We took a call from our friends at Universal Audio yesterday who told us of the release of UAD 7.4.1 for Mac. It is a public beta of the UAD software which offers a number of things including AAX 64 bit plug-in compatibilty for Pro Tools 11.

As well as offering AAX 64 compatibility with Pro Tools 11 the new UAD 7.4.1 software offers some great bonus stuff.

UAD version 7.4.1 now offers AudioSuite support, which means your UAD plug-in can now handle offline processing  of the audio clips. 

Offline bounce support is of course part of this release, enabling Pro Tools 11 users to now use their favourite UAD plug-ins in their Pro Tools 11 sessions.

Multi-mono support which is sometimes a must for Pro Tools users and is now also part of the UAD plug-in platform offering the ability to adjust independent settings for multi-channel tracks.

UAD AudioSuite AAX

About This Release

• UAD v7.4.1 is a public beta release intended for Mac users running Avid Pro Tools 11.

• This Mac-only release supports all UAD-2 devices (UAD-2 PCIe cards, UAD-2 Satellite, Apollo, and Apollo 16).

• Support for Pro Tools 10 and all other qualified host applications with UAD v7.4.1 is the same as with UAD v7.4.0.

• To install UAD AAX 64 support, check the “UAD Powered Plug-Ins for Pro Tools” option during installation. RTAS and AAX 64 plug-ins will both be installed.

• After installing UAD v7.4.1, sessions and presets created in previous versions of Pro Tools can be loaded and used immediately in Pro Tools 11. The transition is seamless.

UAD now offers multi mono support in Pro Tools

Other Changes

• Resolved parameter adjustment issues in RealVerb Pro and Dreamverb

Details About This Release

Known AAX 64 Issue

• The Compare function in the Pro Tools preset toolbar (at top of plug-in window) is disabled.

Additional Notes

• Complete AAX 64 support, including support for Windows 7, is expected in early 2014.

• For more details about UAD support for AAX 64, please see our Pro Tools AAX Blog.

• For information about Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks compatibility, click here.

Your Frequently Asked Questions About Public Beta AAX 64 for UAD Answered

• What is AAX 64 support for UAD Powered Plug-ins?

• UAD Powered Plug-Ins v7.4.1 adds support for Pro Tools 11’s new AAX 64 plug-in architecture. Now you can use your UAD-2 PCIe card, UAD-2 Satellite unit, or Apollo-series interfaces to run AAX 64 plug-ins inside Pro Tools 11 on Mac OS X. Note: Windows 7 AAX 64 support is coming in early 2014.

• How much does the update to AAX 64 cost?

• AAX 64 support will be provided as a free update for all UAD & Apollo owners.

• Will sessions made in Pro Tools 10 (RTAS) load in Pro Tools 11 (AAX 64)?

• Yes. Users can load any Pro Tools 10/RTAS project in Pro Tools 11 and all settings and automation are preserved.

• Can UAD plug-in presets created with RTAS UAD plug-ins be used with AAX 64?

• Yes.

• Will the entire library of UAD plug-ins be available in AAX 64 format?

• Yes, from the initial availability of UAD AAX 64, all UAD plug-ins are available.

• Which Mac OS and Pro Tools 11 versions are supported?

  • Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion with Pro Tools 11.0.2 or 11.0.3 

  • Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks with Pro Tools 11.0.3

  • For information about UAD Mavericks compatibility, click here.

  • Are there any new features with UAD AAX 64 plug-ins?

  • Yes, AAX 64 support arrives with some significantly powerful feature benefits: AudioSuite support (offline processing for audio clips), faster-than-realtime (offline) bounce, and multi-mono support (adjust independent settings for multi-channel tracks) for surround mixes and multi-channel tracks.

  • If this is a public beta, when is the fully qualified version coming?

  • The public beta should work great and is extremely stable, very similar to the fully shipping/qualified UAD plug-in versions of RTAS. We are currently working on full qualification testing on Mac OS X and finishing Windows 7 AAX 64 support. Both Mac and Windows will be shipping in early 2014.

  • How are UAD plug-ins working with Avid’s new audio engine?

