Avid have done a lot of work with the release of 2022.4 to address the perceived lack of appeal the Pro Tools family of titles had for new and emerging artists. Before it was discontinued Pro Tools First was a free version, designed to be that first step into Pro Tools. It was designed to be a ‘walled garden’ product which had significant limitations compared to ‘proper’ Pro Tools and for many people it was just too limited to be useful.

A lot of attention has been given to the new features Pro Tools Studio has received. For pretty much every music user who doesn’t use HDX they no longer need Ultimate/Flex. The focus of the entry level Artist product is targeting what Avid describe as ‘Next-Gen’ producers and artists. It would be understandable to think that ‘serious’ musicians should be using Studio. However in a recent exchange with regular contributor Mark M Thompson, very much a serious pro musician - check out his test drive of AmpliTube 5 MAX to hear his playing, he shared his thoughts that for his needs Artist might well be all he needs.

Over to Mark…

Why Pro Tools Artist Might Be All I Need

The iterations and licences of the newly released Pro Tools 2022.4 are causing many a healthy argument online (as to be expected) over who needs what, and who gets what as an existing customer whether perpetual owner or subscriber.

Whilst these conversations rage on, I wanted to look a little deeper into the main differences between the two lower tier options: Artist and Studio. Whilst the in-depth comparison sheets are available on Avid’s site, there were a few questions I needed answering to put my mind at rest as a long-term user of the standard (aka Vanilla) releases.

As an arranger for production shows and cabaret acts, a typical session for me is a fairly equal blend of virtual instruments and audio tracks. Whilst I may have to create an entire orchestra for some projects, all of the scoring and arrangement work is handled in Sibelius and then imported as MIDI into Pro Tools to make use of the libraries from developers such as Spitfire. Toontrack and UVI handle drum programming and synth duties respectively, I use IK Multimedia’s Amplitube for all guitar work, and my session templates contain mix tools mostly from Avid and Waves.

Live instruments and vocals tend to be recorded remotely at the relevant performer’s own setup and emailed over. Sessions are not shared or run remotely; I simply provide each session musician with the score part and a basic mix for them to record against. I’m incredibly lucky to have built up a collection of fantastic reading players and singers who I can trust to deliver the goods without me watching or directing them through a control room window.

Pro Tools Artist - Very Different From Pro Tools First

Having used Pro Tools for two decades now, from the first LE incarnations through to this latest Ultimate release, I have to say I’m keenly eyeing Pro Tools Artist. When Pro Tools First was released, I may have scrunched my nose up at the relative limitations and lack of functionality it offered. How could Avid possibly entice new users to the “industry standard” when it was such a sandboxed, limited version?

Well now, a new entry-level version is here featuring Elastic Audio, delay compensation, Beat Detective, my beloved track presets and, most importantly, the ability to host 3rd party AAX plugins. It seemingly provides, frankly, everything a user like me would need. 32 audio tracks seems generous enough, especially when paired with an equal number of instrument tracks, aux channels and routing folders, and unlimited busses. Even 15 years ago when I purchased the Production Toolkit to expand my Pro Tools LE 7 track count from 32 to 48, I don’t think I ever passed 24 in a session. That licence is still in my iLok account

It looks like an absolute steal at just £79 annually when paid upfront, but apart from the much lower track counts and the advanced automation what exactly is missing in this entry version before the jump to one literally three times the price? Aside from a few omissions such as VCA faders, expanded inputs, advanced metering, mostly it’s the included plugins. And Heat. And X-Form.

Whilst you still have a fantastic number of Avid plugins included with your subscription (as well as the Pro Tools Inner Circle offers), you lose the following:

• 304 (formerly Joe Meek) bundle

• Pro bundle

• Space

• ReVibe II

However, for just £39 a year you can access the full Avid Complete Plugin Bundle which not only gives you these extra plugins, but also X-Form for use as both an AudioSuite plugin and as an Elastic Audio algorithm. To buy an X-Form perpetual licence, it’s a whopping £399.

If you’re a fan of Heat and considering the move to Artist, you’re going to have to pay £169 for it. This is, however, a perpetual licence. 

As there seems to be no automation or processing limitations between this and the standard versions of old, I genuinely think that Artist is not only going to bring a whole swarm of new users to Pro Tools, but will also be a perfectly valid option for the non “power” users such as myself. 

I’m certainly going to trial Artist for my next project and see how it handles. I’m genuinely optimistic, and will be very interested to see if I come across any hurdles in the process. Even as it stands, it looks like a brilliant option for solo artists and producers who want to try Pro Tools.

So in summary, in spite of cases of ‘track count machismo’ you might encounter online with some people insisting that 1000+ tracks in a session is some kind of indication of pro status, for so many very serious musicians and producers, and check out Mark’s playing, he’s definitely serious, the facilities offered by Artist is all they need. After all, if Queen created A Night At the Opera with fewer tracks than this…

Why Is Pro Tools Artist Viable To People For Whom Pro Tools First Was Not?

Looking at Mark’s comments, the big factors are the possibility to run 3rd party AAX plugins is huge. Pro Tools First only ran a restricted set of plugins and this, while possibly not a big deal to a new user, would definitely be a disincentive to someone who already owned third party plugins.

The Audio Track count is capped at 32, double the 16 of First but bear in mind that that is only Audio Tracks, you can also run 32 Instrument tracks, 64 MIDI and 32 Auxes but the biggest change for people who might be interested in tracking a band is the IO count which has increased from 4 to 16. I’ve tracked lots of bands with 16 inputs. You have to plan your patch in advance but it’s perfectly do-able.

And of course there is the compatibility with other Pro Tools systems, As a discontinued product there’s little point in revisiting the restrictions Pro Tools First put around Projects but Artist is just a regular Pro Tools system from that point of view.

Pro Tools Artist won’t be for everyone, but if you look at what you actually do in your sessions, you might find that there is an attractively priced alternative for you in this new release.