Loooongtime needed upgrade...

[sdmaas]

-Here's my dilemma... I am a 10yr Pro tools 8 user and have only recently upgraded my CPU from an AMD FX to an i5 (2nd gen). My processing power [now] is far beyond what I ever imagined with plugin count and speed, simply by getting a newer processor even though it is still old.-

I'm thinking about moving into the 2018 world. Anyone else out there upgrade from an OLD version (8 or below) to 2018 and notice the need to remix sessions due to lack of plugin resources?

-To simplify:
1.) Do AAX plugins use more resources than the old RTAS?
2.) Given the version change of 32bit to 64bit and system requirements of 2GB RAM to 16GB RAM, would a 2018 version with minimal requirements be capable of running a jucied-up session from PT8 or am I going to need to update my CPU again to current i5 generation and bump RAM to 32GB+?

[Prabha]

I don't think you'll have any problems running your old sesions.
AAX are as efficient as rtas and on 64bits everything runs much smoother.

[albee1952]

There's really a lot to consider here, especially if you have lots of unfinished projects. Some things to consider:

1-i5 is not ideal(especially if its a dual-core). i7 quad and 6-core give the best performance(but, if you install Windows 7 and use LE8.0.5, that would likely do a nice job). With 2018, I'm not so sure(each major upgrade of Pro Tools seems to require more horsepower to handle all the new features)

2-2018 plugins; some stock plugins have been replaced with versions that won't translate from your old sessions(mainly the delays and Dverb). Now that's not a show-stopper, but it does mean you may need to recreate some effects if you revisit some older projects)

3-16GB of RAM should be fine(32 seems to be the sweet spot)

4-I would make the move because you are missing out on tons of features. Track Freeze and Commit, Clip Gain, off-line bounce, track presets.....you'll never want to go back

[BScout]

Pro Tools likes its RAM. You need to have the recommended amount. You don't need to go more than that unless

• you are using a sampler (Kontakt, etc) that will eat up that RAM to store samples or
• need to use disk cache because you have slow hard drives and lots of audio files in a session at a time so need to use the disk cache to pre-load all the audio possible.

[originalscottyg]

Originally Posted by BScout

Pro Tools likes its RAM. You need to have the recommended amount. You don't need to go more than that unless

• you are using a sampler (Kontakt, etc) that will eat up that RAM to store samples or
• need to use disk cache because you have slow hard drives and lots of audio files in a session at a time so need to use the disk cache to pre-load all the audio possible.

Or if you are using Video.

[BScout]

Originally Posted by originalscottyg

Or if you are using Video.

You need more RAM (>16GB) for video? I can't test that myself due to how my system is setup but I'm curious what you've experienced. I know video will not work with disk cache; only audio files will go to the cache. Video is always streamed from disk. Possibly for thumbnails? (I know it has to generate files for that.) Or does the AVE eat up a bunch of memory?

[john1192]

Plugins .. this will probably be your biggest issue .. and i am just reiterating - as this has been said above ..

1) Avid - not translating
2) 3rd Party - either was not updated to AAX version or discontinued

cheers john

[originalscottyg]

Originally Posted by BScout

You need more RAM (>16GB) for video? I can't test that myself due to how my system is setup but I'm curious what you've experienced. I know video will not work with disk cache; only audio files will go to the cache. Video is always streamed from disk. Possibly for thumbnails? (I know it has to generate files for that.) Or does the AVE eat up a bunch of memory?

To be honest, I haven't looked at the system requirements in a while. There used to be a separate RAM spec for using video (i.e. 8GB RAM, 16GB RAM if using video, etc.). It looks like there is just on spec now, 16GB minimum, 32GB recommended. That being said, the AVE does use up some RAM, and if you are not streaming your video off of a fast separate drive, or if you aren't using preferred codecs, performance can take a hit.

[sdmaas]

Thanks for the heads up everyone. The primary use will be Post, so it looks like 32GB is what I'm going to have to bump up to. I will need to do some reading on this future technology you call "track freeze" and "disk cache" as I'm in the stone age of HD8.1 yet... I've been pulling the video from the same drive as my audio ... What will pulling it from a separate drive do?

[skizzo]

I am actually in the middle of making the same upgrade. I am using a Mac Pro 4-core 2.6ghz 4,1 that is flashed to 5.1, upgraded with 48GB RAM, a new 4TB HDD, and a USB 3.0 PCIe card for new interfaces and HDDs. I've got separate partitions or HDDs for Snow Leopard (10.6.8), El Capitain (10.11.6), and High Sierra (10.13.4) So I am doing all this to get out of Pro Tools 8LE (8.0.5) and into modern times to take advantage of all the new features of Pro Tools 2018. Im still gong to hang onto my Digi 003 Rack+ to load up old sessions until I can perhaps find someone who wants to take it off my hands.

Unfortunately I don't see any real improvement doing all this with PT 8LE because it only sees a limited amount of RAM (~4GB tops)

So the real test will be when I get Pro Tools 2018 up and running this week.

I could go further upgrading my Mac Pro by putting in a 3.4ghz 6core processor, and perhaps a SSD to get better performance but I'm going to wait to see how things run before I spend more money.