Pro Tools now has M1 Mac support, and lets you create bigger projects than ever before
Avid says that the 2021.6 update creates “the most powerful Pro Tools systems we’ve ever made”
Avid has released Pro Tools 2021.6, a summer update for the DAW that brings the Hybrid Engine to HDX systems, adds support for M1 Macs and offers more I/O, tracks and voices.
The Hybrid Engine was launched alongside the Pro Tools | Carbon audio interface, and has now been brought to Pro Tools HDX systems. It’s designed to let you switch between native and DSP processing on a track-by-track basis, giving you a best-of-both worlds approach and the ability to run bigger sessions more smoothly.
In fact, Pro Tools | Ultimate now supports 2,048 voices and audio tracks at all sample rates, from 128 to 28kHz. That’s five times more than the previous version. What’s more, the maximum number of I/O channels has been doubled from 32 to 64.
The standard Pro Tools, meanwhile, now supports a maximum of 256 mono or stereo audio tracks.
The update also means that you can now run Pro Tools | First, Pro Tools, Pro Tools | Ultimate and Pro Tools | Carbon systems on M1 Macs - another boost for Apple’s silicon processors.
Other enhancements include the option to customise the dark and classic UI themes, QuickTime and file support improvements, and automatic delay compensation when sidechaining tracks.
Find out more on the Avid website. Pro Tools 2021.6 is available to all users with an active subscription plan.
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I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.