By Greg Rule | Mon, 01 Sep 2003
The Pro Tools family grows again with the arrival of the Digi 002 Rack — a 2U version of Digidesign’s Digi 002 tabletop control surface/interface. The current Pro Tools lineup includes the USB-based Mbox, still the most affordable ticket into the Pro Tools club, the flagship HD series, and the Digi 002 and 002 Rack, which hold the middle of the line. We aimed our “sneak preview” spotlight at the Digi 002 Rack in July. Now, two months and many sessions later, we’re ready to reveal the findings of our in-studio tests.
But first, let’s hit a few of the highlights.
OVERVIEW
The Digi 002 Rack is Digidesign’s first Pro Tools FireWire rackmount device, and represents a significant step up from its predecessor, the Digi 001. The Digi 001 has enjoyed a hugely successful run, but the Digi 002 Rack (hereafter called the 002R) is a new-generation product with a lot more to offer — and for not much more money. For starters, it doubles the number of mic preamps from two to four, it expands the sample rate from 48 to 96 kHz, and it connects to the host computer via FireWire, unlike the Digi 001, which connects via PCI card. “The goal was to release a product that provided similar functionality to the Digi 001 but that utilized newer technology and expanded upon the 001 feature set,” says a Digi spokesperson. “Another goal was to provide all the same recording abilities as the Digi 002 at a lower price and without the control surface.”
For a rundown of the I/O lineup, see stats list (left). Let’s talk about a few related “non-chart” topics, starting with the mic preamps and converters. For $1,295, how much quality can you expect? Digi describes the preamps as “high quality, solid-state with a low noise spec of –126 dB EIN, and up to +65 dB of gain. They’re higher quality than the pre’s in the Digi 001,” they report, “and were purposely designed and built [by Digidesign] for the Digi 002 series.” Our findings? See “In Session” section below.
The dedicated front-panel gain knobs for inputs 1–4 are a welcome feature, with companion line/mic selector and rolloff switches, plus phantom power. There’s no level metering on the unit, though: no multi-segment I/O meters or even a signal-present LED. Unfortunate. You’ll need to rely 100-percent on software for that. There are MIDI in/out activity LEDs however.
Other I/O items of note are the RCA “alt source” inputs and outputs for patching in CD players/recorders and the like, and a footswitch input for punch control. Need a storage or throughput path? An extra back-panel FireWire port allows you to connect another FireWire-capable device such as an external hard drive to your computer while simultaneously running Pro Tools. Headphones plug directly into the 002R’s front panel; a dedicated headphone volume control is provided. You also get a dedicated volume control for the monitor outputs.
Here’s a major bonus of the 002R package: It comes bundled with the latest version of Pro Tools LE software (6.0.2 was supplied with our review unit) and a suite of Digidesign’s DigiRack RTAS plug-ins at no extra cost. Pro Tools LE accommodates up to 32 simultaneous audio tracks and 256 MIDI tracks. The 002R has a low-latency monitoring mode like the 001 and 002, and PT LE’s “64 sample buffer” setting provides the lowest recording latency yet in a Pro Tools native system. OS X is supported on the Mac side; Windows support is now happening with the 6.1 software release. For more on Pro Tools 6 software, see our review in the June 2003 issue.
IN SESSION
EQ was fortunate to get one of the first Digi 002Rs off the assembly line, and put it into steady studio use for two months before posting this report. A G4 Quicksilver tower with dual 1.2 MHz processors running OS X was used for the first month of testing — mainly for pop-type productions that involved stacks of keyboards, lots of soundware manipulation, and live percussion overdubs. In every case, all 32 of PT LE’s tracks were packed to capacity. The system performed perfectly throughout, except for an occasional erroneous message when launching the program: “Pro Tools hardware is either not installed or used by another program.” A click of the 002R’s on/off switch put things back in order, so this is a minor point.
To test legacy file compatibility, I imported several old PT files, and performed some additional tracking, editing, and mixing to see how the new system dealt with old material. All was smooth there.
A more critical audio test came when tech editor John Krogh and I conducted a live classical cello session. At 24/96, the 002R captured the three-century-old instrument with precision and clarity. We had the cellist play a variety of pieces that spanned a wide frequency and dynamic range. The mic preamps performed beautifully, as did the D/A converters; for playback, we output directly from the 002R to Genelec 1031As. Also impressive in our tests was how smoothly and solidly the system handled huge 24/96 files on a G4 laptop running a native host.
In related “in use” news, Roger Nichols’ EQ review of the Digi 002 tabletop unit in March concluded: “Perfect recordings, perfect mixes. Everyone was happy, especially me.” Worth restating, since the Digi 002 shares many of the same components as the 002R.
The only notable disappointment in all of my studio hours with 002R was the lack of a Core Audio driver, which meant that every time I wanted to use another app such as Reason 2.5, iTunes, or Quicktime, I had to toggle to another audio device. Digi tells us that the Core Audio driver for Pro Tools LE is in beta, and should be available for free download by the time you read this. Also, it’s worth pointing out that Digi added ReWire support to Pro Tools version 6.1, which allows audio from any ReWire-compatible app, such as Live or Reason, to be piped directly into the Pro Tools mix bus for further processing.
CONCLUSIONS
My first reaction when the Digi 002 Rack was announced: “Brilliant.” After all, the Digi 001 was starting to show its age, and how logical it was to take the best of Digidesign’s second-generation 002 tabletop unit and compress it into a rack. With FireWire established as a standard for audio and MIDI I/O — and considering its convenience for laptop users — it all makes perfect sense.
Who is this rig best for? At the top of the list are those wanting to get into Pro Tools 6, who want higher resolution than Digi 001, more I/O, FireWire connectivity, and who don’t want (or can’t afford) to pay for a Pro Tools HD rig. In this case, 002R can’t be beat.
Judged strictly in its price class as a hardware interface, however, the 002R faces some stiff competition from the likes of MOTU and their new 828mkII. The 002R wins in mic preamps (four over the 828mkII’s two). But the 828mkII wins in SMPTE and word clock sync (002R has neither), front-panel metering, in rack size (1U versus 2), and its ability to function as a standalone device. And there’s more. M-Audio’s new FW410, to name another of several FireWire I/O entries, is in a much lower price class, but has something that neither of the above has: super-handy dual headphone outs and companion volume knobs. Of course, if you want to use Pro Tools as your DAW, then all of the above is moot — you must use a Digi hardware product, period.
All factors considered, Digidesign has a solid product on their hands in the Digi 002 Rack. In all tests it performed beautifully. Coupled with one of the most popular audio apps ever (Pro Tools, which is included for free), it’s surely going to sell in significant numbers.
[Thanks to Liz Lee of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for bringing her 300-year-old French cello, Bach repertoire, and sharp skills to our test sessions.]