Pro Tools 2023.9 and... perpetual licenses are back

[Guy Rowland]

Well there you go. Via Production Expert:

New Pro Tools Pricing
Starting today (September 21st 2023), new Pro Tools Perpetual Licences will again be available for sale exclusively through authorised Avid resellers, they will not be sold via the Avid Web Store. Pricing is as follows:

Pro Tools Artist Perpetual Licence - $199

Pro Tools Artist Perpetual Upgrade - $69

Pro Tools Studio Perpetual Licence - $599

Pro Tools Studio Perpetual Upgrade - $199

Pro Tools Ultimate Perpetual Licence - $1,499

Pro Tools Ultimate Perpetual Upgrade - $399

Pro Tools Studio Perpetual Upgrade EDU for Students & Teachers - $99

Pro Tools Studio Perpetual Upgrade EDU for Institutions - $99

It’s worth pointing out that the price of an Ultimate perpetual licence has been significantly reduced, when it was last available it was $2,599, a drop of over 40%. EDU Perpetual Licences are not being reintroduced.

Simplified Plans
To simplify keeping perpetual licence customers current, Avid will also consolidate the existing Pro Tools Perpetual Updates + Support Plan Renewals and Pro Tools Perpetual Updates + Support Plan Upgrade (Get Current) into one.

Starting September 21, Pro Tools Perpetual customers will use a Pro Tools Perpetual Upgrade to renew their perpetual licence or get current, there will no longer be a separate, higher priced upgrade for customers who have dropped off their Updates + Support plans.

https://www.production-expert.com/produ ... ces-return

Also 2023.9 is released today with the following new features:

Pro Tools® software version 2023.9 provides the following new features and enhancements:
• Pro Tools Sketch™
• App for iOS on iPad
• Sketch window in Pro Tools

Miscellaneous new features and improvements
• Save Copy In with Selected Timeline Range option
• Reordering plug-ins by drag and drop
• Width-changing plug-ins organized in sub-menu
• Track Marker improvements
• New immersive surround format path orders in I/O Setup
• New Path Order listings added to the Input page of the I/O Setup
• New Disable Slewing While Looping option
• Activate Pro Tools Power Scheme option in the Playback Engine (Windows only)
https://resources.avid.com/SupportFiles ... 2023.9.pdf

A couple of useful extra features there. Got very excited at the prospect of plugin drag and drop, but it means re-ordering in the mixer inserts, not as I hoped the ability to prioritise plugins in the menu hierarchy. Ah well.

[Mike Greene]

Whoa! This is great news, although for some reason it does make me a little nervous. (Just a feeling, not anything I can point to.)

[Guy Rowland]

2023 is an industry turning point methinks. First Waves now Avid have caved from a subs-only paradigm. I don't think subs are going away at all, but the idea of being subs-exclusive has taken a huge knock.