Not yet. They're ready to introduce this feature (or, to be more specific, they *could* be ready) but they're intentionally holding back its implementation so that they can release it in several months. This is to help encourage the thought that the subscription plan (which, as they've sold it, facilitates feature updates more frequently) is beneficial to current users. It's smart marketing, if not mind-numbingly greedy.

But from what I've heard, no, it's not going to be in the initial launch. That, among other things, will be included when they feel that it's the most lucrative time to include them.

Is the native track count still 96?

It's been released today and I would call it yet another insult to the user base. You could hardly call this a .1 increase. Pathetic.

I will never give up Heat!!! Well unless there is an equally good alternative. I refuse to mix without it!

Avid will wait until the fourth quarter to unload a ton a great features to motivate the HD userbase to HD12.

FWIW, I am an Avid hater right now for their current strategy!

Such a great piece of software, such a crap company behind it. Depressing.

can I use more than 32ios without the hd hardware? I have the hd license and the ssl madi card and converter with 48 ios.

HD|Native can do up to 64 I/O.

http://www.avid.com/US/products/Pro-Tools-HD-Native

Alistair

Thank you, Alistair :-)

Hi, i'm sorry to inform you, protools hd software only without hdx or hdnative card will be limited to 32i/o(ref guide pg.41)

Thanks for the info :-). I wondered if pt12 could do this...

There are few new features, stability doesn't seen to be adversely affected.

Thanks Tom. I've been following posts on the DUC forum and articles on PT Expert. There are sure a lot of folks not happy with Avid and PT 12. I've also seen the current full feature list so I'm gonna wait until my Raven is compatible and for more of the "coming soon" features to be released.

"Wait and see" seems to be a popular position right now.

My thoughts on new features:

You can hardly call the number 12 a feature, don't you think?

My thoughts on stability:

How can a new splash screen affect stability

But HD Native does that using Avid interfaces, no?

I'm pretty sure Pro Tools HD, running with Core Audio i/o, is limited to 32 i/o. I could be wrong, though.

You are correct. 32 I/O with 3rd party interfaces. 64 I/O with HDX or HD|Native.

Alistair

Thanks for clarifying. Neither is a limitation I would ever worry about. I think the 64 is damned impressive and attractive as a remote option. Secondhand Avid and Digidesign i/o boxes are so cheap these days.

JSL

Until you compare to the competition. 1400 gets you an RME MADI FX with 194 input and 196 output channels, an onboard 4096 channel zero latency mixer, with 3-band parametric EQ, HPF, AGC, compressor, expander, MS processing and polarity on every channel plus reverb and delay/echo sends. All inputs can be routed and mixed to any (combination of) outputs. Here is a review: HDSPe MADI FX interface | Reviews | Tape Op - the Creative Music Recording Magazine

The HD|Native card looks rather lame in comparison. Even HDX loses much of its luster beside such offerings.

Alistair

This is a classic anti-Pro Tools retort: Trot out a bunch of features and channel counts that are irrelevant to the real-world task at hand.

I'm talking about getting comfortably into the 40s in track count without worry about any part of the system, and what I need is a flexible tape machine. I don't need the mixer features. I like RME, but if I really need the feature set you're talking about at some point, I'm not going to be looking at something a lot more robust and not worrying about saving a few dollars.

The review you linked was written by a Cubase user, ferchrissakes.

JSL

And this is the classic Avid apologist's retort: Attack the messenger or the message instead of dealing with the reality of the content.

I am being realistic. If you are impressed by 64 I/O at that price you should be even more impressed by what the competition offers for much less money.

And you are completely wrong. I am not anti-Pro Tools. I own PT HD and earn most of my living with it but, unlike you, I am aware of what the market has to offer. You don't need to use the extra features if you don't need them but they are included.

And what makes you think that RME can't offer that? RME will offer you that at a fraction of the price of any Avid solution with IMO _more_ stability than anything Avid have to offer.

RME is very robust. They are pretty widely recognised as the MOST robust audio interface manufacturer on the market. Much more so than Avid.

Really?

Alistair

How can a new splash screen affect stability

You might be surprised!

Hopefully Pro Tools' code is in better shape than that, but with some code, simply introducing a new graphic can lead to all sorts of other problems...

I believe I was dealing with the reality of the content. You spat out a bunch of capabilities which, while hypothetically may sound impressive, had nothing to do with the application I had mentioned. (At least as I envision it.)

