001 or 002?

[drummerfreak33]

Well I am going to purchasing pretty soon. Ive been looking at the 002, but I thought Id check about the 001, since it is so much cheaper and stuff. What are the goods and bads of each? are they comparable? Is the 002 that much better that I shouldnt even consider the 001? just wondering

[matts9383]

Do you mean a digi002 rack or the control surface model. If you mean the control surface version you have a big gap in price, if you mean the rack theres still a pretty big gap, but more comparable.

In my opnion, if you don't have that urge to be "up with the times" the digi001 is an incredibly serviceable product. Also, the money you save buying the 001 used will allow you to buy (or at least save) for some nice external preamps. I don't know what your budget is or what you are looking to do, but I currently own a digi001, and it's been great to me. I'm actually selling it because I'm moving out of my house, but i'm sure ill miss having it as its been very good to me.

So, maybe I'm biased, but I love the digi001 and since the software is basically the same (you won't get any new updates, it's really a question of hardware.

my two cents

[matts9383]

Do you mean a digi002 rack or the control surface model. If you mean the control surface version you have a big gap in price, if you mean the rack theres still a pretty big gap, but more comparable.

In my opnion, if you don't have that urge to be "up with the times" the digi001 is an incredibly serviceable product. Also, the money you save buying the 001 used will allow you to buy (or at least save) for some nice external preamps. I don't know what your budget is or what you are looking to do, but I currently own a digi001, and it's been great to me. I'm actually selling it because I'm moving out of my house, but i'm sure ill miss having it as its been very good to me.

So, maybe I'm biased, but I love the digi001 and since the software is basically the same (you won't get any new updates, it's really a question of hardware.

my two cents

[drummerfreak33]

I hear that digidesign has stopped support for the 001 as of the v6.4 update. that doesnt sound like a good thing. I guess Im willing to shell out the extra 500 bucks to get the 002 rack, and than get a control surface a little bit further down the road. the one thing I see that intrigues me is that the 001 is pci card, and the 002 is firewire. is one better than the other?

[matts9383]

well, some people would say PCI is more stable, but others would say firewire is good enough to handle anything you can give it. I've never had experience with firewire so I don't know, but I can tell you PCI has been good for me... however, it isn't very portable.

On the upgrade issue...

I understand what you're saying, and it's unfortunate that digidesign can't find a way to support its products for longer periods of time (though the digi001 has been around for a while). That being said, I currently have OS 10.2.8 on my machine with pro tools 6.1.2, and while that is by no means the most recent setup there is one thing about it that is invaluable: it's stable. Find a setup that works well for you and is in your price range and you're golden.

Take care and best of luck,
matt

[Allen Hallada]

well, some people would say PCI is more stable, but others would say firewire is good enough to handle anything you can give it. I've never had experience with firewire so I don't know, but I can tell you PCI has been good for me... however, it isn't very portable.

On the upgrade issue...

I understand what you're saying, and it's unfortunate that digidesign can't find a way to support its products for longer periods of time (though the digi001 has been around for a while). That being said, I currently have OS 10.2.8 on my machine with pro tools 6.1.2, and while that is by no means the most recent setup there is one thing about it that is invaluable: it's stable. Find a setup that works well for you and is in your price range and you're golden.

Take care and best of luck,
matt

I'm usually on the bleeding edge of things but I still think the 001 is the best piece of hardware Digi has developed for PTLE. The transfer speeds are much faster than the firewire interface and you can steal these units now on ebay. If you are going with a laptop solution, then the 002 or Mbox would be the choice.
If you want something for great tracking on a desktop, I'd get the 001, a Cranesong HEDD 192 for A/D and D/A and you will get pro quality sound far above the 002 for a little more money, but alot less money than an HD system. You will still need a G4 Powermac or Windows PC with PCI slots.


Either way you will be happy.

Allen

[drummerfreak33]

what is this cranesong thing you are speaking of? and what does that do for the 001 that is so great? just curious, I havent heard about it

[Scot Stafford]

Since you are unable to google "cranesong," i'll help out.

The device offers superior conversion from analog to digital, and back. This is an important piece of the puzzle, that is usually poorly implemented in consumer hardware. Probably because it isn't as commodified as preamps, or easy to express in statistics, like sample rate and bit depth. I'd say it's as important as a preamp, and I assure you I'm thinking with my ears.

I like the idea of starting with a 001 at this point, stick with PTLE 6.4, and spending the extra dough on preamp and AD conversion upgrades. If you aren't using a laptop or iMac, there's no reason to use the firewire port.

[drummerfreak33]

Im definitely starting to see what you guys mean somewhat. Im not like some audio professional and am still getting into it, but it sounds good. i read that the 001 is like 48 khz, and the 002 is at like 96 I think. Is that what the converter is for? I checked out the cranesong, and the price looks to be something like over 3 grand? Is there anything that does that, in a more amateur or beginner price range?

Other question regarding the 001 over the 002. you guys seems to be recommending the 001 strongly. Im guessing that I wont have to worry much about keeping upgraded and stuff with the 001 even though its no longer supported by digidesign. Im just wanting to make sure that I can keep up to date with things like I would be able to with the 002, and be able to grow into things? I hope I make sense, I know Im using my dumbed down laymens terms. thanks guys

[matts9383]

As was mentioned Pro Tools LE 6.4 would be the last update you'd get with the Digi001...

However, let me just say that I started about 5 years ago with an Aardvark pro and a cheap Yamaha keyboard... You'll almost always outgrow the gear you buy and really getting into recording means that you'll become really good friends with ebay unless you have a lot of money to buy a great setup from the get go.

The 002 is definitely the newer and more upgradeable of the two products, but it too will one day feel the wrath of obsoleteness. If you're just getting into things, go with what you can afford and what will best allow you to learn the software and the recording process. The 002 offers you more upgrade flexibility, but the money you save with the 001 will allow you to buy more preamps, effects plugins, etc. so you might get a more rounded learning experience from the start. That being said, you can still buy those preamps and effects with the 002, but it just might take you a while to save up the money again.

I have a feeling this summer is going to reveal some new products from a variety of companies, hopefully digidesign included. We're still waiting to see the Digi003 and the new Mbox, so if you're not opposed to waiting that might be a good idea.

On one final note, the difference between 48khz and 96khz does have to do with analog to digital conversion, but as most people will tell you, the actual difference between 48khz and 96khz is not night and day, and you'll hear a much more substantial difference in sound quality with upgraded mic preamps than with a box that can do 96khz as opposed to 48khz.

Hope this helps,
matt