• Instrument tracks 64 up to 128
• Surround to to 7.1
• Extended RAM/disk cache
• TrackPunch / DestructivePunch
• Input monitoring
• VCA mixing
• Solo bus AFL/PFL
• Advanced audio editing
• Advanced automation
• Advanced video editing 

What do you think? Are there any other features? What prices would you put on each of these features?

I think it is safe to say this won’t happen for the Pro Tools 11 launch unless Avid decide to do a ‘hackathon’ session, but I suspect they are flat out getting Pro Tools 11 ready to launch so it is more likely to happen in a future upgrade if they decide it is a good idea.

There seems to be a lot of interest and discussion around a the whole issue of Pro Tools users getting the same software features as Pro Tools HD users. Perhaps Avid have made a rod for their own back, this was in fact what CPTK gave users before it was dropped from Pro Tools 11.

However, there are two sides to this argument - on the one side there are those who want the features but don’t want to have to buy what they see as a hardware dongle. On the other side we have those who have invested a great deal in a full HD/HDX system who feel somewhat p*ssed off when they see none-HD users getting the same software. It’s a fallacy to think that HDX users simply benefit from better software, DSP hardware offers lower latency at higher track counts, so there’s more to this debate than simply a software one.

Some suggest that no other company offers tiered systems, not true. Steinberg have several versions of Cubase, as well as Nuendo. Cakewalk Sonar and Studio One have several versions, Reason comes in two versions. Whereas DP and Logic do not, although one could argue that Garageband is Logic Lite. Furthermore, Apple are a unique case, as the software is part of the complete OS package when buying Apple hardware and is often used as a loss-leader to get people to buy Apple computers. Comparing a FREE copy of Garageband with something like Pro Tools Express or Reason Essentials is not comparing Apples with Apples (forgive the pun). One could also argue, as many PC Emagic users did at the time, that Logic does come with a hardware dongle… a Mac!

Given these fact, is it reasonable to expect Avid to give the same features to every user when many competitors don’t? Is it reasonable to expect the same software without making the same investment?

We would be interested in hearing from both sides on this discussion.

Our friends at Softube have kindly donated a Summit Audio Grand Channel plug-in which is awesome. Click on the image above to see it in all’s it’s magnificent glory!

Not wishing to mess around with long forms and hard questions, all you need is to complete the form below for a chance to grab this uber cool plug-in. No purchase necessary.

Please complete all fields. One entry per email address. You are entering for a chance to win one copy of a Softube Summit Audio Grand Channel, no cash alterntive. Judges decision is final and no correspondance will be entered into. By entering you are giving permission for either/or both Softube and Pro Tools Expert to contact you in the future. You can opt out at any time after the draw has ended, if you do so before it ends then you will be removed from the draw. Contest ends 16th June 2013.

The Mac Pro is a classic tower design, yes with an Apple spin on the design which I like. the tower design gives the user the opportunity to open the case, take bits out, put new bits in, like hard drives on nice aluminium sleds, pull a drawer out and add more memory, or put an SSD Drive in in the second optical drive bay, which I am going to doing to my Mac Pro next week, ready for Pro Tools 11.

However if you look at the way Apple have been changing the way they make their hardware, they are becoming harder and harder to get into. Take the MacBook for example, it used to have standard Philips screws to attach the case with. Now MacBooks come with 5 point Pentalobe security screws which make it impossible for most people to get in and upgrade the hard drive etc. Moving onto the iMac, the front panel and LCD used to be held together with magnets but now they are glued together and you need a heat gun to remove the adhesive. Apple aren’t just deterring you from opening it’s products, they are now making them so you end up damaging them trying. 

So back to the Mac Pro, the latest rumours are suggesting there may be an announcement at the WWDC event in June. But even if they do announce a new Mac Pro then, will it be so locked down and non user adjustable that it shouldn’t retain the title Pro?

All of which begs he question, where do we go as Pro users, for a Pro computer? For pro users running our machines all day, every day, I do have concerns using the iMac or Mac Minis. They are, as I have said before, made up of laptop components and they are great for the hobbyist and semi pro users, but for the big studios and post houses like Abbey Road and Skywalker, as well as the smaller facilities, also you end up having to add so many extra lumps to them, Thunderbolt to Firewire, Thunderbolt expansion chassis, Thunderbolt monitor adaptor, extra storage and so on. We need a solid reliable tower type solution, one that is designed from the floor up for pros to use, easy to add and upgrade individual components to. It clear with all the iOS products etc Apple is no longer in the pro market, they make nearly all their money from the consumer product ranges, both hardware & software. 

So if Apple aren’t going to provide an answer for us, and we will see what comes out of WWDC, then what? For me I am looking forward to Neil’s Pro Tools PC, it will be rack mounted, whisper quiet, totally Pro Tools ready, and compatible and best of all ready to run Mac OSX*. Recently on Facebook Neil posted a picture showing the Pro Tools PC running Pro Tools 10.3.5 and a Digi002 Rack at a 64 sample hardware buffer Size, 32Bit 96K session, Recording to 128 audio tracks at once to the internal second SATA 7200rpm hard drive. I know that Neil is busy testing with the full range of Pro Tools hardware, so maybe like me you will need to consider looking to the Pro tools PC and possibly running it as a Mac to get the ‘pro’ features we need from a computer to host Pro Tools on.

* This would require the user to install Mac OS in a way not approved by Apple. Pro Tools PC do not offer either computers with this installed or a service to do it - this is a user decision and entirely at their own risk.

We’ve been seeing Pro Tools 11 running on a HD Native system this week and we have to say the results have been stunning; remember, this is a pre-release version and not the final shipping version we’ve seen. The machine at hand, a mid-range Mac Pro 2.8ghx Quad with a Pro HD Native card hooked up to an Omni.

Until production copies of Pro Tools 11 are available, we are not able to offer a review or make videos (trust us we’ve asked—and offered bribes!).  However, it’s like seeing a different DAW in action.

For perhaps the first time since Pro Tools was released, PT 11 makes a HD Native system a really hot proposition.  It also continues to make us wonder who will be buying HDX systems?  Our best guess is large music, post and broadcast facilities.  What is clear is that many of those who had to have a hardware-dependant chip-based HD systems in the past will be fewer.  We’ve seen tracking demos sessions running with plug-ins and VIs that were just a pipe dream on previous incarnations of Pro Tools.

If you own a store, then I’d advise you to create bundles of Pro Tools 11, HD Native and for composers, Vienna Ensemble PRO 5 (Pro Tools 11 ready) - that is a killer system. If you are thinking of buying a new Pro Tools system, then put all that on your shopping list to check out. If you have a laptop, then don’t forget to check out the Magma chassis.

If you think this article is over-zealous fan-boy hyperbole, don’t take our word for it.  Wait until PT 11 ships, download the demo, and then see for yourself before you part with your money … just make sure you keep the credit card ready!