12 months ago Avid ran a survey through their Avid Customer Association about future directions for Pro Tools and their other product ranges. In December they ran round 1 of a follow-up survey. They have just launched round 2 and here is what I have found...
What Is Round 2?
Round 2 of voting is made up of the top results from round 1 plus any options from the 'write-in' boxes from round 1 that were sufficiently popular to warrant inclusion in round 2. Round 2 is designed to concentrate on the top priorities for the community as Avid see them. The good news is you can contribute to round 2 even if you didn't take part in round 1.
Personal Info To Start
I was surprised that I couldn't simply log in as an ACA member. Instead, there were 10 questions which required some personal info including name, email address, job description, what type of organisation I worked it etc.
How Long Will It Take?
For round 2 you will need around 10 - 15 minutes to complete the survey. You only get one go and it must be completed in one sitting. They recommend that it is best to complete the survey on a desktop computer or tablet. Avid does not advise using a mobile device/ smartphone.
As with round 1 you are warned that at the end of the first part of the survey, you will be directed to the Emerging Trends & Technology in Media ballot, which is being underwritten by Devoncroft (Broadcast & Media Technology Market Research, Strategic Consulting, & Analysis) and that completion of this section is required for your vote to be counted. I was annoyed about this as I had completed this extra survey in round 1 but actually, when I got to the end of the Avid section in round 2, it explained that if I had completed the Devoncroft survey in Round 1, I wouldn't need to complete it again, which was good news, but why wasn't this explained at the beginning? Anyway, back to the Avid survey...
What Options Are There?
The options offered in round 2 were the same as round 1.
News Production & Newsroom
TV & Film Production
Video Editing
Music Creation & Audio Post & Mixing
Sports Production
Enterprise Media Management
Live Sound
I selected Music Creation & Audio Post & Mixing as before and was then informed that I would be asked questions on the following areas but there wasn't an option to bypass any of them...
Workflow Category:
Music Creation / Audio Production
Product Categories:
Media Central Platform
NEXIS Media Storage
Control Surfaces
Pro Tools
Sibelius
Third Party Products
Workflow Category: Music Creation / Audio Production
This was the first set of options I was asked to rank and I have put the round 1 options side by side with the round 2 options...
Round 1 December 2017 | Round 2 February 2018 |
---|---|
Lower Cost Audio I/O (Previous Vote: Ranked #2, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) | Lower Cost Audio I/O (Previous Vote: Ranked #2, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
Virtual Instrument Upgrades - New VI tools inside Pro Tools and better integration with 3rd party VIS (Previous Vote: Ranked #4, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue 2018) | Virtual Instrument Upgrades - New VI tools inside Pro Tools and better integration with 3rd party VIS (Previous Vote: Ranked #4, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue 2018) |
iOS App for Pro Tools - iOS version of Pro Tools for mobile recording, editing & sharing of ideas for collaboration (Previous Vote: Ranked #7, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) | iOS App for Pro Tools - iOS version of Pro Tools for mobile recording, editing & sharing of ideas for collaboration (Previous Vote: Ranked #7, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
Music composition, arranging, orchestrating music | Music composition, arranging, orchestrating music |
Integrated Pitch Correction | Integrated Pitch Correction |
Publishing music online - Publish and sell your sheet music online | Publishing music online - Publish and sell your sheet music online |
DDEX-compliant Metadata Recording | DDEX-compliant Metadata Recording |
Custom Knob mapping for Control Surfaces | Custom Knob mapping for Control Surfaces |
Marker Track Improvements | Marker Track Improvements |
Advanced MIDI Workflows | Advanced MIDI Workflows |
Sharing music online - Quickly share your sheet music online | |
Game Engine Integration Workflows - Integration of Pro Tools into game engine workflows (Previous Vote: Ranked #13) | |
Enhanced Integration: Pro Tools & Sibelius - Improved workflows to allow better integration between Sibelius and Pro Tools app (Previous Vote: Ranked #10, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
As with round 1, you can see, some of these options are choices from last year's survey and some are new and give us an insight into possible new feature sets Avid might be looking at.
They are still asking about the Lower Cost Audio I/O even though it was the 2nd most popular option in last year's survey and is 'under investigation' during 2018, whatever that means.
We can also see that between rounds 1 &2 they have dropped 3 options, which we assume were not popular enough from round 1 to be brought forward to round 2, including the enhanced Pro Tools and Sibelius integration, even though it was ranked 10 in the survey 12 months ago.
