Avid has sent a letter out to its customers about their acquistion of Euphonix. Here it is... In case you haven't heard, we're excited to announce that Avid has acquired Euphonix, a renowned leader in professional audio. We'd like to let you know why we were interested in Euphonix, and how this acquisition will benefit you. So, why did we choose Euphonix? Euphonix has long been a leader in professional audio, with an award-winning product line that complements our own audio products—from high-end broadcast mixing consoles to more affordable media controllers. By bringing its full range of consoles and control surfaces to our product portfolio, we can better meet the needs of a wider scope of audio professionals like you—from independent engineers to those in professional broadcast and audio post. We’re committed to the continued sales and support of the entire Euphonix product line, as well as our own C|24® and ICON consoles. In addition, we’ll keep the Euphonix product line open to work with third-party products, including those from: • Apogee • Apple • Cakewalk • Digital Audio Denmark • Magix • Merging Technologies • Metric Halo • MOTU • Steinberg • ToolsOnAir How will this acquisition benefit you? For starters, we plan to maintain and further enhance the EuCon protocol, which brings powerful Euphonix hardware control to multiple applications and platforms. Our goal is to make EuCon an open industry standard that greatly expands the compatibility between Euphonix control surfaces and a wide range of Avid® and third-party audio and video applications, including Pro Tools® and Media Composer®. This will greatly expand the control surface options available to you and open up many new creative opportunities. We also recognize that audio and video workflows are converging, and plan to expand the capabilities of Euphonix's controllers, such as the Artist Series, to work seamlessly with both audio and video tools. Not only will you be able to create content efficiently across multiple disciplines, your investment will become more cost-effective too. With this acquisition, Avid continues to reinforce its ongoing commitment to the pro audio community while expanding its control surface options into the video community. If you'd like to discuss this or share your thoughts,  please join us in an open forum. And to get more familiar with Avid, we welcome you to sign up for our newsletter. Thank you for your continued support. Sincerely, The Avid Team

Waves have finally added some post folk to their team of Waves Artists. This is what they said in their announcement... Michael Barry, Benny Mouthon, Avi Laniado, Tom Ozanich & David Farmer join the Waves team. Short and sweet together with a link that takes you to a page of photgraphs which you have to hover over to find the name. So to save hassle here are links to the 5 new entrants to the Waves team. Michael Barry Benny Mouthon Avi Laniado Tom Ozanich David Farmer

April 2010 Waves has just released new V7r9 installers. V7 Users: These new installers do not require new authorizations; they will uninstall all previously installed V7 plugins. V7r9 installers include the following bug fixes: Mac & PC: MultiRack Native: Memory no longer leaks when opening & closing sessions. SoundShifter: Audio is no longer delayed when processing more than one track. GTR Amp: DSP no longer crashes in HD mode. Mac Only: Digital Performer “Bounce to Disk” is no longer “glitchy.” Download Waves V7r9

