Today Avid released Pro Tools 2023.3. This latest release finally brings fully qualified Apple Silicon support to Pro Tools as well as a new virtual instrument and a new way to get curated content for Pro Tools. We have the details.
Apple Silicon Support
With the announcement and release of a public beta of an Apple Silicon build of Pro Tools the release of this qualified version isn’t unexpected. However it will be extremely welcome to many people who have been using Pro Tools via Rosetta 2.
This update is available to all Ultimate, Studio and Artist users with active subscriptions and perpetual licences with current update and support plans. Pro Tools Intro users also get Native Apple Silicon support. In our article on the release of the Public Beta we detailed some features which were not available in the Beta. Of these the only features which are not available in the Native release are support for the ICON, C24 and Command 8 control surfaces. These surfaces will continue to work under Rosetta 2 but no support under Apple Silicon is expected. The other feature which won’t be coming to Apple Silicon is Rewire support. In the short term AAC Import and the Structure Free AIR virtual instrument are also not supported, but will be soon.
Native Apple Silicon Performance
Of course the principal benefit of a fully native Apple Silicon release is the anticipated performance gains over running under Rosetta 2. Internal testing has shown very positive results and as time goes on more data will be available but here’s what we have so far:
Plugin CPU Performance up to +150%
Launching Pro Tools +80%
Opening Large Complex Sessions +25%
Delete, Create and Duplicate Tracks +80%
Activate Tracks by dragging 100 tracks from inactive folder +67%
Deactivate Tracks by dragging 100 tracks from active folder +62%
Offline Bounce (complex Sessions surround and Dolby Atmos) +64%
Plugin Instantiations while in Low Latency +25%
Plugin Instantiations while in High Latency +35%
Importing AAF (copy from source) +24%
Launch Behaviour
One difference to be aware of if you have been using the Public Beta is that, because it was unqualified software, to launch the beta you had to elect to launch it from the Get Info dialog on the Pro Tools App. By default it launched under Rosetta. This is the opposite of the default behaviour for qualified Apps. Because 2023.3 is qualified this behaviour is now reversed. If you launch 2023.3 on an Apple Silicon Mac it will launch in Native mode.
Third Party Plugins Running Under Apple Silicon
All plugins that are bundled with Pro Tools, including AIR Instruments and FX (with the exception of Structure Free—coming soon), are now available with native Apple silicon support. While the situation is far better an it once was, there are still some AAX plugins which are not yet available as Apple Silicon Native versions. To find out whether any plugins you use are yet to be updated check our AAX database or Avid’s own database to ensure all the plugins you need are compatible.
If you encounter an Intel-only plugin while launching the Apple Silicon Native version the following happens:
Nothing should be seen when launching Pro Tools
When opening a Session which contains an Intel-only plugin a Missing AAX Plugins dialog will be displayed. The plugin is identified and the dialog explains that the plugin is inactive and requires Pro Tools to run under Rosetta.
Intel-only plugins will not be seen in menus in Native Pro Tools
Some 3rd party plugins contain a bug which causes them to show a ‘Could not load because not a valid 64 bit plugin’ message. This would need to be fixed by the plugin manufacturer.
Updates To Pro Tools Scripting SDK
Since its launch last year the Pro Tools Scripting SDK has been updated to include new parameters in Pro Tools which are accessible by the SDK. As time goes on more and more ‘hooks’ into Pro Tools will be added to the SDK extending its power. As this feature is aimed at developers the detail is beyond the scope of this article but if you want to know more about the SDK read the recent blog from Avid about it here.
Elastic Audio Enhancements
In the Public Beta X Form wasn’t available. That is now reinstated but in addition to that there is now a new option for Elastic Audio - zplane developments’ elastique PRO V3. The new options appear under the algorithm drop down on the track header along with the familiar options like Polyphonic and Rhythmic.
