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Digidesign 003: First Look
The news is out and the wait is over! Last week Digidesign announced the latest edition to their Pro Tools LE line, the Digi 003 and Digi 003 Rack. This week at the Pro Tools corner we take a first look at the new double-Os, breaking down the new features and discussing the benefits of upgrading your current Pro Tools LE rig. I will also take a look at the new Ignition Pack 2 software bundle, which is now included with every new pro tools system.
Third Times a Charm
Beginning with the venerable Digi 001 in 1999 and following up with the 002 in 2002, Digidesign has consistently reinvented the project studio market with their line of reliable and feature rich interfaces. The long awaited 003 expands on the successful 002 with an updated look and new features, offered again in both control surface and rack mount form factors.
Both models of 003 features:
- FireWire 400 connectivity
- 18 simultaneous channels of audio I/O
- Up to 24-bit/96 kHz resolution
- 8 analog inputs, 8 analog outputs
- 4 re-designed mic preamps with increased dynamic range and lower distortion.
- 8 channels of ADAT optical I/O or two channels of S/PDIF optical I/O
- 2 channels of S/PDIF digital I/O
- 1 MIDI input, 2 MIDI outputs (16 channels in/32 channels out)
- BNC Word Clock I/O
- Dedicated studio monitor output, plus alternate control room output
- Alternate Source input for external device monitoring
- Dual headphone outputs w/ separate volume control
The 003 Control Surface Also Features:
- 8 touch-sensitive motorized faders
- 8 motion-sensitive rotary encoders for pan/send/meter/plug-in control
- Dedicated mute, solo, and select/record arm switches per channel
- 6-character, 2-line LCD display per channel displays track name; pan, send, fader, and plug-in values; and timeline position
- 5-segment LED display for viewing metering and automation mode status
- Easily assign inserts and sends from the control surface
- Dedicated automation controls and LEDs
- Dedicated transport control
- Standalone MIDI Mode functionality
- Jog/Shuttle wheel
Factory Bundle Option
While 003 Control Surface currently ships only in the “factory” configuration, the 003 Rack gives you the option of adding on an extra set of Bomb Factory and Digidesign plug-ins to your system called the “Factory Bundle”. The current bundle includes: Bomb Factory BF-3A, Cosmonaut Voice, D-Fi bundle, Joemeek Compressor/EQ, Maxim, Moogerfooger Analog Delay and Ring Modulator, SansAmp PSA-1, Tel-Ray Variable Delay, Voce Spine, Voce Chorus/Vibrato, and an iLok smart key to store your licenses. The plug-ins have a retail value of over $3,000 and adds an extra $400 (retail) to the cost of the 003-rack. Although the plug-in bundle presents a fair value for the money, the reality is that on the open market (think ebay) the bundled plug-ins aren’t worth anywhere close to the claimed $3000 retail value.
To upgrade or not to upgrade? That is the question.
Compared to the 002, you wont find anything radically different in the 003. The I/O capabilities have not changed, it features the same number of mic pre’s, and aside from the updated look many people have already asked the question “is it worth the upgrade?” Let me first say that upgrades aside, the 003 would make a great interface for any new Pro Tools user looking to expand their studio with more ins and outs and possibly a control surface. But if you are trying to decide whether or not to put your 002 up on ebay or maybe pick up a blowout priced 002 system, allow me to break down the differences so you can make an educated choice.
First off, the 002-rack is still a great rig. When I heard about the 003’s, I honestly couldn’t think of many things that the 002-rack needed beyond what it already had. But it is the little things that matter, right? So think of the 003-rack as more of a refinement to the 002 rather then a complete redesign.
The 003 now features wordclock I/O via standard BNC connectors, so if you are connecting digital devices or external A/D/A you will appreciate the increased stability since the 002 (which lacked wordclock i/O) had some reliability issues when connecting certain digital devices. If you use the 4 on-board preamps, the 003 mic pres have been refreshed to offer greater dynamic range and lower distortion. But you still cannot access channels 1-4 without hitting the preamp’s gain stage, so when you use external pres or line level gear you will want to use inputs 5-8, something that has always frustrated me with the 002’s. Unfortunately there are still no front panel Mic/DI inputs, one thing that I miss from the old 001. Another nice feature of the 003 is the extra headphone jack with separate volume control (the 002 only has 1), allowing you to set up an extra pair of phones without needing an additional headphone amp.
