Pro Tools PC have released a picture and a base price as well as more details…

• Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz Unlocked
• 8GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM (upgradable to 32GB)
• 120GB SSD System Drive (upgradable to 480GB)
• 1TB SATA III Audio Drive (add up to 6 drives in total)
• Nvidia GT610 Graphics (upgradable to Quadro)
• DVDR/RW Optical Drive (Blu-Ray optional)
• From £1499 inc VAT
• Coming soon…..

They have said that US and International pricing to follow. If you are interested then you can sign up on their web site.

Our friends over at Universal Audio haved announced  UAD software version 7.0, features include;

• Multi-Unit Cascading of two Apollo units or two Apollo 16 units*
• Virtual I/O feature for Realtime UAD Processing of virtual instruments and DAW tracks
• New PT Mode for easy insertion of outboard analog hardware in Pro Tools
• Enhanced Apollo Console software
• Read full UAD Software v7.0 features here

It also conincides with 3 new plug-ins;

• Ocean Way Studios 
• SPL Twin Tube
• Sonnox Oxford Inflator

For full info and download information click here

McDSP have announced two more plug-ins have been included in the public beta of the AAX Native and DSP plug-ins.  You need to be v5 owners for these to work. There are in installers for HD and Native owners..

McDSP have stated…

McDSP v5 plug-ins will be updated to 64-bit support for Pro Tools 11, and then simultaneously support Pro Tools 10 and Pro Tools 11 systems. 

In SoundToys’ newsletter that has just landed in my Inbox they say…

With the recent announcement of the pending release of Pro Tools 11 a lot of questions about AAX are popping up, so here’s the scoop from our side. We’re deep in development for AAX native and hope to get it into a public beta soon. Our goal is to have a solid official release before Pro Tools 11 hits the streets.

We have launched round two of our public beta. This round will include all seven of our real-time native plug-ins in 64-bit Audio Units. Round one gave us some great feedback and we’re really looking forward to finalizing Audio Units and getting it out the door officially. SoundToys Native Effects owners can get the Public Beta installer from their SoundToys accounts now.

So another key plug-in manufacturer on track for AAX plug-ins ready for Pro Tools 11.

Avid Have just release the latest update to Pro Tools - 10.3.5
This new version addresses bugfixes, some minor changes and compatibility updates.

For Pro Tools 10 and Pro Tools HD 10

Version 10.3.5 is officially qualified and recommended for:

• Pro Tools|HDX systems on Mac OS X 10.7-10.7.5, 10.8*, 10.8.2*, 10.8.3* or Windows 7 SP1 (details)
• Pro Tools|HD Native systems on Mac OS X 10.6.7-10.7.5, 10.8*, 10.8.2*, 10.8.3* or Windows 7 SP1 (details)
• Pro Tools|HD Native Thunderbolt systems on Mac OS X 10.7.5, 10.8*, 10.8.2*, 10.8.3* (details)
• Pro Tools|HD Accel systems on Mac OS X 10.6.7-10.7.5, 10.8*, 10.8.2*, 10.8.3* or Windows 7 SP1
• Pro Tools systems on Mac OS X 10.6.7-10.7.5, 10.8*, 10.8.2*, 10.8.3* or Windows 7 SP1

EuControl is the application that runs Artist Control, Artist Mix, Artist Transport, and Artist Color media controllers and communicates with your software applications like Pro Tools.  This package installs EuControl and other necessary software.  EuControl supports one Artist Control, one Artist Transport, one Artist Color, and up to four Artist Mixes.

What’s New
EuControl 2.7.1 fixes an issue with “Auto Bank to Selected” on systems with only MC Mix surfaces that caused that feature to not function.  This now works as expected. 

Release History for v2.7

• Provides support for Mac OS 10.8
• Provides support for Windows 8
• Support for Apple Mac Book Pro hardware with HiDPI Retina displays. 
• Mackie Control and HUI now work with Mac OS 10.7 and 10.8
• EUCON System Preferences are now stored correctly on Mac OS 10.7 and 10.8
• Improved stability with Pro Tools 10.3
• Fixed an issue with USB mouse connection when device was disconnected causing loss of mouse control. This also affects KVM support which now functions correctly. 

Clearly this is a small bug fix update and I am looking forward to what is hopefully a completely rewritten EuControl software package to go with Pro Tools 11.

