Avid releases Pro Tools – Intro, a free DAW based on one of the industry-standard music production applications.
Pro Tools – Intro isn’t the first time Avid has provided a free version of their popular DAW. Before Intro, we had Pro Tools – First, which has now been discontinued.
According to Avid, Pro Tools – First wasn’t a viable project in the long term.
It seems Avid was determined not to give up on the idea of a free version but, instead, to find a way to make it more sustainable.
In that regard, users will be glad to hear that Pro Tools – Intro is built on the same code as the latest Pro Tools 2022.9.
Updating the free version should now be more manageable and less of a headache for the developers.
Pro Tools Intro provides eight audio, instrument, and MIDI tracks. It also comes with some handy upgrades since Pro Tools – First, one of the most notable being AAX support.
AAX support means that users can now use third-party plugins, as well as the 35 Avid plugins included with the download. You can also use our free BPB Dirty Filter plugin.
In terms of sounds and instruments, you’ll get AIR Music Tech’s Xpand!2. I can imagine some readers will be thinking Xpand!2 is a touch dated, and you’d be right. But, it comes with over 2500 presets, and I was genuinely surprised by the quality when I first heard it.
So, if you are a beginner and don’t have a vast arsenal of sounds, Xpand!2 isn’t a bad place to start.
On top of the eight audio, instrument, and MIDI tracks, you’ll get four AUX tracks, one master track, four simultaneous inputs/outputs, and up to 192kHz recording/playback.
I’m glad that Avid has continued down this path; Pro Tools is such a massive part of the industry, and I think it’s great for everyone to have access to Pro Tools, even in this streamlined state.
You can download Pro Tools – Intro from the Avid website now. I’d encourage anyone new to making music or just new to Pro Tools to check it out.
Visit the Avid website to learn what’s included with Pro Tools – Intro.
While Avid is releasing a free DAW, we have Audacity 3.2 looking more like a future DAW.
Download: Pro Tools – Intro
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Last Updated on October 2, 2022 by Tomislav Zlatic.
