Optional Digidesign Software — Pro Tools|HD Systems for Mac OS X

With Pro Tools 6.1 and Pro Tools|HD 1, HD 2, and HD 3 Systems

The following Digidesign software is compatible with Pro Tools 6.1:

* New purchases of this software include an iLok License Card. iLok USB Hardware Key sold separately, available from your Authorized Digidesign Dealer or the DigiStore

For more information, see the Digidesign Plug-Ins Guide in the Technical Document Library

Notes:

  • Due to the fundamental changes in architecture required for Pro Tools to support Mac OS X, only plug-ins specifically engineered to be compatible with Pro Tools 6 will work.
  • Updates for existing owners of all of the above software are included on the Pro Tools 6.1 CD.
  • An iLok USB Hardware Key may be required for some software authorizations when used with Mac OS X.
  • Floppy disk authorizations will not work with Mac OS X
  • Please see Mac OS X Requirements — Pro Tools 6 for important installation and authorization instructions
  • For more information on iLok see the iLok Information Page in the Support section of the Digidesign website
  • Installing OS X or updating your OS X operating system on your Macintosh may erase any currently installed OS 9 key disk authorizations. Uninstall all key disk authorizations before installing OS X.

Not Compatible with Mac OS X:

Pro Tools 6.1 software for Mac OS X does not include support for Avid Unity MediaNetwork Shared Storage Systems. Digidesign plans to add support with a Pro Tools release in Q3 2003.

For a list of plug-ins from Digidesign & Digidesign Development Partners, see the Digidesign Pro Tools 6 OS X Plug-In Compatibility Reference in the Developers section & the Pro Tools|HD Plug-In Finder in the Products section of the website. Check with individual plug-in manufacturers for compatibility information with their plug-ins and your system.

DigiRack Plug-Ins

The following DigiRack Plug-Ins are included with Pro Tools 6.1 TDM software for Mac OS X & Windows XP:

  • Chorus
  • Click
  • D-Verb
  • D-Verb-AS
  • DigiReWire
  • Dither
  • Dynamics II
  • EQ II
  • Flanger
  • Invert-Duplicate
  • Mod Delay II
  • Multi-Tap Delay
  • Normalize-Gain Change
  • Ping-Pong Delay
  • Pitch
  • Reverse-DC Removal
  • Signal Generator
  • Stereo Mixer
  • Surround Mixer
  • Time Comp-Exp-Pitch Shift
  • TimeAdjuster
  • Trim

DigiRack Plug-ins are automatically installed during the Pro Tools installation and are automatically authorized by the Pro Tools authorization. The Pro Tools 6.x application and included DigiRack Plug-ins do not require an iLok for authorization. Only optional Digidesign and Digidesign-distributed Development Partner plug-ins and software options on Pro Tools TDM and LE systems running v6.x software have changed from floppy disk to iLok authorization (as have many third-party software manufacturers). If you do not own any floppy-authorized plug-ins or software that you need to upgrade for use with Pro Tools 6.x, or have not purchased any new plug-ins that require an iLok authorization, you do not need an iLok.

For more information on DigiRack Plug-Ins, see the DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide in the Technical Document Library and installed in your Documentation folder during Pro Tools installation. For information on how to use the new DigiReWire plug-in, see the DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide v6.1 > chapter 7: Using Digi ReWire (Pro Tools 6.1 Only)

Plug-In Formats

Pro Tools TDM software supports the following Plug-In formats:

TDM

Digidesign's Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) technology is the foundation of the Pro Tools professional mixing environment, providing 24-bit mixing and real-time digital signal processing (DSP) capabilities. TDM Plug-Ins use the dedicated hardware of TDM systems, which offer easy expandability — you can add TDM plug-ins up to the DSP capacity of your system, no matter how many edits or how much automation you have in a session. If you need more DSP, simply add another DSP Farm or MIX Farm card.

HTDM

Host Time Division Multiplexing (HTDM) Plug-Ins represent a hybrid of TDM and RTAS technologies. HTDM Plug-Ins provide all the logistical functionality of standard TDM Plug-Ins, but, like RTAS Plug-Ins, they allow for all the processing to be done on the host. In so doing, HTDM Plug-Ins offer two primary benefits: The resources of the Pro Tools Core and/or Farm DSP chips remain available for other tasks; and, despite running on the host, HTDM Plug-Ins can be instantiated on any track, a characteristic previously confined to TDM Plug-Ins only. HTDM Plug-Ins will only work with the following systems:

  • Pro Tools|HD systems for Macintosh or Windows XP
  • Pro Tools MIX systems with Pro Tools 5.1.1 for Macintosh or higher
  • Pro Tools MIX systems for Windows XP and Windows 2000 with Pro Tools 5.3.1 or higher

For more information, see the HTDM Q & A

Real-Time AudioSuite (RTAS)

Real-Time AudioSuite Plug-Ins are host-based processors, using the computer's processing power to do their job. Functionally, RTAS Plug-Ins offer many of the real-time benefits of TDM Plug-Ins. They are fully automatable, their parameters can change in real time, and their effects are not permanently written to the audio file. Since they are host-based, RTAS Plug-Ins require trade-offs between track and plug-in count, edit density and amount of mix automation in a session.

AudioSuite

AudioSuite Plug-Ins provide file-based processing, meaning they process or alter the sound file and create a new file with the processed sound. The resulting effect is applied to the entire file. AudioSuite Plug-Ins are great for conserving DSP power and certain types of processing where there is no real-time benefit or application, such as normalization and noise reduction.

Digidesign Compatibility Documents Index