Deliver top-quality productions efficiently and with ease, from first take to final mix

For the ultimate in audio quality and workflow efficiency, more music and post-production professionals use Pro Tools|HD systems than any other digital audio workstation. With superior sound quality, unmatched processing power, Pro Tools HD software, and the flexibility to scale the system to your needs, Pro Tools|HD provides the power to meet any challenge. Pro Tools HD 8 expands the capabilities of Pro Tools|HD audio hardware with new options that allow you to sync with HD/SD video playback systems or even multiple Pro Tools|HD systems. Further, Pro Tools 8 software 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. Pro Tools HD 8 empowers you to deliver top-quality productions efficiently and with ease, from first take to final mix.

RECORDING, TRACKING, AND EDITING

• Pro Tools|HD systems provide incredibly powerful tools for recording and editing music, so you get professional results quickly and easily
• Work with up to up to 192 simultaneous audio tracks (256 virtual tracks)
• Take control of tracking with high-quality, integrated mic preamps, managed within Pro Tools HD 8 software or through an ICON worksurface or C|24™ control surface
• Perfect your music with Pro Tools 8 software’s helpful editing features, such as Elastic Time, Elastic Pitch, Beat Detective, and Tab to Transient — powerful tools that enable you to quickly edit, manipulate your recordings, quantize audio regions, and even change the tempo of entire tracks

COMPOSITION AND CREATIVITY

• Pro Tools|HD systems provide a vast array of features and third-party products to help inspire and develop your ideas
• Creative MIDI tools, sound-processing plug-ins, and exclusive virtual instruments allow you to experiment with incredible sounds
• Compose and mix music with up to 128 simultaneous Instrument tracks
• Fully integrated MIDI sequencing with up to 256 simultaneous MIDI tracks
• Create world-class drum and percussion performances using Strike™
• Vibe out to the ultimate classic electric pianos simulation with Velvet™
• If you need blazing guitar amp tones, just open up Eleven™
• Drag-and-drop regions from within Pro Tools directly into Structure™, an integrated professional sampler for easy custom sound creation
• Create loops and grooves with Transfuser™, a new loop slicing and manipulation tool

MUSIC MIXING WITH ICON

• ICON is the ultimate mixing solution for music production in Pro Tools|HD. Its perfect integration with Pro Tools allows you to record and mix in the same environment, maintaining the purest sound quality
• Supports up to 192 kHz resolution and up to 160 channels of I/O
• Customize the ICON D-Control™ or D-Command® worksurface for easy access to every Pro Tools session element
• Supports Mac OS X, Windows Vista (32-bit Business or Ultimate), and Windows XP-based computers

• Platform: Digidesign-qualified computers running Windows Vista (32-bit), Windows XP SP2, or Mac OS X 10.5.5 or higher (PowerPC- or Intel-based Mac)
• Hardware/Software: Pro Tools|HD® or Digidesign® ICON system
• System Memory: 1 GB RAM minimum, 2 GB or more recommended for best performance
• Available USB port for iLok USB Smart Key (plus, Internet access and a free iLok.com account for authorization)

GENERAL PRO TOOLS FEATURES AND ENHANCEMENTS

• Improved, modernized user interface
• Pro Tools Quick Start dialog for quickly and easily creating new sessions from templates, from scratch, or from opening existing sessions
• New Session Templates
• Auto-update Notification and Checking for Software Updates
• Open Session with Plug-ins Deactivated
• DSP Cache maintained for faster session opening and closing

CHANGES TO PRO TOOLS PREFERENCES

DISPLAY PREFERENCES

• “MIDI Note Color Shows Velocity” option
• Operation Preferences
• “Latch Forward/Rewind” option
• “Automatically Create New Playlists When Loop Recording” option
• “Show Quick Start Dialog when Pro Tools Starts” option
• Editing Preferences
• Moved the following “Matching Start Time”

Takes List options to the Match Criteria dialog:

• “Includes Take Region Names That Match Track Names”
• “Includes Take Region Lengths That Match”

MIDI Preferences:

• Moved the “Play MIDI Notes When Editing” option to the Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows
• “Remove Range Selection After Opening the MIDI/Score Editor” option
• Moved the “Default Note On Velocity” setting to the Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows

“Double-clicking a Region Opens…” options:

• MIDI Editor
• Score Editor
• MIDI Event List
• Name Dialog

MIDI/Score Editor Display section:

• “Additional Empty Bars in the Score Editor” setting Synchronization Preferences

Synchronization section:

• “Delay Before Locking to Longitudinal Time Code” setting
• “Delay Before Locking to Serial Time Code” setting

Satellite Link section:

• Transmit Solos
• Receive Solos
• Solo Independent Of Linked State
• DAE Errors Stop All Linked Systems
• Transmit Play Selections
• Receive Play Selections
• Editing Features and Enhancements
• Edit Window Features
• New Universe View
• New MIDI Editor View
• New Waveform Views
• Customizable Toolbar
• Chord Symbol ruler
• Restore Last Selection
• Edit selection enhancements and key commands
• Region Edit and Time Locking
• MIDI and Instrument tracks now default to Regions view in the Edit window
• Timeline Insertion Follows Playback indicator
• Strip Silence to –96 dB

