I just made the switch to PT8 because I upgraded my remote setup to a MacBook Pro and was going more portable - I have been using a rackmount PC for remote gigs. A factor that needs to be considered by the PT bashers is the hardware exchange policy. I have an 002r that suits most of my needs but I had an 001 PCI interface that I wasn't using at all that I exchanged to an 003r. So for roughly $800 I have a firewire interface and PT8 with 8 inputs, S/PDIF, ADAT, etc... and a larger track count.
Am I drinking the DIGI Kool-aid?- no. I don't really love the knobs on the 003r - something odd about the whole design IMHO. But an additional headphone jack and some routing options make it very usuable for me. It is not a significant leap from the 002r to the 003r. The OP could do very well with a used 002r if the price is right.

My 15 second review, the new look and layout of PT8 is really pretty nice. I haven't adjusted completely (and I'm keeping my 002r on PT 6+ because of the Wave Plug-ins and Leopard compatibility- now that is a subject of conversation :evil: )- and I'll use it for mixdown/mastering, and the colors and layout look a whole lot more like Samplitude to me, - more grey based. Others on the DUC are complaining about limited brightness, but it works well for me on my laptop.

I haven't spent enough time to tell if there is significant improvement in the pres from the 002r, but my sense is that they are clean and accurate, which is all I look for and all I expect. I get color from other pres which is the case with just about any interface anywhere close to this price range. Will update you as I spend more time with it. I'm planning a pretty big session in the next 2 weeks that I expect to use as a learning project.

Phil

I've used Pro Tools for the few last years and now that version 8 is out. I would never go back to logic or something else!

You will love it the moment you try it!

I have been using nuendo for about 6 years now and it is currently interfaced with a motu 896 (non HD). Compared with logic and protools, nuendo is just in a league of it's own above the two. The audio engine is great, it's been rock solid, and the work flow is very intuitive. Yes, it costs (cubase is a good alternative to start with), but that is because the effort is put into the software and not over priced converts, pres, and control surfaces that require a 2nd mortgage to pay for (seriously, 60k for a control surface with no preamps??) Platforms that utilize well established protocols (HUI, etc..) just offer more value to a consumer and allow an engineer to build a studio that will truly meet the needs of the business as well as the clients.

Having said that, if you really plan to run a full-service professional environment for mixing or tracking, pro-tools might not be a bad option to have available as it will allow easy import/export of projects for clients who like to use different facilities for each stage of a project. Personally, any tracking I do is usually live from an outboard 24 track digital recorder and I export the rae wav or aiff tracks for the customers use, so pro-tools hasn't been a "must have" for me. If that time comes, I will make the investment in an hd2 system, BUT I'M NOT SHELLING OUT OVER 60K FOR A !@#$% CONTROL SURFACE WITH NO !@#$ PREAMPS!! But, I digress...

If you are worried about transfering files there are a couple of options. A lot of people transfer files by making all files into wave or Aiff files and then inporting them into what ever Daw they are using(wave and Aiff files are universal files that can be read by all Daws). Option 2 is that SSL recently released Pro-Convert which allows you to transfer from most Daw platforms to another platform. It also allows you to customise how fades and other stuff gets converted from the other Daw platform into your Daw-- It even transfers from Pro Tools and it lets you export these files as Pro Tools files also.

Here are some other options so you can work on any platform you desire!