  • In general, everything works great. The new audio engine brings much requested improvements to CPU load for native processing and virtual instruments. There is one major difference that users should be aware of — Pro Tools 11 now runs all mixer plug-ins at high buffers, which can cause more internal mixer latency and uses more delay compensation memory. So when using UAD plug-ins in Pro Tools, make sure you turn on Delay Compensation. To enable Delay Compensation in Pro Tools 11, go to the Options Menu and make sure “Delay Compensation” is checked. Unlike Pro Tools 10, you no longer have to choose a delay compensation length, just turn Delay Compensation on and it works up to the maximum delay time.

  • Will UAD AAX 64 plug-ins work in Pro Tools 10?

  • No, UAD AAX 64 plug-ins are exclusively 64-bit, so they will not be available for use in Pro Tools 10 because Pro Tools 10 is a 32-bit app and supports 32-bit plug-ins only.

  • What about RTAS support? Will UAD plug-ins still be supported in Pro Tools 10?

  • Yes, Pro Tools 10 is still supported and uses RTAS. RTAS will continue to be supported, but RTAS support will not include any of the new features of AAX 64 (AudioSuite, Multi-Mono, etc). Also note that UA does not support AAX 32, which was an interim version  of AAX 64 for Pro Tools 10. Pro Tools 10 support for UAD uses RTAS exclusively.

  • Can I use Pro Tools 10 and 11 with UAD Software on the same computer system?

  • Yes. However, please note that co-installation of Pro Tools 10 and 11 is only supported by Avid using specific versions of Pro Tools and OS X. For example, running Pro Tools 10.3.7 and Pro Tools 11.0.2 on the same Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion system is supported — you can use UAD Powered Plug-Ins running RTAS (32-bit) and AAX 64 on the same computer system. To co-install, be sure to update Pro Tools 10 to version 10.3.7 and update Pro Tools 11 to version 11.0.2. Co-installation using these versions of Pro Tools is supported with Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion only and is not supported with Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Avid has discontinued co-installation support as of Pro Tools 11.0.3 and co-installation is not supported with Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks – so be advised that some configurations are not fully supported and/or tested by Avid or UA.

  • Do UAD AAX 64 plug-ins run on HDX hardware?

  • No. UAD AAX 64 plug-ins are powered exclusively by UAD devices and Apollo interfaces.

  • Can I use UAD-2 devices along with HDX Systems?

  • Yes. UAD-2 PCIe or UAD-2 Satellite (FireWire) devices can run with HDX systems.

  • Can I use Apollo and/or Apollo 16 with HDX System?

  • It is not typical for a user to use Apollo or Apollo 16 with HDX. Apollo/Apollo 16 are NOT DigiLink interfaces, so they cannot connect directly to an HDX or HD Native card and be used as an interface for these systems. However, Apollo devices can run with HDX for plug-in processing (off of Apollo’s SHARC DSP over Thunderbolt or FireWire) and Apollo can be run as an ADAT converter when using Flex Routing — but bear in mind, this still means using another DigiLink compatible interface with ADAT. Note: Apollo 16 does not have ADAT so it cannot be used with Flex Routing in the same manner as Apollo DUO/QUAD.

  • Are all current UAD hardware devices supported under Pro Tools 11/AAX 64?

  • Yes, the complete hardware lineup is supported: All Apollo interfaces (FireWire or Thunderbolt) and all current UAD-2 hardware will be supported (all UAD-2 PCIe and UAD-2 Satellite/FireWire devices).

  • Are Apollo and/or UAD devices required to run AAX 64 plug-ins in Pro Tools 11?

  • Yes. UAD Powered Plug-Ins run off of any UAD-2 PCIe, UAD-2 Satellite (FireWire 800), Apollo DUO/QUAD, and Apollo 16 (via FireWire or Thunderbolt).

  • What is the difference between AAX 64 and AAX DSP 64?

  • AAX 64 and AAX DSP 64 describes the differences between plug-ins that run on a native host (AAX 64) and plug-ins that run on Avid’s HDX DSP cards (AAX 64 DSP 64). UA’s AAX 64 implementation makes UAD plug-ins look like “native” plug-ins to Pro Tools 11, but the DSP is offloaded to our dedicated SHARC processors on UAD-2/Apollo. Pro Tools 11 is a fully 64-bit application and does not support 32-bit plug-in formats. So older 32-bit plug-in formats like RTAS, TDM, AAX 32, AAX DSP 32 are not supported.