Pro Tools LE 8.0 for Mac OS X has the following system requirements:

Installation Requirements

• Mac OS X 10.5.5 or higher (Leopard)
  
• DVD drive required for Pro Tools LE 8.0 installation DVD
  
• Not required for Download-only Pro Tools LE 8.0 installation
  

Pro Tools LE Audio Interface Required
Pro Tools LE 8.0 supports the following Digidesign LE audio devices:

FireWire Interface:

• 003
  
• 003 Rack
  
• 003 Rack+
  
• Mbox 2 Pro
  
• Digi 002
  
• Digi 002 Rack
  

USB Interface:

• Mbox 2
  
• Mbox 2 Mini
  
• Mbox 2 Micro
  
• Mbox (original)
  

Pro Tools LE 8.0 software will not launch without one of the above Pro Tools LE hardware interfaces connected. Please note:

• Pro Tools LE supports the use of any single Pro Tools LE audio interface
  
• Simultaneous use of multiple Pro Tools LE hardware devices is not supported
  

Maximum Sample Rate:

• 003, 003 Rack, 003 Rack+, Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, Mbox 2 Pro - 96 kHz
  
• Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Mini, Mbox 2 Micro, Mbox - 48 kHz
  

Supported Apple Computers

March 5, 2009 — On March 3rd, Apple, Inc. released new versions of the iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro and MacBook Pro. Testing is underway and Avid is working toward fully qualifying these new machines.

For the most recent information about Avid products and updates regarding the qualification of the new iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro and MacBook Pro, please check the compatibility pages.

Pro Tools LE 8.0 for Mac OS X is officially qualified with the following:

Apple Intel-based Computers Supported with Pro Tools LE 8.0

• Mac Pro
  
  • All Mac Pro models are officially qualified up to but not including latest models announced March 3, 2009
    
• MacBook Pro
  
  • All MacBook Pro models are officially qualified up to but not including latest models announced March 3, 2009
    
  • See below for information about MacBook Pro with FireWire 800 ports only
    
• MacBook
  
  • Models with FireWire ports only, not supported with late 2008 USB-only models
    
  • See below for more information
    
• iMac (Intel)
  
  • All iMac models are officially qualified up to but not including latest models announced March 3, 2009
    
• Mac mini (Intel)
  
  • All Mac mini models are officially qualified up to but not including latest models announced March 3, 2009
    

MacBook Pro FW800 Models
The late 2008 and early 2009 "unibody" MacBook Pro models have a FireWire 800 port, and no longer have a FireWire 400 port:

• MacBook Pro Tech Specs

The FireWire 800 port on these computers is backwards compatible* with FireWire 400 devices, but requires one of the following configuration options:

1) FW800 port —> FW800 Drive (912 or 924 chipset) —> Out FW400 port on Drive —> Pro Tools LE FireWire audio interface

2) FW800 port —> FW800 to FW400 converter cable —> FW400 Drive (911 chipset) —> Multiple FW400 Drives (911 chipset) as needed for maximum track count —> Pro Tools LE FireWire audio interface

When qualifying Pro Tools USB devices we connected the device to the USB port on the computer and used the above configuration guidelines for connecting drives only.

*For more information on FireWire 800 and 400 compatibility, and where to get a FW800 to FW400 converter cable, see this MacWorld article:

• Don't worry: FireWire is FireWire
  

The following models have FireWire 800 ports only:

Early 2009 MacBook Pro 17-inch models

• MacBook Pro 2.66GHz (MB604LL/A)
  
• Optional: 2.93GHz Processor
  

Late 2008 MacBook Pro 15-inch models

• MacBook Pro 2.4GHz (MB133LL/A)
  
• MacBook Pro 2.53GHz (MB134LL/A)
  
• Optional: 2.8GHz Processor
  

Early 2009 MacBook Pro 15-inch models — Announced March 3, 2009 — Testing in Progress

• MacBook Pro 2.4GHz (MB470LL/A)
  
