Recording - January 2014 - 27

Aside from track count and I/O, most of
the extra HD features are things that relate
to running large, high-end installations, or
post-production applications, including
Surround mixing, new metering choices,
and some video-handling options. For a
more thorough list of the differences, Avid
has a helpful comparison chart at
www.avid.com/US/Common/products/
shadow-box/pro-tools-software-comparison
-table.
One notable change relates to the previous option to upgrade the basic Pro Tools
software to HD features, without the (considerable) expense of Avid HD hardware.
This used to be possible via the Complete
Production Toolkit (CPT), a software-only
solution that added the HD features to a
non-HD Pro Tools rig, for about $2k. With
Pro Tools 11, this option is no longer available-the only way to get all of the HD

them will bring big smiles to the faces of
long-time Pro Tools users-I'll go over
some of them in detail later in this review.
But the really big news in 11 is what's
changed under the hood.
Pro Tools versions up through 10 have
always run on the DAE-Digidesign
Audio Engine. This is the underlying code
that manages all the real work of recording, playback, and processing. As you
can tell from the name, it dates back to
the days before the company behind Pro
Tools was rebranded as Avid, and this
older code running the show has been
periodically adapted for the latest computers and operating systems. For Pro
Tools 11, the DAE has been supplanted
by the AAE-Avid Audio Engine-a complete rewrite of that code that runs the
DAW. And it's been written to take full
advantage of all the improvements in

systems nowadays are 64-bit, but this
terminology often causes some confusion
for users. As most readers probably know,
bit resolution is the way we measure the
quality of digital audio: CDs are 16-bit,
24-bit is the current standard, and 32-bit
(floating-point) is employed during DAW
processing and mixing, to preserve maximum quality during those operations.
However, when an application like Pro
Tools 11 is described as being 64-bit, this
is a completely different measurement, one
that has nothing to do with digital audio
resolution or sound quality. This 64-bit spec
is a measurement of the DAW's operating
efficiency and power. Older software and
DAWs, including all Pro Tools versions up
to and including 10.x, ran 32-bit-with the
same hardware, a 64-bit application will
operate much more efficiently, and make
better use of system resources.

Fig. 1: Pro Tools 10 starts to complain about overload (left) with a number of Instrument Tracks that makes
Pro Tools 11 just yawn (middle). Tripling the Instrument Track count still produces smooth audio in PT 11 (right).
features now is with a full HD system,
including the hardware. The lowest-priced
entry point, an HD Native rig, will cost at
least twice as much as the CPT. Although
you do get considerable additional capability from the hardware, CPT users making
the jump to 11 will have to bite the bullet a
little harder to maintain the same functionality they've become accustomed to. Avid
points out that this is related to changes in
the Pro Tools engine (see below), and offers
additional upgrade options (a CPT owner
with PT 10 can get into PT HD 11 for as little as $599)-again, a consultation with a
knowledgeable Avid dealer would be in
order, to get the full details.
Popping the hood
At first glance, the program doesn't
seem all that different-visually there are
few indications of the most significant
changes in this latest version. To be sure,
there are a number of new features, mostly workflow enhancements, and some of

power and efficiency available with modern computer hardware and software.
(Additionally, for those who work in postproduction, a new Video Engine is also
included, which promises similar
enhancements for sessions that involve
sound-to-picture.)
The result is a program that should provide users with a considerably smoother
and more powerful working environment,
finally addressing some of the limitations
that Pro Tools users, especially those who
tend to run larger sessions or use lots of
virtual instruments (VIs) have always run
up against. The only trade-off, other than
the cost of upgrading, is a (necessary)
break with some older software and hardware; more on this below.
Bit by bit
One of the factors that contributes to the
power of the new engine is that it's been
designed to run in 64-bit (addressing)
mode. Most software and operating

In fact, one of the biggest bonuses of
running 64-bit is the DAW's ability to
address an almost unlimited amount of
RAM. Again, as most engineers know,
RAM is a key component in DAW operation. Engineers have always had a saying
"You can't have too much RAM", but in
fact, all older 32-bit DAWs could only
make use of up to 4 GB, no matter how
much RAM was actually installed. If a 32bit session had lots of tracks, and that
available 4 GB filled up with samples
from large virtual instruments (like BFD or
Kontakt), everything would slow to a
crawl, and eventually hit a wall, in the
form of clicks and pops or work-stopping
overload messages. The same session,
running in 64-bit mode, can use as much
RAM as is installed-typically between 8
and 32 GB on most machines these days,
more in the future-opening up a whole
new world to producers whose sessions
tip the scales with tracks and RAM-eating
virtual instruments.
RECORDING January 2014

http://www.avid.com/US/Common/products/shadow-box/pro-tools-software-comparison-table http://www.avid.com/US/Common/products/shadow-box/pro-tools-software-comparison-table http://www.avid.com/US/Common/products/shadow-box/pro-tools-software-comparison-table

Recording - January 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2014