Although manipulation of timing has previously been possible using the Melodyne editor, this update brings Melodyne time stretch closer to the Elastic Audio workflow as it is now available as an Elastic Audio option. It can’t participate with warp markers like the familiar elastic audio algorithms but it can be used to conform audio to tempo changes on a tick-based track. When Melodyne is selected as the Elastic Audio plug-in on a tick-based track, Pro Tools ensures that any content on that track is analysed and conforms to the session tempo in the same manner as other elastic tracks. If new content is added to a tick-based Melodyne track, that content is automatically analysed regardless of how it was added.
zplane elastique is a general purpose time stretch engine and it offers best in class performance music and post applications. It is available to all tiers of Pro Tools.
Bounce to M4a AAC (macOS Only)
The popular compressed audio format M4a AAC Audio is available as a new file type in the Bounce Mix window
Video Generator Follows 10MHz Clock
The Pro Tools | Sync X can now generate video reference signal that is relative to the incoming 10 MHz clock signal. This is supported in standalone mode and when used with Pro Tools. A firmware update is required
Pro Tools | PlayCell - New Virtual Instrument
The third in the new generation of virtual instruments from Avid, supplementing the GrooveCell drum machine and SynthCell synthesiser comes in the form of PlayCell. This new instrument focuses on sample based instruments and is a platform on which additional content will become available in the form of new PlayCell instruments made available to Pro Tools subscribers on an ongoing basis.
This host instrument supports these ready to use PlayCell instruments with a consistent user interface with features like tuning, scale options and amp and filter envelopes available in the host instrument and other parameters and macros available on a per instrument basis.
Update: Some users are experiencing an issue where graphics don’t load into PlayCell resulting in an all black UI. Avid have identified an issue and are working on a fix but in the meantime have provided a workaround:
PlayCell Palette Series - PlayCell graphics are not loading, and plugin presets are not writing. (XUJAM-190) This issue has been identified as an intermittent permissions issue and a fix is in the works which will be posted ASAP. Current workaround:
Delete the ~/Users/XXX/Documents/Pro Tools/Plug-In Settings/PlayCell folder
Launch PT and insert PlayCell, close
Reinstall Palette Series
New Presets For GrooveCell and SynthCell
The 2023.3 release adds 17 new GrooveCell kits and 30 new SynthCell presets.
Pro Tools Sonic Drop
In a new initiative from Avid, and one which aims to add value for paying customers, whether subscribers or perpetual licence holders with active update plans, Sonic Drop is a monthly ‘drop’ of themed content. The first tranche of these features six drops:
Eventide H90 Drums
Kitchen Kit
Pumpkins
Rob’s Basement Beats
Ultra 808s
Isorhythm
These drops will be complemented by further drops of loops, samples, presets and demo sessions. These will be accessible via a new tab in Avid Link.
This isn’t dissimilar from the Inner Circle programme which Avid already run which offers regular drops of third party content. The distinctive thing about Sonic Drop is that it whereas Inner Circle is third party content. Sonic Drop is in-house and is curated by DJ and Producer (and new head of Audio Content at Avid) Matt Lange who is heading up the Sonic Drop programme.
Editing Improvements
Various improvement and features have been introduced in 2023.3
Include Rulers With Edit Groups - Pro Tools now has an option to include rulers in Edit or Mix/Edit groups, including the All group.
Tab to Automation Breakpoints - Pro Tools 2023.3 allows you to Tab between automation breakpoints, if there are a mixture of Automation playlists and clip boundaries in the edit selection then it will tab between breakpoints and clip boundaries (or transients if using Tab to Transients). However if there is a mixture of automation and non-automation views in the edit selection but the top track is an automation view then Pro Tool Tabs to breakpoints and ignores the other tracks.
Edit Window toolbar Quantize Control improvements - The toolbar quantise controls introduced in 2022.9 have been improved with the addition of indicators to show when strength and swing have been enabled.
Who Qualifies For The New Features?
All the features of 2023.3 are available to active subscribers and perpetual licence holders with active support plans. Intro users don’t benefit from Sonic Drop, the new GrooveCell and SynthCell presets, or the new PlayCell instrument.