Soundtoys Place Release Versions Of AAX 64 Bit Plug-ins In Users Accounts
Soundtoys have quietly placed release versions of their plug-ins in users’ accounts. However, when I download my installer, there is still no Pitch Doctor or Speed.
In the TDM Effects Bundle AAX installer there are: Crystallizer, Decapitator, Echoboy, FilterFreak1, FilterFreak2, PanMan, PhaseMistress and Tremolator.
Also still Mac only for AAX 64-bit.
Other plug-ins also available in AAX 64-bit for Mac are Little Microshift, Little Radiator, Radiator, Devil-Loc and Devil-Loc Deluxe.
For me, personally, the two plug-ins I really want from SoundToys are the missing ones. Pitch Doctor was my preferred pitch correction software and I was hopeful it would be included, but unfortunately not — but it all progresses in the right direction.
Since posting this story I have been doing some more research on the missing plug-ins and I come across a statement made by Soundtoys on Sept 3rd 2013 it says..
SoundBlender, PurePitch, & PitchDoctor: AAX, Native, Future???
These plug-ins only work on Avid/Digidesign Pro Tools HD systems with TDM DSP cards. Period. No native, no HDX, not any other place. That has always been the case.
So to get this out of the way first… Will we have AAX or Native (VST/AudioUnits) for these plug-ins? Most likely not. Why? Simply put, because it’s a huge undertaking of resources and time to go back into that old code and try to get it into a completely different format.
We are looking into porting elements of those plug-ins or making new versions of some of the processes because the technology is something we want to move forward with, but it will likely be in brand new plug-ins and not ported versions of the originals. Even porting to AAX DSP for HDX is a complete rewrite of the code. So that is also very unlikely.
Where does that leave these plug-ins? Well since Avid (DigiDesign) decided they needed to move to a totally new architecture on a totally new chip, and eliminate TDM with no way to access or bridge, then these plug-ins are stuck where they are. They work on TDM based Pro Tools systems in Pro Tools 10 or earlier.
SoundBlender (PitchBlender & TimeBlender), PurePitch, and PitchDoctor were all developed a long time ago exclusively for Digidesign’s TDM based hardware systems. They required the external DSP chips of those cards. They did not have native versions mostly because, back in the day, native simply didn’t have the power to run them. It’s just code, right? Why can’t you just change it to work? Imagine writing several novels, and then 15 years later having to go back and rewrite it with all the slang and vernacular of the day from a town you don’t live in. First, it’s a huge task. Second, it’s no fun because you’ve already done it. Third, doesn’t it seem like something new would be better?
So it looks as if there is no point me waiting for Pitch Doctor. I will need to find a permanent replacement for it. It would be nice if Synchro Arts would add the feature to Revoice Pro, they are more than half way there with the manual pitch correction and the pitch matching. Alternatively I might take a look at the new version of Nectar from iZotope when it comes out.
As to Speed the news is better, Soundtoys said on Sept 3rd…
Speed for 64-bit (Pro Tools 11 and Logic X) is still in development. We will have updates for that as soon as possible.
If you find that Pro Tools doesn’t like your new Soundtoys plug-ins as happened to me, they follow these instructions from Dan at Soundtoys’ tech supprt..
In Applications / SoundToys / Utilities there is a RemoveSoundToys.dmg utility. If you run that, it will remove all traces of SoundToys from the usual install locations. Reopen Pro Tools to make sure that it did in fact remove all traces of our plugins, and then run the 4.3.0 installer again. That should clear up any problems!
Dan
Tech Support, Soundtoys, Inc.
Problem fixed, Thanks Dan.