Pro Tools Intro - New Free DAW

AVID re-launches discontinued free DAW Pro Tools First as a Pro Tools Intro

Pro Tools has become an industry standard, widely taught in music schools, used in recording studios and by well-known and well-respected users.

For Pro Tools to remain an industry standard, it helps to be accessible for music industry beginners. AVID has offered Pro Tools First since 2015, which has been popular with more than 3 million downloads. However, the company discontinued the software at the end of 2021, citing that "on a technical level it has become unviable for us to continue it."

Something must have changed. With the release of the 2022.9 update, AVID has re-introduced a free Pro Tools version, now called Pro Tools Intro.

Introducing ProTools Intro Features and Limitations

The free DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software comes with the following features and limitations:

• 36 Plugins: 36 plugins are included (13 more than Pro Tools First), spanning dynamics, channel strips, EQ, reverb, delay, amp emulation, virtual instrument AIR Xpand!2, and Loopmasters Sample Pack
• 8 Audio Tracks: half the 16 tracks included in Pro Tools First
• 8 Instrument Tracks:
• 8 MIDI Tracks: half the 16 tracks included in Pro Tools First‍
• 4 AUX Tracks: a quarter the 16 tracks included in Pro Tools First‍
• 4 simultaneous recording inputs
• 1 Stereo Master Track
• ARA 2 support: new with the Pro Tools 2022.9 update
• Audio Specification: 32 bit floating point bit depth, 192 kHz sample rate (double Pro Tools First)
• External Plugins: AAX paid and free plugins can now be used in Pro Tools Intro
• Projects: Unlimited projects can be saved locally (Pro Tools First only allowed 3 cloud projects)
• Exclusions: No video tracks, no multi-channel mixing, support only through the forum

The comparison shows the differences between the free Pro Tools Intro, and the paid Pro Tools Artist, Studio and Flex.