There was an interesting post on the Digidesign User Conference recently about plug-ins that wok like the DBX 128 box. 'Acacia' asked... Anyone know of a way to create a subharmonic synthesizer for a bass vocal support like with a DBX 128? I'm working with a producer and a take6 type vocal group and the producer just brought this up. I've never done what he's talking about ITB. Any suggestions or plugs out that do this? LoAir? any others? 'Delta Music Belgium' responded.. Aphex Big Bottom Pro BBE Sonic Suite Or you could duplicate the track, use a pitch plug-in, pitch the sound 1 octave (-1200 cents) down and mix it with the original track (that's basically what the DBX 128 did, pitch down 1 octave) 'Rich Breen' added... LoAir is good. Also Lowender from Refuse software. 'JFreak' agreed... LoAir is good. +1 Much better than Aphex 204 emulation... 'GeneOuse' suggested... Waves MaxxBass and RBass is doing the same thing and is very useful on a lot of material. 'Rich Breen' replied... Totally different processes and goals - MaxxBass attempts to enhance low end perception on a wide array of playback systems by generating upper harmonics (in addition to some dynamics processing, etc...). LoAir, Lowender, DBX120x, etc... all generate subharmonics - usually (though not always) intended for extended low frequency playback systems. Both are useful effects, but they are very different sounding. 'acacia' who orginally asked thequestion came back and said... You guys are amazing! Thanks! I'm favoring Lo Air. I have the Aphex and Waves stuff. I'm not seeing a way to blend / mix the Lo Air unless I double the track and remove the direct. Any other ways you've worked it? 'Rich Breen' responded... usually done as a send to an aux return with subharmonic generator instantiated on the aux, all direct muted. 'blairl' added... Recti-Fi is part of a free plug-in suite from Digidesign called D-Fi and has a subharmonic generator. 'acacia' replied... Thanks Rich! I didn't realize that about recti-fi. I'll mess with it. Thanks all! 'JMDNYC' suggested.. If you're on PT 8 then you have the AIR Enhancer. Preset 04 is called "Bass Boost." That's what I'm currently using on an LFE aux. 'scottgreiner' chipped in with... Lowender was great. Seems that Pluggo doesn't work for me anymore, so no more Lowender. Hope Leigh gets the RTAS version done soon... 'digidesigner' added... still at least RenBass generates an octave below original too... I can hear it and see it on my RTA 'scottgreiner' misses his hardware box... Had one, sold it. Missed it, and bought a Furman Punch-10. Sold it after using Lowender for a while. Now Lowender isn't working... Ah good ol' hardware - why did I sell ye... An interesting debate with quite a few plug-ins to try and I would agree about wanting to get LowEnder back now Pluggo has gone away.

Here is another batch of keyboard shortcuts, following on from part , part 2 & part 3. Auto and Input monitoring Perhaps more useful for LE users as TDM users now have a seperate Input Monitor button on each track. Alt+K will toggle between Input Only and Auto Input modes. Creating New Tracks When you create a new track use Shift+Command+N and the New Track window will open. Then you can use the Command+Left or Right Arrow to choose Stereo, Mono etc, and Command+Up or Down Arrow keys to select from Audio, Aux, Master or Midi tracks. Finally use Command+Alt+Up or Down Arrow keys to select Samples or Ticks. Using the Trim Tool to fill Have you ever wanted to trim out a region precisely to a preceding one.  Well you can by holding down the Control key and trimming Pro Tools will stop at the preceding region’s edge.  This works with the Trim tool in TC/E mode too so enabling you to precisely fill or stretch to fit.  Neat or what!

Following my posts on the problems with Canopus boxes and Pro Tools 8.0.3 here, here and here as well as the jerky video problems I have posted on and the video compendium I posted about here and here, there has been a couple of interesting posts on the Pro Tools 8.0.3 Big Bug thread on the Digidesign User Conference. Matt Faddy posted.... I know this won't help your immediate problems but we were using the ADVC 100 and 110 's for years and always had constant issues with them (I have 8 broken ones stacked up in our machine room) - They were unbelievably temperamental and over the years I have grown to despise them but unfortunately they were always a necessary evil. We switched to Black magic intensity pro pci cards a few months ago and they are brilliant. Rock solid, support a few formats and have HDMI as well as component and composite O/P's - the best thing about them though is they are even cheaper than Canopus ADVC 110's ! The only drawback is they use an extra slot so if you're running an HD3 system you'll need an expansion chassis. and 'filmsdunjour' responded... Attention PAL users.  I've posted a thread here. The Blackmagic cards have a major problem in SD PAL (haven't tested SD NTSC but I guess it's working fine, 1080i50 is perfect) using ProTools HD 8.0.3cs(1&2) on Mac OS X.5.8, even with the latest Blackmagic drivers. Image quality is terrible (jerky and aliased) on both HDMI and SD analog outputs. The outputs are perfect on Final Cut Pro, so it's a software issue. I think it's related to the way Pro-Tools automatically sets-up the output's resolution. Final Cut Pro works fine because the set-up is manual (you have to change it when going from SD-HD-PAL-NTSC) Sadly the ADVC110 is the only option (don't know about mojo) to have a "nice" image in SD PAL... Clearly this problem still has some mileage to run before it is resolved!

