talk to each other?