ELASTIC AUDIO REGION-BASED PITCH TRANSPOSITION (SEMITONES AND CENTS)

• Event Operation Transpose can now be applied to Elastic Audio Regions
• Pitch Elastic Audio Property setting
• Track Compositing
• Playlists Track view
• Rating Regions
• Match Criteria
• MIDI Editor Windows
• Superimposed MIDI and Instrument tracks
• Auxiliary Input tracks
• Multiple Automation and Controller lanes (such as Velocity, Volume, and Pan)
• Notation or Piano Roll view
• MIDI Region Group editing

Additional MIDI editing improvements:

• Separate MIDI notes
• Consolidate MIDI notes
• Mute MIDI notes
• MIDI Scrub and Shuttle
• Audition velocity changes
• Play MIDI notes when tabbing
• Score Editor Window
• Multiple MIDI and Instrument tracks can be shown in the Score Editor window independently of the Edit window and MIDI Editor window
• Real-time transcription of MIDI
• Real-time editing (linked between Edit, MIDI Editor, and Score Editor windows, and the MIDI Event List)
• Page layout
• Print score or parts as displayed
• Global and local staff attributes
• Each Track displayed on a grand staff or a single staff: Grand Staff with automatic or user-definable split point
• Treble, Alto, Tenor, and Bass clefs
• Display Transposition for Transposing Instruments
• Display and edit Key Signatures
• Display and edit Meter Changes
• Display and edit Chord Symbols
• Export Sibelius (.sib) files

PRO TOOLS MIXING FEATURES AND ENHANCEMENTS

• Track Automation and Controller lanes for editing track automation (such as Volume, Pan, and Plug-in automation) and MIDI CC (such as Velocity, Pitchbend, and Modulation) without changing Track views
• 10 inserts per track
• Improved Automatic Delay Compensation for overdubbing

PLUG-INS

A.I.R. Creative Collection Plug-ins

Instrument Plug-ins:

• Boom
• DB-33
• Mini Grand
• Structure Free
• Vacuum
• Xpand!2

Effects Plug-ins:

• Chorus
• Decimator
• Distortion
• Dynamic Delay
• Enhancer
• Ensemble
• Filter-Gate-Sequencer
• Flanger
• Frequency Shifter
• FuzzWah
• KillEQ
• MultiChorus
• MultiTap Delay
• Nonlinear Reverb
• Phaser
• Reverb
• Spring Reverb
• StereoWidth
• Talkbox
• Vintage Filter

Additional plug-ins included with Pro Tools (previously only available by purchase):

• Eleven Free
• Digidesign Maxim
• Digidesign D-Fi
• Sci-Fi
• Lo-Fi
• Recti-Fi
• Vari-Fi
• Bomb Factory Sans Amp

Most current plug-ins that are compatible with 7.4 are also compatible with version 8. Please check the plug-in compatibility grid for specific information. For Intel-based Mac or Windows compatibility, please check the Pro Tools plug-in compatibility web page or contact the plug-in manufacturer for more information.

TL UTILITIES FREE AND INSTALLED WITH PRO TOOLS

• TL Metro
• TL InTune
• TL MasterMeter
• DigiRack EQ III
• Stereo version
• DigiRack D-Verb
• Chorusing added to RTAS version Drag and drop to plug-ins (such as Transfuser): MIDI regions; Region groups
• Find and Relink for plug-ins that can import audio files (such as Transfuser)
• AudioSuite Preview improvements

PRO TOOLS CONTROLLER FEATURES AND ENHANCEMENTS

• Accessing 10 inserts
• Plug-in mapping
• New Matrix Assign mode
• Interrogate I/O Settings on a per-track basis

D-Command® Enhancements:

• Plug-in channel strip editing
• Change plug-in settings

ICON Soft Keys enhancements:

• New AutoWrite layout
• Support for Pro Tools Window Configurations
• Write Memory Locations
• Show MIDI Editor (toggle)
• Audio Files Softkey
• Modes Softkey
• Operations Softkeys for D-Command
• Softkeys with No Session Open
• Identify Empty Sends and Inserts
• No Group Members on VCA Master Encoders
• Removing Multiple Assignments from ICON

PRO TOOLS VIDEO AND AVID INTEROPERABILITY

• Support for QuickTime HD playback using a Digidesign-qualified Blackmagic DeckLink video card (Mac Only)
• Windows Vista support for Interplay

MEDIA COMPOSER VIDEO SATELLITE SOFTWARE OPTION

• Support for Video Satellite with Pro Tools and Avid Media Composer 3.1 with Avid Mojo DX and Nitris DX peripherals Video Satellite LE Software Option (Mac Only)
• Lets you connect a Pro Tools LE Mbox 2 Micro system to a Pro Tools HD system for use as a QuickTime HD video satellite Satellite Link Software Option
• Support for linking Pro Tools transport with multiple Pro Tools|HD systems