This has been a question I have wanted that answer to since Waves WNS and Cedar DNS came out. Well on the Cedar DNS One RTAS plug-in thread on the Digidesign User Conference one user has finally done a comparative review of them both as well as WaveArts MultiDynamics and Cedar's DNS 2000 hardware box. So thanks to 'Brandonx1' for this... I finally got a chance to do a shoot out between my old favorite, Wave Arts Multi Dynamics, the DNS One, the Waves WNS, and the hardware DNS 2000. Hear is what I learned. Wavearts Mutli Dynamics: when used correctly can be very effective at reducing broadband. Waves WNS: Sounds like a multiband compressor to me. Better then the multi dynamics because it more focused but still the same sound. When the voice comes in the noise pumps. DNS one: The best one hands down. It's not a multiband compressor. It takes broadband out even when audio you want to keep comes in. It doesn't pump. DNS 2000: The same sound as the DNS One. One note, switching the plug in from the DNS One to the DNS 2000 in not the same. The DNS 2000 had to be re-adjusted to sound the same. All in all the WNS will work if the DX is being covered with music or something. Cedar does not need this kind of covering. It sounds natural all on its own. 'Mikerophonics' chipped in... When I did my test  - which was with one long cue only I only had to compensate for the io delay round trip - but to all intents the software version nulled the hardware one to a high degree. Brandonx1 replied... I had a different experience. Maybe somehow the dns 2000 was getting the audio at a lower level then the dns one rtas plug in. I just made a hardware insert on the same track as the plug in. Then just changed the dns plug in from dns one to dns 2000. It was a digital insert out 15/16 of the second 192 digital. I did not set up the room so maybe somehow the digital io was not cali'ed correctly? never heard of that but maybe. It seemed to be a threshold level change for the most part. Any recommendations to make them null? That would actually help because I do mostly off site mixing. Layback at other peoples studios. garnoil also posted an interesting view on what these various devices do and now they sound... I have used DNS 3000 and now I use my own DNS One,  Right now I am running several instances of the DNs One on 2 feature films.  I think it is better than the hardware version, much cheaper (considering that I can run as many instances as I need), easier to automate, very fast to set up and intuitively use, and sounds great. I also use Izotope, this combination it is unbeatable for the price. Another  thing that I would want to point out is that, the DNS One, because CEDAR systems are used in Hollywood films, does produce a very, -high end sounding, big budget type sound, even with modest quality recordings (but it does not do miracles)-.  It is hard to describe what that sound is -how it actually translates the dialogue sound- but it is absolutely not the same sound of a multi-band compressor (although they are effective and have their place), or the sound of  broad band de-noising that can leave digital artifacts (watery sound). Well there you have it, if you need one of these devices the Cedar DNS one is the one to have, better stat saving up my pennies!

This was a question asked recently by 'mikevarela' recently on the Digidesign User Conference, he asked... Moved to surround in my home studio (LE) and was wondering about the importance of a surround bundle. Do any of you use? Have some questions too. I know one of the plugs (360 manager) has a matrix functionality, but will it code an LtRt or LoRo from surround. I'm thinking no, but can't seem to understand from their online documentation. Also, how important is it to have a few plugs like the ones available for surround mixing? I have TL Space and am probably gonna get Altiverb, but wondering how much of the other stuff gets used. It s quite expensive. 'mr.armadillo' replied.... No. The 360 manager is a bass management and monitoring plug-in. The 360 mixdown plug-in can create Lo/Ro. You can't create an Lt/Rt with Waves' bundle. You'll need Dolby Surround Tools. I own the bundle and really like the R360 Reverb, the L360, and I use the LFE360 on every session. Those are nice to have. However, you don't really need it if you mix surround IMO. 'infiniteloop' added... The waves surround bundle is probably slightly overkill for an LE system. You can get the UM226 upmixer separately, it's the same as the surround spreader in 360, and you can upgrade your Neyrinck encoder to LtRt cheap. That's all i've found I really need from the bundle, plus the Neyrinck is a proper Dolby encoder rather than "LR wide" in the Waves bundle. There, you've saved about $1400! Any one else got some experiences of working in surround on LE rigs and would care to share them, then please add your comments to this post.

