AVID PRO TOOLS 9
Posted on Wed 30 March 2011 in entries
The newest update to the professionals’ favourite DAW brings it within reach of us mere mortals at last. We take a long, hard look at Avid Pro Tools 9…
The introduction of version 9 of Pro Tools last autumn has to be the music industry’s hottest news in years. On launch day Avid was selling one copy every two minutes and it’s no surprise as Pro Tools 9 isn’t just any update… it’s a killer!
PRO TOOLS 9 - DAW FOR EVERYONE
It cannot be overstated how widely Pro Tools is used in the music, film and TV industries. Even if you’ve not had a chance to use Pro Tools yourself, it’s a surefire bet that most of the music you listen to, movies you’ve seen or TV programmes you watch have been made with Pro Tools. Installed in every major studio across the globe, it’s the go-to recording software for artists, composers, top producers, engineers and dubbing mixers.
The introduction of Pro Tools back in 1991 was a landmark moment in recording history, perhaps the single most important invention since multitrack recording itself. The first version offered four tracks and sold for around \$6,000. Ah, those were the days!
PRO TOOLS 9 - IN WITH THE NEW
So why is Pro Tools 9 such big news and why did it keep hundreds of thousands of people up, late into the night, watching the live press launch back in November?
With the latest release of Pro Tools, Avid have taken the software used by all our musical heroes and placed it in the hands of anyone who has a computer with a soundcard… no longer do you need Digidesign-specific hardware and a bottomless bank balance to use it!
Until now, to use Pro Tools you needed Avid hardware, but this restriction has now been lifted with Pro Tools 9, giving you the choice of using the world’s number one recording software with your hardware of choice or on any ASIO- or Core Audio-compliant computer. Now what used to only be possible with a rack full of hardware can be done on the move, using nothing more than your laptop and a USB dongle.
PRO TOOLS 9 - EVERYTHING YOU NEED
Pro Tools 9 is now one unified software installer and, depending on the licence you choose, gives you the features you need… but not the ones you don’t. You can take a session created on your laptop to a top professional studio and carry on working on it. Even better, you can take it back to your laptop afterwards, something that’s never been fully possible before!
And don’t worry about running out of tracks before you finish your latest masterpiece. With Pro Tools 9 you get a generous 96 audio channels (and up to 192 if you’re using a fully fledged HD system), 128 instrument tracks, 512 MIDI tracks, 256 internal busses and 160 aux tracks.
Pro Tools 9 is packed with free effects such as reverbs, delay, compressors and gates as well as some amazing instruments including beatboxes, samplers, pianos and lots more. Pro Tools 9 is perfect for anyone making music, be it hip hop, rap, rock, acoustic or classical… Pro Tools 9 simply fits your style and your own way of working.
Using all those effects and virtual instruments can introduce timing delays that can affect on the whole mix. Fortunately, all versions of Pro Tools 9 have ADC (Automatic Delay Compensation) using the same proven technology found in Pro Tools HD. This ensures plug-ins and external effects are all aligned with sample accuracy. It’s automatic, so you just switch it on and forget about it!
PRO TOOLS 9 - TRY IT TODAY
If you’ve not tried Pro Tools before, then there’s now nothing stopping you. You can be up and running in minutes, with upgrades from Pro Tools LE and M-Powered starting at just £179*, you’ve now got the industry-standard programme at your fingertips. You’ll soon see why it’s been an industry favourite!
PRO TOOLS 9 - SPECS
• Prices: Full version - £479*; LE to PT9 - £179*; M-Powered to PT9 - £250*; HD to HD 9 - £249*
(Call us for education prices)
• Audio tracks: up to 96 software-only (192 with HD systems)
• Internal busses: 256
• Aux tracks: 160
* Prices from 1st March 2011 - please note that prices are subject to change in the future.
Purchase the AVID Pro Tools LE to Pro Tools 9 Crossgrade
Purchase the AVID Pro Tools HD 9 Upgrade
Purchase the AVID Pro Tools M-Powered to Pro Tools 9 Crossgrade
Purchase the Avid Complete Production Toolkit 2 for Pro Tools 9