Needing help upgrading from PT 11

[steve.lesko]

Hello all,

I’ve used this site as a source for troubleshooting for years, but this is my first posted question. I’m looking to possibly upgrade my setup and I’ve gotten myself all twisted with the different factors involved. I’m hoping, after listing my situation and intentions, you audio and PT gurus can help set me straight on a confident path again!

I do not like to upgrade and despise the whole subscription method most software’s seem to use these days. I’d much rather purchase once and be done, as I originally did with the PT 10/11 bundle back in 2015. I really can’t justify purchasing the subscription based on how much I currently use PT. I’m a one man show that works on a couple albums and a decent amount of short videos throughout the year. I do make money from audio, but it’s not my main source of income. Definitely not a full-blown studio here!

The machines I use are listed below:
Desktop Setup: Mac Mini (Late 2014), OS 10.14.6, 3GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1 TB SSD
Mobile Setup: MacBook Pro (Retina, 15” Mid 2014), OS 10.14.6, 2.5GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD

Other than no longer having the normal import feature, PT 11 has been working more than fine on both machines. My problems really started when my Waves plugins started getting newer versions. I use Waves plugins almost exclusively and a majority of them are still V9. I have a small grouping of V10 and an even smaller handful of V11 plugins. The V11s ended up being the only problematic ones and wouldn’t show up unless I “repaired” them in Waves Central before opening PT. This, coupled with being tired of running out of CPU power, lead me to I invest in a Waves Sound Grid Impact Server, which lead me further down this dark hole of incompatibilities and upgrades.

After consulting with Waves support, we determined that I need to upgrade all of my Waves plugins to V12 (I can downgrade them to V11 after that, if I want to) in order to use WSG Studio and the SoundRack plugin, which will then require my PT to upgrade to at least PT 12. I’d like to avoid entering the subscription model and have found, what I believe to be, the ideal “upgrade” for me at the link below.

https://www.rspeaudio.com/Avid-Pro-T...r-software.htm

If I can get another 5+ years out of a new perpetual license, I’ll be beyond happy! As far as I can tell, the latest PT should work on both of my machines. Here are my questions:

1. If you were in my shoes, would you continue with this plan? Are there any major red flags I’m missing? Should I just stay with my current setup? I’m afraid that if I don’t upgrade now, I may never get the chance to do so again.

2. If something goes terribly wrong with the upgrade, is there any way to go back to PT 11? As I understand it, I will have to surrender my current version before I can access the upgraded software. This is the part that has me freaked out the most right at the finish line. Before I really sat down to think this through, I was loosely planning on upgrading my Mac Mini and testing everything out, while leaving the laptop alone and on PT 11 as a backup. Then I remembered about the iLok and how that will probably wipe out my PT 11 license entirely.

3. If I get this reinstatement upgrade thing, will that mean I get the latest PT version, or will it upgrade me to something like V12 and give me the option to continue upgrading/pick whatever version I wanted within a certain range?

4. Is the latest PT version (2020 something?) the best, or should I try for a lower version like PT 12, 2019, etc.? I’ve seen a couple posts stating that PT 2019.5 is the best for Mojave. I’m most likely staying on Mojave for the foreseeable future.

5. Has anyone gone through a similar situation? I’d love to hear any and all stories/tips.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this post. This forum has been my go to problem solver since I started learning on PT years ago and I’m hoping you can help me once more. Any and all comments and experiences are welcomed and appreciated! Please let me know if I can add any additional info or answer questions.

Cheers,
Steve

[Ben Jenssen]

First things first.
You are using PT11 on an unsupported version of Mac OS, and that's most likely the cause of your problems. Nevermind the Waves problems. You can find compatibility info here:
Help Us Help You

In short, to have compatible and stable setup, I'd say you have the choice between wiping your drives and reinstalling Mac OS Yosemity and PT11, or going to current PT2020, perpetual or subscription (or buying a used perpetual licence for PT2018/19/20 if you can find one.)

[steve.lesko]

Hey Ben,

Thanks for the quick reply and sorry I'm just now seeing it!

I was definitely happy with Yosemite, but, unfortunately, had to move on for the use of some other programs. Sounding like I'll just need to take the plunge and upgrade. Thanks for the help!

Best,
Steve

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by steve.lesko

Hey Ben,

Thanks for the quick reply and sorry I'm just now seeing it!

I was definitely happy with Yosemite, but, unfortunately, had to move on for the use of some other programs. Sounding like I'll just need to take the plunge and upgrade. Thanks for the help!

Best,
Steve

If your system drive is big enough partition it and put Yosemite on a separate partition. Waves V12 requires a a Metal compatible video card - do either of your computers have one?

[Southsidemusic]

He has a MBP 2015 i7 and a Mac Mini 2014 i7 so I guess he is covered with the Graphics. I know the MBP is.

OP’s Post:

Desktop Setup: Mac Mini (Late 2014), OS 10.14.6, 3GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1 TB SSD
Mobile Setup: MacBook Pro (Retina, 15” Mid 2014), OS 10.14.6, 2.5GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD