Avid Pro Tools | First FAQ
IMPORTANT
Pro Tools | First has been discontinued. Please visit Avid’s Pro Tools | First FAQ for more details.
Thanks to their Getting Started and FAQ content, Avid makes diving into Pro Tools | First a breeze. Watch their “Getting Started Fast with Pro Tools | First” video playlist (below) to learn about creating sessions, building and editing songs, and mixing and distributing your tracks.
Scroll further down for Avid’s FAQ content from their Knowledge Base. It is packed full of tips, solutions, and other helpful information for new Pro Tools users.
Get Started Fast with Pro Tools | First
General FAQ
Where can I get Pro Tools | First?
Go to the Pro Tools | First product page and click the “Get it now” button (located in the top right).
No there are no hidden costs, you can download Pro Tools | First complete with Xpand!2 Virtual Instrument and over 20 plug-ins and get started creating music right away.
Note that add-on products (such as Plug-Ins and Cloud Collaboration Plans) can be added to Pro Tools First for additional cost.
Pro Tools | First seems to be aimed at beginners so you probably can’t do much with it?
Pro Tools | First includes a set of music templates covering several different genres of music to let you get started straight away with just a few clicks. And there are many resources on avid.com and the web about working with Pro Tools and producing great songs that stand out from the crowd. We have created a ‘Get Started Fast with Pro Tools | First’ video series specifically for beginners and those new to Pro Tools that will be available from the Pro Tools | First product page as soon as Pro Tools | First becomes available.
I am new to music recording, how easy is it to start creating songs in Pro Tools | First?
Pro Tools | First includes a set of music templates covering several different genres of music to let you get started straight away with just a few clicks. And there are many resources on avid.com and the web about working with Pro Tools and producing great songs that stand out from the crowd. We have created a ‘Get Started Fast with Pro Tools | First’ video series specifically for beginners and those new to Pro Tools that will be available from the Pro Tools | First product page as soon as Pro Tools | First becomes available.
Pro Tools | First is free, but you probably have to purchase an iLok to use it?
Pro Tools | First, and its included collection of AAX plug-ins, do not require a physical iLok to use the software at all. In addition, you’ll find many more AAX virtual instruments, effects, and sound processors available from the in-app Avid Marketplace that do not require an iLok to use.
I installed and have used Pro Tools | First—can I try the full version of Pro Tools by requesting the 30-day trial on Avid.com?
Yes, you can have both Pro Tools | First and any other version of Pro Tools installed on the same computer, but you will need to have an iLok USB Smart Key to run the trial or any purchased version of Pro Tools. Click here to download the free 30-day Pro Tools software trial.
Do I have to be online and connected to my Avid Master Account to use Pro Tools | First?
You can work offline, no problem. The first time you log in to your Avid Master Account from Pro Tools | First you can start working on your first project and save it. When you want to leave the project don’t logout, you will remain logged in offline, and you can still work on the project with a local project cache in the app. Next time you connect with the internet on that same computer and log in, your offline project work will sync up and store to the cloud.
Pro Tools | First includes three Cloud Projects, what does this mean?
Unlike Pro Tools and Pro Tools | HD software where an unlimited number of sessions can be stored locally on your computer’s hard disk, projects for Pro Tools | First are stored in the cloud on Avid Servers, accessed through your Avid Master Account from anywhere. Avid provides up to three free projects (songs) with Pro Tools | First.
What if I need more than three projects?
You can expand the Projects and Storage available for use with Pro Tools | First via your Avid account. Go to my.avid.com and click “Manage My Avid Cloud” then click “Change My Cloud Plan” to see the available options. If you have used all of your available Projects, you can export the final stereo mix then delete that Project to make room for a new one.
My friend has sent me a standard Pro Tools session file to work on, can I use Pro Tools | First for working on this session?
No. You cannot import or export a Pro Tools session file with associated media with Pro Tools | First. However, with a Cloud Plan you can collaborate online with other Pro Tools 12, Pro Tools | HD 12, or even with other Pro Tools | First users (if they also subscribe to a Cloud Plan). You will be able to collaborate with their projects and they will be able to collaborate with your projects. You could however sign up for a 30-day trial of Pro Tools that would allow you to open your friend’s session file but you would need to purchase an iLok USB key to run the trial.
I have read about the new Cloud Collaboration features coming to Pro Tools. Can I collaborate with other Pro Tools users with Pro Tools | First?
Yes. Pro Tools | First (version 12.8) with a paid Cloud Plan subscription lets you collaborate with any user on Pro Tools or Pro Tools HD (12.5 or higher), or with another Pro Tools | First user who has a Cloud Plan.
How do I export my mix?
Select a region in the Edit window from the start to the end of the song then go to the top menu: File > Export > Audio Mix. Choose a file name and where you want to store the file and click Export. The .wav file created is uncompressed and is your master song file, and it can be imported into apps like iTunes. Check out the user guide for more details. The .wav format is an industry standard format that can be imported into almost any other audio app.
