Avid have announced the release of Pro Tools 2023.12, which delivers a new integrated Dolby Atmos renderer along with a range of improvements and enhancements to the marker and memory location capabilities, I/O setup and routing colour-coding options, and more.
Dolby Atmos
With the release of the update, Pro Tools Studio and Ultimate now boast a built-in Dolby Atmos renderer, allowing users to mix and monitor Atmos content directly within the DAW without the need to connect to Dolby’s external application.
Binaural, 2.0, 5.1, 7.1, 5.1.2, 5.1.4 and 7.1.4 channel formats are supported, and Ultimate users also benefit from support for 9.1.6. It is possible to set up binaural monitoring from the session’s main output, or as an independent headphone mix, allowing users to use a separate monitoring format for their speaker system. The integration also offers an independent re-render that can be used for loudness metering with the user’s choice of plug-in, or as an additional 5.1 or 2.0 send or print of the mix.
The DAW can still be used with the Dolby Atmos Renderer application, and can be toggled between internal and external renderer modes. Avid have provided the the following list of features that will still require a connection to Dolby’s application:
- Dolby Atmos Music Panner support
- Support for larger post-production workflows like dubbing using multi-system configurations
- Recording and punching into a .atmos file
- Export of MP4 files
- Built-in room correction tools
- Additional speaker configurations beyond the built-in renderer’s options
- Speaker array mode
- Ability to monitor live re-renders beyond 5.1 loudness and stereo/binaural
Markers, Memory Locations & Colour-Coding
Following on from the introduction of track markers in Pro Tools 2023.6, the latest update increases the number of marker rulers available in the Edit window, as well as providing an easier way to search and organise them thanks to a new filtering system. Up to five marker rulers can now be independently shown, reordered and renamed, and new mapping options have been added to the Import Session Data window to provide some flexibility in how the markers are handled when importing data between different sessions.
Pro Tools sessions can now contain up to five independent marker rulers.
Memory location functionality has also been improved, with a new filtering system offering a faster and more convenient way to search for saved locations. A new mode that unlinks selected memory locations from recalled ones has also been implemented, making it possible to remove unwanted locations from the session without the risk of accidentally recalling something. A Redundant Import feature also allows the DAW to scan for, and filter out, any redundant makers when importing session data between different revisions of a session.
Routing paths can now be colour-coded in the I/O Setup window. Avid have also introduced colour-coding options to help visualise the relationship between paths in the DAW’s I/O Setup window. Assigning a colour to an output path, for example, will cause the related bus path to automatically inherit the same colour (and vice versa). The colours will also be displayed on tiles in the I/O section of the Edit and Mix windows, and a slider in the Color Palette makes it possible to adjust the saturation or turn off the feature completely.
Other Improvements
A number of other improvements and enhancements are also included with the update, such as a Same as Source bounce option for exporting H.264 video files, improved QuickTime timecode track support, extended support for Native Instruments’ latest Komplete Kontrol keyboards, AAX plug-in cache improvements and more. A full changelog can be found on the Avid website.
Pro Tools Sketch
The update also enhances the interoperability between Sketches (the DAW’s recently added clip-based creation tool which is also available as an iPad app) and Pro Tools. When dragging a MIDI clip from the Sketch window to the timeline, users can now choose whether to keep them as MIDI data or render them as audio files, and when dragging audio clips into the Sketch window, there are options for rendering the full signal chain to maintain their processed sound. Avid have improved the desktop Media Browser, making it easier to access loops and samples, and it is now possible to embed Sketches directly into Pro Tools sessions.
Compatibility
Pro Tools 2023.12 is supported on PCs running Windows 10 or 11, and Macs running macOS 12.7 to 13.6. Avid say that there is not yet support for macOS 14 (Sonoma) due to some known issues.
Pricing & Availability
Pro Tools 2023.12 is available now, and is a free upgrade to all Pro Tools users with an active subscription or perpetual license with a current Upgrade Plan. The latest version of Pro Tools Sketch can be downloaded via Apple’s App Store.
https://www.avid.com/resource-center/whats-new-in-pro-tools-202312
