On the 12^th of December Avid released Pro Tools 2023.12 which is a major update with game changing features for Dolby Atmos Home Entertainment and music workflows.

Pro Tools now has a fully integrated Dolby Atmos Renderer, capable of rendering from Stereo all the way up to a 9.1.6 speaker array, whilst also providing a 5.1 or Stereo Loudness Re-render and a Binaural or Stereo headphone Re-render, all of which are available as busses for you to route back into your session for measuring or post-processing, and routing to a physical output.

The I/O Setup window has been re-worked, adding a dedicated Dolby Atmos tab for configuring Beds and Objects:

There’s also full access to the Trim & Downmix controls, with an option for five presets as well as a ‘New Session Defaults’ tab which allows you to configure your preferred starting metadata:

This metadata is then embedded when you go to bounce out your ADM BWF and Re-renders:

Whilst there are some great reasons to switch to the new integrated renderer, it doesn’t directly replace all existing workflows, hence the drop-down box in the I/O Setup Window in order to toggle between the ‘Internal Renderer’ and an ‘External Renderer’. This includes Dolby Audio Bridge with Dolby Atmos Renderer (DAR) or Dolby Atmos Production Suite (DAPS), or an external Rendering and Mastering Unit running either DAR, Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite (DAMS), or the Theatrical RMU software.

An example of this would be if you’re working on a fast turnaround multi episode project with late breaking compliance fixes. With the integrated renderer, it’s possible to re-export just the fixed section of the mix, however you’d then need to edit that into the initial master deliverable. In comparison, when working with the Dolby Atmos Renderer or RMU, you can destructively punch into a Dolby Atmos Master File (DAMF), which can be advantageous when time is limited. Another aspect to consider is that currently Pro Tools will only export an Audio Definition Model Broadcast Wave File (ADM BWAV), so if you need to deliver a DAMF your best alternative is to export the ADM BWAV then convert this to DAMF using the Dolby Atmos Conversion Tool (DACT).

It’s worth bearing in mind that bounce/export speeds are determined by a few factors, such as plug-ins used, routing complexity, CPU power and storage speed, but with recent versions of Pro Tools being able to run natively on Apple Silicon hardware, we have seen serious improvements in render speeds. Finally, this release also really helps to enable the ‘in-the-box’ Dolby Atmos mixing and mastering workflow more simply for Windows PC users.

The integrated Dolby Atmos renderer is included with both Pro Tools Studio and Pro Tools Ultimate to users with a current subscription or perpetual license under support, and Pro Tools 2023.12 is available via the Avid Link app or in the ‘My Products’ section or your Avid.com Account.

Expansion of Track Markers

Track Markers first a highly requested and now a well-liked and used feature has already been revisited and updated by Avid. Track Markers enables users to add detailed, colour-coded comments within a track to improve both music and audio post workflows. This latest release has expanded the capabilities and functionality of this tool with more marker rulers for better visibility. This allows each ruler to have a specific purpose with more space for text to be displayed. Avid have also made Track Markers easier to locate in the Memory Location window through improved sorting and filtering options.

This is a significant end of year update to Pro Tools for both music and post-production users. As with all updated, we encourage those under HHB Support to reach out about updating their systems so there is no down time during this busy season. If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected]