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According to Derk Hagedorn, director of product marketing for Avid, the latest release reflects the company’s continua- tion toward AI integration by empowering creators rather than taking their creative power away. Avid’s approach centers on using AI to eliminate tedious tasks and improve organization. “The music creators coming in, they have a passion for learning how to record and create and mix music,” Hagedorn said. “Where we concentrate is streamlining the workflows where AI can really make the work easier, especially for professionals when they’re just dealing with massive projects. For example, if you think about sample libraries, you can have thousands of sounds available to you. How do you most quickly find the right sound to plug-in?” STREAMLINING WORKFLOWS Avid’s AI capabilities are not standalone features — they are embedded directly into the production workflow, allowing users to interact with the tools without disrupting the creative process. In Pro Tools 2026.4, Avid enhances its integrated, AI-powered Speech-to-Text capabilities, making dialogue and lyric-driven workflows faster, more flexible and more efficient. The feature analyzes dialogue or lyrics within a session and generates searchable transcriptions that can be used throughout the editing and mix- ing process. Essential elements such as lead vocals and dialogue are easier to locate, reducing time spent scrolling through sessions and allowing users to move more quickly between tasks. “We first released Speech-to-Text about a year ago,” Hagedorn said. “It’s the ability to use AI analysis [to create] an interactive workflow as you are working with dialogue.” The update builds on that foundation by making the transcription workflow more seamless. “For example, one of the things that we
With Pro Tools 2026.4, Avid is using new tools to streamline workflows, accelerate production and help musicians spend less time managing sessions and more time creating. — By Kimberly Kapela INSIDE AVID’S AI-POWERED VISION Avid’s Derk Hagedorn
A s AI becomes more embedded in music production workflows, Avid is leading the charge to help musicians streamline their work processes without compromising artistic control. With the release of Pro Tools 2026.4, the company
is expanding its vision for AI-assisted production through new immersive audio capabilities, workflow enhancements, and intelligent tools designed to help music and audio professionals simplify complex projects.
16 I MUSIC INC. I SEPTEMBER 2026
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