Upgrading to Digi 002 rack

[Musick]

I will be upgrading my MBox to a 002 rack. And I made up my mind, or should I not?
I will trade my MBox to a rack, but I'm also planning to throw in the Command 8.
Is there anyway I should consider a Digi 002 instead, with an already control surface.
And also, are those free plug-ins that are coming with the Command 8 any good? I mean there free.
Any thoughts are appreciated...

[JFreak]

002 = 002R + command8

all you need to think about is portability - do you want to always carry the fader pack with you? plus, with 002 you can still later on add a command8 giving you 16 simultaneous faders, which cannot be done with 002R...

[K-Man]

002 = 002R + command8

all you need to think about is portability - do you want to always carry the fader pack with you? plus, with 002 you can still later on add a command8 giving you 16 simultaneous faders, which cannot be done with 002R...

But you can daisy chain the Mackie Control Universal kits together with the 002R. Both the Command 8 and MCU use the sssslllloooowwww MIDI protocol (why didn't Digi pick USB, Firewire or Ethernet for C8???). So reaction speeds for both units should be similar. But, the MCU uses the HUI interface, which is speculated to not be supported by Digi soon when the agreement expires between Digi and Mackie.

Now, if you're looking to be portable to go out and record bands and such, get the 002R with a separate control surface because you can break it into components for easier travel. However, if you're just setting up a project studio that isn't moving anywhere... Then just save yourself some space by getting the full on 002. The Command 8 is just the 002R's missing control surface from the full on 002 anyways. Nothing more, nothing less. So why get them separated if you don't need them to be?

[tele_player]

Command|8 uses USB to talk to the computer, and even MIDI, while slow (31 kbits), is fast enough for a control surface.

[DJ Insomaniac]

Do it. I stepped up from an Mbox to a 002r and I love it. My only problem is that i don't have enough money for a control surface (the 002r is nice b/c it fits in a rack and can be moved around with other gear)

on the topic of the HUI, it isn't officially supported anymore, although you can still use it (download the HUI personality at the downloads page)

[Gkyaun]

yes, you can dowload patches that allow you to use older controllers that werent nativly supported in 6.4