For Pro Tools Express on Mac OS X and Windows 7. Version 10.3.4 is officially qualified and recommended for:

• Pro Tools Express systems with Mbox (3rd Gen), Mbox Mini (3rd Gen), Fast Track Solo and Fast Track Duo on Mac OS X 10.7.4, 10.7.5, 10.8, 10.8.2, 10.8.3 or Windows 7 SP1

Full information including download links and Readme files detailing the issues fixed in this release as well as important compatibility information, known issues, error messages, etc are available on the Avid Pro Tools Express 10.3.4 product page.

Avid have made some changes to the forum; some structural, like renaming sections and forums, and clearing out legacy products etc. They are also trying to add more human face to it. This is what Bruce Paine, Avid’s Community Administrator said….

Click to read more ...

Neyrinck have provided an update outlining their plans for updating their product range to AAX. This is what they say….

At Neyrinck we have been busy working on AAX and planning for the future. We want to let you know about our near-term AAX plans so you can also plan your future. 

Neyrinck has already updated V-Mon for AAX and has introducedSoundCode LtRt Tools which is AAX only. 

Later this year Neyrinck will be updating SoundCode For Dolby Digital,SoundCode For Dolby E, and SoundCode Exchange MXF to AAX. 

SoundCode For DTS will not be updated because DVD-authoring is disappearing.  Existing users of SoundCode For DTS should plan on using Pro Tools 9 or 10.  For Blu-ray, DTS makes encoding tools that take full advantage of Blu-ray’s capabilities. 

SoundCode Stereo LtRt will not be updated for AAX but users can upgrade to SoundCode LtRt Tools which adds a Dolby Pro Logic IIx decoder. 

Mix 51 has been discontinued and will not be updated.  SoundCode DTS-HD StreamPlayer has been discontinued and will not be updated.

Thank you Paul for your openness. 

Avid have released a long overdue update of the Eucontol software for the Artist Series of controllers….

What’s New in v2.7

• Provides support for Mac OS 10.8
• Provides support for Windows 8
• Support for Apple Mac Book Pro hardware with HiDPI Retina displays.

Note: Studio Monitor Express is not supported on Mountain Lion and is therefore not part of this release.

Bug Fixes

• Mackie Control and HUI now work with Mac OS 10.7 and 10.8
• “Bank to Selected” now behaves more predictably based on user request
• EUCON System Preferences are now stored correctly on Mac OS 10.7 and 10.8
• Improved stability with Pro Tools 10.3 (we recommend Pro Tools 10.3.3 for the best results)
• Fixed an issue with USB mouse connection when device was disconnected causing loss of mouse control. This also affects KVM support which now functions correctly.

Download here but you won’t see the new version unless you log in.

Universal Audio have issued v6.5.2 update it fixes bugs for Pro Tools users and you are advised to download it now.

UAD v6.5 software was a big update to our entire UAD codebase, and we’ve identified and fixed two more critical Apollo/UAD-2 software bugs with a brand-new v6.5.2 update. Here’s the specifics:

• (Pro Tools) Resolves issue where certain UAD plug-in settings are not recalled when opening sessions saved in earlier versions of Apollo/UAD-2 software
• (Cubase 64-bit) Resolves issue where host can become unresponsive with projects that have high memory usage

Download it here

This morning they released v1.0.1 for public beta and added a progress meter, and a number of other enhancements. However v1.0.1 crashed for some users, including me, during the scan process with the nice new progress bar.

Hats off to the team at PluginUpdate, they had a fix relased within a couple of hours having emailed me to apologise and let me know others had a similar problem.

They have now released v1.0.2 Mac Beta fixes the crashing behaviour some users experienced during scan with the 1.0.1 release. Again they took the trouble to email me to tell me there was a fix. I have downloaded it and run it and its great. They must have done some work on the database too as that is now reporting much better.

Keep up the good work guys.

This is one App we’ve been waiting for, the new PluginUpdate, an app that checks to see if your plug-ins are up to date - no sh*t Sherlock!

It is currently in beta stage and Mac only but a Windows version is promised imminently.

We’ll take a look at it and let you know what we think shortly.

Download it here

Avid have announced the release of Mountain Lion drivers for both 002 and 003 audio interfaces.

Products Affected are:

• 003
• 003 Rack
• 003 Rack Plus
• Digi 002
• Digi 002 Rack

More here

It would seem that the AAX update of Eleven is not working in LE format, some users have reported this on the Avid DUC and are now rollling back their Pro Tools installs to retain their Eleven LE install.

