[albee1952]

Originally Posted by Rick Powell

1. Worth salvaging my rackmount? Other than more RAM, would it work OK with current PT? What kind of card would I need, to replace the firewire input I am using now?My opinion; don't spend a dime on the old 920 rig. Grab some cheap RAM(2GB is way too little) and turn it into an internet and email machine
2. Best interface? I could spend $4k but looking for budget options that would still be an improvement. Something way better than 002 sound quality and latency wise. Ideally I'd like 16 inputs (could use 8 + ADAT with my PreSonus), headphone jack, SPDIF I/O (for my Alesis Masterlink), talkback would be nice. Could live with 12 inputs 4 + ADAT. I do have twelve Seventh Circle Audio mic pres so maybe I'd be better off with 16 inputs to get the most out of it.Plenty of great interfaces between $700 and $2K. Focusrite, Presonus, Antelope and RME come to mind(RME probably has the best drivers of all)
3. Digi 002 has MIDI input. Most current devices don't. is a MIDI to USB the way most everyone goes? I use a lot of MIDI tracks.If your new interface doesn't have midi, USB-midi is easy and pretty cheap. I've had great success with the MOTU FastLane USB 2x2. I also absolutely hate the iConnect products
4. Best version of PT for this adventure?

pro-tools-pc.com and go right to the latest versions of everything. Getting all your plugins up to date will be a pain, but once done, save a drive image and enjoy all the features you've been missing for the last 14 years

More stuff to think about:
A little extra money on the PC can add Thunderbolt for more and better interface options
Firewire is mostly obsolete, making USB3, USB-c and Thunderbolt better options.
With all your preamps, you could consider some interfaces that are mostly(or all) Line inputs
The old 920 is a slug compared to current computers(I ran one for years and know it well)
For talkback, either get a monitor/source switcher(Audient NERO, Presonus Monitor Station?) or do what I did and automate the entire process. I put 3 mono AUX tracks in all my session templates. Those were fed by 3 mics(1 on my desk, 1 in the drum room and 1 in the main room). Each track had a limiter and a free plugin from Sound Radix called Mute-o-matic with sends to each headphone mix. When transport was stopped, everybody could talk freely. When transport rolled(for recording or for playback) all 3 mics were muted.