• MacBook Pro 2.66GHz (MC026LL/A)
  
• Optional: 2.93GHz Processor
  

Other New FW800 Models — Testing in Progress — Not Yet Qualified

The following models have FireWire 800 ports, and no FireWire 400 port:

Early 2009 Mac Pro models — Announced March 3, 2009 — Testing in Progress

• Current Mac Pro Technical Specifications
  
• Four FireWire 800 ports (two on front panel, two on back panel)
  
• Quad-Core (MB871LL/A)
  
  • Standard: 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processor
    
  • Optional: 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processor
    
• 8-Core (MB535LL/A)
  
  • Standard: Two 2.26GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processors
    
  • Optional: Two 2.66GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processors
    
  • Optional: Two 2.93GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Processors
    

Early 2009 iMac models — Announced March 3, 2009 — Testing in Progress

• Current iMac Technical Specifications
  
• One FireWire 800 Port
  
• 20-inch iMac(MB417LL/A)
  
  • 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
    
• 24-inch iMac(MB418LL/A)
  
  • 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
    
• 24-inch iMac(MB419LL/A)
  
  • Standard: 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
    
  • Optional: 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
    
• 24-inch iMac(MB420LL/A)
  
  • 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
    

Early 2009 Mac mini models — Announced March 3, 2009 — Testing in Progress

• Current Mac mini Technical Specifications
• One FireWire 800 Port
  
• 120GB Mac mini (MB463LL/A)
  
• 320GB Mac mini (MB464LL/A)
  
• Standard: 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
  
• Optional: 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
  

Not Supported

The late 2008 aluminum "unibody" MacBook models and all MacBook Air models are equipped with USB ports only. Because recording to the internal drive or USB drives is not recommended, these models are not tested or supported. There is no way to connect a FireWire drive (or FireWire audio interface) to these Macs. There are no FireWire ports or ExpressCard slots on these models:

• MacBook 2.0GHz (MB466LL/A)
  
• MacBook 2.4GHz (MB467LL/A)
  
• MacBook Air (all models)
  

Apple PowerPC-based Computers Supported with Pro Tools LE 8.0

Internal Testing — Fully Qualified

• Power Mac G5 PCIe (all Dual and Quad processor models)
  

External Testing — Limited Qualification
The models listed below were used by Beta Sites during Pro Tools 8.0 development. They were not tested by Avid Engineering but are considered compatible with Pro Tools LE 8.0 for Mac OS X:

• Power Mac G5 2.7GHz dual processors 3rd generation
  
• Power Mac G5 2.3GHz dual processors 3rd generation
  
• Power Mac G5 2.0GHz dual processors 3rd generation
  
• Power Mac G5 1.8 to 2.5GHz dual processors 2nd generation
  
• Power Mac G5 1.6 to 2.0GHz single and dual processors 1st generation
  
• Power Mac G4 1.0GHz to 1.42GHz dual processors Quicksilver and MDD models
  

These models may be able to provide full track count performance, however, they cannot be guaranteed to do so. Your performance and track count may vary depending on the processor count and speed.

Not Tested with Pro Tools 8:

• iMac G5
  
• iBook G4
  
• iMac G4
  
• Mac mini (PPC)
  
• PowerBook G4
  

System Software — Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Pro Tools LE 8.0 software requires Mac OS X 10.5.5 or 10.5.6, and is not compatible with earlier versions of Leopard. If you have an earlier version of Leopard, you will need to update your Mac OS using either of the following Combo Updates before installing Pro Tools LE 8.0:

• Mac OS X 10.5.5 Combo Update
  
• Mac OS X 10.5.6 Combo Update
  

If you do not own Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), you will need to purchase Leopard from Apple or an authorized Apple distributor. Pro Tools 8 is not compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or earlier versions of Mac OS X.

Notes:

• Downloading one of the "Combo Update" installers is the recommended method of updating your Mac OS.
  
• Updating your Mac OS using the built-in Software Update or smaller incremental "Delta Update" downloads may not install all required components, and is not recommended.
  

