Avid has made its Hybrid Engine available for HDX Systems.
Part of Pro Tools Ultimate 2021.6, the Hybrid Engine optimises Pro Tools performance by intelligently splitting processing between native and HDX DSP mix engines. This enables users to take advantage of their host computer’s mixing and processing power while also giving immediate access to HDX’s onboard DSP for supplementing computing power and recording through AAX DSP plug-ins with virtually no latency.
This innovation addresses ‘a crucial need’ for many audio professionals who work with large-scale, DSP-hungry sessions.
With the Hybrid Engine, a single HDX card can now handle 2,048 voices at all sample rates, supporting broad use of plug-ins, virtual instruments, surround mixes and other elements. On top of performance, the Hybrid Engine addresses latency with the click of a button – when tracks are put in DSP Mode, the entire signal chain and AAX DSP-compatible plug-ins are processed directly on the HDX card while the host computer plays back the rest of the mix. When toggled it off, the track reverts to Native Mode. With this intelligent integration built into Pro Tools, users can move between tracking and mixing, without latency.
With the expanded Hybrid Engine capabilities in the latest Pro Tools Ultimate software release, HDX Systems are immediately transformed into the most powerful Pro Tools systems we’ve ever made,’ says Avid Senior Director of Product Marketing for Audio Solutions, Rob D’Amico. ‘It unlocks new, maximised performance for HDX, which delivers the uncompromising power our users need to run the most demanding sessions with ease – from the plug-in and instrument-heavy music sessions to complex theatrical Dolby Atmos mixes. Because of the unique way that it works, the Hybrid Engine enables our users to get the most out of their systems so they can deliver their best work as smoothly as possible.’
Pro Tools Ultimate users with a current subscription or software maintenance plan will receive the Hybrid Engine automatically with the June 2021 release of Pro Tools.
