Pro Tools 11 Pioneer – Part Three: Where Are the Major 3rd Party DSP Plugins?

The latest in a series from Downtown Music Studios‘ Chief Engineer Zach Hancock, as he boldly breaks new barriers with Pro Tools 11, and shares his experiences. See Part One “Diving In” here, and Part Two “Building a Buddy System” here.

Change is never easy.  I guess the saying “growing pains” is applicable to DAWs and engineers alike.  There are a lot of great things about Pro Tools 11, but one striking disparity: lack of major third party DSP plugins.

Zach is on the hunt for a certain 3rd party.

Much has been touted about how the v11 installer comes bundled with v10, extending 32-bit plugin support to all of us still beholden to our TDM-era 32-bit plugins.  There is also great information out there, regarding the foundational transformation of the v11 architecture and how this affects plugins, hardware and peripherals alike.  Having said that, I’d like to take a moment to talk about the new plugin landscape, and why plugins manufacturers who snub coding for AAX DSP have put their own needs ahead of their users.

Latency is for Outlaws

If you’re anything like me, you rely on bundles from WAVES, Sonnox, McDSP, SoundToys and UAD.  It’s important to note that each bundle with the exception of UAD was purchased at a premium so I could run them on TDM.  UAD plugins also come at a premium, as you’re buying the UAD DSP card.  I’ve come to rely on these plugins for consistency, and have always operated under the assumption that their user base was so valuable that they would never cease to exist on the current Pro-tools DSP system.

With the implantation of 64-bit processing and the advancements in computer hardware, accelerated DSP systems make less sense than ever.  No breaking news here, but unless you’re in a recording session, or operating at upper sample rates a native rig may do the job.   Because AAX DSP signal processing happens in conjunction with AVID’s proprietary hardware and software, it provides a platform for near zero latency performance that, inside of Pro Tools, others can’t.

My recording clients — just like all of yours — won’t stand for latency, so when delay compensation gets turned off I need either TDM, or moving forward HDX.  Because HDX is an open format, and again capable at operating at the lowest possible latency it’s the only accelerated DSP system that makes any real sense for Pro Tools users.

It’s hard to say definitely, but in mix mode I don’t see much required advantage to additional DSP if you’re operating at 44 or 48k.  If newly fashioned Digigrid hardware, or 64-bit UAD can operate at latency levels comparable to HDX then they have a place in the conversation for recording sessions.  If not, I foresee their value as awkward appendages, whose real value is copy protection for their manufacturers.

Now I love the UAD plugins, and I have been using WAVES for over 10.  I also shelled out a lot of cash for those products!  I’m part of the silent minority who hasn’t used cracks.  So I’m not trying to take anything away from their value.  They will continue to be part of the framework of my operation, but I would unequivocally prefer to run them on an HDX card.  This is a no-brainer.  I simply can’t use a native plugin, on a record armed track if latency is an issue.

Tracking Progress

So as a few manufactures are consciously avoiding programing for the AVID HDX system, a new group of manufactures have emerged with some new and old trusted offerings.  Standing at the top is McDSP who adapted their plugins right away.  This has earned tremendous consumer confidence for their brand, thank you McDSP, you guys rock.  Sonnox has quietly rolled out AAX DSP 64 bit plugins, with a manageable upgrade fee.   The remainder of their plugin offerings are soon to follow.

Soundtoys is still working it out, and not sure if they’ll be offering their plugins for AAX DSP.  They are at least working on an AAX Native version.   Worth mentioning is that the Soundtoys plugs are really awesome, and aren’t the kind of processing I typically use on a record armed track, so a 64 bit native AAX Soundtoys bundle, is a bundle I gotta’ have. [Editor’s note: Mitch Thomas, Sales & Marketing for Sound Toys, says: “We are working on AAX64 native absolutely. The Mac version is in beta now. Windows is still in development.  Once Native is done, we will then look at the feasibility of AAX DSP. We’ve always been at the DSP level since the beginning days of Pro Tools and would love to stay there. However, it is no small task to re-code for a new DSP, and we do have to balance our resources and evaluate its impact on our business. We will do our best to keep everyone informed as we get closer.”]

The big news we were all waiting for came early last week, with Waves releasing AAX Native plugins.  They are running smoothly in my testing, but I really wish Waves would honor the significant investment we’ve all made in our TDM licenses and port the plugins over to HDX.

Here’s how Hanock has put his PT together thus far.

I’m digging running 11 so much, that I’d rather try new plugins already available for 11, than wait around running 10.  This isn’t working out 100% of the time! For example, I started a tracking session last week in 11, and the producer asked for Autotune and back we went to 10.   Word on the street is Autotune is coming in September.  If you’re anything like me, you’re still running V5 because it requires less DSP than v7.  Hopefully the 64 bit version runs more like 5 than 7.

I’ve tried a few new things, before buying HDX I had honestly never heard of.  It turns out some of the new plugs are incredible, and some good but not as noteworthy.  Things have taken a turn for the sophisticated, which is awesome.

In my next episode I’m going to dive in to some hard core plugin reviews and make direct comparisons to how these new 64 bit plugins can be used as a substitute for the tools I’m living without from the 32 bit world.  Please stay tuned!

Zach Hancock is a NY-based engineer and producer.  He is Chief Engineer at Downtown Music Studios, where he works with a wide range of artists spanning from Phillip Glass to Karen O & Trent Reznor.  

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