Any way to (legally) download Pro Tools First?

[whyterabbyt]

yeah I think this is now the 3rd free version of PT that they've introduced, then pulled a couple of years later.
none of them ever supported video, though, which I always felt undermined any appeal to an entire major segment of its potential market (ie post).

[DNnX]

I installed ProTools First to one of my computer to mix with hardware 16ch mixer.
It was not a bad choice at all.
New paid version (ProTools Artist) does not offer anything better for this usage

[BertKoor]

Anyway, seems like Avid has given up on giving stuff away for free, no?

Shareholders are not convinced it's a viable business model

[RikkShow]

You can borrow my license for $9.95/mo

Kidding aside, you cannot even add the Focusrite PT First plugins to an existing PT First license... I never did before they pulled the plug, but I have the basic First license.

[Trensharo]

Even if you had it in your account before and lost it somehow, it still works out the same if they are no longer providing a download for it.

If you had it in your account, they are still providing the download.

Ahh, well good on them, it seems pretty clear though, that anyone who doesn't happen to have that, would be shit out of luck if they were not willing to pay the sub.

There is barely any market for a free version of Pro Tools now that people can get Cakewalk by BandLab for Free on Windows, and GarageBand has always cornered that market on macOS. That's ignoring Cheap Hobbyist REAPER Licenses, Studio One Artist Bundleware, Waveform Free, Cheap Logic Pro and constant sales promotions for other DAWs including crossgrade pricing form other DAWs and ridiculously low upgrade pricing from bundleware products.

Why would I buy Pro Tools Studio for $599 when I can buy a Steinberg interface (cause I'll need one, anyways) and then upgrade to Cubase Pro from AI for $245 flat? Or PreSonus and Studio One Pro for $299? Or Upgrade to Ableton Live Suite from Lite Bundleware for $420?

You kind of need a legit reason to even bother to consider Pro Tools, as it targets specific markets so narrowly - at the expense of others.

The markets that Pro Tools dominates are such that they cannot give a reasonable freebie away and that retains features aimed at that market segment. It just doesn't work.

If you want to use Pro Tools for Post or any mix sessions that are of average size, then the lack of Video Support, 3rd Party Plug-in Support, and the 16-Track Limit all pretty much end those dreams.

Avid have cornered themselves by crutching too hard on Pro Tools' stronger market segments. They don't really have anything for the people coming into the market these days - given the type of music that seems popular (what those people are looking to produce). People who are looking for a more traditional Studio DAW for Recording and Mixing are also relying less and less on "Industry Standard" reputation and using other solutions that are far cheaper (down to free) and/or more accessible to others they may want to work with.

[Dogbert]

Avid just released a new free version of Pro Tools, called Pro Tools Intro.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFLOHVsF5LQ

[whyterabbyt]

No use to us, for the same reason as Artist; no video tracks.

[jonljacobi]

There are still plenty of shops/studios using PT. It doesn't hurt your chances of landing an engineering gig if you know it along with the other DAWs.

[pekbro]

It would be nice if they would make some new instruments instead of the same old AIR stuff that everyone already got for $9 or whatever. Especially for $30 a month, for me a no go, I like ProTools, but not that much

[v1o]

It would be nice if they would make some new instruments instead of the same old AIR stuff that everyone already got for $9 or whatever. Especially for $30 a month, for me a no go, I like ProTools, but not that much

I thought Pro Tools comes with UVI Falcon?

[pekbro]

It would be nice if they would make some new instruments instead of the same old AIR stuff that everyone already got for $9 or whatever. Especially for $30 a month, for me a no go, I like ProTools, but not that much

I thought Pro Tools comes with UVI Falcon?

Nope, seems to be the same old AIR stuff and the regular protools effects, maybe a couple new
ones from them I don't recognize. Not really so different of a bundle as compared to the first
version of Protools I had bought near 20 years ago.

[whyterabbyt]

I thought Pro Tools comes with UVI Falcon?

It did for a while, as a sorta 'free bonus' but not any longer. Not sure whether the licenses were perpetual, I'd need to check.

[pekbro]

I thought Pro Tools comes with UVI Falcon?

It did for a while, as a sorta 'free bonus' but not any longer. Not sure whether the licenses were perpetual, I'd need to check.

Hmm, interesting, too bad they ended that. The AIR stuff is pretty good, but long in the tooth
and almost a joke at this point really, considering how cheaply you can get it at PB or whatever.

[scalawag]

It seems this Intro version now supports 3rd party AAX plugins. Can anyone confirm?

[SeBaer]

It seems this Intro version now supports 3rd party AAX plugins. Can anyone confirm?

According to BPB it does.