Pro Tools

Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation from Avid Technology, widely regarded as an industry standard in professional recording studios, post-production facilities and broadcast environments. It addresses the needs of engineers, producers and editors who must capture performances, edit audio with precision, fix problems and mix complex sessions under deadline pressure. Its core approach focuses on fast, accurate audio editing and mixing, with a timeline and editing toolset refined over decades of professional use. Pro Tools is designed to scale from a laptop setup to large facilities with dedicated hardware, and its session format serves as a common language for collaboration between studios, making it easy to exchange projects across the music, film and television industries and with other professionals.

Key features include high-track-count audio recording, comprehensive editing tools such as clip gain, elastic audio and playlist comping, MIDI sequencing and virtual instruments, and advanced mixing with automation and bus routing. Post-production capabilities include video playback, surround and immersive mixing with Dolby Atmos support in higher tiers, and integration with Avid Media Composer. Pro Tools supports the AAX plugin format, bundled plugins and instruments, and a range of Avid hardware including audio interfaces, control surfaces and HDX systems for low-latency processing. Cloud collaboration and Avid Sibelius integration further extend its workflows. The product is offered as Pro Tools Intro, a free entry-level version, along with Artist, Studio and Ultimate subscription tiers and education options. It runs on Windows and macOS. Pro Tools is used by recording studios, mix and mastering engineers, film and television post-production houses, broadcasters, game audio teams, musicians and educational institutions. Its status as a professional standard makes it particularly relevant to those working in collaborative commercial production. Pricing starts from around USD 99, typically per year, with a free trial, and a free version is also available.