Larry, for the control issue alone it is well worth running GMAW-P vs GMAW with thick Alm. In pusle mode you get less smut, less spatter, less destruction of consumables,(downtime),way more consistent and controlable welding,(uptime). Another area that most people forget is interpass tempature on thick ALM. With GMAW you constiently have to monitor the heat input and not run over about 250-275 degress(downtime). With GMAW-P this is almost never an issue.
When we runn pulse vs non pulse we get more weld time in the pulse mode by far! The trade off is pulse might be a little bit slower but you can run for days and days before any down time vs GMAW where the operator has to change contact tips, clean nozzles, check temp. etc...Just my 2 cents