Looking to upgrade my interface

[michaelc22]

I have an Mbox 2 but I wanted to upgrade. Music production is a hobby for me. Im trying to decide between a Digi 003 console or an Apogee ensemble. I know the apogee is better but Im curious if its overkill for me. Any feedback would be appreciated.

[nst7]

If one is overkill, the other might be as well. They both have the same amount of inputs/outputs. If you don't need that many i/o, maybe neither of them would be appropriate.

If you only need a couple of inputs, you might consider the new Apogee Duet 2. I've heard from people that the sound quality is incredible.

If you need something with a little more i/o and controls, and much better sound quality than what you had, the new Mbox 3 Pro might be a nice in-between solution.

[michaelc22]

Well Im running 8 outs on my mpc which I forgot to mention. Plus Id like to eventually add a couple of sound modules.

[albee1952]

As to whether the Apogee is overkill, I would ask what else is in your chain? My point being that it may not make sense to get Apogee converters if you have cheap monitors and a $100 chinese mic. Remember; your recording is only as good as the weakest link in the chain Having said that, I know its possible to make great recordings with the 003(and crap recordings with the Apogee)

[kevinth]

In that price range it is all about features you want or need, what included software, etc. I have found Presonus to be a good company to work with. The Firestudio will let you expand in the future to as many tracks as you might need. As others have said, in this price range the sound quality is pretty much the same, which sound pretty good to me.

[GiveMeApps]

Stay away from the Digi 003 (or 00x line in general). If you can afford it, go for the Native. If you have 9, get a different interface (MOTU etc). The higher priced Digi Models are awesome, the 00x line, not so much.....

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by GiveMeApps

Stay away from the Digi 003 (or 00x line in general). If you can afford it, go for the Native. If you have 9, get a different interface (MOTU etc). The higher priced Digi Models are awesome, the 00x line, not so much.....

While I'm all for going Native(with a good IO box), you can ignore this advice by bypassing the converters with any of the dozens of lightpipe and SPDIF preamps on the market. If you can't make a good recording with the 003, then its lack of skill, not the gear. Better gear simply allows for better results, given good skills(IOW, a bad engineer can make a bad recording with the best gear in the world, while a good engineer can make a good recording with an Mbox) There's also no logical reason for a hobbyist to drop $7K to record

[michaelc22]

My setup is Pro Tools 9 on an IMAC 2.93 intel core i7 with 4 gb. Im using an MPC 3000 which has 8 outs and eventually Im gonna wanna take advantage of that. also I have Mackie MR 8s. Sorry for the delayed response on the post too guys. Thanks for the input.