DIGITAL MULTITRACK
RECORDING
MIDI COMMUNICATION
 
 
 
 
 
digidesign pro tools 5
 
 
 

INTRODUCTION
Pro Tools is one of the most famous and popular audio recording, editing and mixing system, traditionally based on Macintosh platform and recently oriented - step by step - also to Windows compatible computers.

Year by year, Pro Tools has improved its features and system specs until the recent version 5 that included also advanced MIDI editing features.

But Pro Tools is also a phylosophy, mainly based on three important key factors: system upgradability or expandability, common software interface and customer support.

Currently Pro Tools offers several hardware systems around a common software, satisfying different requests coming from users and optimizing their experience and money investment. In some cases, registered users can also benefit of special upgrade offers, exchanging the old hardware components with the newest ones for a fraction of the cost.

Pro Tools software currently runs with four main different hardware configurations:
- the DIGI TOOLBOX XP system (minimal analog+digital I/O, MIDI I/O not included, no DSP)
- the DIGI 001 system (limited analog+digital I/O, MIDI I/O available, no DSP);
- the 24 System (freely configurable analog+digital and MIDI I/O, built-in DSP, expandability);
- the 24 Mix / Mix Plus System (freely configurable analog+digital and MIDI I/O, built-in "powered" DSP, expandability).

Plug-in technology increases Pro Tools basic editing features with signal processing applications: for instance, dedicated EQs, reverbs, delays, enhancers, dynamics, etc. can be easily configured channel by channel.
In addition to Digidesign production, third parties plug-in softwares are also available, produced by famous companies as Aphex, Focusrite, Dolby, etc.

The most advanced Pro Tools systems (24 and 24MIX) can also benefit of a wide range of accessories, assuring a great flexibility in terms of I/O ports, sync options, remote control and processing capabilities.

Finally, some considerations about computer requirements; since the introduction of Pro Tools v.5, the request in terms CPU power and RAM availability is considerably high:
- about Mac OS platform, a Power Macintosh 8600 (all speeds) equipped with 128Mb of internal RAM is the minimum officially approved by Digidesign in order to guarantee a good performance using Pro Tools;
- about the announced support to Windows Platform, the minimum requirement is a Pentium II / 266 MHz PC equipped with 128Mb of internal RAM, Intel 440LX or 440BX chipset and Phoenix or Award BIOS.

While Mac OS traditionally support any Pro Tools system, for technical reasons due to the reliability of Windows platform for such applications, Digidesign decided to differentiate the software development:
- Pro Tools 5 with DIGI TOOLBOX XP or DIGI 001 systems requires Windows 98 SE;
- Pro Tools 5 with 24 and 24MIX or 24MIXplus systems requires Windows NT v.4.0.