Pro Tools 2021.6

[mandal]

Pro Tools 2021.6 Ultimate yes, yes, yes !!!

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by noiseboyuk

By the way, why on earth is Ultimate still capped at 1024 midi tracks? I can sort of (just) by Avid's logic about why there are audio track limits, but can see zero justification for midi. Also the instrument tracks should be increased - they've both gone from more than the number audio tracks to far less. Pro Tools is still not a contender for serious composition work with VIs while these limits remain.

I have hardly ever seen a +hundred VI session but as always things are different. My work is audio first VI as addon but someone may have opposite way of thinking


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[noiseboyuk]

Originally Posted by JFreak

I have hardly ever seen a +hundred VI session but as always things are different. My work is audio first VI as addon but someone may have opposite way of thinking

Yes I'm really referring to working composers who have huge templates (usually using VE Pro), usually working in film, TV or games. These track counts can easily go into the thousands. Most use Cubase or Logic, PT is only very rarely used (quite unlike most commercial recording studios). There are many factors as to why this is, but midi track counts feels like one that should be a very easy win for PT, since midi tracks consume next to zero resources.

For regular use, even with VIs, the current track limits are fine. It's a media composer thing (not Media Composer with capital first letters!). Mostly its for orchestral stuff which is fiddly to set up in terms of routing, sptialisation etc, hence the need to have a fixed template where all the hard work is done. No-one uses anything more than a fraction of those track counts in any one project, but they all sit there ready to go. For that side of what I do, I think I'm around 1,300-1,400 tracks now which is considered fairly frugal. The instruments are hosted in VE Pro and are disabled by default, a keyswitch activates any track I want to use. Many people keep it all in RAM though, sometimes across several slave machines.

[Marsdy]

Originally Posted by noiseboyuk

Yes I'm really referring to working composers who have huge templates (usually using VE Pro), usually working in film, TV or games. These track counts can easily go into the thousands. Most use Cubase or Logic, PT is only very rarely used (quite unlike most commercial recording studios). There are many factors as to why this is, but midi track counts feels like one that should be a very easy win for PT, since midi tracks consume next to zero resources.

For regular use, even with VIs, the current track limits are fine. It's a media composer thing (not Media Composer with capital first letters!). Mostly its for orchestral stuff which is fiddly to set up in terms of routing, sptialisation etc, hence the need to have a fixed template where all the hard work is done. No-one uses anything more than a fraction of those track counts in any one project, but they all sit there ready to go. For that side of what I do, I think I'm around 1,300-1,400 tracks now which is considered fairly frugal. The instruments are hosted in VE Pro and are disabled by default, a keyswitch activates any track I want to use. Many people keep it all in RAM though, sometimes across several slave machines.

One thing of note in 2021.6 is that the new Limit Number of Real-Time Threads option makes a noticeable improvement to the performance of VE Pro if you’re using it on the same machine as PT. CPU usage in PT is lower and more stable with less jumping around. I’m very pleasantly surprised with this!

[Marsdy]

Originally Posted by noiseboyuk

By the way, why on earth is Ultimate still capped at 1024 midi tracks? I can sort of (just) by Avid's logic about why there are audio track limits, but can see zero justification for midi. Also the instrument tracks should be increased - they've both gone from more than the number audio tracks to far less. Pro Tools is still not a contender for serious composition work with VIs while these limits remain.

I use keyswitch instruments so I’m not bothered with the MIDI track limit but don’t forget you also have 512 Instrument tracks. I also don’t see why there should be a limit on the number of MIDI tracks though.

I think many composers are moving away from the massive track count thing with each articulation on its own track. VSL, OT and Spitfire for example all kind of steer you towards keyswitches or other means of articulation switching. It’s getting so easy to manage the iPad/touchscreen solutions like Composer Tools Pro.

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by noiseboyuk

huge templates

lucky we now have track presets

[noiseboyuk]

Track Presets are fab, and yes keyswitches exist (and have donee for a long time, and I use a lot of them in my own template - still 1,300 tracks though!). But it's not me you need to convince! Composers work how they want to work. I doubt Track Presets would work for many navigating a menu hierarchy for every single instrument (instead of just playing on the track they want). If PT wants to serve that market, it has to meet them how they work. And - to repeat - a limit on midi tracks is entirely arbitrary and pointless.

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by noiseboyuk

limit on midi tracks is entirely arbitrary and pointless

true.

[daeron80]

Originally Posted by JFreak

lucky we now have track presets

Yes, but then you're looking at 2000 track presets, assuming PT supports that many. I'd rather have 2000 inactive instrument tracks than try to navigate that many presets, even if it were technically possible.

[massivekerry]

Originally Posted by noiseboyuk

Track Presets are fab, and yes keyswitches exist (and have donee for a long time, and I use a lot of them in my own template - still 1,300 tracks though!). But it's not me you need to convince! Composers work how they want to work. I doubt Track Presets would work for many navigating a menu hierarchy for every single instrument (instead of just playing on the track they want). If PT wants to serve that market, it has to meet them how they work. And - to repeat - a limit on midi tracks is entirely arbitrary and pointless.

I agree 100% with Guy. The "composer" contingent who use Pro Tools may not be as obvious or vocal online as the Post/Recording-Studio users (or the composer users of other DAWs) but we do exist in numbers and have preferences for the way we do things, or wish how they'd work. We're used to having to bite our tongue about PT's limits around our needs and finding ways around them, but someone saying "No one needs THAT" is not something that we (or anyone) needs to hear.