by Frank Wells.
San Francisco, CA (November 5, 2010)—Avid’s Pro Tools version 9 is being unveiled at AES. Pro Tools 9 replaces Pro Tools LE in the Pro Tools software family, and integrates broad hardware I/O support, EUCON control protocol integration, and, Avid pro segment marketing manager Tony Cariddi tells Pro Sound News, “more professional features now that are standard.”
Cariddi elaborates, “By far, the most requested feature from Pro Tools LE customers was to include Automatic Delay Compensation.” Internal ADC is standard in the Pro Tools 9 feature set, along with a track count doubling to 96 mono or stereo voices, an internal buss count increased by a factor of eight from 32 to 256, 160 aux track capability, Beat Detective, as well as the components of the formerly optional Music Production and DV toolkits including the Time Code Ruler and AAF/OMF/MXF interchange and an oft requested MP3 export capability.
Pro Tools 9 is a native system with ASIO and Core Audio support, allowing it to function with Avid I/O hardware, third party I/O devices and on computers with only built-in audio interfaces. Cariddi calls Pro Tools 9 the “first ever software option for Pro Tools that gives customers a really open and flexible workflow,” and also “enables collaboration more than ever.” The DigiBase Pro file management tool and a full Import Session Data dialog are also part of Pro Tools 9.
Pro Tools HD 9 software is being simultaneously released. The Pro Tools software family will now consist of Pro Tools M-Powered (the low cost entry system with its smaller feature set will remain at version 8 for the immediate future), Pro Tools 9 and Pro Tools HD 9 (in either Native or DSP hardware based versions).
With EUCON integration, users of Avid (formerly Euphonix) Artist Series controllers and Pro Series consoles and controllers can move beyond HUI-level hardware control of Pro Tools to what Cariddi calls an “incredibly deep, incredibly responsive” control integration. Pro Tools 9 is at a phase one implementation of EUCON, with a deeper yet level of support promised.
Pro Tools 9 will be available worldwide on November 12 at a retail price of $599. Pro Tools HD 9 software will be included in the various Pro Tools|HD system bundles at current prices. Upgrade and cross grade paths will be available for existing Pro Tools users. For Pro Tools|HD users that need to take more advanced features to alternate computer platforms, the Avid Complete Production Toolkit 2 (CPTK2) option gives Pro Tools 9 users access to the full feature set of Pro Tools HD including the capability of 192 internal tracks, VCA mixing and full 7.1 surround support ($1,995.)
Avid
www.avid.com
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What customers are saying:
Ulrich Wilde, producer and engineer for bands including Dethklok, Pantera and the Deftones, said: “One big thing about Pro Tools being an open platform is that I won’t have to run two systems anymore. Right now I have a dedicated Pro Tools system and a dedicated Apogee system and I have to reboot with one or the other—now I can save space and time toggling between them. EUCON support is also huge for me as I’ll be able to integrate Pro Tools into my studio workflow, which is based on Logic using an Artist Series controller.”
According to Lyle Workman, composer for films such as The 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up, and guitarist for performers including Sting, Beck and Shakira: “I can’t think of a reason why someone wouldn’t want to work in Pro Tools—it’s for the person who’s getting started, yet it’s for the person in my world. It provides all of the advantages of smaller systems, yet works from my studio to the music editor’s room to the stage. It’s incredibly convenient that there are no cross-platform issues. It’s just Pro Tools from soup to nuts!”
Jesse Keeler (aka JFK), artist and producer for MSTRKRFT, said: “The one barrier to total productivity for me while traveling has always been the lack of Pro Tools session portability. But now that Pro Tools is available as a software only package, Avid has made it so the same session can be worked on anywhere. For me, this feature alone is priceless.”
