Now that we have our audio interface, we need a program that will allow us to record what is being processed through the interface. Pro Tools is the industry leader DAW, manufactured by a company called Avid. Pro Tools 10 is the most recent version of the software, which came out in 2012. This software is compatible with both Mac and PC, which makes the software even more powerful because files can be worked on with both operating systems. Whether you create music or sound for picture, the right tools can help you achieve the high quality mixes faster. Pro Tools 10 is the best sounding, most widely-used audio production software in the industry, enabling you to record, compose, edit, and mix with great speed and ease. Pro Tools will interact with any interface available on the market. When I was first contemplating which DAW to purchase for my at home studio, I went with Pro Tools because almost any studio you go to work will have this software, and I really wanted to become proficient in this program at home before I applied for professional studio work.
When installing Pro Tools the user will be required to use an iLok. This is a storage card that saves all serial numbers for not only your software but also plug-ins and special features. Without the iLok the program will not be able to run, so it is very important that you do not lose your iLok! When you first purchase Pro Tools, Avid will send an iLok with the software.
Pro Tools has two windows the user interacts with. The first window is the edit screen. When we start to record in Pro Tools we will see the audio being recorded on the edit screen. This screen is also were we will do any editing, waveform gain adjustments,parameter automation, as well as fade ins and outs. The next window is the mix window, where the user can set levels, adjust panning, route channels to bus routes and aux channels, and enable plug-ins to effect your mix. This is what the edit window looks like...
Not only will Pro Tools allow recordings of audio signals, but there are also virtual instruments and audio samples and loop libraries that will allow the user to record with a MIDI controller, or drag and drop loop samples into their timeline. Some of these instruments and audio content included with Pro Tools are the Big Fish Audio loop library (8 GB worth of material!), boom drum machine and sequencer, DB-33 tonewheel organ emulator with rotating speaker simulation, mini grand acoustic grand piano, structure free sample player, Vacuum monophonic vacuum tube synthesizer, and Xpand multitimbural synth and sampler.
Along with these virtual instruments and audio library, Pro Tools also includes an array of effects and processors, called plug-ins. Some of these plug-ins include a 4-band EQ, 7-band EQ, air chorus, distortion, delay, enhancer, ensemble, filer, flanger ,frequency shifter, reverb, de-esser, gain control, long and short delay, pitch shifter, dither, reverse options, signal generators, times compression and expansion, auto tune, and clip remover. As you can see this software comes with a bunch of included effects and processors. What I listed isn't even all that's included "in the box". Pro Tools also has a bunch of 3rd party plug-ins that can be purchased or downloaded and used to make your program that much more powerful.
Pro Tools even takes the virtual instrument production to another level. Even if the user doesn't have a MIDI controller, Pro Tools gives the user the option to compose with the MIDI editor, which is a feature that allows the user to draw in MIDI data and use virtual instruments without a MIDI controller. The notes that are entered in Pro Tools can then be exported with a program called Sibelius, which is a music notation program.
So as you can see with audio signal recording, MIDI data entry, virtual instrument recording, plug-in capabilities, automation control,effect control, dynamic processing, and extremely accurate editing control, and cross operating system capability, it is no wonder why Pro Tools is the industry leading DAW.
Pro Tools also offers an HD version, which is found in most professional studios. Some features that come with Pro Tools HD is options to create way bigger mixes, with up to 768 voiceable audio tracks and 512 aux tracks. Also the user can get highly responsive recording and playback performance with the extended disk cache, which loads entire sessions into RAM. You can also connect up to 12 HD systems together via Satellite Link. Along with these features, Pro Tools HD includes more Avid plug-ins and processors that can make your mix more lively and powerful. While Pro Tools can easily be installed on any Mac or PC, Pro Tools HD requires a much bigger install and requires actual physical hardware to be installed into your computer. Pro Tools HD is not the ideal software to be installed on a laptop.
Avid also offers Pro Tools Express, which is a stripped down version of Pro Tools that is more affordable, but has many limitations. Pro Tools express only allows for 16 channels of audio playback simultaneously, only 4 channels of audio to be recorded simultaneously,8 instrument tracks,16 MIDI tracks, 8 aux tracks, 16 bus tracks, and 1 video track. Pro Tools Express will also only interact with the Avid Mbox and Mbox Mini digital interfaces. This is a huge turn down for me since I do not user the Mbox or Mbox mini as my digital interface. This software would not interact with the Focusrite Saffire Pro 40.
Pro Tools 10HD is available through Sweetwater for $18,999.00 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PTHDX2madi/
Pro Tools 10 is available through Sweetwater for $699.00 http://www.sweetwater.com/c542--Pro_Tools_LE_Systems
There is a student version of Pro Tools 10, which includes every feature that the "full" version of Pro Tools 10 includes. The student version is available through Sweetwater for $295.00 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PT10SoftStu/
This is the version I purchased and have never had a problem or notice something was missing. Also, when I purchased this software there was no confirmation that I was really a student. I just called Sweetwater and told my sales rep I wanted to purchase the student version and I had it within a week. Maybe you would want to give it a shot to say you are a student and save more than $300 on your purchase. I have also switched between my Pro Tools 10 and the Pro Tools 10HD system in my schools studio with no problems. All that needs to be done when doing this is changing the I/O settings in your session.
Pro Tools 10 Express with the Avid Mbox Mini is available through Sweetwater for $299.00 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PTMboxMini?gclid=COPdsO_aorUCFUKd4AodpnsAyg
If anyone has any other comments on Pro Tools please feel free to leave your comments. I love and prefer Pro Tools, but maybe you don't like to use this software. My readers as well as myself would love to know why Pro Tools may not be your go to DAW. Stay tuned for my next post on several other DAWs available for audio production.
Below is an audio clip of a track I produced, edited and mixed with Pro Tools 10. TTYL,
BCEB
*It's not about how fast you can pump something out, it's how efficient you can use your knowledge to create the best available product while delivering a professional experience.*
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