Perpetual to Studio, will it still be "perpetual" when the license expires in 2023?

[fredmant]

Hi, I can't find an answer to the most important question I can think of regarding the elimination of Perpetual licenses earlier this year (2022). I have had a Perpetual PT license since 2010 and I do upgrade each year. Now I have to upgrade to Studio before November 22, 2022. My question is, $199 buys me a year of Studio. If I don't renew next year on November 22 of 2023, will Pro Tools Studio still work? That's the way Perpetual worked after you didn't renew. You couldn't get new versions, but your latest version before it expired would continue to work. A lot of people did that. Does anyone know the answer?
Thank you
Fred

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by fredmant

Hi, I can't find an answer to the most important question I can think of regarding the elimination of Perpetual licenses earlier this year (2022). I have had a Perpetual PT license since 2010 and I do upgrade each year. Now I have to upgrade to Studio before November 22, 2022. My question is, $199 buys me a year of Studio. If I don't renew next year on November 22 of 2023, will Pro Tools Studio still work? That's the way Perpetual worked after you didn't renew. You couldn't get new versions, but your latest version before it expired would continue to work. A lot of people did that. Does anyone know the answer?
Thank you
Fred

Avid stopped selling perp licenses in April 2022. It did not change anything about how previously purchased perp licenses function. If you do not renew your annual update and support plan by 11/22/23 you may continue to use the most current version of PT Studio released before that expiration date. However, you will lose use of certain Avid plugins (unless you separately subscribe to them) and Heat (unless you buy it).

[Ben Jenssen]

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

Avid stopped selling perp licenses in April 2022. It did not change anything about how previously purchased perp licenses function. If you do not renew your annual update and support plan by 11/22/23 you may continue to use the most current version of PT Studio released before that expiration date. However, you will lose use of certain Avid plugins (unless you separately subscribe to them) and Heat (unless you buy it).

Correct. Perpetual is forever. But if you don't renew the 'Upgrade/support-plan', you can never upgrade beyond the date you let the plan expire, nothing has changed in that regard. Unless you have a so-called reinstatement code. I have one. I let my update/support plan expire almost two years ago. I got a reinstatement code on sale in 2021 from a reseller, and I plan to use it to get up to date and have a year of upgrade/support (and extra plugins++), when the time is right. (PT apple silicon native)

Avid doesn't sell reinstatements either anymore, so I guess they're getting harder to come by.
(About the udpate/support expiration date; I've heard there is a "grace period" of 30 days, but I don't know the details.)

The only way to lose your perpetual license is to "surrender" it on the Avid web site for a discount on something like a year of subscription. I know some have been lured into that trap not realizing what they were actually doing. Be very careful, and read everything thoroughly on that buying/renewal page before you click anything.

[fredmant]

Originally Posted by sdelsolray

Avid stopped selling perp licenses in April 2022. It did not change anything about how previously purchased perp licenses function. If you do not renew your annual update and support plan by 11/22/23 you may continue to use the most current version of PT Studio released before that expiration date. However, you will lose use of certain Avid plugins (unless you separately subscribe to them) and Heat (unless you buy it).

So even if I renew it with "Studio" level, my Perpetual status will still allow me to keep running PT at the last release level I was at if I let my support lapse years from now? I understand the plug-ins that are for subscribed users would drop off. It's probably the main reason I never bothered tinkering with Falcon, assuming the rug could be pulled out from under me by AVID (or Falcon).
Thanks.

[fredmant]

Originally Posted by Ben Jenssen

The only way to lose your perpetual license is to "surrender" it on the Avid web site for a discount on something like a year of subscription. I know some have been lured into that trap not realizing what they were actually doing. Be very careful, and read everything thoroughly on that buying/renewal page before you click anything.

I actually DID get tricked into losing my perpetual by the $99/yr offer one year and I had many emails and calls going back and forth before they 'fixed' it. They still lopped two weeks off my licensing period, but I had given up arguing at that point (I got tricked two weeks before my current sub expired, and when they reinstated me to perpetual, they did it from the date I got tricked, not the date the original perp sub would have expired, if that makes sense).

Anyway, thanks for you input, Ben. I'm going to re-up. I suppose I'll find out what happens to my use of PT if/when I ever let it expire.

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by fredmant

So even if I renew it with "Studio" level, my Perpetual status will still allow me to keep running PT at the last release level I was at if I let my support lapse years from now?
...

Yes.

Originally Posted by fredmant

...
I understand the plug-ins that are for subscribed users would drop off.
...

Only some of the provided plugins "drop off". There is a core set of Avid plugins that remain even after a lapse of an update and support plan. The Avid Complete Plugin Bundle (which is part of the update and support plan) contains (i) the core set and (ii) additional plugins. The last time I looked (which was several years ago) a subscription to the Avid Complete Plugin Bundle was $49 per year.

Originally Posted by fredmant

...
It's probably the main reason I never bothered tinkering with Falcon, assuming the rug could be pulled out from under me by AVID (or Falcon).
Thanks.

UVI owns Falcon and whatever contract it had with Avid expired which (I suspect) is why Avid removed it from the Complete Plugin Bundle. For the most part I use third party plugins, although many of the Avid plugins are rather good.

[b mcgibney]

I liked Falcon so much I bought it. A lot of the UVI stuff is great as is the Arturia VI stuff.

[basslik]

Originally Posted by b mcgibney

I liked Falcon so much I bought it. A lot of the UVI stuff is great as is the Arturia VI stuff.

WOW. I thought you needed PT to run Falcon on subscription. I like what I've seen regarding Falcon. Have to find a legit place for purchase.


Can you buy from Avid?