Digi Tech Support have responded to a thread on the DUC by saying

“I understand the concern expressed by Eleven LE owners, and unfortunately don’t have details on getting from Eleven LE to Eleven AAX Native yet. Keep in mind that the real missing piece with Eleven was running DSP on HDX, and that’s what this update provided. It’s a step in the process.”

Watch this space! Discuss.

Now available — Pro Tools 10.3.3 update for Pro Tools 10 and Pro Tools HD 10.
Officially qualified and recommended for Mac OS X 10.8.2 (Mountain Lion) or Windows 7 SP1.

• Includes Gobbler Integration
  
  Pro Tools 10.3.3 provides integrated support for Send to Gobbler workflows. Gobbler is a cloud-based backup, transfer, and collaboration tool for managing audio projects and their media assets. Pro Tools integrates with Gobbler to send Pro Tools sessions and audio files to collaborators over the Internet. When installed, the Gobbler application can be configured to scan your system to locate and automatically back up your Pro Tools sessions and associated media files. If you do not have an account, you can create one for free.

plus many other issues resolved - Full info in the ReadMe Document.

Read more and get the download

NI have announced a new free update is available for Kontakt — version 5.1.

This update provides the following new features, fixes and improvements:

• Added support for Avid Audio eXtension (AAX Native 32-bit)
• New ‘Jump’ Amplifier effect from GUITAR RIG added to the range of KONTAKT effects
• Plug-in migration for Mac OS X Audio Units – KONTAKT automatically updates to newest version on projects created with older versions of the software
• Mac OS X 10.8 RTAS: Fixed crash on startup

To install the update, please start the NI Service Center. Open the ‘Update’ tab, make sure the checkbox for KONTAKT is checked, and click the ‘Download’ button. When the download is finished, unzip the files and run the installer.

The Windows 7 beta is now shipping for Pro Tools 8.

Avid is pleased to announce that the recently released 8.0.3 version of Pro Tools® software provides public beta* compatibility with 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system for Pro Tools HD, LE, and M-Powered. Pro Tools M-Powered Essential is fully qualified with Windows 7. This public beta is provided as a convenience for Windows 7-based Pro Tools 8.0.3 users who may wish to begin their transition to Windows 7 before fully tested and qualified Windows 7 support for Pro Tools becomes available. Based on which device you are running, you may need to download and install additional drivers to complete your Windows 7 preview functionality. Please follow the instructions listed below.

More here

You may or may not be aware of the latest Pro Tools 8.03 update.

Or like me and many others you may have thought, I already know about the 8.03 update that is an interim for Snow Leopard users to try!

Not so! There is an 8.03pr and that was the original one, the new one is also called 8.03, but without the 'pr' on the end.

Even more interesting the splash screen shows the first signs of AVID Pro Tools!

Pro Tools 8.0.3 is a free update for all Pro Tools 8 owners. Version 8.0.3 supports the following operating systems:

• Mac OS X 10.6.1 – 10.6.2 (Snow Leopard)
• Mac OS X 10.5.5 – 10.5.8 (Leopard)
• Windows XP (Home or Professional, 32-bit)
• Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (32-bit)
• Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (64-bit) – Pro Tools M-Powered Essential only
• Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit) – Pro Tools M-Powered Essential only (Pro Tools HD, LE, and M-Powered can be used on Windows 7 as a public beta)

From the AVID site:

'Avid is excited to announce Pro Tools 8.0.3 software, a free update for all registered Pro Tools HD 8, Pro Tools LE 8, Pro Tools M-Powered 8, and Pro Tools M-Powered Essential 8 users. Get official Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard support, plus over 100 of your most requested software improvements and fixes. In addition, you can use Pro Tools 8.0.3 on Windows 7* as a public beta, or as a fully supported release with Pro Tools M-Powered Essential.'

The update includes updates for the entire AIR collection including Boom and Structure FREE.

More here

The updates available on this page add compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and Pro Tools 8.0.3 on Snow Leopard.

System & Installation Requirements

• Mac OS X 10.6.x "Snow Leopard" Only, these updates are not required for Mac OS X 10.5 and earlier

• Required: iLok license for each plug-in

• Required: Previous full installation of your AIR plug-in prior to running the update:

  • Hybrid v1.5.x

  • Strike v1.0.x

  • Structure v1.0.x 

  • Structure LE v1.0.x 

  • Velvet v1.0.x