Here is another batch of keyboard shortcuts, following on from part 1 & part 2. Viewing selected track in other window (Edit & Mix) By using Control+Click on any track in the Edit Window will force the Mix window to scroll along so that that track appears as first visible track on the far left of the Mix window (or as far left as possible). This also works the other way so Control+Click on a track name in the Mix window will put the selected track at the top of the Edit window (or as high as possible). This is great for large sessions on 2 screen systems where you have the Edit window on one screen and the Mix window on the other. Fat Mix Windows Command+Alt+Control+Click on a Meter in the Edit or Mix window will toggle between fat and normal meters on all tracks in both the Edit & Mix window. Regions and editing We all know how to duplicate a region so it repeats after itself but here is a way of getting it to repeat a region before itself. To copy backwards Control+Alt+Command+Click the region and hey presto a duplicate will appear butted up before the original. Renaming tracks When naming multiple tracks use Command+Right Arrow to select the next track to be named. Alternatively having named the first track instead of hitting the Return key, which is the natural thing to do, use Command+Return and you get the next track ready to rename. This one falls very nicely under the fingers. Editing Groups Have you ever wanted add or remove a track from a group and ended up creating a new group and then deleting the old one, what a pain! Well you can edit a group. To do this select all the tracks you now want to be in that group in the normal way and use Command+G as if to create a new group. Now change the group ID to match the group you want to edit. Finally click OK and that group will contain the new selection of tracks.

This month, Waves are offering 25% off their 50 plug-in bundle Horizon, see their web site for more details. Also in April they are offering 25% off their main mastering limiter plug-ins L2 Ultramaximizer, L3 Multimaximizer and L3-16 Multimaximizer.

This was a surprise piece of news from the NAB show and throws up some interesting questions and possibilities. This is from the Avid press release... Avid® (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Mountain View, CA-based Euphonix, a leader in large-format digital audio consoles, media controllers and peripherals.  With the acquisition, Avid will deliver a broad range of audio and video control surfaces and consoles designed to meet the needs of customers ranging from the independent professional to the high-end broadcaster.  Avid plans to continue to support and sell both Euphonix control surfaces and Avid’s existing ICON solution, enabling customers to leverage existing investments in industry-leading hardware. “This acquisition greatly expands our portfolio to offer customers a complementary set of workflow solutions–from independent producers creating music in their home studios to broadcasters preparing segments for national broadcast,” said Gary Greenfield, chairman and CEO, Avid.  “We remain committed to driving interoperability and modularity across a vast ecosystem of Avid and third-party creative hardware and software solutions.  And, as audio and video workflows continue to converge, we are now well positioned to deliver control surfaces that work across both audio and video applications, making the content creation process more cost-effective and efficient for our customers.” Avid plans to further develop an open standard protocol that greatly expands the ecosystem of compatibility between the Euphonix control surfaces and a wide range of Avid and third-party audio and video applications, including Media Composer and Pro Tools. For existing Euphonix customers, Avid will continue to support EuCon– the Euphonix high-speed Ethernet protocol that enables its control surfaces to interface with third-party software. The transaction is expected to close at the end of April. Now I am not the first person to report this but Brent Heber who recently left Digidesign 'down under' to set up his own studio has posted an excellent piece on where this acquisition might go. Here is a taste... There’s pretty much two camps on this one – those who use Pro Tools love the idea, those who use other systems are wetting themselves they will lose the only viable market alternative to ICON, their Eucon protocol. Basically, Euphonix make great consoles and when ICON came along, realised that integrated with a DAW would be a good thing, so they made a communications protocol for a DAW to send and receive mix information to their mixing hardware, a bit like  HUI but on steriods. Its a bit like HUI becuase it’s seen as an “open platform” that many developers can use, such as Logic, Pyramix and Nuendo and the like. Nuendo and Euphonix have very tight integration today using Eucon and have sometimes been mentioned as a viable alternative to ICON and ProTools, but most clients still go ICON due to price, support, and most importantly industry adoption of PT over Nuendo. So what does this mean going forwards? Well, I dont work for them anymore so this is just conjecture, but here’s a few ideas Ive seen posted by folks in LA and discussed around the world in the last 24 hours: Eucon protocol on Digi hardware – ICON and C24 working as a control surface for Logic, Nuendo and Pyramix? Sounds like a good idea to an ex Digi sales guy. It expands the possible candidates who would buy Avid Audios mid prices offerings (c24 vs Tango, what would you buy?) Eucon protocol in ProTools – I dont know how long this will take with the current economic climate, lack of resources etc but I’m guessing this HAS to happen to make this acquisition make sense. I just dont think it will happen overnight… Eucon in Media Composer – this would be a good thing when you look at the Artist series. Its a modular control surface with jog/shuttle wheel and programmable touch screen. Why should it just be an audio device? The Command8’s buttons can be used to control anything in Media Composer, the Artist series would simply be a new and improved version of the same thing. Sexeh… If you want to read the rest of this post then go over to Brent' excellent blog here.

