Jon Connolly is the most sought-after Pro Tools instructor in the world.
Having been with Avid since the company first started out as DigiDesign in the early ‘90s, he quickly became their Product Specialist in Los Angeles, offering Pro Tools installations, training, and support to major studios like Warner Bros., Universal, Capitol, The Village, Record One, Westlake, and more.
Today, Jon is a Pro Tools Master Instructor for Avid, travelling the world and training Pro Tools users of all levels. He also teaches at the world-renowned Berklee College of Music. In this tutorial, he explains the different price points for first-time Pro Tools buyers or subscribers.
Pro Tools First
This is a great way to get acquainted with Pro Tools if you’re a first-time user. First is totally free, and comes with most of the barebones features you’ll need for basic recording and mixing.
Subscriptions vs. Perpetual Licenses
With standard Pro Tools and Pro Tools Ultimate, you have the choice between subscribing or purchasing a perpetual license. Subscriptions are paid month-to-month or up front for a 1-year commitment. Pro Tools will no longer work once your subscription has expired.
A perpetual license means you are buying the software outright and owning it forever. It comes with one year of free support and upgrades, and Pro Tools will continuously work on your system. However, you will not be able to download newer versions of Pro Tools once the year of free support has lapsed.
As a beginning user, the standard Pro Tools software is more than adequate, so we’ll highlight its cost in the breakdown below. Pro Tools Ultimate software is catered towards heavy-duty professional users, but isn’t necessary to get started.
Standard Pro Tools Pricing
- $29.99 1-year subscription, paid monthly
- $299.00, 1-year subscription, paid up front
- $34.99, monthly subscription
- $599.00, perpetual license with 1 year of free support and upgrades