DIGI 002 VS MBOX + Apogee Mini Me or similar

[cavemanrecords]

I currently am running an Mbox ( ver. 1 ) and have been only somewhat pleased with the results of my recordings. After reading the DUC forums all day it seems that the MBox's converters are what hold it back mainly, and that the Focusrite pre's are second in line being "OK". So for around a total of a $1000 investment ( roughly ) I am debating on what to do. Here are the options as I currently see them:

1. Go with an Apogee Mini Me ( or another brand for that matter ) and my current Mbox, bypassing the analog ins on the Mbox, using the converters on the Mini Me as well as the Mini Me Pre's which are supposedly much better.

2. Go with a standalone converter ( similar but cheaper than the RME ADI-2 AD DA ) and a standalone stereo mic pre like an FMR PNP in conjunction with my current mbox.

3. Upgrade to a DIGI 002 and be content with its pre's and convertors as is


All in all, I don't need more than 2 inputs ( stereo ), so thats not much a factor in the decision with the DIGI002- What is really desired is the "best" sound for the money ( as usual ).


Any input will be taken on a thankful note---


Matt
Caveman Studios

[flail_19]

I used to have an mbox 1. I tried the mini me and found that there is no way to get around the latency unless you do one of two things:

1. You need to come out of the Mbox and out of the mini me into a stand alone mixer and then plug your headphones into the mixer to monitor.

2. you mute the channel you are recording to, which gives you no way to hear what you are recording.

I took the mini back and I got a FMR RNP for about $475 USD and an ADI-2 for about $650 USD. I now use that set up with the 002r for two more channels spdif and am happy with the results. The RME ADI-2 is also a D/A converter, so my monitoring steps up. The 002's pres and converters are not any better (to my knowledge) than the Mbox 1.

FWIW, even adding an expensive pre and an expensive converter is not gonna make your recordings sound like a miracle has occured. There are other factors that you must consider. Good luck!