Digi003: from 001 user perspectives

[gracejames]

Should we upgrade to 003?
Would appreciate some perspectives from 001 users.
I'm in that boat.

[Mr.BossPlaya]

honestly you should upgrade to 002, it will be super cheap now and it performs all the same functions as the 003.

or wait for 003PRO,....if there will be one?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[original]

The 003 line is very disappointing (and that's an understatement).

Digi needs to jump to the 004 fast !

[magma]

well, i've been using the 001 happily for i don't know how many years now. and for what i do with it, it's been great... but i've been stuck using it on an old and rickety mac g3 with a proc upgrade. the mac is very fidgety, and i'm always fearful today's the day it just won't start up anymore. so for the past two years i've been looking at the 002 wondering if i just go ahead and get it. but two years ago, the 002 already seemed old. so i kept thinking that the 003 would be right around the corner. today's the day, and i was apparently the very first to order one from sweetwater this morning. i don't care if it's not perceived as a monumental improvement. it may not be to most of you, but it surely is to me. the idea of hooking it to my powerbook and going off to record some grand piano or what not is simply thrilling.

i know there are lots of other options, and many of them at what seem like more attractive price points. i like this platform, and i'm going to keep using it myself. i'm ecstatic. but that's just me.

then again, i don't have it yet. you may see me back here grumbling in 2 or 3 weeks when it ships. i hope not!

[Slim Shady]

Why would you order an 003 when there are still 002's available for cheaper? The fact that you ordered from Sweetwater kinda answers that question though... nobody rips you off like the guys in Indiana, and enjoy the weekly spam phone calls you'll get from your 'representative' there. I had to move 5 times before they finally lost me, and they still call my Dad back in Missouri to solicit from him and I haven't lived there since 1995! Anyway, I hope that doesn't happen to you, but I've found Sweetwater to be the worst of the worst (except for West LA Music) when it comes to Pro-Audio retailers. If I were you though, I really would consider changing that order, you're paying a lot more money for no reason getting the 003 vs. an 002, there's nothing new to warrant getting the new over the old other than a much bigger price tag. Cancel the Sweetater order and call Alto Music for an 002, with the money you'll save you can get the 002 modded at Black Lion and have a MUCH better product than the 003 is.

The 003 is a joke, it's like if Apple came out with the G5 again after 2 years with Intel. Apparently the R&D department at Digi is run by a couple of hamsters with time machines that can only go back in time 3-4 years. The original Mbox is still the best hardware they ever made sound-wise (great preamps), I had to move to an 002r last year and have been pretty happy with it (except I miss the Mbox preamps), but what they expect the appeal of the 003 to be is beyond me.

Alternate 003 press release:

"Hey everyone! Check out these butt-ugly boxes we made! And guess what!? They don't provide ANYTHING new of substance over the models they're replacing! We know you all want products that look as cheap and unprofessional as possible with great big price tags, and we thing we've really hit the mark this time, so while we're not really sure why there isn't a line outside of Guitar Center waiting to order these, we remain confident that once everyone in the industry goes blind AND realizes that technological advancement is for the other guys, people will be lining up to order one of these bad boys."

[LaForestPoetry18]

I spoke to a sales rep today about the DIGI 003, & he told me that the price of the DIGI 003 is the same price as the DIGI 002, so if you are looking for things like word clock, an extra head phone jack and better montoring options, then I say go for it. I also asked about the current Control 24 Bundle LE, and he said that basically the DIGI 002 was deisgned to replace/ honor what had been done with the DIGI 002, so if you are looking to go from the DIGI 001 to the DIGI 003, it's not a big deal.

Also, no there won't be an "Hardware exchange" from the DIGI 002 to the 003, because the price is exactally the same. I've been using Pro-Tools since July 2005, and have been very happy, I went from the orginal M-Box, to the M-Box 2, to now the DIGI 002... in saying this, I understand that some user's are very disappointed with the lack of upgrades from time to time, but rember this:

LE= Limted Edition, it's not supposed to be exactlly on par with an HD system, it's a bridge, period.

On a final note: This "LE" system is very powerful and creative, I have made music for the following; Time Warner Cable, Warner Bro., Disney, HummingbirdPictures, FOX and Universal (Music, commericals, jinggles, and movie sound tracks). The equipment is only as good as the operator.

