Avid® is pleased to announce the availability of Pro Tools® 8.0.4, a free update for all registered Pro Tools users. This latest update offers many performance enhancements and fixes, plus adds Windows 7 support for Pro Tools LE® and Pro Tools M-Powered™ systems. We’ve also included new PC drivers for Pro Tools LE 8.0.4, greatly expanding the number of compatible laptop and desktop computers. Here’s a summary of the updates, along with download links.

Important: For information about known issues, please review the Read Me and other important information.

Check out all the fixes and improvements.

Whether you like to rock, groove, swing, score, funk out, or jazz it up, the Pro Tools Instrument Expansion Pack gives you a massive sonic palette to get the sounds you’re after, from acoustic and electric drums, pianos, guitars, and basses, to orchestral instruments, percussion, loops, and ambient sounds.

Learn more about the Pro Tools Instrument Expansion Pack

The Pro Tools Instrument Expansion Pack includes the following instruments:

The latest Structure 1.1 sampler comes with 17.5 GB of high-quality content, including 5 GB of new orchestral sounds, Nashville Signature drum kits, and a custom grand piano. Create ultra-realistic orchestral performances with special new MIDI control features, take advantage of new Kontakt 3 and Giga sample format support, gain new EXS modulation matrix support, and enjoy new database enhancements for optimal usability.

Strike — The Ultimate Virtual Drummer
Strike is a revolutionary instrument plug-in that makes it easy to create professional drum performances with uncanny realism and unbelievable human feel. Pick an acoustic or electric kit or instrument — or build a kit from your own samples/sounds — and tell your drummer how to play.

The latest Strike 1.5 instrument includes new features and more content (30 GB total!) to provide you with even more beat versatility. Use your own sounds with new WAV and AIFF sample import, gain more efficiency with the enhanced Style editor, discover over 10 GB of new drum kits and percussion elements, explore 55 new styles (for a total of 205 styles), and more.

Velvet — Vintage Electric Pianos
Whether you’re inspired by ’60s soul, ’70s classic rock, or ’80s “glassy” sounds, Velvet delivers stunningly realistic emulations of your favorite electric pianos, from vintage classics to a massively popular digital synth.

The latest Velvet 1.3 e-pianos plug-in features a new reverb effects module with three reverb types (Ambience, Spring, and Room) and introduces nine new FM tines that deliver unique sonic characteristics, including classic ’80s-inspired “glassy” digital piano sounds.

Transfuser — The Ultimate Groove Creator
Transfuser is an award-winning real-time loop, phrase, and groove creator that lets you easily create, manipulate, and perform music on the fly. It comes with 4 GB of high-quality drum sounds and loops to get you started, or toss in your own loop library content.

The latest Transfuser 1.3 workstation opens up even more sonic possibilities than ever before, adding a new bass module inspired by a classic bass line synth, 1.6 GB of new audio content for a total of nearly 4 GB of included loops and sounds, and a 6-band parametric EQ that lets you accurately perform frequency surgery on your sounds.

Hybrid — High-definition Synthesizer
For sound buffs who love to get their hands dirty, Hybrid combines the warmth of classic analog waveforms with digital wavetables, enabling you to re-create sounds you remember, or create something no one’s heard before.

The latest Hybrid 1.6 synth delivers a new Multi-Square waveform to generate even more unique sounds; introduces Blue, White, Mod, and Crackle waveforms to the noise oscillator to offer more texture versatility; and includes 256 all-new patches for fast and easy sound production in the studio or on stage.

• Download the Pro Tools HD 8.0.3 update
• Download the Pro Tools LE 8.0.3 update
• Download the Pro Tools M-Powered 8.0.3 update
• Download the Pro Tools M-Powered Essential 8.0.3 update

Get Snow Leopard Support, Plus Tons of Improvements and Fixes
If you’re a Mac user, Pro Tools 8.0.3 provides full support for Apple’s latest operating system, Snow Leopard. And for all Pro Tools 8 users, experience improved performance and stability with over 100 key fixes, plus gain more efficiency through improved workflows, no matter if you’re on a Mac or PC.

Learn more about Pro Tools and Snow Leopard compatibility

Check out all the fixes and improvements

Work on Windows 7
If you’re a Windows user looking to upgrade to Windows 7, Pro Tools 8.0.3 provides public beta* compatibility with 32- and 64-bit versions of Microsoft’s latest OS. This public beta release is provided as a convenience should you wish to begin your transition to Windows 7 before a fully tested and qualified version of Pro Tools becomes available. If you’re using Pro Tools M-Powered Essential 8.x, Pro Tools 8.0.3 provides full Windows 7 support.

Learn more about Pro Tools and Windows 7 compatibility

Important Information
Before you download and install the Pro Tools 8.0.3 update, please review the following information.

• If you plan to use an Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Micro, Mbox 2 Mini, Digi 002, or 003 with Windows 7, please download the updated driver for your system (not required for Mbox 2 Pro or Eleven Rack)
• If you plan to use Pro Tools M-Powered or M-Powered Essential software with Windows 7, please download the updated driver for your M-Audio device
• The following items have not been tested for Windows 7 public beta compatibility with Pro Tools 8.0.3:
  
  • Avid video peripherals
  • Interplay
  • Media Composer co-install
  • Unity ISIS
  • Unity MediaNetwork
  • Video Satellite
• The following items are no longer supported with Pro Tools 8.0.3:
  
  • Mbox (original version)
  • Expansion|HD chassis
  • PowerPC-based Macs
• To discuss the public beta release with other users and for bug reports, visit the Pro Tools 8.0.3 Windows 7 public beta forum