To upgrade, or not to upgrade? 'Tis the question..

[knewbee]

Greetings,
Thought I'd solicit some opinions on the merits of finally taking the HD plunge. Currently running a small project studio in NYC with a Mix3 system, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge, and 2 Apogee Rosetta 800's for 16 channels of A/D and D/A. Most mixing occurs "in the box", although I keep wanting to start mixing through my Ghost. I'm running OS 9.2.2 on a G4 / 933, with Waves Gold TDM, Reverb One, L2, McDSP and a bunch of plugs that came with my original Mix+.

In general I have enough DSP to do what I need to do, and things sound good. I recently installed OS X Panther as a dual boot and downloaded 6.4.1 to mess around a bit. I like the idea of plugin delay compensation, and being able to add inserts and fx on the fly. And I hear the file organizational capabilities are greatly improved. Beyond that, what would I really gain by going to HD? It's going to cost me thousands of dollars, even with any kind of upgrade. Will it improve my life sonically? The Apogees already sound great, so I probably wouldn't get a 192. Do mixes "in the box" sound noticeably better in the HD Mix bus? None of my clients are clamoring for HD - yet anyway. They just want stuff to sound good, which it does. Then there's always the idea of "keeping up with the Joneses", but is that worth the expense? It's hard enough already to make money doing this...

I'd welcome any thoughts! Thanks - Steve

[dirtyman]

its not broke......

[trakbytes]

If it ain't broke...

Unless you're making so much money that you need a nice tax write-off, keep working with what you have until you absoluteley must upgrade. Bank the profits, and when your system finally becomes hopelessly obsolete or there is something that you must have that you can't do with your current rig, maybe you'll have the funds saved to spring for that upgrade. If you are running a business, make your purchasing decisions based on business needs, not gear lust. If you can raise your rates by upgrading your gear (doubtful), and can make enough additional money to pay for it without sacrificing your personal income, then consider the upgrade. But, don't feel pressured by slick ads and marketing hype. Digidesign (or any other manufacturer) will be just as happy to sell you new gear in six months or a year as they are now. Plus, you'll get the then current versions of whatever you decide to buy.

Just my all-too-practical thoughts.

rcm

[Tubz]

I would wait a year or two. When OS9 and your G4 starts to get really old and tired, I'd change the whole setup. I have HD at home, but just finished a record in a studio with a setup like yours ( plus a SSL...) It sounds great. Your setup is fine!

BR Tubz

[Chief Technician]

Do mixes "in the box" sound noticeably better in the HD Mix bus?

Through version 6.4.1, MIX and HD shared the same 48-bit mix bus. Perhaps one of the Digidesign engineers can tell us if any changes have been made to it since v6.4.1. Gents?

[Alécio Costa]

Hi, Knweebee
If possible I would be really interested in buying your adat bridges/farms.
I think your system is pretty nice.I also agree with the other folks. If you waited until now.. it might be a nice idea to wait for the next G6s and newer digi stuff.

BTW... What is the percentage of small to mid studios in NY that have gone HD already?

Here in Brazil most mid rooms are doing the following: main room with a full blown Hd Accel system and Studio B with a mix plus/cubed.

I decided to buy an additional small TDM rig and run a second edit/racking room. Here, room A with a Mix plus + DSP Farm and Room2 with a PT24, both systems with adat bridges and Yamaha digital boards.
It is bringing me more clients than keeping a single room with a full blown HD system.
But hey, this is due to my local market.
Best wishes