Brief Summary
Unlike the old standard version of Pro Tools, for music users Pro Tools Studio probably offers all the features from Ultimate you need but finding out exactly which features are still only available in Ultimate isn’t completely straightforward. This article goes further than the feature comparison tables you might have seen.
Ultimate features like Digilink/HDX compatibility and video editing are dealbreakers for those who need them but some features are less obvious, harder to identify and probably not as important but for example if you need the Scrub Trim tool, it’s useful to know whether it’s Ultimate-only. This article breaks down the detail.
Going Deeper
Pro Tools’ product lineup has changed considerably in the last year, Intro and Artist are valuable additions to the line-up but to the professional the really interesting development is the creation of Pro Tools Studio, which has inherited many of the features formerly exclusive to Pro Tools Ultimate. In the broadest terms the top tier Ultimate product is for people who need HDX and Digilink connectivity or Post users who need access to post-specific workflows. But exactly which features are Ultimate-Only? In this article we dig deeper.
In the feature comparison tables on the Avid website you’ll be able to see key differences in terms of track count, IO and the like. For Studio and Ultimate it breaks down thus:
Both Studio and Ultimate are bundled with the Avid Complete Plugin Bundle, though access to this requires a current subscription or support plan As this article is focused on the Pro Tools software itself we’ll leave those to one side but details can be found on the Avid Website.
Avid do a good job of communicating the key differences on the site but that does still leave times when a user, myself included, still wondering whether a specific feature is Ultimate-only. For example while I was aware that surround and Dolby Atmos, which previously had been Ultimate-only were now available in Studio, It was some time after the announcement that I realised that the previously Ultimate-only advanced automation features were now in Studio.
What Features Are Ultimate-Only?
Here is as exhaustive a list as we’ve been able to identify. If you are aware of any additional features which are Ultimate-only then please share in the comments and we’ll update this article as appropriate.
You’ll see that they broadly follow the distinctions outlined above of HDX/digilink users and post-specific features being Ultimate-only but there are interesting outliers and quite a few we didn’t think of until we did quite a lot of digging.
This list doesn’t attempt to explain these features, though we comment as and when we feel appropriate. Where appropriate page numbers are given next to entries so you can find them in the 2022.12 Pro Tools Reference Guide.
HDX/Digilink
All features which require HDX and a Digilink connection are Ultimate-only as are features which require connection via a serial port such as Sync peripherals or Machine Control. The Hybrid engine however is available in other versions of Pro Tools if a Pro Tools Carbon is connected. Voices, Voice allocation and the metering of voices are all HDX specific and therefore are Ultimate-only.
Video Features
In Pro Tools Studio you can you can add only one video clip to a session. It can be played back, but cannot be edited and will not be listed in the Clips List. If you open a session created in Ultimate only the first video track will be opened and while it can contain multiple video clips, you can’t edit them.
Ultimate Only features:
Ability to drag video clips and files from the Clips list to the Timeline - 1440/1442
Video Clips available in the Clips List - 1444
Multiple Video Tracks in the Timeline - 1427
Multiple Video Track Playlists - 1428
Multiple Codecs on an Individual Video Track - 1428
Additional Video Import Options - 1442
Gaps Between Clips
Import Audio from File (QuickTime Video Only)
Remove Existing Video Tracks
Remove Existing Video Clips
Clear Main Video Track Playlist
The Timecode overlay and its associated button are also Ultimate-only
Timecode Overlay - 1453
Timecode Overlay Button - 1429
Offline Video Satellite Tracks - Ultimate-only
Since there are no video editing options in Pro Tools Studio, there is of course also no Video Universe window in Studio.
Field Recorder Workflow
Pro Tools’ field recorder workflow is Ultimate-only. If you are unfamiliar with it we recommend Chapter 62 (p1402) of the Pro Tools Reference guide which gives a thorough explanation of the features and workflow examples for live concerts, Film shoots, Telecine transfer and Video.
A related feature is the Matching channels criterion in Matching Alternates - Alternates Match Criteria window (right click on a clip to access) which is only available in Ultimate.
In The Box Dubbing
A specialised, post-specific use of Pro Tools, several features required for this workflow are only available in Ultimate.
Pro Tools Ultimate has 6 record modes, Pro Tools Studio has 4. Normal, Loop and QuickPunch are common to all versions. Trackpunch and Destructive Punch Record modes are Ultimate-only - 599
Transport RecordLock and Audio Track RecordLock These options lets the Record button in the Transport controls and Pro Tools tracks be configured to emulate a digital dubber. - 119, 121
PEC/Direct Style Input Monitoring is Ultimate-only - 122
Import and Export to Avid MediaCentral|Production Management
Pro Tools Ultimate lets you import sequences from Avid MediaCentral | Production Management and export selected tracks to Production Management - 469, 482
Satellite Link and Video Satellite
Pro Tools Ultimate is required for Satellite Link operation. Only Pro Tools Ultimate can be designated as Administrator (1460), for video Satellite operation the satellite system must be running Pro Tools Studio.
Other Pro Tools Ultimate-only Features
No Scrub Trim Tool - 651
No Replace Clip command - 336
No Back and Play command and no preference to set back/forward amount- 117
Momentary Solo mode- Ultimate-only
No Auto Fades, Pro Tools Ultimate can automatically apply real time fades at all clip boundaries. The length of these fades can be set in the Operation Preferences. Pro Tools Studio doesn’t offer this - 716
Local Waveform Cache Versions, this preference speeds up waveform redraws when pro Tools is used with Network storage and is Ultimate-only - 121
How Significant Are These Features?
The HDX features, Video features and the other post-specific features like field recorder workflow and in the box dubbing are easy to understand and very consistent. The availbility of surround, Dolby Atmos and advanced automation in Studio are really significant but also realtively rasy to communicate. The interesting part of this excercise and the motivation for doing it is the other features which fall slightly outside these headline categories. What I’m referring to as the “outliers”. For example I was intrigued to discover that the replace clip command is still Ultimate-only but that, despite having read something to the contrary, Repeat to fill selection is available in Studio.
If you’re aware of any features which are available in Pro Tools Ultimate but not in Pro Tools Studio please share them in the comments.