what exactly does "will no longer be supported" mean?
 

Hi everyone. This is my first question and i hope someone from Avid knows the answer. I want to upgrade my recording system once the 64-bit Pro Tools comes out. The Avid site says that the Digi 002 is one of the audio interfaces that will "no longer be supported" after Pro Tools 10. What does that exactly mean? Does it mean the digi 002 won't work at all with Pro Tools 11, or that Avid will simply no longer provide customer support for the Digi 002. Most people on this forum believe it means that it won't work at all, but can someone from Avid give me a definitive answer?
My plan is to get the new imac with thunderbolt ports(and purchase the necessary firewire to thunderbolt cable, and firewire 800 to 400 converter), stick with the digi 002, and upgrade to pro tools 11 once it comes out. The reason i want to keep my digi 002 is because i only use it to communicate with pro tools. I have the Rosetta 200 AD converter and a nice mic preamp already. It'd be a shame to have to buy a new audio interface when i already spent thousands on the rosetta 200 and mic preamp.
Let me thank you all in advance!

Re: what exactly does "will no longer be supported" mean?
 

It means that you will be on your own, and crossing your fingers. Here's the good news. I have heard from a credible source, that the 003 WILL still be supported(in spite of the early reports), and, since the driver is the same for both 002 and 003(at least it HAS been the same since PT9), I suspect there is a good chance it will work. but there IS that chance that it won't for some unforeseen reason(maybe a new driver would be required, but Avid is not going to invest the R&D into old hardware). In any case, since the 002 is so old, and has likely paid for itself long ago, replacing it is not such a bad thing if needed. There are several better sounding interfaces, and the TB to FW adapter may or may not work, regardless(I don't watch the Mac side too closely so I recommend watching for reports of success/failure with that cable).:D

Re: what exactly does "will no longer be supported" mean?
 

What Avid have said in various interviews, etc., is that they will not do anything intentionally to break support with the older interfaces.

But as they make improvements, updates, bug fixes, etc., they will not do any testing with the older interfaces to see if any incompatibility or problem occurs. So it may be that the older units will work for quite a while, or it could be that they make a change to something and it won't. But it won't be anything intentional. They just want to be able to move on with their software without worrying about compatibility for older interfaces.


Here's a couple of suggestions, though. When PT11 comes out, since you're only using 2 channels, you may want to at that time think about selling your 002 and getting a simple 2 channel interface with digital Spidf I/O. I would recommend the Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6, with its inexpensive price tag, rock solid drivers, and lower latency than the 002/003, even at the same buffer setting (and even though it's USB). And it should be supported for quite a while (it's up to NI, not Avid). I think your setup will be simpler that way.

You couldn't do this now because it looks like you're still on PT8, so you need an actual Digi interface. But once you get PT11 you could.


Another suggestion would be, when PT11 comes out, if they still have the 002/003 trade up to HD, to take advantage of that. You could get the HD Native Thunderbolt bundle with HD Omni, get $1000 off of that with the trade in, and also sell your Rosetta for about $1000, since with the Omni you will be getting even better sound quality and conversion, plus great monitor control and a couple of very nice preamps. And then you won't have a hodge-podge of different boxes.