Pro Tools is an advanced audio and music production platform that can handle instrumentation, effects, recording, editing, mixing and even post production.

Active musicians who gets into computer based recording in this age probably ask the same question: "what is Pro Tools"? A simple response would be this: Pro Tools allows users to compose, record, sequence, edit, and mix audio the way the users prefer too. Pro Tools is for producers, artists and engineers that aim for big, clear and quality music productions.

If you are looking for a Pro Tools PC, You need not look further because Pro Tools is available for Windows users. It can now be used with third-party ASIO-compatible or Core Audio interface, with compatible Avid audio interface, or just by itself - as a standalone program in Windows. Users are now free to choose which computer, operating system and interface to use.

Far from being a regular recording application, Pro Tools allows for larger complicated projects, with maximum of 96 or 192 simultaneous audio tracks for recording voices, instruments and other audio. It has 512 MIDI tracks and 128 instrument tracks, fully compatible with the included 70 virtual instruments, effects and plugins that were included in the package. And it has 160 aux tracks and 256 internal busses for making sophisticated mixes.

Pro Tools is designed to help you with your arrangements and are packaged with a number of virtual instruments that you can use to instantly create your music. You can use the MIDI editor to create your arrangement or alternatively you can use the built-in Sibelius Score Editor for people that prefer using notations.

Additional features such as Automatic Delay Compensation, OMF/AAF/MXF interchange, DigiBase Pro, multitrack Beat Detective, and full Import Session Data dialog are now considered as standard and included in the software instead of being add-ons.

Last but not the least, Pro Tools works well with videos by using Time Code Ruler and the variable stereo pan depths can also do mixes in surround with the latest 7.1 surround panner.

Pro Tools is also featured in our roundup of the best Music Production Software

Related Hardware:

• DAW Controller
• Studio Monitors

Changes in v12.5

• Pro Tools Projects - Avid Cloud Collaboration
• You can export Timecode with QuickTime Bounce.
• Enhanced Pro Tools Avid Interplay for using XDCAM MXF media with Send to Playback.
• Updated AVE (Avid Video Engine) with general stability improvements.

Changes in v12.2

• VCA Masters
• Disk Cache
• Advanced Metering
• Gain Reduction Metering
• Avid Access Plan options including new Plug-in Bundle.

Changes in v12.1

• Track input monitoring
• Support for up to 128 simultaneous audio tracks
• Support for up to 512 instrument tracks
• Various other recording related improvements
• Stability improvements

Changes in v12

• More licensing options
• Cloud sharing integration
• New Avid Marketplace
• Various other enhancements

Changes in v11.2.1

• Bugfix for Import Session Data command incorrectly copying audio files when “Clips and Media” is not selected in the “Track Data to Import” menu.
• Bugfix for Transport Counter setting during playback.
• Bugfix for crash when creating sessions from templates or importing or rendering audio from an ISIS workspace.
• Bugfix for nudging MIDI notes after they have been marquee-selected using the Grabber tool.
• Bugfix for crash when you play back a session, and then reactivate an inactive track that contains a send.
• Bugfix for crash after selecting “Expand Channels to New Tracks (by match Criteria).”
• Bugfix for Plug-in delay compensation
• Bugfix for Aux tracks destination to correctly delay-compensate and remain time-aligned.
• View automation lanes of plug-in parameters whose names contain more than 31 characters.
• Bugfix for Audio waveforms not being correctly updated when waveform view is fully zoomed out.
• Bugfix for "Trim Clip to File Boundaries" command to affect only selected clips.
• Parameter values in AAX plug-ins are now displaying correctly on control surfaces.
• Bugfix for Master Fader track metering on HDX systems.
• If “Plug-in Controls Default to Auto-Enabled” is selected, recalling settings of a multi-mono plug-in now consistently recalls the playlist values for those controls.

Changes in v11.2

• Avid DX Driver 5.9 released,
• Video engine improvements
• Plug-in bugfixes and enhancements
• Various other bugfixes and improvements
• Read more at Avid

Changes in v11.1.3

• Significant improvements to the Avid Video Engine
• Satellite Link and Video Satellite compatibility updates (details)
• Various other improvements and bugfixes read more at Avid

Changes in v11.1.1

• Improved clip dragging and crossfade
• Pro Tools now successfully imports AAF files originally exported from Steinberg Nuendo.
• When using ASIO applications with the Avid ASIO Driver with HDX or HD Native hardware, audio will not distort.

Changes in v11.0.2

• Includes TCE plug-in
• Required for new Avid plug-ins
• Various reported bugs fixed
• Minor fixes and changes to recording
• Improved performance when using Automation "write to end"
• Other fixes for plug-in compatibility, video, MIDI events and workspace
• Various Bugfixes and enhancements, read more at Avid

Changes in v11

• New Avid Audio Engine
• Improved 64-bit performance
• Offline bounce
• Dedicated input buffer for lower latency
• Extended metering feature for Pro Tools HD 11
• New Avid Video Engine for playing and editing HD video
• Workspace browser
• Track automation while recording
• Dynamic host processing reallocates resources as you launch more plugins
• New mini meters for plug-in send and gain reduction
• Time-stamped plug-in automation
• Satellite Link allows for controlling multiple Pro Tools HD systems
• New key command workflows and mixing interface enhancements

Changes in v10.3.5

• Optimized waveforms calculation
• Some plugins can now receive keystroke commands
• Fixed potential problems when audio files are processed outside of Pro Tools and re-imported.
• Clips are no longer missing from the timeline after AAF import of a mixed frame rate sequence.
• Multiple automation breakpoints in the same location are now cleaned up when using the Import Session Data command.
• Unwanted automation ramps are no longer created after trimming a clip in Shuffle mode.
• Extra breakpoints are no longer created when there is no other automation on a track
• Various Bugfixes and enhancements

Changes in v10.3.3

• Hypercontrol support for M-Audio Axiom Air Controller
• Various Bugfixes and enhancements, read more at Avid

Changes in v10.3.1

• Fixes and update information are available from Avid

Changes in v10.3

• Bugfix and Compatibility update - Get complete details from Avid

Changes in v10.2

• Maintenance update - Complete detail available from Avid

Changes in v10.1.2

• Bugfix update - Complete detail available from Avid

New in v10.0.1

• A number of bugfix and adjustments
• Detailed information is available at Avid.

New in v10

• Clip Gain makes mixing and editing quicker, you can easily monitor and adjust gain levels of specific areas of your tracks
• More headroom is avialable via the 32-bit floating point format, you can now record and master sounds with higher resolution
• Low-latency recording is afforded via direct monitoring when using third party audio interface
• No more need to convert audio files because Pro Tools 10 supports multiple audio formats in one session which includes interleave
• Enhanced disk handler will give you better responsiveness when dealing with slower hard drives
• With the new Avid Channel Strip plug-in, you can get the sound of System 5 console EQ and dynamics
• SoundCloud and iTunes integration for quick sharing
• More 500 new Pro Tools commands via the EUCON controllers
• Extended the timeline to 24-hours, for your long-format projects
• Real-time fades offer better responsiveness and are quicker to load
• AudioSuite rendered clips are supported with handles, reverse processing and more

Here is a video that talks about some of the new features of Pro Tools 10:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpyeCHjdxSk

For further information visit: http://www.avid.com/US/products/Pro-Tools-Software

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