Rumors of a new Digidesign hardware line

[froyo]

Hello. OK let's lay the foundation for the speculation. Dial back a couple of years and let's look at the Venue. It's a digital console and a Pro Tools system of sorts. Operation is done on an embedded Windows XP system. You can also record out to a TDM or LE system, but it's a Digidesign 'system' unto itself of sorts. Fast forward back to the present. In the very recent past and present they have released the Mbox 2 and now the Mbox 2 Pro with word clock, something no LE product has had up to now.

The timing is ripe and overdue for a 003 announcement coming up in October at AES. Product cycles at Digidesign and the general prices of 002 and 002 Rack at the present tell us there is a very good chance a 003 will be announced. If the Mbox 2 Pro has word clock, I assume a 003 will also. The 003 is kind of neither here nor there for what this thread is about but it just sort of lays the context of Digidesign hardware offerings and the fact they are upping their feature set on LE.

OK, here's the kicker. Check out this thread on the Venue forum.

New Venue product that is actually something else

So the thread started with someone speculating about a new Venue product being announced in the next few weeks. But DUC user emulper comes in and says that it's actually not a Venue specific product but more of a Digidesign product. He says he's getting his info because he lives close to Digidesign and some of the employees go to his church. All speculation but let's keep going.

I read other DAW forums around the web every now and again. Here is one from the Nuendo forum. It's a thread about a Mac user disillusioned that Nuendo doesn't have a Mac Intel Nuendo version available. The discussion goes back and forth but centers around the fact that Pro Tools and others have Mac Intel versions of their software. Check it out.

Nuendo thread about Mac Intel that refers to a new Digidesign offering

You have to read all the way down for Sept 8th around 6:45 PM and Nuendo Moderator Fredo says this

Well, all PT users will be in for a surprise when PT will switch to using dedicated machines only ....

to what Nuendo user LEX responds to by saying

There has been talk of a dedicated machine. You buy everything installed, put together etc. It will have MADI. 3 x 64 for 192 I/O. Madi interfaces will be available in all digital formats (TDIF, Lightpipe and AES) with optional analog cards. This maybe more for the Native PT version, they have yet to announce. Apparently, this machine will rival 6 DSP cards. Meaning, that for what 6 Accel cards gave you, this will double it.

The Accel based systems will still be available, and be continued development for at least the next 5 years, so it won't be anything DROPPED on users suddenly....forgot. The cost, will be much less full blown HD3 system with 10 Digital I/O's (160 channels), and 3 interfaces will consist of 6 rack spaces instead of 20.

Again, all speculation on their part but I believe LEX is a composer in LA. Very possible they all have inside info. Anyway, for whoever wants to make this leap in their mind, this is independent corroboration from two separate sources that Digidesign will be announcing some sort of new hardware that has DSP inside. A sort of Venue like Pro Tools hybrid system that has an OS embedded onto it, on board DSP and it's the hardware middle system between the LE line and the TDM line that everyone has asked for years.

For what it's worth I think there is some validity to this. With this info and the current crop of LE offerings I think it's very possible that this will happen. Also, as it turns out these sort of 'cryptic' hints from people tend to be dead on most of the time. I am talking about the ones from people who directly or indirectly state they have heard it from the horse's mouth and are not just wishful thinking. In my experience in the past on the web, the majority of these rumors do tend to be true. Again, I am not talking about petition threads or threads that talk about what users think or wish the new products will have. These are comments that claim to know a little or a lot about a specific new product from inside sources. These are also maybe Beta testers or such sometimes.

Anyway, I think this will happen. What do you guys think? I will be going to AES in San Francisco in a month so I suppose we will know more then.

[bb_aus]

its all rumor at this stage and realy what credit are you goign to give something on the nuendo forum most of them seem to be there just be to anti digidesign. i very much doubt that digi will adopt MADI just as they will never adopt SMUX. something new will come fairy soon but noone outside digidesign knows what what it will be or when it will be realesed.
i would guess they will show something at AES so wait untill then, release dates may be a fair time after. theres a long thread on gearsluts if you want to read rumour and some logical discussion on their next possible moves.

[JFreak]

Digidesign dealers always know "for sure" what's going to happen within the next six months. The dealers that I have talked with regarding future hardware updates know nothing about such thing -- so either it's not coming yet, or the thing is so revolutionary that dealers are being hold in the black.

At least I'm fairly sure there's not going to be anything new HD related this year anymore. If there's going to be new hardware in october, I bet it's LE hardware. Maybe they finally bring the 003 that many have waited? Who knows cannot tell, it seems. I would not hold my breath...

[kmshroom]

I don't think there will be new hardware in Oct., but I bet the AIR (advanced instrument research) division releases another new product.

that would be very cool, since the three things they already released are crazzy!

[sean shannon]

I heard a rumor that PT will eventually be available as software-only. Not tied to their hardware anymore. Kinda like all the other companies. Hmmm.

[Kryst]

I heard a rumor that PT will eventually be available as software-only. Not tied to their hardware anymore. Kinda like all the other companies. Hmmm.

Ohhhh, I hope not. For their sake, really.

[Jsswtpmp182]

Ohhhh, I hope not. For their sake, really.

I hope you mean that as for their sake as a "business." I hate the fact I'm forced into buying their hardware to use PT...

[JFreak]

I don't think there will be new hardware in Oct.

Probably you're right -- because they just released new hardware in Sept The all-new Venue-lite seems to be what the rumors were all about. Dedicated hardware, an embedded system, and something that can be integrated to existing systems. Maybe this will put rumors to rest?

[kmshroom]

...and ladies and gentleman, the Venue 'lite'.

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?...4&ref=dshowp-f

[Kryst]

I hope you mean that as for their sake as a "business." I hate the fact I'm forced into buying their hardware to use PT...

Yes, I meant it as a business first, because it's not hard for people to find ways to crack programs that don't require hardware. Some even crack the dongle ones!
But I personally like the hardware, or I wouldn't have bought any of the set up. If Pro Tools LE was simply a program without hardware, I don't think I'd be using my Sound Blaster card to record through. And really, I'm not sure what else I would use.
Maybe to satisfy all needs, they (Digi) could do a few things:

1. Continue selling hardware/software packages for any new users, or just users wanting to upgrade.

2. Separate the hardware/software packages. Then when people want to buy the software only, they (Digi) could make any software downloads, or order form for a disc, require a serial number of the hardware being used.

I wanted to suggest they (Digi) ask for the serial number for Pro Tools LE when buying hardware only, but then that hardware can work on other programs, too...