What Makes Up a Pro Tools System?

Pro Tools 10 systems fall into one of three families:

• Pro Tools 10. Pro Tools 10 is a host-based DAW, which simply means the power of your Pro Tools system is based entirely on the processing power of your computer. Your computer’s CPU (the host) handles all the important operations, including mixing and effects processing, in addition to all other tasks required by your computer.

• Pro Tools 10|HD. This version of Pro Tools includes dedicated PCIe hardware cards, which are added to your computer. These cards not only allow connectivity to Avid’s higher-quality audio interfaces (a concept we’ll discuss later in this chapter), but the cards take care of essential Pro Tools–related tasks, such as mixing and effects processing. This is known as a hardware-based system. HD systems, because of their added processing horsepower, feature more tracks, greater flexibility, and connectivity to Avid’s top-level HD audio interfaces.

• Pro Tools 10|HD Native. A relative newcomer to the Pro Tools family, Pro Tools 10|HD Native can be thought of as something of a hybrid system. As with the regular Pro Tools 10|HD, a PCIe card is added to your computer to allow for connection to Avid’s HD interfaces (though it’s worth noting that an HD|Native card is different from a regular HD card). In this case, however, the card has very limited processing power. In terms of mixing and processing, this would be classified as a host-based DAW, but one that compares to Pro Tools HD systems in terms of audio quality, due to connectivity to HD interfaces. This is a welcome addition to the Pro Tools line, giving users a compromise between the lower-cost Pro Tools 10 and the flagship Pro Tools 10|HD.