Pro tools computer requirements pro#

Operating Systems are updated with regularity now and it’s easy for software builds to fall behind latest OS revisions when changes in OS revisions can cause conflicts with current Pro Tools releases. Avid maintain compatibility documents that confirm which hardware and OS configurations that they’ve tested Pro Tools with. In order for Pro Tools to run smoothly and efficiently, you’ll need to run the app on hardware and software that it is able to work harmoniously with. We tend not to see H/W Buffer notifications in HDX systems, where the audio processing load is shouldered by the DSPs – the CPU is largely not required in HDX systems (with caveats). The traditional ‘hardware buffer technique’ dictates that we use lower buffer sizes for tracking/recording (for the best latency) and higher buffer sizes for mixing, where the power is made available to run all of the plugins. Higher buffer sizes grant more CPU power to Pro Tools (at the behest of input latency) and lower buffer sizes reduce the load on the CPU. The selectable Hardware Buffer size (measured in Samples) – found in Setup -> Playback Engine – allows the user to ‘ask’ the CPU for more processing power to be given to Pro Tools’ audio tasks. When a Hardware Buffer notification appears, it’s essentially saying the same thing. When a CPU notification appears, it’s telling you that there isn’t enough CPU time available to run what Pro Tools needs / what you’re asking it to do. But the CPU is also responsible for running the computer as well at the same time. If you’re using Pro Tools | First, Pro Tools (Standard), Pro Tools HD Native, or Pro Tools Ultimate but running on a standard computer (ie not connected to HDX cards), then you’re running what’s referred to as a NATIVE system – the CPU is responsible for (largely) all of the Pro Tools audio tasks.

What does CPU / Hardware Buffer Notifications refer to? This is why Pro Tools may often see CPU and Hardware Buffer notifications – it’s more likely than not that your system is up to the task, but some work in your OS/Computer is required to make sure Pro Tools is able to function properly.įor this reason – a lot of the advice that we’ll disseminate in this article is for computer centric than Pro Tools centric. It’s a powerful and complex app and it requires the right system, with all of its ducks in a row, to work efficiently. While many DAWs may make music production simpler – that was their goal: to make music making more accessible for the non-engineer – Pro Tools doesn’t pull any punches. It’s quite clear that working with Pro Tools successfully requires a deeper level of knowledge about computers as well as about the DAW. If you’re finding this article because you’re looking for solutions to CPU or Hardware Buffer Dialog notifications, or you’re here because you’ve been linked from the official Avid Pro Tools Facebook Support Forum, we’re going to preface this article by suggesting that you read through our compendium carefully, and take a look / listen to our YouTube video discussing Pro Tools stability tips.

Pro tools computer requirements