…patience.

Some users have reported waiting over 30 minutes at this stage.  Apparently a long install is normal, so take a break and let your computer go for it.

Now – if you are waiting an hour or more, and its still stalled, then I would start to think that something is wrong.  Send me an email/comment here, and we will try our best to get your setup working.

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The Studio Files

I’ve had a few inquiries about how to get the Pro Tools 8.0 update. If you

have purchased Pro Tools since mid-October, you will get a free upgrade (likely delivered via the email associated with your Digidesign registration account).  On Macs, Pro Tools 8 will be compatible with Leopard 10.5.5.

If you are upgrading from a previous version, you can buy it (preorder) from retailers, such as Sweetwater.

The LE price and M-powered upgrade price are both $150.  The HD upgrade price is $250.  (Note that a new install for M-powered version is $250 as well).

In my opinion, its worth the upgrade price and then some.  With all the new plug-ins, instruments, and functionality that Digidesign is adding to PT 8, we are in for a treat.

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The Studio Files

The articles that you may be seeing were posted a few months ago when things were still up in the air.

Pro Tools 8 is fully compatible with Leopard. Click here for more information

Right now, Pro Tools LE 7.4.2 is qualified to work with Leopard 10.5.4 (although many are using with 10.5.5 with few problems).

If you have any questions concerning this, or are having trouble getting your setup to work, let us know in the comments.

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The Studio Files

[Please note: this release has not been tested by the Studio Files Team just yet. We'll give you a full report when we know more]

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The Studio Files

Update: Information on Pro Tools Compatibility for Mac OS X 10.5.3

Important — Please be aware that some currently shipping plug-ins and virtual instruments are not compatible with Pro Tools running on Mac OS X Leopard and some require that you update your plug-ins if an update is available. Be sure to review the plug-in compatibility and update information here:
Pro Tools Plug-in Compatibility with Leopard
www.digidesign.com/741plugins 

So get your plug-ins updated (the instrument updates listed I believe are the same as the old ones, to fix the “yellow interface” problem), and get ready for Pro Tools LE 7.4.2!!

The wait is over!

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The Studio Files

Woohoo!  All rumors have been hinting that Digidesign was waiting for 10.5.3 to release the stable version of Pro Tools LE.  Although not confirmed, I have heardfrom a few sources that they have a version of LE working with the latest 10.5.3 seeds already.  So, hopefully that means that within a few days, we will have an update.

If you have your system working on a different version of Leopard, DO NOT run the software update to update to 10.5.3 yet.  Until the compatible PT LE version is out, keep your setup as is.

This time frame would also have Digidesign reaching their prediction of a “pre-June” release.  Perhaps this is the beginning of the end?

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The Studio Files

Hopefully not much longer.  I still think they are waiting on the release of Leopard 10.5.3, as 10.5.2 was chock full of problems in Core Audio.

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The Studio Files

There are a lot of rumors and speculations floating around about the Leopard and Pro Tools LE compatibility issues. While no one has an exact release date, here is what we do know about the situation:

• Digidesign has said in the forums that they are very close. Take this with a grain of salt though, in January, they told me 1-2 more weeks…
• Everyone’s best guess is that Digidesign is waiting for 10.5.3 to be released to release their update, as Apple is working with Digidesign to fix CoreAudio problems in 10.5.2. 10.5.3 has been on the verge for awhile too, so maybe we will see that out soon.
• Adding to the wait is the fact that Digidesign tests all of their setups to the max so they can actually approve the usage of hardware. This is actually a good thing though, because when we do finally get the update, you can be sure it will work.
• Digidesign has also said that this will be a free “dot” (e.g. 7.4.1) release to any registered users of 7.4

Hang in there!!! If you are having trouble getting your system working, let us know, we can help. No one really knows when pro tools LE will be compatible with Leopard, but the general instinct is that it is very close (perhaps before the end of May)…

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The Studio Files

Many builds of 10.5.3 have gone out to testing (I think they are on 22? or somewhere around there). Digidesign needed Apple to fix some main glitches in CoreAudio and how the processing streams were working in order to get Pro Tools LE up to speed. Pro Tools can put a hefty strain on the processers when retrieving all that audio from the hard drive, and playing it back with sample accuracy. This release is also supposed to bring full support for the 8-core Mac Pro computers (as right now most of us have to select less processor usage in the settings of Pro Tools).

