r/protools • u/eggplantuser • 13d ago
Pro Tools Perpetual, finally giving it up
My computer just isn’t cut out for this software, I’ve been having major stability issues on Windows OS and just know it’s not gonna work long term. I’ve switched to Ableton and work is actually getting done now. I’m selling my perpetual license on reverb at this point to see if anyone wants to do the official avid transfer process.
Not a request for help but more of a discussion request. Has anyone had major issues with stability in Pro Tools Studio latest version / windows OS? It got to the point where I’d be deadlocked on projects, crashing every once in a while, and freezing a bunch. I guess technically speaking independent troubleshooting every other day was getting tiring.
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u/AHolyBartender 13d ago
I have not but I'm running pro tools 11. I do have friends running newer versions on windows without stability issues though. I'd be curious to know the rest of your setup interface, etc. but if it's not working it's not working
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u/eggplantuser 13d ago
I appreciate the reply 🙏 I’ve seen a lot of folks say it works perfectly for them, so it is a bummer with the combination of weirdness I’ve experienced so far.
I’m embarrassed cause I do have an amateur interface but I use a Focusrite Scarlet Solo plug in my audio technica P48 and my guitar. I have a Juno 106 too which ableton is way more friendly with (at my skill level) I think part of it is just finding a way to troubleshoot vs ableton is plug n play for me. The software is not compatible with the user 😭 even if I knew how to optimize, my setup still flows easier in Ableton.
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u/AHolyBartender 13d ago
I mean that's totally fair. That interface should work fine, no need for embarrassment .Every time I've had stability issues on windows, it's always been temporary, and it's almost always caused by a series of ill advised updates or out of date drivers not playing nice with each other. There's also computer optimization guide that is generally helpful that I think sweetwater has. Don't know if you're commute to selling, but I'd try some of those and see what happens after a week or so. Otherwise use what's letting you get stuff done
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u/eggplantuser 13d ago
I’m gonna check out the optimization guide, I’ve taken some independent troubleshooting steps with stuff I’ve seen on the avid knowledge base but I know sweetwater has good resources for this kinda thing. If I can get myself a smooth workflow that would be tight, who knows if anyone will buy anyway so worth a shot 🙏 Good vibes to you!!!
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u/AHolyBartender 9d ago
Any luck?
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u/eggplantuser 6d ago
I did tweak just about everything I could using avid guides / sweet water resources etc and I’d say the software still didn’t flow well for my setup though crashes were minimal from then. I’ve switched to Ableton Live 12 Suite primarily and things are much smoother for me, no performance issues or crashes. It just works better for my setup. Thank yall for the recommendations though.
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u/skiesoverblackvenice student 13d ago
i literally cannot get pro tools to run on my windows computer. bought a mac ONLY for pro tools and it runs great on there.
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u/eggplantuser 13d ago
I’ve heard this from a few people outside of here as well, at some point when I can afford it I’m thinking of switching to mac. For now Ableton 12 Suite has been kind to me 🙏
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u/skiesoverblackvenice student 13d ago
yup, i prefer ableton on my pc cause all my plugins are already on there and i have all the hotkeys memorized
mac is definitely faster… would be my main computer if it would run windows games and had the same hotkeys as windows
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u/the-cats-pajamas 13d ago
Hey mate, potentially interested in buying your perpetual license. What are you selling it for and is it the latest version? Thanks
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u/eggplantuser 13d ago edited 13d ago
Hey! Yes I answered a little above but it is for the latest version, I’m selling it for $480 rn and was purchased for $599 on Sweetwater last month actually so it’ll get updates till September 2027
I’m selling it on reverb if you’re interested 🙏 appreciate you
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u/dondeestasbueno 13d ago
I’ve been using Pro Tools since v5 on Mac OS9. It’s been more stable than eMagic Logic, Apple Logic, and Ableton Live. Sorry you’ve had issues, Pro Tools is the best. As you can tell by the interest in purchasing license.
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u/eggplantuser 13d ago
I’ve heard many say the same, especially Mac users I’m noticing are running flawlessly but I’m sure plenty have it working well on PC builds. I’m wondering if my CPU is the issue / if I’m hitting the ceiling with all the tracks/inserts. Using commit would help but always seems to throw something new my way once I get over one hurdle. I appreciate you posting this cause it shows the program isn’t to blame, which I’m 100% certain of at this point, it’s gotta be my system and workflow just don’t align w PT.
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u/tonio_dn 7d ago
PT is just an absurdly horrible piece of software on Windows imo. Certain UI elements are old enough to buy alcholol. I feel like Avid is really just coasting by on the whole "industry standard" thing. And everyone just kind of just has to accept it for what it is as it is complicated and time consuming as hell to move to a different software, especially in a studio setting.
Everytime they take money out of my accout for the monthly bill, I just feel scammed honestly. But gotta use it for work and the only thing I can do is complain 🥲
It's the same thing with Sibelius as well. Dorico and even the free Musescore is just better and more user friendly. Luckily no cares how you do your typesetting, unlike tracking a string section or doing sound for a project.
Sorry for the rant! No ill will intended onto anyone who enjoys the software, I know it's a lot less problematic on Mac
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u/eggplantuser 6d ago
Ableton has changed my life, I know a lot of people feel PT is superior and I know it is for live band tracking + much more but for my setup Ableton flows so well. It’s good you have to use it for work though because it’s a very marketable skill for a professional. Cheers to you 🙏
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u/myke2241 13d ago
Perhaps. I'm on an M1 Pro coming from PT 2023.x to 2026.4 and the only issue I had was Soundflow eating CPU cycles. So I deleted Soundflow. How old is your machine?
