digidesign 002 opinions needed

Steve Waltz · Post by **Steve Waltz** » 29 Dec 2008 1:45 pm

I searched for info on this product here but didn't find much, so I thought I'd ask.

It seems like these can go in the 400 to 700 range used. There's a rack mount and a control board model. Is the control board worth the extra 3 or 4 hundred? Any opinions on these? $400ish for the rack mounts seems like a lot of bang for the buck.

I thought it would be good to learn this software considering how many people use it.

Thanks,

Tim Walker · Post by **Tim Walker** » 29 Dec 2008 9:14 pm

Hi Steve,

If you can get one in good shape for around $500 it's not a bad deal though chances are you will need to pay for an upgrade to Pro Tools 8 which just came out.

The general consensus on the gear forums like Gearslutz.com it that the pre-amps and AD/DA converters are not very good. That said if you have another decent pre-amp to insert in the chain you can certainly make a good sounding recording with them. A company called Black Lion Audio can mod them to higher specs for around $600 - their view is that they are better units than the 003.

Hope this helps.

Tim

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 30 Dec 2008 10:58 am

Like many things it depends on your intended use.
I've been running ProTools 6.9 using an 002 rack interface for sometime now, and it works so well I've been reluctant to upgrade.
The preamps and converters are good enough for many things, and if you use a number of different outboard preamps as I do, you can get the colors and quality that your budget allows. You can always clock from an external device with a better clock if you have or get one.
$4-600 used would be a good deal for all the 002 rig can do. The control board is good for some things, but I'd suggest if you want a control surface to go with the rack version and add a Presonus Fader Port or Frontier Designs AlphaTrack.
Last, on a used 002, check to see if the power supply ribbon cable has been replaced. For some reason it's a small part prone to failure on those units. After replacing that, mine has worked flawlessly.

Steve Waltz · Post by **Steve Waltz** » 30 Dec 2008 1:36 pm

Thanks mark and Tim,

Intended use? There's a local studio that I have done some work at. At $45 or $50 an hour I think any serious recording would be done there. When I see how much equipment and experience he has I don't see how I could ever complete a product myself that could match that studio for the price. So I don't intend to do full recordings at home to print to CD.

I might want to be able to do something good enough for myspace. I also like to do full recordings of songs before going to the studio so I can critique the arrangement and song beforehand. I'm also doing mutiple track recordings for band members so that we can work out twin guitar stuff at home when time allows also as a way to arrange songs.

But it's still nice to hear this stuff in good quality sound. I think of myself as a tube guy.
I don't use effects in my guitar set up and I hate digital stuff that I have used before since it seems to kill the sound. But I like how usable protools is. After recording with Ampex 350's with one take options......protools is pretty cool.

There's a 002 locally with the lion mod for $650 with no software. I'm thinking the mod isn't neccessary.

Ben Strano · Post by **Ben Strano** » 8 Jan 2009 5:08 pm

The blacklion mod isn't necessary. Engineers like to worry about the smallest things... call them problems and the proceed to throw money at it. Trust me... I'm one.

I have auditioned the blacklion mod and I feel it to be nowhere near worthy of the price tag. The A-B comparisons on their website aren't even the same performance.

I have recorded with the digi 002 preamps many many times. I have probably around 10,000 dollars worth of pres... do I think they are better? Yup they are... but do I think that the 002 doesn't sound fine? Nope... I would use the 002 preamps without worry any day of the week.

I have a 002 in my rack for days I am not working at a big studio with a HD rig... it is great. I love it.

Get a 002 as cheap as you can and then buy a version of pro tools 8 when it comes out. You will be more than happy.

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 9 Jan 2009 6:12 am

$600 for an 002 with the black lion mod is a really good price. I own a 002 Black Lion, an 003 and HD3 ProTools rigs and have A/B'ed the BL against stock and there is a very clear difference. For what you want to do buying a new rig and then adding the cost of the BL mod might be overkill, but I'd go for that deal myself...

Ben Strano · Post by **Ben Strano** » 10 Jan 2009 12:17 pm

John... you can do us all and blacklion a favor. Take an output from your preamp and record it to your rigs simultaneously (if that is even possible... I guess they would all over to be in the same room and why would you have your setup like that?).

Blacklions website has drums recorded on a 002 and then recorded on a 002 but they are obviously different recordings. A true A/B comparison would have the comparisons be the only variable. Then you can put the files back into pro tools and flip one of them out of phase and KNOW what the difference is. I have yet to find anyone that has done this and I am very interested in the results.

The only time I worked on a BL 002 I didn't have my 002 to compare it to. I didn't notice any difference but admittedly I didn't do an actual "scientific method" A/B comparison.

I do believe though that clocking and converters are the last place that I would spend extra money. Microphones and preamps make a much bigger difference bang for buck-wise.