An old friend gave me Pro Tools AudioUTOPIA 12.3 a while back and some random plugins, which I finally installed and got running on my Windows 10 PC for the first time a few days ago. I was previously using Windows 7 and Pro Tools M-Powered 9 legit from way back in 2012, and the transition is causing a few issues- plus as a first time user of a cr*ck, I have some general questions that I need answered by some pros. (I'm pretty much an amateur when it comes to this so these might be some ridiculously newbish questions):

1. I literally only used the factory AIR Music Technology plugins on every song (Xpand!2, Vacuum, AIR Reverb, AIR Delay, etc.) It looks like when I load a session, Xpand!2 will show up and play sound, but all the other AIR effects and instruments are missing! I went ahead and bought legit copies on eBay, but realized too late that the download and registration require an iLok account. From the looks of other posts on here, it's a pain in the ass to work around and I don't entirely feel comfortable with my limited tech knowledge. Is there any alternative available for me to get all of these AIR plugins without messing with the headache of iLok?

2. Is it ok/safe to run this while connected to the internet? I've been reading through a lot of earlier posts where people talk about how they don't have their DAW connected to the internet. Is that for any specific reason? My personal PC and recording PC are one and the same so I've always had it connected.

3. If I were to take a session to be mixed or mastered somewhere else, would there be any issues with that?

4. What are the main differences between Pro Tools 12 and M-Powered 9? They look pretty similar when I open up a session, but I haven't dived in yet. Anything you would suggest I try messing with?

I've been without a working means to record music for like 4 months now and it's killing me- I just want to write and record again! Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

1. You didn't need to do that, it's a registry error from the installer, there's a topic about it on the Duc avid forums

2. Always good practice to block the app from internet with firewall

3. As long as the other version is 12.3 or higher, be aware if you use the hd features in 12.3 and the other computer doesn't have hd, I don't think those will show

4. M Powered is missing g alot of features and limited amount of tracks, m Powered is basically the barebones version of pro tools

 

Thanks for the response. I looked around on those forums but didn't find an answer for the missing AIR plugins (1). What do I need to do? Are there any other options for me to get these effects and plugins working?? I'm not entirely sure that they are even on my PC at this point.