Avid Release Pro Tools 12.8.3 Including Support For macOS High Sierra 10.13.2
Avid has given pro Tools users a nice Christmas present by releasing Pro Tools 12.8.3. The big news is that Pro Tools 12.8.3 will support macOS High Sierra version 10.13.2 and the iMac Pro.
Support for iMac Pro and macOS High Sierra
Pro Tools 12.8.3 is fully qualified for use with macOS High Sierra (10.13.2). Users who are running macOS High Sierra 10.13.1 should update to 10.13.2 before installing Pro Tools 12.8.3 due to installer problems.
Avid have told us that they have worked closely with Apple developing this release which brings significant playback performance improvements alongside Apple’s new iMac Pro. Avid is claiming that the new iMac Pro delivers over the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display (2017) with Core i7 processor:
Run up to 36% more plug-ins on an iMac Pro 8-Core model
Run up to 62% more plug-ins on an iMac Pro 10-Core model
Update - Confusion About macOS High Sierra Support For Avid Audio Interface Drivers
There has been some confusion about whether there is support for the Avid Audio Interface Drivers with macOS High Sierra 10.13.2. This is because the master High Sierra article on Avid's Knowledgebase currently said that the Avid Audio Interface Drivers are NOT compatible with High Sierra whereas Pro Tools 12.8.3 and Eucon 3.7 are listed as compatible.
As of 21:00 Uk time Avid has updated their compatibility charts and below is the latest information we have...
Pro Tools 12.8.3 software is compatible with macOS 10.13.2 - Whether you should upgrade is dependent on what hardware, if any you are using with Pro Tools 12.8.3.
Eucon 3.7 is compatible with macOS 10.13.2 - This should mean that the Avid S3, Pro Tools Dock, Pro Tools Control App, Artist Control, Artist Mix. Artist Transport and Artist Colour are all compatible but you will need to check that you have the latest firmware using the EuControl Software 3.2.2 or later, we recommend using v3.7 across the board, and you must use v3.7 of the Pro Tools Control App.
The HD Driver for 12.8.3 is compatible with macOS 10.13.2 - so HD Native and HDX systems should be compatible with High Sierra.
The following interfaces are now supported non-HD audio devices with macOS 10.13.2 (High Sierra):
The following audio interfaces are not supported with macOS 10.13.2 (High Sierra) at this time.
Fast Track C400 due to AAH-297
Fast Track C600 due to AAH-298
For macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 compatibility with 3rd party interfaces, check our macOS High Sierra article for the latest 10.13.2 compatibility Article.
For macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 compatibility with 3rd party interfaces, check our macOS High Sierra article for the latest 10.13.2 compatibility Article.
End Of Windows 7 Support
Pro Tools 12.8.3 is the last release that will support Windows 7; releases after 12.8.3 will not be tested on Windows 7, and any new bugs that are Windows 7-specific will not be fixed. Please upgrade to Windows 10 before updating to Pro Tools versions past 12.8.3.
Avid Video Engine support For Another Codec
Pro Tools 12.8.3 also adds video engine support for XAVC Long GOP files and 1080p50 project types to help you integrate with more post workflows.
What Are XAVC Long GOP files?
XAVC is always going to involve some form of H.264 video, along with uncompressed LPCM audio. XAVC generally uses the MXF wrapper, with the audio and video in a single file.
GOP is an acronym which stands for Group of Pictures. Both Panasonic and Sony offer both i-frame (intra frame) and Long GOP versions of H.264. The i-frame versions compress every frame individually, and require a higher bit rate to achieve the same picture quality) but they are easier to edit with older computers with older editing software.
Long GOP versions only include some complete frames and then include the differences between frames after that until the next complete frame. This makes long GOP versions more efficient, which will give higher quality at a lower bit rates.
XAVC can also be either intra-frame or inter-frame. In the video community, these have come to be known as XAVC-I and XAVC-L (for long-GOP or inter-frame).