This is from their press release today... Neyrinck is pleased to announce SoundCode For Dolby E version 2.0, now shipping for Mac and Windows systems. Version 2.0 is a major update to the Dolby E software tools making it easier and faster to work with Dolby E. Version 2.0 features a highly accelerated Dolby E encoding engine for faster encodes, a new Final Cut encoding plug-in, Audio Unit and VST decoding plug-ins, and hot folder Dolby E decoding. Also, version 2.0 features a new Mac utility called N-Mon for realtime Dolby E decode monitoring with Quicktime Player, Final Cut, and external video tape testing. Version 2.0 is available as a free update for current SoundCode For Dolby E owners. For version 2.0, the Neyrinck team analyzed the Dolby E encode engine to look for inefficiencies that could be improved upon. Adding to the challenge was the fact that the engine operates in many ways: a standalone application, a Pro Tools plug-in, and in version 2.0, a Final Cut export plug-in. The initial goal was to accelerate only the standalone application, but they found that the Pro Tools environment could also be accelerated thanks to Pro Tools' Audiosuite architecture. The result is an accelerated encoding engine that encodes 1.5 to 4 times faster depending upon the computer system. With version 2.0, Dolby E encoding now operates directly in Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express as an export plug-in. One or more project sequences can be selected from a project to be exported as Dolby E. The plug-in automatically uses the time code, frame rate, and optionally the in/out points of each sequence which makes it easy-to-use and reduces operator error. A batch processing mode allows any combination of sequences to be Dolby E encoded at one time for efficient workflows. SoundCode For Dolby E's decoding has also been extended tremendously in version 2.0. VST and Audio Unit plug-ins have been added to allow realtime Dolby E monitoring in workstations such as Nuendo, Pyramix, and Soundtrack Pro. Dolby E monitoring has been extended to output all eight channels simultaneous. A hot folder decode feature has been added to the standalone app for ingest workflows. And on the Mac, Neyrinck has created a utility called N-Mon that uses the Audio Unit plug-in as a realtime Dolby E monitor for Quicktime Player, Final Cut, or external video tape deck. N-Mon accomplishes application monitoring by providing a core audio input device that any core audio application can connect to. N-Mon uses the Audio Unit decoder plug-in to decode and play the audio out to any core audio device. And N-Mon provides the option to monitor from any core audio input so a Mac can operate as a standalone Dolby E monitor for testing video tape laybacks. Paul Neyrinck, president and founder of Neyrinck, says "In version 1.0 we accomplished smooth, realtime Dolby E decoding as well as faster-than-realtime encoding. But we had an inkling we could speed up the encoding on the standalone application. As we analyzed it, we discovered that the the Pro Tools Audiosuite system could also be significantly accelerated. Our Pro Tools customers really like the Audiosuite integration so this is a big win for them. And now that decoding operates in realtime with most audio and video applications, SoundCode For Dolby E is the easiest, fastest, and most complete Dolby E solution available."

Folk have been having some problems when buying Mac friendly pre-formatted drives like a Seagate FreeAgent Desk for Mac as it comes pre-formatted with GUID partition map. I you have an Intel Mac then that will NOT cause you a problem. However if you have a PPC or you are going to end up at a facility that still has Power PC Macs you will need to reformat it to the Apple Partition Map before it will play with Pro Tools nicely. This little problem slipped in with the introduction of Intel Macs and Mac OS 10.4.6 when GUID Partition Table support was introduced. The default mode when formatting drives now on Intel Macs is GUID Partition Table. If you put this drive onto a Power PC Mac like a G4 or G5 then you are likely to get 9131 errors in Pro Tools.  You can check if your drive is partitioned with a GUID Partition Table using Disk Utility. If you select the higher level icon in the drive list in Disk Utility, in the bottom section it will show what partition map has been used. Any drive formatted on an Intel Mac will use a GUID Partition Table. You will need to use the Options menu in the Partition tab to force Disk Utility to select Apple Partition Map. Alternatively just format the drive on a Power PC Mac and it will be formatted with an Apple Partition Map. If you have an incorrectly formatted drive you will need to move all the material off it to reformat it with the correct partition map. So if you do buy a pre-formatted Mac friendly drive then check it with Disk Utility first and pre-format it BEFORE you put anything on it. It is in the Pro Tools documentation but it has caught me out!