Media Central And Nexis
Next came questions about Media Central and Nexis, both of which are only relevant to people in larger multi-seat facilities. It would have been nice to be able to opt out of these, but instead, as neither are relevant to me personally, I had to click N/A for all the options to be able to move on. I have included the questions and options for Media Central and Nexis so you can see what Avid is asking about...
Please rank these Media Central Platform items by level of importance. Drag and drop your priorities to the top of the list. | Please rank these NEXIS Media Storage items by level of importance. Drag and drop your priorities to the top of the list. |
---|---|
Single point of configuration, user management, licensing at the platform level | Custom Read/Write/Delete Permission - Separately specify Read/Write and Delete permissions preventing users from deleting media. Make it so that you can specific permissions for given role (Previous Vote: Ranked #1, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
Platform health monitoring and usage reporting toolset | Color Coded Workspaces - Assign color coding to workspaces in management console for grouping and sorting (Previous Vote: Ranked #3, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
Platform orchestration capable of orchestrating across multiple production silos | High Performance Cloud Storage for cloud based real-time Media Production - Real-time collaborative storage using Cloud storage provider (Previous Vote: Ranked #6, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
Improved System Monitoring - Provide a reference and documentation for tracking the status and usage of the full Avid suite of products for both system management, maintenance, and metrics (Previous Vote: Ranked #16) | Workflow Driven Tiered Storage Management - Policy-based data movement between high performance, nearline, archive and cloud storage tiers (Previous Vote: Ranked #9, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
Public Cloud Deployment - The entire Avid solution hosted in public cloud (Previous Vote: Ranked #14) | Eliminate Adobe Flash for Administering NEXIS Storage Systems - Transition to MediaCentral | UX interface for NEXIS Management eliminating the need for Adobe Flash (Previous Vote: Ranked #10, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue 2018) |
Facilitate Capacity Flexing - Cloud based services that can encode, conform, and publish content for web distribution that can be used on per project basis (Previous Vote: Ranked #15) | Single Sign-on for NEXIS - Sign into NEXIS using same credentials used for Media Central or other Avid platform products (Previous Vote: Ranked #11, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue 2018) |
Orchestration Service for Workflow Automation - Enable automation of processes and task across Avid platform enable applications through user interface UML style and common scripting language (Previous Vote: Ranked #10, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018) | Workflow Prioritization/QoS - Configure user/device/workflow priority with minimum bandwidth SLAs allowing administrative protection of critical workflows from lower priority storage access (Previous Vote: Ranked #13) |
Fast Turnaround of Growing Clips - Fast access (<15 seconds) to content for rapid workflows during file or signal ingest (Previous Vote: Ranked #8, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018) | Advanced Client-side Caching - NEXIS client software intelligently caches media to local workstation to offload shared storage system (Previous Vote: Ranked #15) |
Platform Media Services - Run Media Services at the platform level such as copy, move, transfer (Previous Vote: Ranked #6, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) | Delegated and flexible administration of NEXIS Storage Systems - Assign administrative tasks like creating and deleting workspaces to users other than the main Admin user. Sub administrator has restricted scope of storage groups or workspaces that they can make changes on. Not allowed to unbind, upgrade etc. (Previous Vote: Ranked #16) |
Expanded Media Index Search Interface - Improve the search interface with Media | Index to include associations, relatives, spans as segments, and facets, and phonetic searching (Previous Vote: Ranked #5, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018) | Use Link Aggregation for Client-side Network Redundancy - NEXIS clients use Avid Adaptive Load Balancing for network redundancy and to aggregate the performance of multiple network links (Previous Vote: Ranked #19) |
Platform Services: Transcoding - Run transcoding services at the platform level (Previous Vote: Ranked #2, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018) | Use Cloud storage to enable integrated archive |
Cloud storage for backup / Disaster Recovery | |
Cloud storage for file synchronization and/or transfer between locations | |
Storage Media Services - Media Central | Editorial Management running on Avid NEXIS hardware (no additional server required) | |
NEXIS monitoring improvements SNMP /collected | |
On premises disk based NEXIS nearline, with integrated archive / library media tool. (~1 Peta byte storage servers, half populated ~0.5 PB) | |
NEXIS 40 Gb Ethernet client support |
It was interesting to see that Avid is clearly proud about what they have achieved already with Nexis...
