Installing and authorizing Pro Tools

Whether you have a Pro Tools installer DVD, or you've downloaded Pro Tools from the Internet, the installation process is the same. First, be sure to watch the optimizing your computer before installing Pro Tools video here in this course, then install Pro Tools according to Avid's instructions, which you'll find with your installer and/or on Avid's web site. To run Pro Tools after installing it, you'll need to authorize Pro Tools to run on your computer. Avid will supply you with an authorization that you'll need to install on your iLok key.

An iLok key is essentially a small USB hard drive created by PACE Anti-Piracy that's used to store software authorizations for Pro Tools and for additional plug-ins. If you haven't already, you'll need to setup an account on ilok.com in order for Avid to send you your Pro Tools authorization. Once you have an account, you can retrieve the authorization from the web site and install it on your iLok key. Pro Tools will not run without a valid authorization located on an iLok key connected to your computer.

Pro Tools authorization enables you to run Pro Tools on a supported Mac or Windows computer with a Pro Tools audio interface, an M- Audio audio interface, or any third-party audio interface with supported CoreAudio (Mac) or ASIO (Windows) drivers. That means if you have a Mac, you can run Pro Tools without any additional hardware. The same holds true if you have a Complete Production Toolkit authorization. A Pro Tools HD authorization lets you run Pro Tools HD on a supported Mac or Windows computer with Pro Tools HD hardware.

It also lets you run Pro Tools with the Complete Production Toolkit functionality on supported Mac and Windows systems without Pro Tools HD hardware.