Avid have released the latest update for Pro Tools, delivering some of the most requested features from both music and post-production users. New track markers have been implemented, along with expanded immersive mixing capabilities and improved interoperability with Media Composer sessions.
Track Markers
With the introduction of track markers, users are now able to add colour-coded notes directly to specific tracks on the timeline independently of the dedicated Marker ruler. By default, the new markers are contained in a lane below the track they’re attached to, but can also be set to overlay clips from within a new Marker View. For folder tracks, the marker line extends through all of the member tracks. It is also possible to attach a marker to a clip so that its position is not affected by edits.
Recognising that many users often write long lines of text in the existing marker’s Name field instead of using the Comments field (which couldn’t be displayed on the timeline), Avid have increased the size of the Name field, and added the ability for users to prioritise a marker’s comments over its name. With no comments entered, a marker’s name will be displayed, and with a track in Marker View, both the Name and Comments fields will be displayed.
Pro Tools sessions that are generated from Media Composer 2022.12 and later will now contain markers on the corresponding tracks, with any information added in the Comments box displayed in the resulting session with matching colour-coding by default.
New Track Widths
New track and bus widths have been added to Pro Tools Studio and Ultimate with the former now supporting formats from 5.0.2 to 7.1.6, and the latter supporting 5.0.2 to 9.1.6 and forth- to seventh-order Ambisonics. The aim of the feature is to simplify the monitoring of Dolby Atmos mixes through Pro Tools, and to allow plug-in manufacturers to develop better tools for immersive production. Avid say that the extended support for Ambisonics formats have been included in order to keep up with the demands of modern video game and virtual reality projects.
Thanks to the new track formats, it is now possible to bounce Binaural, 2.0, 5.1, 7.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.4, and 7.1.4 re-renders directly from Pro Tools Studio and Ultimate, with Ultimate also capable of bouncing 9.1.6 re-renders. Both versions are also now able to generate 96kHz ADM BWF files.
Other Improvements
A number of other improvements have also been implemented with the update. Studio and Ultimate users now able to have both MOV and MXF video clips on the same video track, which was previously limited to a single format. After adding the ability to tab to automation breakpoints in the 2023.3 update, Avid have now made it possible to turn off the ability after receiving feedback that it was slowing down workflows for some users.
Surround monitoring capabilities have also been added to Pro Tools Carbon interfaces, with users now benefitting from surround monitoring support for formats ranging from 5.1 to 7.1.2.
Availability
Pro Tools 2023.6 is available now to all Pro Tools users with an active subscription, a perpetual licence with a current Software Update + Support Plan, and Pro Tools Intro users.
