Review: Avid's Pro Tools 9

Avid’s release of Pro Tools 9 back in November came as a welcome surprise to many in the audio post industry. With Pro Tools 8 being on the market for only two years, I wondered how different this version would be. Happily, I discovered that Avid upped the ante, delivering a Pro Tools that offers more power and better flexibility.

Avid has released a confident Pro Tools that stands on its own, and they are leaving it up to the user to choose the interface they want to interact with. Pro Tools 9 is compatible with any core audio or ASIO third-party interface, a huge step to a more competitive market. It also operates in stand-alone mode, running off any host computer’s ASIO compatible audio card. At first, I didn’t see this as a logical move for Avid, but after some thought I began to realize that this was a smart opportunity for them to refocus their software. They’d already begun to consolidate their strong interface line.

From a user’s perspective it’s a definite win-win. Additionally, Pro Tools 9’s ability to interact with other companies’ interfaces — Apogee, MOTU, etc. — will allow competition with other software companies to even out. Not that Avid doesn’t offer a number of quality interface choices; the market base enjoys its “options.” In turn, Avid will be forced to consistently bring their “A” game in order to retain their current market share. Hopefully, this means a future line of products and upgrades that satisfy consumers’ demands, while pushing DAW technology forward. read more...