The new integrated Dolby Atmos renderer is included free in Pro Tools Studio and Ultimate and improves the efficiency of immersive mixing workflows with simplified setup, mixing, and monitoring. Users can now render and monitor Dolby Atmos mixes within Pro Tools without having to roundtrip to an external renderer. A new window provides comprehensive visualization of Dolby Atmos mixes from various perspectives and enables quick switching between multi-speaker and binaural headphone monitoring. Additionally, a new I/O Setup tab simplifies the configuration of beds, objects, groups, trim, and downmix settings and saves them as part of the session for easy recall.
"At Dolby we are passionate about enabling solutions that make it easier for creatives to bring their stories to life, and working with Avid to develop this integration has delivered on that," says David Gould, Senior Director of Content Creation Solutions, Dolby Laboratories. "Whether it’s sound for film, TV, or music, Pro Tools has helped to deliver Dolby Atmos content to the masses, and this new integration will enable even more creators to deliver unforgettable immersive experiences."
Pro Tools 2023.12 still maintains support for the external Dolby Atmos Renderer application, with an easy toggle between the internal and external modes. The built-in Dolby Atmos renderer should meet all needs most of the time, but there are a few use cases where the separate Dolby Atmos Renderer application is required, depending on workflow needs and preferences. Users may find themselves in a situation where a session needs to travel between a system configured with the Dolby Atmos Renderer application and a system with the built-in Pro Tools Dolby Atmos renderer.
Avid promises to continue to expand its Dolby Atmos features and continue working with Dolby to find new ways to simplify and improve the user experience, as well as delivering enhancements for immersive production. The company states that it will also continue to work with 3rd parties, such as AudioMovers and Ginger Audio, who have developed products that allow users to hear how Dolby Atmos mixes will sound when spatialized in binaural for Apple Music.
Other New Pro Tools 2023.12 Features
The 2023.12 software release introduces new interoperability between Sketches and Pro Tools sessions, adds new MIDI workflow improvements, and more. Users can now drag and drop instrument clips as audio or MIDI into the Pro Tools timeline from Sketch. Conversely, when dragging audio clips from Pro Tools into the Sketch window, they have the option to render the full signal chain (including plugin processing, Elastic Audio, clip effects, etc.) to maintain their processed sound. Finally, improvements to the desktop Media Browser make it easier to access loops and samples, including monthly Pro Tools Sonic Drop sound content.
Initially introduced with the Pro Tools 2023.6 release, Track Markers enable users to add detailed, color-coded comments within a track to improve both music and audio post workflows. In response to customer feedback, the latest 2023.12 release builds on this functionality with more marker rulers for better visibility, allowing for each ruler to have a specific purpose with more space for text to be displayed. Markers are also easier to find in the Memory Location window through improved sorting and filtering options.
"The Pro Tools team has a constant and deep level of engagement with creative professionals across audio post and music production, working tirelessly to serve their needs. With this release, we’re excited to deliver the immersive workflows our customers have been asking for, and we continue our pursuit of time-saving features and modern music creation tools to benefit all Pro Tools users," says Avid Vice President, Audio Product Management, François Quereuil.
Pro Tools 2023.12 software update also introduces I/O Setup and Routing color coding that enables users to quickly identify where any track is bussed or routed at a glance. The release also offers Same as Source bounce of H.264 video files, allowing the picture to pass through untouched without needing to re-encode the frames or change the original video’s timestamp. Finally, Pro Tools has been updated to support the new Native Instruments Kontrol S-Series MK3 controllers.
Pro Tools 2023.12 is now available to all Pro Tools users on an active subscription or perpetual license with a current Upgrade Plan, as well as all Pro Tools Intro users.
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