There have been a number of additional posts on this thread on the Digidesign User Conference since I posted the main findings here. But this one caught my eye as being in the same vain as the first. There had been some discussion on whether a USB to VGA adaptor might work so 'Mubeau' tried it and posted his findings... I´m on G5, HD3, 2PTs screens, PT 7.4, VVTR and Canopus (on the PT mac and on the VVTR System, depending on the project) Today i tried a USB to VGA/HDMI external video solutions. (displaylink). Results: 1. I would not use this for video playback (even SD has no good playback) 2. it was usable for the PT Mixer or HD content or something similar. BUT: it also eats up power from the CPU, of course. WHAT TO DO NOW?: I have to upgrade my MAC since the G5 dual 2,5Ghz  is getting to slow for me. HD 3 accel with decklink (my favorite setup) means: PCIe expansion (I really dont want this!) I would also love to use a third video monitor. Having said this: has anyone of you tried the new 3 x PCIe Expansion Box I would be very surprised if this expansion bow would work with Pro tools. How many times have we been here before?  Anyone up for an experiment?

This is from their press release... Neyrinck is pleased to announce that V-Mon version 2.0 for Pro Tools is now shipping. The new plug-in increases the surround input sources from six to ten for unparalleled 5.1 stem monitoring. Version 2.0 also adds support for both Windows and Mac based Pro Tools systems. Version 2.0 lets the user select between two V-Mon plug-ins, type 1 and type 2. Type 2 features ten 5.1 surround input sources. With ten surround input sources, mixers can now monitor eight surround stems in addition to the main and alt sources. Type 1 implements the legacy V-Mon system with six 7.1 inputs. The VMC-101 remote controller can select the additional inputs using the Bottom key. Version 2.0 also adds support for Windows-based Pro Tools systems and maintains support for Mac-based Pro Tools systems. Version 2.0 is a free update for existing V-Mon customers. Paul Neyrinck, says "Today's post mixers are being asked to provide more and more stems so film and TV programs can be re-purposed worldwide. So by adding four more surround inputs, a mixer can select between eight stem inputs with two inputs for the main mix and a VTR return. No other monitoring system comes close."

I came across this on the Digidesign User Conference and it is an excellent little guide put up by Marti D. Humphrey CAS aka dr.sound from the dub stage. While we all feel software will cure all, for good ADR you need "The 4 P's: Pitch: You need the Actors to get their pitch correctly when performing in an ADR Stage. When Actors are in front of a crew and the camera they typically have a higher pitched voice because the are the focus of the moment. Get their pitch correct by directing them on the ADR stage Performance This is the area where you see if you have a seasoned Pro. If the Actor can recreate his/her performance in a room while looking at a screen and matching the cadence of the original. You would be surprised how may can't repeat their performance. Placement This is how and where you place the mic to duplicate the original recording. Was it boomed or is it a lav? How far away was the mic? Placement This is the placement of the lines once recorded back into the mix session making sure they are matched for sync on the Dialog session for the Re-Recording Mixer to mix. If you do not follow the 4P's you will have ADR that sounds or looks wrong. If you follow the 4 P's you will have a much better chance of the ADR blending into the soundtrack and being invisible to the audience.