Based on last years vote results, Avid has completed:
Higher Stream Counts per Engine - Ability to playback or edit a higher number of HD / 4K / UHD streams per storage engine
Pro Tools on NEXIS - Additional optimizations to Pro Tools and NEXIS to make the experience of recording/editing/mixing audio from shared storage fast, efficient and reliable (multiple Pro Tools systems with high track count support)
Increased NEXIS Storage System Capacity and Bandwidth - Increase the total number of supported Media Packs per system from 24 to 48; total system capacity and bandwidth will increase to 2.9PB of capacity and 20GB/s of performance
Extreme Performance Storage Engine (all SSD) - Support Media Packs of Ten SSDs and use a 40GbE interface to enable a single 2U storage engine to provide over 4x the bandwidth of a hard drive based Media Pack
Larger Drive Sizes in NEXIS Media Packs - Support 10TB drives, increasing total NEXIS system capacity from 4.8PB
Control Surfaces
The next set of options I was asked to rank in order of importance was a list relating to control surfaces. Again I have put the options for round 1 and round 2 side by side to make comparisons easier...
Round 1 December 2017 | Round 2 February 2018 |
---|---|
Artist Mix replacement - S1 - 8 fader controller | Artist Mix replacement - S1 - 8 fader controller |
Plug-in instantiation from the surface | Plug-in instantiation from the surface |
Custom Plug-in Mapping | Custom Plug-in Mapping |
EUCON control of Clip Effects from the surface | EUCON control of Clip Effects from the surface |
C24 Replacement - 24/32 fader Controller with I/O and meter bridge | C24 Replacement - 24/32 fader Controller with I/O and meter bridge |
Allow 2 x S3 to be connected for 32 faders |
This suggests that they are looking into replacements for the Artist Mix and C24 but they seem to have dropped the idea of allowing multiple S3 control surfaces to be linked together as you can with the Artist Mix. It is good to see that the Eucon developments are still in the mix.
Pro Tools
Next, I was asked to rank a range of Pro Tools related options, but not before Avid proudly told me what they had achieved since the last survey...
Based on last years vote results, Avid has completed:
Immersive / 3D Audio Integration - Further integration of Dolby ATMOS and other 3D formats into Pro Tools mixer
Enhanced MIDI Functionality - New MIDI tools to further music creation workflows
VR Workflows - Support of VR workflows for Pro Tools
Enhanced qualification/performance for Pro Tools on Nexis shared storage - Qualification for Pro Tools on NEXIS to include support for 12+ workstations and high track counts plus video
For this year's survey, these are the Pro Tools options...
Round 1 December 2017 | Round 2 February 2018 |
---|---|
New Post workflows - Folder tracks (Previous Vote: Ranked #1, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018) | New Post workflows - Folder tracks (Previous Vote: Ranked #1, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018) |
Lower Cost Audio I/O (Previous Vote: Ranked #2, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) | Lower Cost Audio I/O (Previous Vote: Ranked #2, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
Virtual Instrument Upgrades - New VI tools inside Pro Tools and better integration with 3rd party VIS (Previous Vote: Ranked #4, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018) | Virtual Instrument Upgrades - New VI tools inside Pro Tools and better integration with 3rd party VIS (Previous Vote: Ranked #4, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018) |
Enhanced Voice Capability for Pro Tools Native | HD Systems - Larger voice count for Pro Tools | HD Native (Previous Vote: Ranked #5, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) | Enhanced Voice Capability for Pro Tools Native | HD Systems - Larger voice count for Pro Tools | HD Native (Previous Vote: Ranked #5, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
Enhanced AVE (Avid Video Engine) Workflows - Support of new codecs, enhancements to existing video interop inside Pro Tools (Previous Vote: Ranked #6, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018) | Enhanced AVE (Avid Video Engine) Workflows - Support of new codecs, enhancements to existing video interop inside Pro Tools (Previous Vote: Ranked #6, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018) |
iOS App for Pro Tools - iOS version of Pro Tools for mobile recording, editing & sharing of ideas for collaboration (Previous Vote: Ranked #7, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) | iOS App for Pro Tools - iOS version of Pro Tools for mobile recording, editing & sharing of ideas for collaboration (Previous Vote: Ranked #7, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
On Premises Collaboration - Bringing current cloud collab to work on premises w/ local storage (Previous Vote: Ranked #8, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) | On Premises Collaboration - Bringing current cloud collab to work on premises w/ local storage (Previous Vote: Ranked #8, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) |
Interop with Media Composer - Qualification for Pro Tools on NEXIS to include support for 12+ workstations and high track counts plus video (Previous Vote: Ranked #12) | Interop with Media Composer - Qualification for Pro Tools on NEXIS to include support for 12+ workstations and high track counts plus video (Previous Vote: Ranked #12) |
Pro Tier of Network Audio Interfaces | Pro Tier of Network Audio Interfaces |
Enhanced Import Session Data (Multiple Sessions Open at Once) | Enhanced Import Session Data (Multiple Sessions Open at Once) |
Integrated Pitch Correction | Integrated Pitch Correction |
Marker Track Improvements | Marker Track Improvements |
Phonetic Indexing of Audio in Pro Tools (phonetic text search of audio in Workspace to find all dialog matches for entered text) | Phonetic Indexing of Audio in Pro Tools (phonetic text search of audio in Workspace to find all dialog matches for entered text) |
Advanced MIDI Workflows - continued larger enhancements to music creation workflows | Advanced MIDI Workflows - continued larger enhancements to music creation workflows |
Folders in the Clips List | |
Enhanced cloud collaboration communication with A/V Chat and streaming in and out of Pro Tools (replace ISDN workflows) | |
Take Number Management | |
Enhanced Integration: Pro Tools & Sibelius - Improved workflows to allow better integration between Sibelius and Pro Tools app (Previous Vote: Ranked #10, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation) | |
Game Engine Integration Workflows - Integration of Pro Tools into game engine workflows (Previous Vote: Ranked #13) | |
Updated Satellite Link Toolset - New API to allow 3rd parties to integrate their solutions for satellite link solutions (Previous Vote: Ranked #14) |
Again, I feel there is some unnecessary duplication between the workflow section at the start of the survey and the Pro Tools features question.
