Page 6 - ACCENT Aug 10
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6 ACCENT Special Edition - August 2010
Pro Tools 8 M-Powered
Expanding your options from Lab to DAW
Setting up a dedicated recording station can be erally been limited to schools with a strong recommend are the M-Audio Sono 61 (61 note) and
a costly exercise... but it doesn’t have to be, VET music program (or , in Tasmania, KeyStudio 49i. (49 note) The beauty of these key-
thanks to Pro Tools M-powered and Project- running Audio Design for TCE). In part boards is that they feature a built-in audio interface
Mix I/O from AVID Technology. this has been due to the fact that Pro Tools with full PTMP compatibility. The audio interface
software has always required dedicated is a professional quality 2-channel system capable
Pro Tools is an audio/recording industry icon... the audio hardware, which often proved to be of 16bit 44.1kHz recording and playback. The very
system of choice amongst audio professionals in impractical and/or cost prohibitive. How- low latency means no audible delay when playing
recording, film and television around the world. ever, while dedicated hardware remains a soft synths via the computer.
It has also become the standard system used by requirement, the software and hardware
tertiary institutions delivering certificate, diploma, options now available from AVID provide Compatible with both Windows and Mac OSX,
degree and post graduate courses in Music and Au- some viable and highly recommended the Sono 61 or KeyStudio 49i channels all your
dio Technology, Film, Television and Multimedia choices. computer sounds through the superior quality on-
Industry and Music Industry Skills. board USB audio interface and can be monitored
Pro Tools M-Powered via powered speakers or headphones. And to make
At the secondary level however, Pro Tools has gen- The modus operandi that makes all this headphone monitoring even more convenient in a
possible is Pro Tools M-Powered (PTMP) lab environment there are two headphone sockets
software. Importantly, PTMP is not some located at the front of the keyboard.
watered-down “lite” version of Pro Tools.
It is Pro Tools. There are actually three flavours A unique feature is the range of available audio in-
of Pro Tools, all of which share the same user puts... an XLR mic input, a 6.35mm instrument jack
interface and file format. The primary distinction is and stereo RCA connectors. Plus, there are panel
the hardware they work with. Pro Tools HD runs on controls that enable convenient mixing of all inputs.
elite, high-end Pro Tools|HD hardware. Pro Tools
LE works with a variety of AVID (Digidesign) ProjectMix I/O - for the DAW
hardware including the MBox 2 family. PTMP The piece de resistance for multi-channel recording
requires connectivity with an M-Audio interface... is the M-Audio ProjectMix I/O... an all-in-one
and it is this option that has made Pro Tools far FireWire MIDI/audio interface and control surface
more accessible at the secondary level. with an array of connectivity options. There are
sixteen inputs, i.e. eight XLR mic inputs and eight
Sono 61 and KeyStudio 49i - in the lab line inputs, with a switch determining which input
When designing a new lab, or upgrading an existing is “live”. All mic inputs have preamps, phantom
one, the keyboard controllers that we most often power and individual gain controls. All line inputs
