What Pro Tools activation code do I need?
Confused about the myriad upgrade options relating to Pro Tools? Fear not, you are not alone – we get a lot of calls here at ESV regarding the best upgrade options. In this guide we will try to simplify things and outline the relevant options available to you for your system.
I have Pro Tools HD 12 with an active Upgrade and Support Plan that is soon to expire
For users who have previously purchased a new system that included Avid’s Upgrade and Support Plan or have purchased an Upgrade and Support Plan last year and it’s soon to expire you will need – Avid Pro Tools HD Annual Upgrade and Support Plan Renewal – this entitles you to 12-months worth of Upgrades and Support with Avid as well as bonus plug-ins. https://www.eastwoodsoundandvision.com/avid-pro-tools-hd-annual-upgrade-and-support-plan-renewal
I have a Pro Tools HD 11 or earlier and want to upgrade to the latest version
Users of Pro Tools HD9, HD10 or HD11 as well as users with Pro Tools 9 or 10 with the Complete Production Toolkit can upgrade to the latest version by purchasing – Avid Pro Tools HD Annual Upgrade and Support Plan Reinstatement – this entitles you to 12-months worth of Upgrades and Support with Avid as well as bonus plug-ins. https://www.eastwoodsoundandvision.com/avid-pro-tools-hd-annual-upgrade-and-support-plan-reinstatement
I have Pro Tools (non-HD) but want to upgrade to Pro Tools HD to get the added benefits of HD
Current users of Pro Tools (non-HD) can now upgrade to Avid’s flagship DAW software – Pro Tools HD. For this upgrade path you must own a Pro Tools 11 or higher perpetual license, which you will surrender in exchange for a copy of Pro Tools HD as well as a 12-month Upgrade and Support Plan which includes bonus plug-ins – Avid Pro Tools to Pro Tools HD Upgrade – https://www.eastwoodsoundandvision.com/avid-pro-tools-to-pro-tools-hd-upgrade
I have Pro Tools 12 with an active Upgrade and Support plan that is soon to expire
Users who have an existing Upgrade and Support Plan for Pro Tools can renew for a further 12-months by purchasing – Avid Annual Upgrade Plan Renewal for Pro Tools https://www.eastwoodsoundandvision.com/avid-annual-upgrade-plan-renewal-for-pro-tools
I have Pro Tools 11 or earlier and want to upgrade to the latest version
Users of Pro Tools 9, 10 or 11 can upgrade to the latest version by purchasing – Avid Annual Upgrade Plan Reinstatement for Pro Tools https://www.eastwoodsoundandvision.com/avid-annual-upgrade-plan-reinstatement-for-pro-tools
Do I need Pro Tools HD?
Another question we often get asked, is whether customers need the full HD version of Pro Tools. Traditionally there have been two main benefits of using Pro Tools HD with a HDX card – almost zero latency and higher track count.
Latency, put simply is the time it takes for a signal to be processed and monitored back through your studio monitors or headphones. This can be both at the production stage (playing a note on a guitar) or the mix stage. Talk to any professional working in the audio industry and they will tell you how latency issues can drastically affect your workflow. Pro Tools HD with a HDX card offers almost zero latency when paired with Avid’s HD I/O interfaces. So if you’re working with sound to picture for example, then Pro Tools HD is almost a must in our opinion. It should also be said that as today’s computers continue to have more power and speed, latency becomes less of an issue. The introduction of Thunderbolt interfaces has also contributed in lower round-trip latency. As Thunderbolt 3 continues to roll out this should decrease further still.
The second major benefit of Pro Tools HD is the increased track-count. Pro Tools HD offers a maximum number of simultaneous audio tracks @ 48/96/192kHz respectively – 256/128/64 per HDX Card or HD Native card, compared to 128/64/32 in Pro Tools. If you plan to run sessions with large track counts then you really should be considering Pro Tools HD. It may sound surprising but Pro Tools (non-HD) only allows users to mix in stereo, if you want to expand this to work with multi-channel mixes all the way up to 7.1 then you will need Pro Tools HD.
There are far too many added benefits that Pro Tools HD offers to list here but hopefully the above has simplified things a little. Click here for a full and comprehensive list of the features available in Pro Tools and Pro Tools HD. http://www.avid.com/pro-tools/compare
HDX vs HD Native
Both HDX and HD Native are hardware based systems that include a PCIe card or in the case of HD Native, a Thunderbolt option. Both core systems allow you to connect to Avid Audio Interfaces via their Digi-Link protocol, however the huge DSP power of the HDX card mean large sessions with multiple mixer and effects plug-ins can be handled with ease. Adding a HDX card to your system is like adding another extremely powerful computer that handles all the processing, meaning your host computer isn’t having to take the strain. HDX is also a scalable system, meaning that for huge sessions in say Post Production, you can combine up to three HDX cards to drastically increase the I/O and track count available. HD Native is a single hardware solution, meaning that you cannot expand it by combining multiple cards. If you plan on running large sessions then you will need to ensure that your computer is able to handle all that processing as the card does none of this.
Click here to browse all the Avid hardware and software options on the ESV Store
If you have any further questions relating to anything Pro Tools related, feel free to add a comment below or get in touch and we’d be happy to advise as best we can.
020 3137 2901
