Pro Tools Free from Digidesign
To get Pro Tools Free, go here: http://www.digidesign.com/ptfree/
(you can either order the cd-rom for $10, or download for free).
Besides the software (for Windows 98/Me or Mac OS 9), you can
also download documentation (manuals) and a demo session (song).
Pro Tools is an audio production system. With it, you can record,
edit, mix, and create music. It runs on Windows or Mac OS, and
uses your computer's hard drives to store and access audio.
Pro Tools Free is a version of
Pro Tools that you can use for simple audio production. It's
limited to 8 audio tracks, but it doesn't expire or nag you to buy it,
and it's mostly just like Pro Tools LE. It includes some basic
plug-ins like delay, EQ, compressor, etc. Unlike other versions
of Pro Tools, it uses your computer's built-in audio hardware for
recording and playback.
Pro Tools TDM systems are
Digidesign's "high end" systems, which use Digidesign PCI cards for
heavy duty audio processing, like running effects plug-ins and mixing
and routing lots of audio signals. PT TDM requires a Digidesign
audio interface for audio input and output. A really top-end PT
system will also have extras such as ProControl (like a mixing console),
MIDI I/O, SYNC I/O, and PRE.
Pro Tools LE is for the the
"home studio" systems that use your computer's CPU to do audio
processing. PT LE systems use Digidesign hardware for audio I/O (MBox, Digi-001, or Digi-002).
Jan. 27, 2003:
Check out the new "Pro
Tools LE DVD". It's a story of a fictitious "indie" band that
needs to record a song in a hurry, which of course is a way to show off
Digidesign's home studio systems. But it's a cool little movie,
and it even has Rhett Lawrence while he's doing a session for the Goo
Goo Dolls. (see also other free DVDs at http://www.digidesign.com/lit/
)
See
http://www.digidesign.com/ptfree/ptfree_support.html
for compatibility and other info on PT Free.
Also, Digidesign hosts the "Digidesign User Conference" (a bulletin
board) http://duc.digidesign.com/.
PT Free 5.0.1 was released in September 2000.
(PT Free 3.4 for Mac, no longer available, was released in Oct 1997)