After waiting 6 months to hear from Avid regarding my upgrade from Pro Tools 10 to Pro Tools 11, I finally was able to get this mess all sorted out.

Turns out that no emails were ever sent out to me because there are different versions of the Pro Tools ACADEMIC package. One version is strictly for students, and that version includes 4 years of upgrades.

But the faculty version is considered as "Faculty/Institutional" and sells for the same price as the student ACAD version, but now no longer includes any major upgrades. So even though I was repeatedly informed that Avid would be sending out emails shortly regarding upgrades, nothing ever showed up in any of my in boxes.

I finally got someone from Avid on the phone today (Jan 16, 2014) and learned that the faculty upgrade version for Pro Tools 11 would cost $99.

I spoke with my contact at Sweetwater (Dave Cochran, sales engineer guru) and purchased the right upgrade. Apparently, there are several SKU numbers, all depending on which version you purchased originally. Since I got my PT 10 from Sweetwater, they had all the info in their system.

After you purchase the upgrade, you need to install iLock Manager onto your computer. Then, you follow the instructions that are sent to you from the dealer (the upgrade is not a boxed purchase, but an electronic download).

Open a new window or tab, and go to Avid.  Sign in to your master account, and key in the product activation code for the PT 11 upgrade that was emailed to you. Avid, in turn, transmits that info over to iLock and you are issued a license.

Back on the iLock site, you drag and drop the new license to your iLock device, which shows in the left hand screen.

Return to the Avid open tab, and select the PT 11 installer for download, and save the zipped file to your drive.

You can exit iLock and exit Avid.

Next, you have to uninstall your PT 10 version. iLock (per Avid commandment) will have removed your PT 10 iLock license. So you will no longer be able to use PT 10 at all on your computer. In fact, it must be removed from your computer in order to install PT 11.

If you have an investment in aftermarket plug-ins, you may not be able to use them in PT 11. In my case, I never purchased any plug-ins for my home system, since any commercial editing/mixing is done in a professional studio and not at home. Besides, only PT 11 will run on my Windows 8 laptop!

After dumping your PT 10 from your drive, you are ready to install PT 11. Click on the downloaded install file, which is a zipped folder. Make sure that you extract all files. After the files have been extracted, find the file that says SET UP and run it.

Just follow the screen prompts.

Hope this helps.