Protools hardware

[marioxl]

Hello all...
I´m a protools user and i have a 002 rack. I´m interested in do a crossgrade for something better. when i contacted the reseller in my country, he told to me that the 003 is now out of the market...
is true?
they told to me that soon they gona have a new hardware solution for Protools LE...
i have a portable computer, macbook pro and i´m searchin for a solution...

what is your advice????

best regards

[The Dougfather]

It depends on your budget.

With the advent of Pro Tools 9 we are no longer tied to Digi hardware so the playing field is now open for any interface of your choice. I recently picked up an 003 Rack+ because here in the UK they were being blown out cheap. Don't get me wrong there is a marked improvement over my 002R and 8 mic/pre's is a bonus but it's still nothing to really rave about. It gets the job done but theres definitely no wow factor.

Interestingly, i recently picked up a TC Konnekt 24D for use with Pro Tools 9 and i double it up as an SPDIF mic pre on the 002R/003R and the pre's are really nice. Masses of headroom and really gooey sounding. I paid £100 and it's an absolute gem. It's not much bigger than an Mbox but with the ability to add 8 extra pre's via ADAT it's the perfect travel solution with the ability to expand.

Interfaces are a personal preference but the days of paying a premium for Digi hardware are now behind us and i hope many will agree that the money can definitely be spent better elsewhere.

On the back of the new Avid Mbox's that recently came out i can't help but think the prices will be pretty disproportional to other manufacturers if and when we see the replacement for the 003 series.

[marioxl]

ok... thanks.. so maybe i will not buy anything... just the new protools 9 and i stay with the 002 and the TC 24D and i spend the rest of the money in a good plugins bundle....

what you think?

[marioxl]

i saw the TC... says that have 8ch optical adat but only with two preamps...????
how is the D/A and A/D convertion????

thx

[The Dougfather]

The AD/DA is great and you can even bypass the preamps completely if required.

The ADAT allows you to connect another unit, like a Presonus Digimax FS etc.

It's a really flexible unit, sadly for TC there drivers were really unreliable when many of these units came out. Apparently they originally outsourced the software development. Now everything is working great but unfortunately the mud seems to have stuck and TC stuff goes for pretty cheap.