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Digi 002 seems good to me

Tactile control surface... Good
8 Analog imputs...Good (even too much since i'm going to record instrouments one by one and no drums)
A/D and D/A converters... It's a question for you.
Mic Pre... some one said "colorless" but in case can I exclude digi pre and use my favourite pre?
Compatibility with third party vst... i see almost all vst producers listed as compatible but one is missing (Steinberg The Grand 2) PT web site dosn't say anything about Steinberg vts plugins for PT some one knows?

What's your experience with 002 some suggestions?

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Comments

anonymous Thu, 10/06/2005 - 06:49

Most people are pretty level headed about their purchases, in which case the Digi002 will suit most.

I, on the other hand get a little overboard when I get into something. As a result I find myself wanting options that I can't really do with my Digi002. You can bypass their mic pres without much of a problem but eventually you are stuck with their D/A-A/D converters.

I record primarily acoustc music so it is not uncommon for me to record up to 18 tracks at a time which is the maximum you can record on a digi002, I don't like having that limitation. Because of all the ADAT connections you are limited to recording at 24/48 - which is not a crime but I hate not having any alternatives.The only other issue that bothers me is the 32 analog track limitation.

Many people who buy a Digi002 are very happy and I was when I initially bought it. I found that once I got knee deep into this stuff I found myself wanting more out of my system. I don't think that this typical as most people adjust to the limitations. I have not had any technical problems with the unit and the software itself is very reliable.

If you have a personality similar to mine (always wanting the best) you may find yourself looking at options down the line. Hope that helps, thanks.

iznogood Thu, 10/06/2005 - 12:03

Digger wrote: Most people are pretty level headed about their purchases, in which case the Digi002 will suit most.

I, on the other hand get a little overboard when I get into something. As a result I find myself wanting options that I can't really do with my Digi002. You can bypass their mic pres without much of a problem but eventually you are stuck with their D/A-A/D converters.

I record primarily acoustc music so it is not uncommon for me to record up to 18 tracks at a time which is the maximum you can record on a digi002, I don't like having that limitation. Because of all the ADAT connections you are limited to recording at 24/48 - which is not a crime but I hate not having any alternatives.The only other issue that bothers me is the 32 analog track limitation.

Many people who buy a Digi002 are very happy and I was when I initially bought it. I found that once I got knee deep into this stuff I found myself wanting more out of my system. I don't think that this typical as most people adjust to the limitations. I have not had any technical problems with the unit and the software itself is very reliable.

If you have a personality similar to mine (always wanting the best) you may find yourself looking at options down the line. Hope that helps, thanks.

yeah.... it's always hard when you want everything for nothing!! :lol: :lol: a very common disease!!

iznogood Thu, 10/06/2005 - 12:36

i use and have used all kinds of protools systems.... (although not on windows.... my life is too short for windows)

HD with 32i/o at work

LE with mbox at home

LE with 002 at my friends place....

he has a digi 002 rack expanded with an rme adi-8 8-channel a/d-d/a

imo it's a great setup considering the price.... 16i/o.... 32 tracks and down to 64 samples latency....

the converters in the 002 sounds fine for most production needs.... although the rme sounds even better......

and as you can read elsewhere i really prefer to record and mix at 44.1 kHz as i consider sample rate conversion to be worse than the advantage of recording at 96k.....

and the reason the adat port is at 44.1/48 is that adat standard IS 44.1/48.....

anonymous Thu, 10/06/2005 - 17:18

digi 002 is for audio engineering illiterates!

This doesn't help me so much in making a chioce...can you explain better your point of view?
I'm trying to see the pro and cons about 002
So if you tryed or owned it or if you have something better you think i should consider please tell me about it .

The only thing I actually have already bought is a pre (Great River MP-2NV) because I love how it sounds with my guitar

Actually I'm considering 2 products

1)LavryBlue configured in 2 A/D, 2 D/A but can't choose the sound card to use with it.

2)Digi 002 FireWire which integrates a control surface A/D and D/A converters and sound card so i don't need to plug anything inside my Mac.

The price is almost the same so i'm trying to find out the better way.

Suggestions?

anonymous Thu, 10/06/2005 - 18:29

David
My intent is to collect as many 002 experiences as I can
I've exposed a second option and trying to figure out if that second could be much better considering only sound quality

If sound quality of the second option would be much better than 002 I could choose to renounce to its control surface and to the idea of buyng an all in one solution

what do you think?

Kev Thu, 10/06/2005 - 18:46

I'm a Digi and PT user since the product was SoundTools
and
I've never liked the product concept that is the 002

I do like most of what the 002Rack is and would have prefered it with ProLevel I/O
but then I'd prefer it to have 2 lightpipes and or AESEBU so we could use our own stuff.

Digi doesn't want that.