Total System RAM

• 1GB minimum required for Pro Tools LE 8.0 - More Recommended
  
• More RAM increases overall system and Pro Tools performance
  

More RAM highly recommended for sessions with:

• Large amounts of audio
  
• High edit density
  
• Large DigiBase databases
  
• A large number of installed plug-ins
  
• Options like DigiTranslator
  
• Elastic Time enabled on multiple tracks
  
• Simultaneous use with other applications
  

Note that maximum track count may vary depending on CPU, OS, number of edits, drives, or other factors. See additional requirements for toolkit options at the bottom of this page.

Audio Record/Playback Drive Requirements
Please see the following for formatting and compatibility information:

• Hard Drive Requirements - Pro Tools LE for Mac OS X
  

Compatible with Pro Tools LE 8.0 for Mac OS X

• FWx Record/Playback Option for VENUE D-Show Systems
  
• Control Surfaces:
  
  • C|24
    
  • Command|8
    
  • Control|24
    
  • Mackie Designs HUI
    
  • CM Labs MotorMix
    
• MIDI Interface:
  
  • Digidesign MIDI I/O
    
  • M-Audio MIDISPORT Series
    
• Optional Software:
  
  • Complete Production Toolkit
    
  • DV Toolkit 2
    
  • DigiTranslator 2.0
    
  • MP3 Export Option
    
  • Music Production Toolkit
    
  • Music Production Toolkit 2
    
  • Video Satellite LE
    
• Avid Mojo SDI
  
• Blackmagic Design Video Cards
  
• Canopus ADVC100/ADVC110
  

Additional Requirements

Monitor

• Minimum resolution of 1024 x 768
  
• 17" or larger recommended if using external monitor
  

Performance Guidelines

• Recording to the system startup drive is not recommended or supported
  
• Although limited recording and playback of audio tracks may be possible using the startup drive, one or more separate dedicated audio hard drive(s) is required for maximum performance and track count (7200 rpm or faster)
  

Performance Rankings

• Desktop Ranking for Pro Tools LE 8 Compatibility and Performance
• Laptop Ranking for Pro Tools LE 8 Compatibility and Performance
  

Known Issues

• Pro Tools does not support RAID technology. Please do not activate this feature on any Pro Tools recording drives.
  
• USB drives are not recommended or supported for recording
  
• Pro Tools Does Not Support Sleep Mode:
  
  • In the Mac OS X Apple Menu or Applications folder, open System Preferences. Launch Energy Saver, click the Sleep tab, and disable all Sleep features. Set "Put the computer to sleep when it is inactive" to Never. Do not manually put your computer to sleep when running Pro Tools.
    

For additional known issues, see the Pro Tools LE 8.0 Read Me.pdf, available for download below.

Toolkit Options for Pro Tools LE — Maximum Track Count Information

Optional Software — Purchased Separately

The Complete Production Toolkit, DV Tookit 2, Music Production Toolkit 2, and the original Music Production Toolkit (discontinued) are all compatible with Pro Tools LE 8.0. Each of these options expands the track count in Pro Tools LE 8.0, and therefore have additional requirements to help achieve that additional track count.

Note that maximum track count may vary depending on CPU, OS, number of edits, drives, or other factors. To help achieve maximum track count, Avid recommends the following:

• 3GB total system RAM
  
• 2 or more qualified hard drives dedicated for audio record and playback
  
• Qualified Apple Power Mac G5 or Intel-based Mac computer with the following processor requirements:
  
  • Intel Core 2 Duo processor
    
  • Intel Core Duo processor
    
  • Mac Pro (all models)
    
  • Dual or Quad processor Power Mac G5 (Power Mac G5 Dual 2GHz first generation model M9032 may not achieve maximum track count)
    

For more information about these options, and the maximum track count provided by each one, see Pro Tools LE and M-Powered Options in the Products section.

For complete details on all of the toolkit upgrades, please see the following page:

• New Toolkit Upgrade Options Available
  

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