001 vs 888's

[Joz]

How do they compare??
I'm going to use a 24 track analog machine to record drums, and maybe bass. Im going to transfer those tracks to PT LE, and edit. Is the 001 good enough, or do I have to rent a TDM rig to do the A/D transfer, and then export the session to my PT LE?
what do you think?... or what do you know?
Thanks

[MissHiss]

I've used both. The 888 is definitely audibly better. Of course, you can do even better than the 888 with a more expensive A/D, such as the Apogee.

That doesn't mean the 001 sounds bad. But it's really more of a "music store" level of quality. The difference is somewhat subtle. People who didn't do pro audio for a living would probably shrug their shoulders at the difference, even though they'd definitely be able to hear it.

It really depends on how serious of a project it is. I've done tons of personal stuff on the 001 and been quite happy with it. I've done some TV audio stuff on it as well. But if I was releasing a CD, I simply would NOT, under any conditions, use the A/Ds in the 001.

[Rock_Artist]

Still you can connect any ADAT ADs to the 001 and achieve great quality images/icons/smile.gif .

[gerax]

Just get a different AD converter (like the RME ADI 8 Pro) and use that as a front end for the system; once you've converted your sources correctly and with a good converter the capabilities of the LE software are "almost" like those of the TDM for editing and mixing smaller projects.

L.G.

[MissHiss]

I guess I thought it went without saying that you could use the 001 interface box with a different A/D. However, if you'll want to use more than 2 channels, make sure the unit has a light pipe output (they don't ALL have one). For two channels, you can use the S/PDIFs. I'm going to be getting an Apogee Rosetta for this purpose in a month or two.

But make no mistake, the critical difference for sound quality is the A/Ds. If the 001 is used only to pass through audio which has already been converted to digital, you will have whatever quality is coming from the A/D unit you're using.

[Rock_Artist]

If you're already getting into the "who's better" concept the TDMs will always win.

Why?
External Clocking.

The 001 can't get wordclock or anything to improve digital sync.
External Clock (such as the Sync I/O or even the 96k I/Os and others like the MVP/motu) can improve the signal accuracy.

[cookachoo2002]

Originally posted by Rock_Artist:
If you're already getting into the "who's better" concept the TDMs will always win.

Why?
External Clocking.

The 001 can't get wordclock or anything to improve digital sync.
External Clock (such as the Sync I/O or even the 96k I/Os and others like the MVP/motu) can improve the signal accuracy.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I think the 001 gets word clock through the S/PDIF port.

[Joz]

so is there another AD converter that has 8 inputs that I could rent that works with the 001? so I dont have to rent a TDM PT rig.
JOz

[tonygoodall]

is the 96 audibly better?

[Dean G]

From my limited experience on the digi 001 I think this A/D is both overrated and underated.

I've gotten drum and vocal sounds very comparible to commercial recordings ( i think so ). Yes the cymbals sound a little "smeared" and harsh but better mic placement, EQ, and a little reverb goes a long way.

However I recorded a well known cellist directly into the computer (as an A/D , digi 001 test) and wouldn't you know the thing glitched in the first min of the 2nd take! Otherwise it sounded beautiful!! Realverb is awesome!! The resulting recording (after fixing the glitch with the first take) sounded better that anything I've heard recorded live in a theater or in a studio with effects.

So I think you can do the project with the digi 001 but you have to be careful about glitches so listen carefully to each track with fresh ears. Transfer anything with a lot of high freq energy through the S/PDIF ports using a DAT maching or a stand alone CD burner. Bass drum, snare, toms, bass, elect guitar, backing vox, most keyboards should be fine. Shakers, cymbals, not OK kind of.

Old Timer images/icons/smile.gif

[pepperman]

I had been using the 001 system for about a year and a half, and yeah it sounded..... good. Then about two weeks ago I moved up to a TDM system with a 888/24 interface and the moment I started recording with it I could hear that it is in a different league than the digi. Things sounded clearer and have 'edges', I don't have to work as hard to create space in a mix and plug-ins sound better.
Bottom line the digi is a great tool for demos and songwriters, but if you want to make a professional sounding recording TDM & a 888 (or better) is the way.

Woop there it is.

[Joz]

Well I'm goin to get Apogee converters with a TDM rig images/icons/grin.gif ... Do Plug-ins really sound better on TDM??? I always thought that PT LE was the same as PT with less plug ins. And I dont have to worry about the 001 or tracking problems, cause im not using it. But I am using PT LE to mix. With 32 channels and all the plug-ins that I get (around 50, waves, and others) it's enough mixing power. Now you are telling me that plug ins dont sound the same?? images/icons/confused.gif I really need to know!
Joz

[bassmac]

Originally posted by Rock_Artist:
The 001 can't get wordclock or anything to improve digital sync.<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">The 001 *can* receive word clock via s/pdif or optical.

[Joz]

Does this mean that I can hook up a good AD/DA to my digi 001 trough s/pdif or optical??? is there a 2 channel converter? who makes a really good one?

thanks