I like PT and the 002Rack is a good choice.
Sound quality is not the first reason you are looking to when buying one of these and session compatability might be.
The Lightpipe is a good way to find some better quality but does restrict you to the lower rates.
( I don't have one cos I've still got a couple of 001's left ... and the HD system)
If you must have a surface controller, my advice is to keep it as cheap as possible because I;m sure in the future we will see much more activity in this product area.

Most of what I've see so far is crap and even the expensive Pro Control is a good example of that.

Having felt and touched an AMS Logic 3 and an AudioFile ... this system is very old now but just feels so much better than all the USB/Mid toys out there.

They are getting better.

SO for my PT systems, I am still fighting the mouse.

anonymous Thu, 10/06/2005 - 18:57

MG0039 wrote: Hi Digger
What do you mean exactliy with "but eventually you are stuck with their D/A-A/D converters."?

Tanks

On a Digi002 the first 8 inputs use internal D/A/D converters. The first 4 preamp channels can be bypassed by using the line in inserts but there is no option to bypass the converters. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it is limiting.

The reality is converters are the hardest part of the audio chain (Mics-Preamps-Convertors-Monitors) to distinguish as they tend to be universally transparent. You have to have a pretty developed set of ears to really distinguish various levels of transparency and even then it is largely subjective (IMHO).

In the grand scheme of things no one is going to listen to your recordings and ask you with disgust 'dude what converters were you using'. The qulaity of your performances are the single biggest factor. The problem is that as you get sucked into this industry you start to get sucked into all of the gear hype and BS and you eventually get to a place that I am at right now which is I want better and I have the facility to do so.

A digi002 is a great way to get your feet wet quickly. It is flexible to a point and will suit most home project needs quite nicely. Good luck, I hope that helps, Cheers!

FifthCircle Fri, 10/07/2005 - 10:22

Call me crazy, but IMO conversion is probably the least important part of the recording chain. Don't get me wrong, bad conversion can harm a sound and it does make a difference. BUT, in the scheme of things, I feel that the mics you use and the preamps you use will have a much bigger difference on the sound.

The 002 isn't the best interface in the world, but neither is it the worst. If you're looking for an entry-level system, it has a lot to offer (heck, it even comes with software). I've made some great recordings use the 002- of course I have good mics, decent pres and most importantly I get good placement on my mics.

My favorite system is my Sequoia rig (from SequoiaDIGITAL.com) based around a Lynx sound card. I can use Lavry converters and the Sequoia software is awesome. However, it also costs 4-5 times as much as a PTLE system.

In the end, it is about what you feel comfortable using and that is how you'll get your best sound. If you blame the gear on getting a bad recording, you need to look in the mirror.

--Ben

anonymous Sat, 10/08/2005 - 07:46

FifthCircle wrote: Call me crazy, but IMO conversion is probably the least important part of the recording chain. Don't get me wrong, bad conversion can harm a sound and it does make a difference. BUT, in the scheme of things, I feel that the mics you use and the preamps you use will have a much bigger difference on the sound.

I don't know if you read my reply above but that is exactly what I said. In the end everything will make a difference but as far as the audio chain is concerned, A/D/A converters are going to the least impactful on your overall sound quality (within reason) - so I agree. The rest of your reply is accurate as well and I agree with everything you said.

anonymous Sat, 10/08/2005 - 19:19

FifthCircle wrote: I did read it... Just another person agreeing with what you said about conversion. I just get anoyed at times when I see people so worried about what converters they have (should I get some Lavrys?) and they don't have a single good mic or pre.

--Ben

Can I get an AMEN!

BTW - I checked out your website, looks great and nice selection of work to listen to.

Cheers!

anonymous Wed, 10/12/2005 - 17:59

You might want to wait for the new M-Audio Project Mix I/O and ProTools M-Powered. It is almost identical to the Digi 002. It has 4 less analog outs but has 8 mic pre's as opposed to the 002's four. It also has a master fader. I'm sure there are several other differences, but the Project Mix I/O is supposed to have a street price of $999 plus $300 for ProTools M-Powered, which is a heck of a deal compared to 002.

anonymous Wed, 10/12/2005 - 22:08

I just picked up the 002 (with the faders) after some grumbling from OSX (the original) and installing a too new version of PT, I had to erase the main HD, reinstall osx and pt . It has worked fine, I have had a couple of wierdness happen, but it may have to due with lack of ram as I am running 512 (i know sucks)

anyhow , after sorting on some of the issues it has worked fine.

I am running a couple of Toft audio mic pres, a reissue 1176, a couple dbx 160s, a yamaha 01v for routing headphones & talk back (extra mic pres for drums)

I have used all 16 ins at once without problems, as i do a lot of accoustic music,

one concern is getting hot enough audio , as sometimes, its a little on the low side or a little too hot, even with compression, and some fader riding.

all in all pretty good system, just bugs i have had to work out.