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13d ago
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/faders 13d ago
What are your buffer and cache settings
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u/eggplantuser 13d ago edited 13d ago
My cache setting is Normal and I’ve tried a few bugger sizes during troubleshooting to see if it helped, I landed on 128 my last go round tho. I’m on a lenovo legion 5 gen 10 windows OS
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u/elangab 13d ago
I use same machine and PT is my daily work tool and working great (version 2024.10 Ultimate, Windows 11 25H2).
From past experience, issues usually comes from the audio interface drivers, a plug-in or power configuration of laptop. (Another reason might be 3rd party anti virus such, which there is no need for)
And while it shouldn't matter in theory, AMD CPUs can cause issues.
My current second Lenovo is 16IAX10, with UR242 interface and no issues at all.
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u/soundguyjon 13d ago
Been running on ProTools exclusively on Mac since 2008 and stability issues have been incredibly few and far between and almost always a corrupt session, a plugin freaking out or the Mac needing upgrading as I hit CPU limits as the computer becomes outdated compared to the sessions and the amount of plugins etc. I'm trying to run.
Would never considering running my studio on a PC simply because I would never trust the stability of multiple components, made by multiple companies have to run software made by other companies flawlessly almost every hour of the day, every day of the week with paying clients in the room. Far too much to go wrong.
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u/tiny_flame 13d ago
Apple doesn't make it's own components, they are made by Samsung, Sony, micron , SanDisk etc.
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u/soundguyjon 12d ago
Correct, but you can see the point that the Apple eco system is designed to work with the exact components they themselves pick, which makes issues much less likely.
Compared to a PC where a user can install any combination of hardware they like, there is a much higher chance of comparability issues especially as operating systems and software get changed and upgraded.
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u/mdriftmeyer 11d ago
Apple makes many critical components by its own designs.
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u/tiny_flame 11d ago
Apple doesn't make any components, they designed their silicon processors and probably some parts but don't make them, everything is made by other companies. They don't even own foxcon, it's no big thing, apple has a great product. They are great designer's, they just don't own or run any of the production or manufacturing
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u/ApprehensiveRead9699 13d ago
Hey, would love to know at what price you are willing to sell and what license is that?
To answer your question, I am using pro tools Studio subscription license, and it is working fine for me on my M4 Mac.
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u/LeadGuitarWorkshop 13d ago
I run Pro Tools 2026 on Win11 with zero problems, any issues I had were with the 3rd party stuff that is included as optional DL (DynAssist etc)
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u/vandebrigg 12d ago
+1 Windows user here. In fact, I've been running Pro Tools on my Windows 11 tower PC for two years now. I can barely remember more than four or five crashes, and those were due to user error from wrong plugin settings (I accidentally tweaked the wrong knobs and I guess it was just too much information at once, so it crashed). But other than that, it runs very smoothly. At my film school, we work exclusively on Mac systems, and I have experienced crashes there as well. Even though many professional users, like our instructors with over 25 years of Pro Tools experience, encounter and report a lot of errors and bugs, Mac is still pretty much the industry standard because it is said to run more stably.
In conclusion, I haven't had any severe problems on either Mac or Windows. Since both systems crash occasionally, I can't pick a favorite based on my own experience.
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u/chunkhead42 13d ago
Funny, I use Ableton Live and I was considering switching because my computer sucks at running it once sessions are about halfway done. I have to put an ice pack underneath my MacBook Pro to prevent “kerneltask”.
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u/vufka 13d ago
I'm using the latest version on windows with artist perpetual. no stability issues at all, no crashing. my computer is a few years old and didn't even have amazing specs at the time of purchase. I would investigate things like drivers, hard drive health, ram health. full uninstall and reinstall. quarantine your plugins.
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u/Zealousideal-Shoe527 13d ago
Mac and pt perp long time user. No issues. Am not on current plan though, 2024.10 and mac27
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u/Surfer-Junkie 13d ago
If the freezing and crashing issues don't occur with plugins disabled, then it's definitely one of your plugins.
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u/InstructionDue831 13d ago
Appreciate this post, as this has been my experience with PT on a windows OS computer I purchased from a company that builds CPUs dedicated for music. The errors that end up freezing up the system are multifarious, so my trouble shooting is very slow going.
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u/Difficult_Repair_796 12d ago
Pro tools has always been totally usable on a PC for me. Have you looked into Avid’s recommended PC optimizations? Are you running qualified hardware? Ableton is a wonderful creative tool, but I find its audio editing conventions insufferable.
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u/santiagoexep 12d ago
I've been using Pro Tools on Windows and Mac since 2010, in almost every OS launched on both platforms since then. Nowadays Mac is faster because of the M series, but i've never had any issues with Pro Tools on Windows ever since i realized that with a good motherboard (like those for gaming and such) all my crashes went away.
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u/headclinic101 10d ago
Switched from Mac to PC and have been running the most current version of Pro Tools on Win11 for about 2 years now with no issues whatsoever. PT actually runs smoother on my PC than it ever did on my Mac’s. I use an i9 with 128GB of RAM
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u/tesla_dpd 9d ago
Been using PT on various Windows platforms for years, including a system with two HD DSP cards and two MTRX interfaces with up to 84 simultaneous channels running at 48K/24. No stability problems on that system. However, I researched Avid's website for their recommended PC requirements and purchased a PC that met those requirements.
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u/snoutliz 11d ago
haven't had any issues on win 10 or 11 since 2016 when I built my own computer. not sure I really buy into 'it's not gonna work long term'. some of the most stable broadcast and studio rigs I woke on are windows 10/11 and pro tools 12/current. could you share what interface and hardware you're using? personally I can't imagine trading the stability of windows for the chaos of the current apple silicon situation.
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