ProAudioTorrents

Introduction

Pro Audio Torrents is a private torrent tracker, but it is unlike any other that I have ever seen while exploring the constantly expanding torrenting universe. As the site’s title suggests, Pro Audio Torrents is dedicated to torrent files specifically for indie music producers, DJs, composers, audio engineers, and the like. In other words, this is not the site for people who are looking for torrent files of their favorite free indie movies, TV shows, video games, eBooks, or anime. Pro Audio Torrents is a private torrent tracker crafted solely for those who take their music production seriously.

As anyone who has spent hours scouring the internet for the latest in open-source audio software, loops, samples, and the perfect Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) knows all too well, finding decent music production torrents is no easy task.

Public torrent trackers are not great for open-source audio software – To be able to find a torrent tracker devoted solely to an elite userbase of fellow indie audiophiles has me extremely hopeful and excited.

Then, of course, there is always the problem of viruses, malware, trojans, and miners. Far too frequently, even on the most trusted public torrent trackers, free indie music production software is embedded with tons of hidden garbage that can slow down your computer, cause it to break down altogether, or otherwise invade your privacy. Open-source software is always the riskiest kind of torrent file there is because it gains access to your hard drive upon installation.

Finally, an exclusive torrent haven for indie producers and musicians? – So, when I first heard about the existence of Pro Audio Torrents, I was beside myself. Finally, a private torrenting community of likeminded indie music makers. It is in our best interest not to screw each other over, right? I love the idea behind this site. Even though private torrent trackers have their ups and downs, generally speaking, in my opinion.

Let’s start with the positives of using a private torrent tracker. Firstly, they are excellent for what I just alluded to … for creating tightknit communities of likeminded peers that are serious about both the content they specialize in and file sharing more broadly. As far as safety is concerned, private torrent trackers have almost no issues with malware or trojans, as they are very selective and often require an invitation in order to join.

Going forward with the positive aspects of private torrent trackers: you can also be guaranteed solid peer activity. This is because private torrent trackers have requirements for their users, quotas if you will. If a member repeatedly does not meet his or her seeding and/or upload quota, then there are consequences. The user’s download capacity may become temporarily capped, download speeds may be throttled, or, in extreme cases, the user may end up being banned. So, needless to say, with a solid private torrent tracker, seldom do you have to worry about not being able to execute a download; nor do you have to worry about a torrent taking too long to download due to a lack of seeders.

It’s not all good in the hood – This does, however, come with some inherent negatives, too. For one thing, the insular nature of the community means that, well, it can be very difficult to gain access to the site. As I mentioned, a lot of these sorts of trackers are invite-only. Which means that you will probably have to actually know somebody who is already a member in order to join. The other option, of course, is to lurk around torrent forums for hours on end, crossing your fingers that somebody will share an invite link. Oh, and every once in a great while, these private torrent sites will have a very brief open registration window.

The other notable downside to this kind of site is the fact that you are perpetually in a state of proving your worth. You can’t slack off here. If you do, you face the aforementioned consequences. So, if you are going to become a member of a site like Pro Audio Torrents, you better be serious about contributing your fair share of files, seeds, and participation. Otherwise, you may get the boot.

So, the question remains … is Pro Audio Torrents worth the work that it will take to gain access to it? Furthermore, is it going to be worth the work that you will have to continuously put in once you do? Well, let’s take a rare glimpse behind the curtain, shall we, and see what Pro Audio Torrents is all about.

Design

Frankly, I always expect so much more from the design of these private torrent trackers. Maybe this isn’t exactly a logically sound assumption, but I tend to relate exclusivity with the highest quality imaginable. Whereas the design of Pro Audio Torrents is not terrible, it certainly isn’t what the mind conjures when it thinks “VIP” either.

Home page – From the moment you log into Pro Audio Torrents, you will likely notice how, well, unremarkable the site looks. It looks like any old public torrent tracker you’d stumble upon anywhere else on the web. It starts off as if an attempt was made at impressive design, with a pretty cool black and white banner depicting wires, cords, and speakers in a kind of edgily distressed style. That’s a nice intro. But the further down the home page you get, the less and less impressive the site becomes.

Next, you’ll find the unnecessarily oversized and clunky user dash. There is a huge button which you can toggle to logout, a space where you can access your PMs, and a few quick and easy to access icons depicting your user stats (total torrents leeched vs. seeded, friends, etc.). Next on down is the site menu bar, which is lengthy, and allows you to navigate the site by clicking on any of the following: Home, Browse, Today, Upload, Requests, Donate, Forums, Stats, Log, Staff, Support, Rules, FAQ, Chat, Calculations. So, as you can see, this site offers many more features than your average torrent tracker, but it doesn’t do so in a particularly sleek or modern looking way.

The rest of the home page asserts itself as a small and archaic looking news feed with a “shout box” below it, allowing users to communicate with the whole of the site in a chat room fashion.

Inner pages – The site does not get any more impressive the further into it you travel. The search results index is just as dated and clunky as the rest of the site. No thumbnails or experiential elements to speak of here!

Content and Features

 Pro Audio Torrents, though, for what it lacks in design it makes up for in features. There is so much going on here, that I am just going to briefly list everything that the site offers…

–Tons of high-quality torrents of open-source audio production/recording software, samples, one-shot packs, sound fonts, VSTs, etc.

-Forums

-Social networking capabilities (direct messages, chat rooms, friending, etc.)

-In-depth stats updated in real time

-Excellent torrent health overall 

Mobile and Desktop Experience

The site appears to work fairly well on mobile devices. The layout does change in a way that is decently optimized for smartphones and tablets. In my opinion, it could have probably been a little better optimized (you still have to zoom in to read stuff occasionally), but I have seen worse mobile sites in my day, that is for sure.

Pricings and Plans

Although Pro Audio Torrents is 100% free to use (if you are lucky enough to get an invite), there are ways to pay for certain enhancements. This is done on a tiered donation basis. As follows:

-Bronze: £10 donation … 20GB uploading credits, 3 torrents at a time, 1 invite

-Silver: £15 donation … 40 GB uploading, 5 torrent max, 2 invites

-Gold: £20 … 60 GB, 8 torrents, 3 invites

-Platinum: £25 … 80 GB, 12 torrents, 4 invites

-VIP: £50 … 160 GB, 40 torrents, 5 invites

-Uploader Status: £60 … 180 GB, 999 torrents, 6 invites

-Extreme PAT User: £100 … 500 GB, unlimited torrents, 10 invites