Pro Tools has been around ever since the beginning era of digital audio. And since then, Avid (Digidesign) has gradually expanded. Pro Tools has been through many different makeovers, but the latest makeover is truly brilliant. Avid introduced Pro Tools 9 on November 11, 2010 to the world and they are not holding back anymore. Delay compensation, 3rd party interface ability, multi-band beat detector and, last but not least, no-hardware needed to open up Pro Tools.
Many Pro Tools users have been dying for these features and it has finally arrived. Now users can open up Pro Tools without the need of an interface. Making it very convenient to work on your session at any time. All you need is for your laptop to be charged or your computer to be plugged into an A/C source and an ilok for authorization purposes, and you’re in. Avid has also introduced their all-new beat detector called multi-band beat detector. This new updated plug-in allows users to detect tempo a lot more easily.
Instead of buying an Avid interface to use Pro Tools with, users can now use 3rd party interfaces. Many Pro Tools users have their own preferences as far as what interface they like to use and this has limited many DAW (digital audio workstation) users from using pro tools as their primary DAW. I have always wanted to use Apogee interfaces with Pro Tools because I believe they have better D/A conversion and I like the dynamic range better. But I never had the privilege to use an Apogee interface because it was never compatible with Pro Tools LE. This has caused some to push away from Avid. But now, the story has changed.
Delay compensation was another huge factor Pro Tools LE users complained about. I was definitely one of them! Nothing is more annoying then to hear your work off tempo do to delay compensation. For this reason I have pushed away from Pro Tools; for I could not have afforded Pro Tools HD, which had delay compensation. But now since Avid has allowed these features for a low cost, I believe lots of DAW users will convert to Pro Tools as their primary DAW. This also paves the way for new producers and artists. Five years ago you could have put together a semi-professional home studio for roughly $2,000.00. Today you can do that with $600.00.
Avid (2011). Avid Unleashes Pro Tools 9—Breaks New Ground with More Creative, Flexible Options for Music and Sound Production. Avid Technology Inc.
