Pro Tools 12 — I don't care about the release date, because...

[huzzam]

Avid will never see another dollar, euro, Turkish lira, or Madagascar Ariary (had to look that up) from me again, unless they change from this subscription madness. I'm a musician, working on my own projects, and not running a big studio. $30 a month or $300 a year is a complete non-starter, especially given that missing a month means a complete lack of access to old projects.

So I guess I'm sticking with PT 11 till I die... Good thing I mostly like it...

~peter in istanbul

ps-- why did the "I" in "I don't care about the release date" get turned into "bleep?"

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by huzzam

Avid will never see another dollar, euro, Turkish lira, or Madagascar Ariary (had to look that up) from me again, unless they change from this subscription madness. I'm a musician, working on my own projects, and not running a big studio. $30 a month or $300 a year is a complete non-starter, especially given that missing a month means a complete lack of access to old projects.

So I guess I'm sticking with PT 11 till I die... Good thing I mostly like it...

~peter in istanbul

ps-- why did the "I" in "I don't care about the release date" get turned into "bleep?"

There's no need to go subscription; you can always get on the support plan at $199 US. Do that and you have a permanent license unlike the subscription model.

[huzzam]

Are you sure? This is from an email from Bobby Owsinski:

Pro Tools 12 will only be available via subscription. You can either go month to month at $29.95 per month or $299 per year, or get a "perpetual" license that allows you to purchase the software for $899. You also need a subscription for your hardware as well so that the software continues to work with it.

Here's the rub - If you stop paying your monthly subscription, the Pro Tools software will disappear from your computer. And a perpetual license is of little help since you still have to pay $899 per year to get any support or upgrades. Stop paying and the app remains on your computer, but no updates are available to you.

[Drew Mazurek]

You can buy a perpetual license and use it forever, at that version. It will never "disappear" from your computer unless you delete it.

[Park Seward]

If you have a subscription that lapses, do you then use your perpetual license? I assume Pro Tools goes back to the last perpetual version and the subscription version either goes away or is simply "turned off".

Does your old perpetual license stop working when your subscription lapses? It should not but I haven't seen all the facts yet.

Does the subscription enable the most current version of software or the last working version you had on your computer? While on subscription, do you get updates?

[lexaudio]

Ok, here is the real truth and "rub". The mods and AVID like to "steer" you away from this very fact.

Yes, if you have a perpetual license, it will not go away. If you have a subscription it will.

So let's say, you buy the 199 annual "extortion support" and in a year, when it is up for "renewal", you either don't have the money at that point, or AVID has put nothing of value into the software that you need at that time.

While your license will remain at that version, let's say V12.2.1. That is the last version you will be able to use.
You will not be able to get updates. And worse yet, you will NEVER be able to UPGRADE that perpetual license. It is FROZEN at that version FOREVER.

IF you want to get the next update, lets say that v12.2.3 fixes a very annoying bug that has been their since V12.1.2 for the year, you will not be able to get it.

However, if you buy a "NEW" perpetual license for 899, you will have one year to get on a "plan" or the whole process starts over again.

It is nothing more than extortion. Pay monthly or annually, or lose the ability to update and upgrade FOREVER.

And from Bobby himself, the music community is not moving up to 12. There is nothing they want in it, and everyone feels the same about this annual "must" or lose deal.

Logic, DP, Cubase and Nuendo are getting looked at heavily again and many are consider moving to other platforms.

[mesaone]

Pro Tools 12 will only be available via subscription. You can either go month to month at $29.95 per month or $299 per year, or get a "perpetual" license that allows you to purchase the software for $899.

So it's ONLY AVAILABLE as a subscription... EXCEPT it's ALSO available as a perpetual license.

Huzzam, what about GBP, Yen, or Spanish doubloons?

[lexaudio]

Originally Posted by Park Seward

If you have a subscription that lapses, do you then use your perpetual license? I assume Pro Tools goes back to the last perpetual version and the subscription version either goes away or is simply "turned off".

Does your old perpetual license stop working when your subscription lapses? It should not but I haven't seen all the facts yet.

Does the subscription enable the most current version of software or the last working version you had on your computer? While on subscription, do you get updates?

A License subscription is a cloud license and is turned off. A perpetual license lives on your ilok but is frozen at that version and cannot be updated or upgraded. EVER.

You have to buy a completely new license to get new updates and upgrades.

And if its an HD license, you need to buy new hardware again to get a new license as you can't buy an HD license buy itself.

So the only one who wins here is AVID and AVID screws the users.

[JoelG]

Originally Posted by lexaudio

Ok, here is the real truth and "rub". The mods and AVID like to "steer" you away from this very fact.

Yes, if you have a perpetual license, it will not go away. If you have a subscription it will.

So let's say, you buy the 199 annual "extortion support" and in a year, when it is up for "renewal", you either don't have the money at that point, or AVID has put nothing of value into the software that you need at that time.

