Pro Tools 8 News: After months of rumours, Digidesign's Pro Tools 8.0 is here.
Digidesign Pro Tools 8 features a gorgeous new interface; dozens of new plug-ins; five new virtual instruments; exciting new scoring, MIDI, editing, and mixing capabilities; deeper controller integration; improved ease of installation and use; and enhanced performance.
With Pro Tools 8, you get the most comprehensive music and sound creation features and functionality, and the proven, dedicated platform for world-class audio production — all in a single application.
FREE Upgrade to Pro Tools 8
If you have registered a Pro Tools LE or HD system with Digidesign since 3rd October 2008, you will recieve a FREE upgrade to Pro Tools 8 upon registration. Pro Tools 8 LE and Pro Tools 8 HD upgrades for Pro Tools users who registered before 3rd October 2008 can be pre-ordered from Digital Village in-store, online and via telephone mail-order. Order today and be guaranteed stock from the first UK shipment expected November 2008.
Alternatively, Pro Tools LE users who have registered their systems before 3rd October 2008, may wish to consider purchasing a Mbox 2 Micro. For around £60 more than the cost of the Pro Tools 8 LE upgrade, the Mbox 2 MIcro offers a FREE Pro Tools 8 upgrade which can be applied to older LE systems and you'll get an additional Mbox for editing on another computer e.g. a laptop. There's never been a better time to purchase an Mbox 2 Micro from Digital Village.
Pro Tools 8 is coming soon for Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, and Pro Tools M-Powered systems.
Pro Tools 8: New Interactivity and Feel
All of the Pro Tools functionality you know and love is still in place but with some subtle enhancements, double the inserts per channel, more customizability, and easier access to editing options than ever before. Customise the toolbar to show only your favorite tools, and rearrange them the way you want. Tile or cascade your window arrangement. Change the color of your channel strips, tracks, regions, groups, and markers to any hue. Navigate through sessions quickly using the Universe view. And with the QuickStart dialog, you can jump right into an existing session, quickly create a new session from scratch, or start from one of the new session templates.
Pro Tools 8: New Editing and Mixing Capabilities
Lock regions to the timeline to prevent them from being inadvertently moved or edited. Use the Automation and Controller lanes to view and edit track automation (such as volume, pan, and plug-in automation) and MIDI CC data (such as velocity, pitchbend, and modulation) without changing track views. And with 10 inserts to play with per track, you can now use more plug-ins than ever before.
Pro Tools 8: Sibelius Score
Whether you want to compose music using the notation tools, or transcribe recorded, imported, drawn (with the Pencil tool), or step entered MIDI data into notation, the Score Editor features everything you need and nothing you don’t. Write parts on a single staff (choose treble, bass, alto, or tenor clef) or grand staff. Place and edit notes, and edit the meter and key signature at whim. Add chord symbols (Dm7, G, and so on) and chord diagrams (for guitarists) to sessions. Transcribe MIDI parts in real time. Print out a score in its entirety or print only certain instrumental parts. You can even export sessions as Sibelius (.sib) files for further finessing in Sibelius.
Pro Tools 8: More Tracks and Improved MIDI
Pro Tools 8 expands the power of your current hardware interface, allowing you to work with up to 48 mono or stereo audio tracks. Add Music Production Toolkit 2 (for serious musicians and music producers) or DV Toolkit™ 2 (for complete post production, Pro Tools LE only) and you can create huge mixes, with up to 64 mono or stereo audio tracks. And with the new Complete Production Toolkit (Pro Tools LE only), which combines both toolkits, you can work with up to 128 audio tracks AND get 7.1 surround mixing capabilities, making it easier than ever to collaborate with Pro Tools|HD users.
With Pro Tools 8 you can comp tracks to perfection. Pro Tools 8 features new track compositing workflows, enabling you to quickly and easily piece together the best possible version of a performance from multiple recording passes. Simply loop record multiple takes on an Audio track, view and audition the takes in Playlist view, select the best parts from the track’s alternate playlists, and copy them to the main playlist with a single click. You can also rate regions on a scale of 1 – 5 to help identify which takes you like the most when compositing playlists.
If you use virtual instruments and MIDI, Pro Tools 8 features a comprehensive array of new MIDI tools. Gain extensive MIDI editing power through MIDI Editor windows, which can display MIDI and automation data for Instrument, MIDI, and Auxiliary Input tracks. Work with new features that let you separate, consolidate, and mute MIDI notes; scrub and shuttle through parts; view superimposed MIDI and Instrument tracks for easier arrangement editing; color code MIDI notes by track, type, or velocity; audition velocity changes; and play MIDI notes when tabbing. Edit MIDI automation and continuous controller (CC) data through multiple Automation and Controller lanes. Even watch your musical handiwork scroll by in real time during playback.
Expanded Pro Tools 8 HD
Pro Tools HD 8 extends the extensive capabilities of Digidesign’s Pro Tools|HD audio hardware with the new Satellite Link option, which allows you to control up to five Pro Tools|HD systems as one. For the ultimate in post-production efficiency, the new Video Satellite and Video Satellite LE options bring Avid® and QuickTime HD/SD video playback to Pro Tools in high definition, without sacrificing your audio track counts or processing power. Pro Tools 8 also delivers major enhancements to ICON users, bringing new functionality to the Soft Keys, adding a local assign mode, introducing I/O view, and letting D-Command and D-Command ES users expand their console to 40 faders.
Pro Tools 8: Transpose with Elastic Pitch
As a complement to Pro Tools software’s powerful Elastic Time tempo and time manipulating tool, Pro Tools 8 introduces Elastic Pitch, which allows you to effortlessly manipulate or correct the pitch of any audio region in real time, right inside the Edit window. Easily transpose an entire audio region in semitones — up or down up to four octaves — without affecting its timing or tempo. Fix a less than perfect vocal performance by altering the pitch of individual notes in cent intervals. Or create cool sound effects by linking pitch changes with time compression/expansion using the Varispeed algorithm.
Buy Digidesign Pro Tools 8
Pro Tools 8 LE and Pro Tools 8 HD upgrades can be pre-ordered from Digital Village in-store, online and via telephone mail-order. Order today and be guaranteed stock from the first UK shipment - expected December 2008.