V/R

La Forest(El Paso, TX)

Apple Power Mac G5, 2.0GHz, 2.5 gigs of RAM (2)
Appel MacBook Pro 2.16GHz, 2 gigs of RAM
Apple Cinema Display 20" (3)
DIGI 002 (2), M-Box 2
Roland Fantom X6, Roland XR, Roland MV-8000, Roland VS-2480DVD
AKIA MPC 60, 2000
SP-1200
KORG microKORG, microKONTROL, padKONTROL, Triton-Rack
Yamaha Motif-Rack ES,
(Monitors)
BerhINGer Truth , Alesis M1 Active 620, Tapco S5 w/SW10 sub, Roland DM10. Yamaha NS10 & HS80
(Mics)
Blue Bluebird/Baby Bottle, Neaumann TLM103/TLM149, Charter Oak sa538
(Preamps)
Avalon Ad 2022/ VT-737sp, Presonus BlueTube Dp, Groove Tube The Brick, ATR's Tube MP
(monitoring system)
Mackie Big Knob, Presonus HP4
(Surge Protectors/UPS)
Monster Pro Power 3500(4), 2500(2), HT UPS 1000(2), APC 1500 UPS(1)
(AD/DA Converters/MIDI Interface)
Apogee BIG Ben/Rosetta 200, MOTU MIDI Express XT USB(2)
(Voacal Booth)
Seulax Accoustic 4 x 6 x 7, 3 x 5 x 7(built into house)
(Pug-ins)
Waves Diamond/Platnium, URS, McDSP, UAD-Ultra Pak, Focurite Liquid Mix, Serato Pitch n' Time, WAVES Powers Suite 5, DIGI MP Toolkit, Reason 3.0, LIVE 5, BFD Drums, DFH Superior

[magma]

i only ordered from sweetwater cuz they were the only dealer i could find this morning that was selling it - and i was just really itching to order something. i've never dealt with them before. thanks for the warning about spamming sales reps. they can leave all the voicemail/email messages they want, though. my deleting and ignoring skills are legendary.
i certainly thought about buying an 002 this morning after reading all the disappointed threads. but it's not THAT much cheaper (that i could see), and the 003 seemed to offer some marginal improvement over the 002. but again, i'm considering either of them a vast improvement over my current situation.

[Slim Shady]

I spoke to a sales rep today about the DIGI 003, & he told me that the price of the DIGI 003 is the same price as the DIGI 002, so if you are looking for things like word clock, an extra head phone jack and better montoring options, then I say go for it.

You can get a brand new 002R Factory for $900 or less, several hundred dollars cheaper than an 003R without the Factory bundle. Sounds like a salesman who wanted to sell his first 003 to me.

Magma, since you're 003 is on pre-order (I'm guessing) you might want to call Alto Music anyway just to see if they have a better price (my guess that they do, especially if you talk to Jon or Bobby and tell them you were recommended by the DUC). I really would stay away from Sweetwater if at all possible, unless that 4 pieces of candy they throw in your shipment is enough to sway you.

[lamp]

Should we upgrade to 003?
Would appreciate some perspectives from 001 users.
I'm in that boat.

WEll I have been waiting for the 003 for a Loooooong time. Im still on 001 and outboard pres. & converters. I even passed on the 002 turbocharged trade up offers around christmas, which was REALLY HARD to do. Im glad now that I waited. Why?

Well digi likes to drop software updates for legacy hardware, like my 001 which is stuck at PT6.4cs9.So if I get the 003, im good for software updates for awhile.

The main things I wanted to see in the 003 were 16 channels in at 88k,with 8 analog/2 adat & smux and ADC, so I could use outboard stuff at mixdown.

Digi said too bad. Buy HD.

The reality is this. My G4 is getting to long in the tooth. I have trouble running some synths and lots of plugs in a session with 32 tracks. So I need a new MacPro which the 001 won't run on.

Im probably going to trade my 001 up to the 003. the Turbocharged trade in is a great deal again.
http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?...0&itemid=24722

If I was proficient with another software,I would say so long to digi. But I like PT and I dont want to give up the time required to fully learn another program at this point.

So I have untill June to decide. I can't say for sure just yet, but I will probably trade up.

[Slim Shady]

3rd party retailers also honor the trade-in program (or at least they did with previous ones) at prices better than what Digi lists, so keep that in mind when you upgrade.