Demo/Trial of Pro Tools 11

[psyd]

I am interested in purchasing and using Pro Tools, so I downloaded Pro Tools 11 and jumped thru the hoops of registering an iLok account.

I particularly wanted to check that Pro Tools worked well on my Windows 7 Thinkpad T420, as I read about issues with some laptops.

I want to use the Pro Tools with a Roland Studio Capture on some recording projects.

Then I discovered that I needed to purchase an iLok2 to try the demo, this will cost me AUD$75!

Are you serious?

[Darryl Ramm]

Why are you bother to test Pro Tools 11? You should more likely be testing Pro Tools 12, by subscribing for a month to that license. Which will also require an iLok 2 or 3, but then you'll at least know the latest Pro Tools 12 works for you.

There are lots of other capable DAWs out there, but if you are going to work in a Pro Tools environment, the iLok comes with the territory.

[psyd]

I attempted to demo/trial Pro Tools 11, because that was what Avid offered.

Taking a one month subscription, would cost me in excess of AUD$100, and this is simply to confirm if the product runs on my laptop. If there was some incompatibility I don't suppose I would get a refund.

I am aware of the alternatives to Pro Tools.

I made the post to point the costs, and perhaps cause avid to review this strange policy which no doubt is impacting sales.

[Darryl Ramm]

Avid is not going to review anything about licensing because you complain. They are addicted/committed to iLok.

It is a lot cheaper to buy a one month subscription (price of iLok plus ~UD$30) than buy a full Pro Tools 12 license and then find out it does not work and Avid won't refund your purchase.

FWIW I think it's stupid that Avid does not have a standard trial of Pro Tools 12, what company wants to look so broken they have to direct potential customers to old releases of software to trial? And no they won't listen to that either.

It depends on how you value your time as well, but I would be trying out what exactly you would run with the exact Avid or third party plugins etc. And then just need to upgrade a license key not having to touch any software etc.

(Pro Tools 12 perpetual licenses do come with a Pro Tools 11 license, but got a new user there is no reason to, and many new feature reasons not to run Pro Tools 11).


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[jeffro]

Originally Posted by psyd

I am interested in purchasing and using Pro Tools...

Welcome to the community.

You might consider trying Pro Tools First since its license can be activated to your computer. It does have a limited feature set (compared to Pro Tools or Pro Tools HD) but would give you an idea about performance. Please check the comparison page to see if it provides enough functionality to meet your needs.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by jeffro

Welcome to the community.

You might consider trying Pro Tools First since its license can be activated to your computer. It does have a limited feature set (compared to Pro Tools or Pro Tools HD) but would give you an idea about performance. Please check the comparison page to see if it provides enough functionality to meet your needs.

Pro Tools First, oh dear, as much as I love the support Jeffro provides here, I'll have to disagree on this one. If you want "Pro Tools" that's not "Pro Tools First", and if you want a low-end DAW there are lots of better choices than First.

[jeffro]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

Pro Tools First, oh dear, as much as I love the support Jeffro provides here, I'll have to disagree on this one. If you want "Pro Tools" that's not "Pro Tools First", and if you want a low-end DAW there are lots of better choices than First.

Thanks for sharing your opinion. He wanted to check PT's performance but was hesitant to buy an iLok so PTF is a reasonable option for him to check out on his system for free.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by jeffro

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

You are welcome!


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