Anybody here had their 002 modified?

[Tarktones]

A friend of mine showed me Black Lion Audio's 002 mod this evening and I'm VERY interested as I'm not a fan of the 002 hardware. Anybody had this done, or performed any other mods? Were you happy with it?

[Stage]

I'm curious too.. anyone?

[Tarktones]

bump

[Windshore]

Just got my 002 back from Black Lion a few weeks ago. I had the complete analogue / digital converters & digital clock upgrade. I wondered if I would hear the difference. Ha! I was BLOWN AWAY!

It's totally the best steal out there. For the money, it's a no brainer. The soundfield is HUGE now and I'm hearing frequencies that I never heard out of my studio before.

If you're thinking about it,... just do it. You'll be glad you did.

[supercell]

So what exactly is the "clock? how does that imporve your sound? Also, is this pre-amps too? New pres?

just wondering what it all is,

I would love to get a bleeter sound out of what I already own.

How about warrenty stuff?

Thanks
b.p

[Phil Jeffers]

I'm thinking of getting this done. I couldn't believe the difference in monitoring when I first switched to a very nice, older MOTU interface for monitoring (for Digital Performer). Good converters and a good word clock make a huge difference. I love that 3rd party developers are getting behind making LE non-limited. Here's a link for a developer that outputs the 002 into a Dolby AC3 encoded file:

AC3 encoder for LE

[Windshore]

The word clock and digital converters are what a lot of people are paying 2 grand and up to improve when they buy an outboard converter by Apogee or RME, etc., It has everything to do with the sound you're getting. Really the only way to know if it's worth while is to audition better gear. The standard 002 is OK for basic work, and a lot of really good music has been made on crappier gear, so it's not going to make you a star by itself. If however you've already experienced a taste of what really good quality converters and mic pres can do for the overall sound of your music, it's very worth looking into upgrading... and the Black Lion upgrade is by far the best value for the money. I'm shocked it doesn't cost more... as I said before, I was ready to drop a couple of grand on a Rosetta (only 2 channels) but this has been a much more satisfying alternative,... especially for the money.

[Stage]

i'm seriously considering this.. a few questions if i may..

did you have to buy the converters separate and send them to Black Lion? I thought they said the upgrade that they do was clock and pre's only but if you find the converters they will do them for $75 each. If so.. where did you find the converters?

I only do my own stuff in the studio and never need more than 2 tracks at once.. would this be better than getting the apogee minime? i know the mini me is more expensive but do you have any idea if the overall quality would be better on the two tracks on the mini me or the upgraded Mic/Line 1-2 on the 002?

I'd love to know anything else you know about the upgrade (i've always been very hesitant about sending perfectly good gear off to get "improved"..

thanks,
p

[Mikeren]

Hi,

Just got my 002R back from Black Lion. Unfortunately, they ran out of converters before they got to mine. Now they no longer include converters, unless as you say, you supply them and pay for install. The dynamic range of the upgrade chip is 7dB better.

That being said, the mods to the clock, pres, and ins ($400) ROCK! My noise floor dropped hugely. Monitoring (same converters, mind you) is 3-dimensional for lack of a better word. I'd recently taken to clocking my 002R to a Octopre and was amazed at the improvement from that. Black Lion's clocking scheme blows the stock and Octo clocking out of the water.

I've not gotten into the character of the upgraded pre's yet. But they (and the line ins) are really quiet now. Before I sent the 002R in, I recorded all Digi and Octo channels with nothing connected. By selecting AudioSuite Gain and reading the peaks of each track I got an idea of the 'noise floor' of each channel. Octo, excellent--Digi, I couldn't believe how bad and varied the results were. And, I'm talking line inputs! The mic pres were checked at full volume, 3 0'clock and noon. They absolutely stink, the results weren't remotely reasonable, let alone professional. Check your own setup!

I initally considered the Black Lion mod a repair for noisy preamps (which I hardly use). And, with the lack of converter upgrade at the last minute (that I really wanted), I was prepared to be underwhelmed. NOT SO. These guys know what they're doing!

MR

[comprodman]

Mmmmm very interesting...I wonder if there is anyone modding the 002 desk in UK? I love PT and to be honest I like 002 desk its great for Live work, but anything that can improve the quality has to be a must. If anyone knows of a UK firm offing the Mod work I would be very grateful of the contact details, and I would a look and hear the difference.