Digidesign Announces New Home Studio Products

Digi 001 Breakout Box (Click for a close-up)

Breakout Box Rear Panel (Click for a close-up)

Digi 001 PCI Card

Digidesign announced today a new product designed for the home studio - Digi 001. The Digi 001 digital audio workstation for Mac OS and Windows 98 offers flexible and comprehensive audio I/O, and is powered Pro Tools LE, Digidesign's new host-based software version of Pro Tools. Digidesign also announced Digi Toolbox XP, an update to its popular two-channel entry-level product for Mac OS and Windows 98, combining affordable yet professional-sounding I/O powered by Pro Tools LE software.

Digi 001 is a comprehensive, plug-and-play 24-bit audio/MIDI digital audio workstation that draws from Digidesign's award winning professional TDM-based Pro Tools systems. In addition to Pro Tools LE, the Digi 001 package includes a PCI card and a multi-channel I/O breakout box (rackmount or desktop). Digi 001 provides the following features: 8 analog audio inputs (2 inputs with high-quality microphone pre-amps, -26dB pads and 48V phantom power; the remaining inputs with software adjustable gain), 8 analog outputs, separate monitoring outputs, 2 channels of S/PDIF digital I/O, and 8 channels of ADAT optical I/O, for a total of 18 simultaneous inputs and outputs. Digi 001 also includes MIDI In and Out, a 1/4-inch stereo headphone jack with separate volume control, and a 1/4-inch footswitch jack for record punch-in.

Digi Toolbox XP is an affordable all-in-one package built around Digidesign's Audiomedia III PCI card and Pro Tools LE software. Audiomedia III offers two channels of CD-quality (18-bit) analog I/O and two channels of S/PDIF digital I/O (24-bit). It includes sound drivers for Mac OS and full-duplex, plug-and-play drivers for Windows 98, allowing for its use in a wide variety of third-party audio applications.

The recording, editing and mixing capabilities of both Digi 001 and Digi Toolbox XP are powered by Pro Tools LE software, the host-based version of Pro Tools software. Pro Tools LE supports up to 24-tracks of 16- or 24-bit audio, and introduces the newly developed Real-Time AudioSuite (RTAS) plug-in architecture, delivering real-time host-based mixing and effects processing. RTAS plug-ins are an extension to the popular AudioSuite file-based plug-in spec supported in Pro Tools. RTAS performance is dependent upon the processing power and RAM of the host CPU system.

Pro Tools LE v5.0 software includes a full-featured MIDI sequencer and offers flexible mixer routing, with 5 sends per track, 5 inserts per track, 16 internal mixing busses, and automation of all mixing and real-time plug-in parameters. "The guiding principle behind Digi 001 is its simplicity and ease-of-use," says Robert Campbell, Digidesign product manager for Digi 001. "Most MIDI sequencers are complex, with a learning curve that can be overwhelming. Digi 001 with Pro Tools LE software offer power and simplicity. Together, they provide an integrated recording, editing, mixing, and MIDI sequencing powerhouse that gets people making music... not figuring out how the software works."

Digi 001 and Digi ToolBox XP systems include RTAS versions of several popular DigiRack plug-ins, including EQ II, Dynamics II, Dither and Mod Delay. For a limited time, D-Verb is included as an introductory offer. Digidesign plans to release its Maxim and D-Fi plug-ins in RTAS format shortly after availability of Pro Tools LE. RTAS plug-ins from such well-known Digidesign Development Partners as Waves, Wave Mechanics, DUY, GRM Tools, Bomb Factory and Arboretum are expected to be shipping soon.

Available mid-November for Mac OS, Digi 001 has an MSRP of $995 (U.S.) and Digi Toolbox XP an MSRP of $545 (U.S.). Windows 98 support is coming in early 2000. As with other Digidesign products, both Digi 001 and Digi Toolbox XP can be exchanged via Digidesign's popular exchange program for a TDM-based Pro Tools system.

To learn more about Digi 001, visit the new dedicated web site at www.digi001.com.