Digidesign has released a cs update for 8.03. Lets hope it includes fixes for the video playback problems some of us have been experiencing.... You can download them from here. Pro Tools 8.0.3 — Downloads & Details December 15, 2009 — In our ongoing effort to provide you with the best experience possible, Avid has released Pro Tools 8.0.3, a free software update that provides many fixes. For more information, download the Pro Tools 8.0.3 Release Notes PDF below. Pro Tools 8.0.3 is a free update for all Pro Tools 8 owners. Version 8.0.3 supports the following operating systems: Mac OS X 10.6.1 – 10.6.2 (Snow Leopard) Mac OS X 10.5.5 – 10.5.8 (Leopard) Windows XP (Home or Professional, 32-bit) Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (32-bit) Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (64-bit) – Pro Tools M-Powered Essential only Windows 7 (32 and 64-bit) – Pro Tools M-Powered Essential only (Pro Tools HD, LE, and M-Powered can be used on Windows 7 as a public beta) Please Note: Pro Tools 8.0.3 software (and higher) does not support some retired products: Original Mbox Expansion|HD Chassis Macintosh PowerPC Computers Please read the EOSS (End of Software Support) Announcements for more information. Pro Tools 8.0.3 Updates for Mac OS X — December 15, 2009 For Pro Tools 8.0.3 details and downloads, see the following pages: Pro Tools HD 8.0.3 Update for Mac OS X Pro Tools LE 8.0.3 Update for Mac OS X Pro Tools M-Powered 8.0.3 Update for Mac OS X Not Yet Available — Coming Soon Pro Tools M-Powered Essential 8.0.3 Update for Windows Pro Tools M-Powered Essential 8.0.3 Update for Mac OS X

MIKEROPHONICS asked this question on the Digidesign User Conference recently... I have just installed one of those esata extender cables from OWC to the motherboard of my xeon mac pro 3ghz - the hidden unused esata ports. Ok it cost next to nothing, apart from a painfull evening taking my macpro hd3 apart. So far my initial obs have not been good. Backing up one of internal drives to my esata drives , the finder stalled and crashed. One of my Freelance chums has also had the same experience and was disappointed too. Anyone else any experience of these cables? 'jeremyroberts' responded with... eSATA is the modern day equivalent of "SCSI Voodoo". DEPENDING on your eSATA controller, SOME external devices will work, Some won't. Some look like SCSI to the CPU (must reboot to mount/unmount), some are removable (like firewire). Some enclosures simply work, some will only work with a specific host card. Much has to do with the controller chip on the external device. I feel your pain. I lived through an "eSATA compatibility challenge" last week while trying to get an expresscard to work with my macbookpro. I haven't found a definitive "this works, this doesn't work" thread anywhere. I read that some external enclosures that support multiple interface protocols (usb, fw800) may give some eSATA interfaces trouble -- this doesn't make sense to me, since I have 4 eSATA devices -- and some simply refuse to work with some hosts. All have some combination of USB or FW800 or FW400 and eSATA. So I don't get it. It's voodoo. Back to the future, yes? 'jmdigi' added... I've been using the eSATA cables on my 2.66 QuadCore MacPro to connect to OWC quad interface drives for several years with very good results (no issues). The only catch is remembering that the SATA controller on the MacPro motherboard 'sees' those drives as internal-- no hot swapping. A reboot is required to add drives to the bus. MIKEROPHONICS replied... Thanks for the replies chaps. Jeremy, if you find the vudoo mojo please let me know. I was aware of the no hot swapping, I don't however get why the finder would crash - ie sit there with the file txfr half copied and refuse to complete. My shiny new Gdrive 2T triple interface has been so far otherwise exemplary, I will google around when I get some more free time and see what I can come up with I wonder if a chat with OWC tech support may help? even though I am UK based. Mike Thornton (Me!) offered... I have heard mixed reports about using the internal sata ports as esata ports with the extender. In the end I decided to use an esata pci card which is working fine for me so far. MIKEROPHONICS replied.... I don't have a spare slot as have an HD3.  I thought it might be a free lunch - but alas no. I have had two crashes with my Gdrive quad 2TB and am going to ignore my efforts. Back to quitting protools and using fw800 then..... so that I don't loose my mojo! So it seems fairly conclusive that trying to use the free internal SATA ports in a Mac Pro is not a reliable solution.

Our Mike Thornton writes the Pro Tools Notes, Techniques and Workshop articles for Sound on Sound as well as reviewing many of the new Pro Tools related products. Note that you will need to be a subscriber to view the recent articles or you can choose to Click & Buy individual ones.   PT8's New AIR Plug-ins -  We conclude our tour of the new AIR plug-ins in Pro Tools 8 with neat tricks for filtered rhythmic gating, creating kick and snare tracks from a stereo drum mix, and widening electric guitars.