Twelve? Already?

I’m still running Ten in my studio. And it was only about 18 months ago that I moved up to Ten.

I was holding off on Eleven because of plugin compatability and, frankly, every time I go through a version upgrade with Pro Tools, something breaks. So I don’t upgrade when I am busy with projects.

Avid is now moving to a subscription software model. I’m not sure how keen I am about such a model. But getting two versions back so soon is also bit troubling. There are some features in Twelve that look really cool:

Avid’s latest announcements are really rather exciting for collaborative musicians and producers. Firstly, Pro Tools 12 was announced and at the core of this new version is a set of Cloud Collaboration tools. These should enable artists to compose, record, edit, and mix sessions working with other Pro Tools users in the cloud, as if they are all together in the same studio. They simply invite other artists to collaborate on a session using built-in text/video chat, or find new collaborators through the new Avid Marketplace Artist Community. If the person they want to work with doesn”™t already have Pro Tools, then they can simply download the new free Pro Tools | First (more on that later) to start working together immediately.

Via SOS.

But the wording on the subscription model?

Pro Tools 12 delivers new flexible licensing options, allowing customers to subscribe for as little as $29.99 per month, or to buy a perpetual license. With these new subscription options, users can stay current with future software updates and innovations as soon as they are released via the cloud, at no additional charge. This flexible licensing now provides artists with access to the same tools used by the top industry pros, at a price point they can afford.

Yes. For as little as $30 USD per month or about $450 CDN per year. I wonder how much higher that price might go?

This video covers the new features. I like the idea of cloud collaboration. The last project I just finished was done in a distributed fashion, individuals tracking on their own DAWs and then flying the tracks over via Dropbox or USB sticks through a courier to my mix room. It would be neat to do the same type of project through the cloud.