[EdgarRothermich]

There are always lots of requests and wishes on how to improved Pro Tools, but how high on the to-do list is the Playback Engine? Here are four issues:

-1- Name
This should be the easiest thing to "fix" and I'm surprised about this incorrect label. "Playback Engine" suggests that it affects the Playback, but what about the other side, Recording. It is always strange when explaining to a new user that the Playback Engine (also) selects the Audio Device that you use for recording.

-2- Separate Input Device - Output Device
This is just plain annoying. Pretty much every other DAW on the planet lets you select the Input Device and Output Device separately. That entire Aggregate Device operation shouldn't be necessary.

-3- Change Audio Device
Taking the nuisance to the next level. Whenever I change the "Playback Engine", I have to close the current Session and open it again. That is one of the reasons why I don't use Pro Tools in class anymore when demonstrating audio topics. Switching stuff around (especially with Zoom Meetings, for example, is just a PITA.


-4- Change Audio MIDI Setup
This is where Pro Tools is completely clueless. When changing the Audio Devices in the Audio MIDI Setup utility (adding Aggregate Device, adding/removing devices in Loopback), Pro Tools has no idea what is going on and you have to relaunch Pro Tools. With such a scenario, Logic Pro doesn't even blink, whatever you change regarding Audio Devices, it will be there when you open the popup menu in the Audio Preferences. Obviously, Pro Tools doesn't have a routine to check on what is going on behind the scene with Core Audio.
I know, AirPods are not necessarily the best choice for monitoring your Pro Tools Session, but it is a valid option when using Zoom, or the ZoomAudioDevice, pops in or out, regarding your setting, or the Loopback setup. These are just the modern-day audio scenarios that Pro Tools should be able to handle. Not everybody runs a big rig HDX system in their recording studio or dubbing stage.


It seems that Pro Tools was built and stuck with the concept of having its own audio engine with its own cards. Core Audio support came much later. But somehow, there is more to it than just using the Core Audio Driver.
ITB is almost the new normal and the complexity of audio drivers, virtual drivers, and all the stuff that is going on on the computer regarding audio is somehow ignored by the Pro Tool team. The app is just not flexible enough for this type of demand of modern audio production on your computer. And maybe "modern" is the key issue. Pro Tools is so old (with legacy code), it might be extremely complicated to update (or even touch) those areas.

Is there an official feedback page like Apple has to submit bugs and feature requests besides the annual survey conducted by Avid?