Members MoonMix Posted February 9, 2010 Members Share Posted February 9, 2010 [no...this is not me...it really is for a friend...(not like when you go to the doctor & ask him about a 'friend' that needs viagra)]... one of my mastering clients is running Pro Tools...w/ a Digi003 Rack...on a Mac lap top. he wants to move up to a Sytek or Grace preamp...& an Apogee converter. 1) will he be able to hear a discernable difference in recording quality...??? (I know this answer is probably yes...but I'm not familiar w/ how good the pre's & conversion are on the 003...thanks). 2) will he be able...somehow...to still use Pro Tools to record...??? thanks, MoonMix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CME Posted February 9, 2010 Members Share Posted February 9, 2010 Yes he can. With an 003 you can add 2 channels via SPDIF and 8 channels via ADAT. So he could get something like a Apogee Rosetta 200 if he just needs 2 channels of good I/O. Or a Rosetta 800 for 8 channels of I/O. Then he can just assign these as his ins/outs in PT. As far as an improvement in sound I would expect one with these units. From what I've read the 003 is an improvement over the 002, and while both are very good units, neither is world class. By most accounts the Apogee stuff is. FWIW I think it may be the clocking that is the weak point in the Digi units (don't quote me though). So if he would actually use the Apogee as the Master Clock the entire unit could sound better. However, having said all this, the room and monitors being used can negate even the "best" gear there is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted February 9, 2010 Members Share Posted February 9, 2010 I have never used a Digi003, but my understanding is that the preamps and converters are actually "usable", something that Digi001 definitely wasn't. Digi001 seriously sucked. Digi002 isn't all that great either, and I can easily discern the difference between its converters/preamps and my Apogee converters and RNP or Neve Portico mic preamps. So my guess is that there'd still be a discernible difference between Digi003 and the equipment you list. Yes, he can still use Pro Tools to record. It'd be preamps > converters > ADAT lightpipe of the Digi003 for 8 channels or S/PDIF for two channels, depending on what kind of converter you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted February 9, 2010 Members Share Posted February 9, 2010 I've heard good things about Sytek preamps, mixed about Grace. They're both seem to get lumped in to the "clean" camp. Bear in mind that I've not ever used either, just repeating what I've seen on boards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MoonMix Posted February 9, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 9, 2010 thanks CME & UstadKhanAli... good, usable info...will pass it along (always liked this board) mf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I did a review for the tabletop Digi 003 for Keyboard, so I'm pretty familiar with it. Yes, he can use external converters (with either a S/PDIF or ADAT lightpipe output) to feed extra mic preamps into his system, and yes, Pro Tools will be able to record that just fine - along with the internal preamps and line inputs on his Digi 003 Rack for additional channels if he wants / needs to do that at the same time too - for example, for when he wants to track drums or a rhythm section simultaneously. I agree that the preamps on the Digi 003 are a great big improvement over the ones on the Digi 001. Their one big drawback (outside of subjective sound quality - which is, IMO, fine for general purpose stuff, but no, it's not as good as a Sytek or Grace IMO) is their lack of a pad switch. Inline pads from Shure can be used on the mic lines if / when needed, but it's a bit of a pain in the rear. As far as the converters on the Digi 003, they're pretty good, but again, not in Apogeeland IMO. They'll get the job done, and chances are they won't be the weakest link in the chain for most people (probably operator skill is going to win that "honor" in most rigs ), but better converters generally will make a difference in the quality of your recordings, all other things being equal. When using a external converter, it will be important to make sure he has his Digi 003 clocked to the word clock data on the incoming digital data stream from the external converter. He can do that within the Pro Tools software itself - here's a video I made (since this question comes up fairly often) about how to do that... Bj2J4SDSpDs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 (always liked this board) Aaah... Don't be a stranger then - stop in and say hi more often! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MoonMix Posted February 13, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2010 Phil... holy crap...great info...great video. thanks very much...!!! MoonMix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted February 13, 2010 Members Share Posted February 13, 2010 As far as the converters on the Digi 003, they're pretty good, but again, not in Apogeeland IMO. I would definitely think so. I have Rosetta 800s, and they really do sound quite good. When using a external converter, it will be important to make sure he has his Digi 003 clocked to the word clock data on the incoming digital data stream from the external converter. That's rather crucial as I've found that if I use the internal clock and not the Apogee external clock, I get some clicks. And you want to use the superior clock regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Phil... holy crap...great info...great video. thanks very much...!!! MoonMix Cool - glad you liked it, and hope it helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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