Specifications

Chapter 3: Working with Real-Time Plug-Ins 7
chapter 3
Working with Real-Time Plug-Ins
Real-time plug-ins process audio nondestruc-
tively in real time. They do not alter the original
source audio, but only apply their effect during
playback.
There are two formats of real-time plug-ins:
TDM Plug-Ins Rely on the processing power of
Digidesign DSP cards. TDM plug-ins run only on
Pro Tools TDM systems.
RTAS Plug-Ins Rely on the processing power of
your computer. RTAS plug-ins run on Pro Tools
TDM and LE systems.
Processing Power
Requirements of TDM and
RTAS Plug-Ins
TDM and RTAS plug-ins differ in their process-
ing power requirements.
TDM Plug-Ins
Each real-time TDM plug-in that is inserted in a
Pro Tools session uses a portion of your system’s
total available DSP resources. Since these DSP re-
sources reside on the cards that make up your
particular Pro Tools hardware configuration,
the amount of DSP available depends entirely
on the number and type of DSP cards in your
system.
You can add more mixing and processing power
to your system by installing additional DSP
cards, provided you have unused PCI expansion
slots in your computer or use a Digidesign-ap-
proved Expansion Chassis.