I am pleased to see 'On Premises Collaboration' has stayed on the list for the film post-production community as I cannot help think that the collaboration features could be very useful for you as long as it is completely secure across an internal network.
Personally, I am very pleased to see 'Enhanced Import Session Data (Multiple Sessions Open at Once)', 'Phonetic Indexing of Audio in Pro Tools (phonetic text search of audio in Workspace to find all dialog matches for entered text)' has made it through to round 2 but bitterly disappointed that Folders in the Clips List has not made it through.
It is also disappointing to see that the enhanced cloud collaboration enhancements haven't made it through to round 2 as I feel that those features would complete the cloud collaboration feature set. I have to wonder if this didn't receive many votes because cloud collaboration isn't itself that popular a feature.
I guess the game engine integration wasn't popular enough either but the games industry is only going to get bigger and maybe there are times when you need to make a feature set choice that you know is going to be important even though not that many current users can see the benefits.
Sibelius
Next was Sibelius which again I would have liked to have been able to bypass as it isn't relevant to me personally. Here are the options Avid are looking at...
Enhanced Integration with Pro Tools (Previous Vote: Ranked #2, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation)
Sibelius for iOS (Previous Vote: Ranked #5, Advanced to Round 2, Under Investigation)
Sync your own MP3 with Sibelius | Cloud Sharing
In-App marketplace - ability to buy virtual instruments, supporting applications and music fonts within Sibelius
Sibelius for Chrome OS
Marketplace for Virtual Instruments - Ability to purchase additional virtual instruments inside the Sibelius application (Previous Vote: Ranked #7)
Sibelius UI Enhancement - Streamlined workflows and updated, inspector focused workflows (Previous Vote: Ranked #4)
Faster score editing workflows (Previous Vote: Ranked #1, Advanced to Round 2, In Queue for 2018)
Third Party Integration
Next, I was asked to chose one 3rd party product that I would like to see integrated into Pro Tools. The list of options was...
Round 1 December 2017 | Round 2 February 2018 |
---|---|
Native Instruments Strings | Native Instruments Strings |
iConnectivity Interface | iConnectivity Interface |
Universal Audio Virtual Instruments | Universal Audio Virtual Instruments |
Orchestral Tools Metropolis | Orchestral Tools Metropolis |
MediaSeal | MediaSeal |
Other (please specify) |
In round 1, this seemed to me to be a strange list, so I chose Other and asked for iZotope RX integration. Clearly, my choice, or anyone else's choice, wasn't popular enough to make the list for round 2.
I am very curious as to how these products came to be selected and why there are not any post orientated options here. Also, why has the iConnectivity range of interfaces been selected over much bigger brands like Focusrite, which Avid already have a partnership agreement with?
Do Take The Survey
I still strongly recommend that all Avid users take this survey, as it enables us to have a say in what Avid are planning. Although it is a structured survey, there were options for personalised suggestions in round 1 and even though they aren't there in round 2, it is my view that if we don't comment and complete the survey, it becomes harder to criticise Avid when they don't add the features we are looking for.
The Results
Round 2 is open until March 9th, 2018 and the results will be announced at the Avid Connect event in Las Vegas between April 6th and 8th, 2018.
What Do You Think About The Questions?
Do share in the comments below about what you think about the subject areas Avid are looking at in this survey and the changes between round 1 and round 2. Are they asking the right questions? Are they looking at features you want? If not what features do you want?