Yes you can. You can then import the master .wav song file into applications such as iTunes to produce compressed versions that reduce the file size including AAC and MP3 formats for posting on social media, although many sites will accept .wav master file formats. A typical 3 min song is about 40MB as .wav, and 4MB as .mp3.
I’d like to be able to access my sessions on more than one computer—how many computers can I install Pro Tools | First on?
Once you register and activate Pro Tools | First, you can activate it on up to three computers/iLoks. You do not need to have an iLok but one of the activations can be transferred to an iLok. You can deactivate from a computer/iLok to allow activation of another computer/iLok. You will be able to access your projects from any of these three activations.
Pro Tools | First plug-ins
Pro Tools | First comes with Xpand!2, what is it and where can I find information about it?
Xpand!2 is a great Virtual Instrument to start creating music with. It comes with over 2,500 presets including piano, organ, pads, synths, drums, percussion, brass, woodwind etc. and is part of the AIR collection of Virtual Instruments. Other plug-ins (like the First AIR Virtual Instruments) are available for in-app purchase from the Avid Marketplace. Check out the article on Avid Blogs about tutorial videos on Xpand!2 and the other AIR Virtual Instruments that will be available in the First Air Instruments Bundle available from the Avid in-app Marketplace. For more detailed information about the Xpand!2 plug-in go to the help menu in Pro Tools | First: Help > Pro Tools | First Help menu item.
Can I use any AAX plug-ins with Pro Tools | First?
Over 20 plug-ins are included with Pro Tools | First including the Xpand!2 Virtual Instrument. Pro Tools | First supports AAX Native 64 and AAX AudioSuite 64 plug-ins purchased from within the in-app Store. Check the description/specs in the Avid Marketplace to confirm if an iLok is required. Plug-in bundles which include ‘First’ in the name are specifically designed for use with Pro Tools | First and do not require an iLok. These plug-ins should download and automatically install, without needing to re-launch Pro Tools. Plug-ins purchased through the Avid Marketplace with your Avid Master Account will work with Pro Tools | First. Some plug-ins installed manually (outside of Marketplace) will work with Pro Tools | First, but most plug-ins will remain hidden and unavailable at launch. If you purchase plug-ins for Pro Tools | First then upgrade to Pro Tools, those plug-ins available as the AAX Native 64 format are exactly the same for Pro Tools | First and Pro Tools.
AAX 64-bit plug-ins require an iLok, but Pro Tools | First doesn’t, so can I use these plug-ins?
Many 64-bit AAX plug-ins from Avid and third-party manufacturers do not require an iLok to use and are ideal for use with Pro Tools | First but must be purchased from within Pro Tools | First using the in-app purchase feature. You may also choose to purchase and use any AAX Native 64-bit plug-ins from the in-app Avid Marketplace that require an iLok, but you will need to purchase an iLok USB Smart Key separately to allow activation of these plug-ins.
Troubleshooting
Why does it tell me that Xpand!2 is missing when I create a Project from a Template?
The initial releases of Pro Tools First did not include Xpand!2, but the current installers now install it automatically. To manually install Xpand!2:
- Launch Pro Tools | First
- Go to Marketplace > Plug-Ins
- Click on Xpand!2
- Click Install. You will now find Xpand! 2 available as an Insert on your Instrument and Aux Tracks.
- After installing from Marketplace you will find Xpand!2 in Avid Application Manager > Apps
Why do I get the error “Permission denied (13) while creating “Project Cache…” when trying to create a Project?
This is typically seen on Mac systems where permissions are set incorrectly.
- Get Info on the Pro Tools folder in Documents
- Set Privilege it to Read & Write for your user account. (Check the Project Cache folder inside the Pro Tools folder to make sure the change was applied.)
Why do I get “AAE error -6117” on launch?
This error means “Device is not present” and is likely due to a missing driver for your interface. Follow these steps:
- Download and install the driver for your audio interface (drivers for Avid interfaces can be found via avid.com/drivers).
- If a driver is not available or using the built-in audio hardware on a PC, try installing ASIO4ALL.
- Hold the N key down immediately after launching until the Playback Engine window opens to select your device.
If the same error occurs, please try the following:
- Right click the Speaker Icon you can see on the lower right side of your screen. Then, click Playback Devices.
- Right click the devices and disable all sound device.
- Do the same in the Recording tab beside Playback (on top of the dialogue box). After all Playback and Recording devices are disabled, please try to run Pro Tools First again.
- If it runs, you can already enable all the sound devices again.
Where can I get help or ask questions about Pro Tools | First?
The Artist Community has groups for Getting Started, Troubleshooting, and other topics in Connections > Groups at ac.avid.com.
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