Pro Tools 8

Avid/Digidesign has announced the immediate availability of a prerelease version* of Pro Tools software that provides expanded Mac OS X 10.6.x Snow Leopard compatibility to Pro Tools 8 users.

If you’re a Mac-based Pro Tools 8.0.x user, Pro Tools 8.0.3pr software is provided as a convenience should you wish to begin your transition to Snow Leopard before a fully tested and qualified version of Pro Tools becomes available. Read more…

Avid has introduced three Pro Tools Essentials bundles – three inexpensive “gateway drug” introductions to the world of Pro Tools.

The three bundles, Pro Tools Vocal Studio, Pro Tools Recording Studio and Pro Tools KeyStudio, are entry level offerings aimed at people who want to create and share music, podcasts and narrations.

Compatible with both Mac and PC, the Pro Tools Vocal Studio, Pro Tools Recording Studio and Pro Tools KeyStudio bundles will be available beginning in mid-September for US $129, £79. Read more…

This is an overview of making sounds with Vacuum, the cool mono synth bundled with Pro Tools 8.

Digidesign has announced that it’s now shipping Pro Tools 8.

Here’s what’s new:

Pro Tools 8 features an updated interface, dozens of new plug-ins and virtual instruments, new scoring and MIDI features and expanded editing and mixing capabilities.

New Music Creation Features:

• Fully integrated MIDI and Score Editor windows for enhanced MIDI editing functionality and professional score editing and printing
• 20 new effects and five new virtual instruments—Mini Grand piano, Boom drum machine, DB-33 tonewheel organ, Vacuum tube-modeled synthesizer, and Xpand!2 sample player
• High-quality amplifiers simulation via Digidesign’s guitar amp emulator Eleven Free as well as Tech21 SansAmp amplifier emulator
• An 8 GB bundle of high-quality loops

New Production Features:

• Elastic Pitch, which makes it easy to transpose music in real time right in the Edit window
• 10 inserts per channel
• Enhanced controller integration with Digidesign and M-Audio control surfaces
• ICON integration enhancements that dramatically increase speed and efficiency
• HD QuickTime support on Mac OS X for increased versatility

If you’re a Pro Tools user, let us know what you think about the update in the comments! Read more…

The quality of this video isn’t great, but it captures a “sneak peak” by Sean Halley and Kerry Rose on some of the features of the new version of Pro Tools.