While your license will remain at that version, let's say V12.2.1. That is the last version you will be able to use.
You will not be able to get updates. And worse yet, you will NEVER be able to UPGRADE that perpetual license. It is FROZEN at that version FOREVER.

IF you want to get the next update, lets say that v12.2.3 fixes a very annoying bug that has been their since V12.1.2 for the year, you will not be able to get it.

However, if you buy a "NEW" perpetual license for 899, you will have one year to get on a "plan" or the whole process starts over again.

It is nothing more than extortion. Pay monthly or annually, or lose the ability to update and upgrade FOREVER.

That is not exactly a secret. It has been stated over and over, and is in the FAQ too!

"Q. What is a perpetual license?
A. A "perpetual license" is a license that does not expire—you own the software. You get a perpetual license when you purchase a new Pro Tools or Pro Tools | HD system or Pro Tools software. New Pro Tools software purchases come with a one-year annual upgrade and support plan. After one year, you have the option of renewing your plan to continue receiving the latest features. If you choose not to renew, you can continue using your software indefinitely at the latest version you have, but will not be able to upgrade it at a later time.

Q. Will my Pro Tools perpetual license stop working at the end of the one-year upgrade and support plan period?
A. No, you can continue to use Pro Tools if you allow your upgrade and support plan to expire. However, if you want to continue receiving updates with new features, you will need to renew your plan before it expires or switch to a subscription. Pro Tools and Pro Tools | HD owners will have through the end of 2015 to get on an annual upgrade and support plan. If you don’t get on a plan, you will not be able to upgrade your software in the future.

Q: If I have a Pro Tools perpetual license and my upgrade and support plan expires, what are my options if I want to upgrade later on?
A: You will have two options to get access to the latest version of Pro Tools:
Subscribe to Pro Tools software on a monthly or annual basis
Purchase a new Pro Tools perpetual license (full product) that includes an annual upgrade and support plan"

At this point, it is up to Avid to prove that there will be compelling reasons to buy into the support plan. If over the next year the Pro Tools upgrades provide features that make your work better/easier, then staying current with the support plan makes sense. If there are no new features that make your work better/easier, then stay on the "perpetual" license that you have.

Originally Posted by lexaudio

And if its an HD license, you need to buy new hardware again to get a new license as you can't buy an HD license buy itself.

That has not been stated in the FAQ. I think there have been users that have speculated, but Avid has not said this.

Joel

[lexaudio]

Originally Posted by JoelG

That is not exactly a secret. It has been stated over and over, and is in the FAQ too!

"Q. What is a perpetual license?
A. A "perpetual license" is a license that does not expire—you own the software. You get a perpetual license when you purchase a new Pro Tools or Pro Tools | HD system or Pro Tools software. New Pro Tools software purchases come with a one-year annual upgrade and support plan. After one year, you have the option of renewing your plan to continue receiving the latest features. If you choose not to renew, you can continue using your software indefinitely at the latest version you have, but will not be able to upgrade it at a later time.

Q. Will my Pro Tools perpetual license stop working at the end of the one-year upgrade and support plan period?
A. No, you can continue to use Pro Tools if you allow your upgrade and support plan to expire. However, if you want to continue receiving updates with new features, you will need to renew your plan before it expires or switch to a subscription. Pro Tools and Pro Tools | HD owners will have through the end of 2015 to get on an annual upgrade and support plan. If you don’t get on a plan, you will not be able to upgrade your software in the future.

Q: If I have a Pro Tools perpetual license and my upgrade and support plan expires, what are my options if I want to upgrade later on?
A: You will have two options to get access to the latest version of Pro Tools:
Subscribe to Pro Tools software on a monthly or annual basis
Purchase a new Pro Tools perpetual license (full product) that includes an annual upgrade and support plan"

At this point, it is up to Avid to prove that there will be compelling reasons to buy into the support plan. If over the next year the Pro Tools upgrades provide features that make your work better/easier, then staying current with the support plan makes sense. If there are no new features that make your work better/easier, then stay on the "perpetual" license that you have.



That has not been stated in the FAQ. I think there have been users that have speculated, but Avid has not said this.

Joel

AVID's current HDF policy is that no HD license are sold without purchase of hardware.
So unless AVID wants to state something different, there is no speculation.

That is the current policy.

And while there is no "secret" to the FAQ, the fact that you lose the ability to update and upgrade your perpetual license FOREVER is the most troubling fact PERIOD.

You can spin it anyway you want, and defend it, but that in a whole is what users are upset about.
It is extortion through and through.

AVID isn't being very user friendly in this and it is driving away users.

As I have stated, I'm not purchasing an HD rig this year as I had planned to thanks to this. And I'm not the only one either. Several people are forgoing hardware upgrades and purchases as well.

That's 30k plus lost this year for AVID. I wanted to have multiple license as well, but now will only keep one.

Defend all you want, but this is bad for the end users, not good.