All else being equal, yes, of course. That assumes a whole lot of equal, though.

Great, but their inclusion doesn't necessarily have any value to me.

This was referring to the 40-something tracks. Nothing makes me think RME can't offer that, I was just trying to say that going way over 64 tracks has absolutely no value to me. Clarifying my requirements, that's all.

This may surprise you, but your subjective opinions about those issues are more meaningful and valuable to me than listing out features that I didn't ask for and don't need.

Ya. Although, to be honest, I couldn't really care less what DAW is used on a location recording. Whatever we already own and/or whatever will be most stable with the computer, OS and interface system. We wouldn't usually record in Pro Tools, but at least in this country, a Cubase user is not someone I can take very seriously to review whether an interface product meets my personal standards for robustness.

In Europe, though, I admit it's kind of a different story. I hear that Cubase, like Hasselhoff, is very big in Germany.

JSL

This might class as trolling (to be honest i'm not sure what trolling is) but I'm stuck on why Pro Tools cost so much My uncle is talking about how great it is and how he has a rig in storage he's about to upgrade. He was speaking but I didn't hear him say anything i couldn't do with another daw and a uad card? Why is Pro Tools something you guys are so happy to pay so much more money for? I get why people pay more for a Mac but Pro Tools? I owned and sold Pro Tools LE some time ago and use Cubase now but then maybe I'm missing something you Pro Tools guys pay the extra cash for since then? I'm curious and want to talk my uncle into going a different route but to be honest I've not used Pro Tools since 2005 so don't know what I'm talking about.

So why would one buy
AVID PRO TOOLS HD NATIVE + HD OMNI Series Interface
Ex. VAT: £3,299.00
£3,958.80

Vs for example

Steinberg Cubase Pro 8 £396.00 (isn't Logic even cheaper?)
M-Audio Axiom 61 Keyboard £205.00
Rode NTK Mic £355.00
K+M 210/9 Mic Stand £37.00
Peluso Popper Stopper £25.00
SE Electronics Reflexion Filter Pro £175.00
Yamaha HS8 Active Studio Monitor White (Pair) £464.00
RME Fireface 802 FireWire and USB Audio Interface £989.00
Native Instruments Komplete 10 Ultimate £729.00
Quiklok Z600 Desk £549.00
Total Ex. VAT £3,269.98
Total Inc. VAT £3,924.00

Go easy on me, I'm genuinely curious why people pay sooo much more, is the system above a dsp system that runs plugs like the uad? I know pro tools runs off the dsp card (or does it if it's native?) but what are the real benefits over Logic, Cubase, Reaper, etc. Are the converters that much better? Loose the £549 desk and a UAD Apollo DUO comes in around the same cost? Why should my uncle invest in Pro Tools again especially when you need to now pay a subscription to run it, if i understand that correctly?

Cheers

@ BobbyLAvenir : that was quite a realistic post I'd say. Avid is completely letting the mid-tier user go to the competition after this. They should rename their software to Post-Tools because that's the only industry that can afford their stuff anyway.

Yes, you are right, maybe they think they can live without this type of users, and focus where the big business is.

All the "new features" say "coming soon". Not sure if that means they are in v12 or not.

I upgraded my iLok from the 9+10 (LE) bundle to the 10+11+12+2016 "perpetual license (protools with support plan)" a few weeks ago for $200. I wasn't aware that I would not ever be able to upgrade past that unless I renewed a subscription license. Doh!

I don't see any difference between 11 and 12, but I don't use it much. I just need it in case someone sends me OMF or AAF or I need to send someone stripes as a PT session. I definitely needed 11+ because I am on Yosemite.

I don't feel cheated, just a bit disheartened that a once great company is in such disarray.

I think the lack of people defending why it costs soooo much says it all

Same here. Using Pro Tools to load Media Composer generated AAF-files.

PT HD12 is by far the most underwhelming update I've seen. Where are all the new functions??? Is this a late April's Fool Joke???

It does seem to run a bit smoother in Windows 7, which is good, but it's the last $599 that Avid ever will get from me.


Cheers
Fred
Sound On Sound contributor

One side effect of AVIDs new subscription model is that they will no longer do "Major" releases (despite this number bump). New features trickle in and are therefore much easier to troubleshoot. You aren't paying $599 for the features in this version of Pro Tools, you are paying for a years worth of Pro Tools features. That's the concept anyway. If you use Pro Tools, get used to it. If you don't like it, use something else.