While the 003-rack improvements are not ground breaking, the 003 Control Surface has received a significant, and much needed update to its tactile features. The 003’s LCD displays have been overhauled and are now easier to read, providing more visual feedback. Dedicated automation controls and indicators have been added, allowing the user to activate automation modes from the control surface (with the 002 you had to enable automation with your mouse before you could record fader movements). A jog wheel has also been added and the control surface now features an updated MIDI mapping mode, so users who also work in other DAWs (like Logic) can configure the surface for double duty.
Digidesign is currently offering special upgrade/crossgrade pricing on the 003 and 003 rack for owners of the 001, M-Box, M-Box 2 family, and other hardware. See Digidesign’s website for more info.
Ignition Pack 2
Announced at the same time as the new 003 and building on the success of the original ignition pack released last year, Digidesign includes Ignition Pack 2 with all new Pro Tools LE and HD systems. The new bundle ships in two different flavors depending on the Pro Tools system purchased. Ignition Pack 2 ships with 003 Rack, Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Factory, Mbox 2 Mini, and Mbox 2 Pro. The bigger Ignition Pack 2 Pro ships with 003 Factory, 003 Rack Factory, Mbox 2 Pro Factory and all HD systems.
Both Ignition Packs include special Digidesign editions of:
- Ableton Live Lite 6 Digidesign Edition
- Propellerhead Software Reason Adapted 3
- Arturia Analog Factory SE
- Digidesign Xpand! by A.I.R.
- FXpansion BFD Lite
- Way Out Ware TimewARP 2600 Lite
- Celemony Melodyne essential
- IK Multimedia AmpliTube LE
- iZotope Ozone 3 Lite
- iZotope Trash Lite
- iZotope Spectron Lite
- Sound Libraries from: M-Audio ProSessions SE
- Broadjam.com—one-year membership
- GarageBand.com contest entries
- Sonicbids.com—one-year standard subscription
- Pro Tools Method One instructional DVD
Ignition Pack 2 Pro also includes:
- Digidesign Synchronic
- Trillium Lane Labs TL EveryPhase
- Trillium Lane Labs TL Utilities
- 3 Extra BFD Kits
- Sound libraries from: Big Fish Audio, Cycling ’74, Sonic Reality, Zero-G
The Ignition Pack is Digidiesign’s answer to “ready to go right out of the box” and version 2 is a significant improvement over the first ignition pack, including a surprising amount of great 3rd party software to get you started. However, do note that the versions included with the ignition pack are not the full versions of the software and inevitably will lack some features (for many of the titles, upgrade pathways to the full version are available at a reduced cost).
Closing Thoughts
Like I said, upgrades aside the 003 and 003 Rack are excellent units for users looking to get into Pro Tools or upgrade from a M-Box and should give anyone years of reliable operation. For those of you who are wondering whether or not to upgrade from an existing 002, ask yourself the question. Do you need the additional features and are they worth the money for your specific needs? For example, users in a post production workflow would certainly benefit from the added wordclock i/o and jog wheel, while users who never plan on connecting digital gear will not need wordclock. If the new preamps got your attention, consider this. For the price of a new 003, a 002 user could certainly buy some additional mic pres that exceed the quality of even the newer 003 preamps. Some people just have to have the latest thing, and that is fine. But always remember, your studio is only as good as its weakest link, so educate yourself and consider all of your options when looking to spend money on studio upgrades.
If you have a Pro Tools related question that you would like me to take a shot at answering or have any feedback, please send it to brian@audioMIDI.com. I will do my best to select the questions that seem to stump the most people.
As always, stay tuned to the audioMIDI.com eNews for the latest reviews and new product info.
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