I wouldn’t get your hopes too far up, as we have been let down a few times now… but definitely keep your browsers pointed at Digidesign.com and Apple.com for updates.

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The Studio Files

Digidesign has posted this message in the forums on 4/17/08 concerning Pro Tools LE compatibility with Leopard:

“Hang tight – we’ll have more info coming in the next week or two.”

So, maybe by the start of May, we will have compatibility!  Cross your fingers.

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The Studio Files

Q: When will the Leopard compatible Pro Tools LE be ready?

A: We hope to have the new release within between 1 and 2 months from now; some of that timetable is contingent on Apple. We’ll keep you posted as we get closer. Normally, we don’t want to give specific dates because that can cause problems in expectation and it’s better not to have negative surprises, but I’d like to share this info with you in the spirit of keeping closer to you as our customers.

While I appreciate the honesty and the update, this is bad news. Another 1-2 months? Pretty soon we are coming up on a year without a major OS compatibility… Also, last time Digidesign said 1-2 months was January 22 via an email they sent me (quote: We’re hoping to have that very soon… anywhere from a week or two to a month or so.)

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The Studio Files

McDSP has issued a press release stating that all their plug-ins will be compatible on April 7th. Will Pro Tools follow suit?? We sure hope so… Adding to our hope is the fact that Digidesign previously said that the update might come out in April.

This of course is also probably governed by the next Leopard release (10.5.3) which should be ready very soon.

Cross your fingers!

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The Studio Files

There’s hope! Apple just released the second testing build of 10.5.3 today (the second one in less than a week). Also, this update is supposed to fix some core audio errors. Sounds promising to me. Digidesign has hinted that they needed to wait for the next version (after 10.5.2) of Leopard to make Pro Tools LE compatible

Be ready with some hard drive space though, this Leopard 10.5.3 update is going to be about half a gig… (some say its already over 400MB)

Also, I got an email today (and thanks to Jeff C. for the reminder!!) from Amplitube. It said that their new product line (Amplitube 2 Duo) is coming out soon. It also said that the demo will be shipping with the upcoming Pro Tools ignition pack, and will be compatible with all operating systems. Indeed. I think this is good news.

So Digidesign’s Pro Tools LE should be compatible with Leopard sometime in April or early May. We have had some luck with Pro Tools in 10.5.1, but less so in 10.5.2.

When will Pro Tools work with Leopard?  No one really seems to know, although the last indication from Digidesign said maybe April.  Although it’s taking seemingly forever, don’t immediately jump on the “we hate Digidesign” bandwagon.  Apple’s really at fault here as well.  Leopard’s audio management is shaky at best (notice all the problems Logic Studio, Apple’s own software, is having with the OS).

This whole situation is bad for Digidesign, but I think it may be a bit of a wake up call.  When Digidesign introduced Pro Tools LE, they didn’t really have the intention of making it a pro level DAW.  It was supposed to be a stepping stone into the Pro Tools world (and you’d eventually bump up to HD for professional work).  Times have changed, more and more small studios are popping up, and many Digidesign customers are doing amazing work with Pro Tools LE.  Personally, I think its time for Digidesign to either expand their LE capabilities, or create a more affordable “HD-lite” of sorts.  Let’s see what happens.

If you need to get your Pro Tools LE system working with Leopard, check out THIS page. 

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The Studio Files

McDSP plug-ins can now be updated via a download from their website.  As long as you have registered your plug-ins online, there will be no charge for the upgrades.

Massive Pack 3 and 4 owners will have to upgrade to HD to get full compatible and all the extras, but for anyone who owns other plug-ins, updates for each program will be coming periodically on the website.  McDSP has also announced that the new plug-ins are much more efficient, allowing for more complex automation and better CPU power usage in large sessions.

If you have questions about upgrading your McDSP plug-ins, email me or post in the comments here.

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The Studio Files