Audio Production

Pro Tools 8 is Among Us

March 2, 2009 One of the bigger stories in the pro audio world this year has been the long-awaited release of ProTools  8, the first major upgrade to Digi’s flagship software in years. At a recent Pro Tools User Group meet at Parsons Audio (www.paudio.com) I saw a demo of the new platform. I had seen the mag articles and accompanying screenshots of the new release, but seeing it in person I was struck by the sleek new UI and, honestly, how much it reminded me of Apple’s Logic platform. Between the UI, starter templates (complete with built in drum loops) and updated comping function there is no question that Digi has Logic in mind when it designed portions of this new release. Still – once you move past the easy comparisons, it is still Pro Tools and the new release is impressive. All of the new functionality was not demo’d at this gathering, but from what I saw the most interesting and useful update is the ability to see and manage all automation parameters for a single track in vertical lanes underneath that track. No more bouncing back and forth with the track view selector to perfectly align the reverb send level with your didgeridoo volume automation - sweet!

You can get all the relevant details at the Digi site or any number of pro audio mags and online forums. I walked away impressed and will be upgrading in the future… as soon as a point release or two are out there and any major issues are resolved, of course.

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