DIGIDESIGN DIGI 002

Apr 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Nick Peck

FOR LE ONLY

The Digi 002 runs Pro Tools LE software, which is similar to the TDM version of Pro Tools software but with a few useful features intentionally left out. These include single-key keyboard shortcuts for most editing functions, surround capabilities, the time-code ruler, and an advanced audio-quantization tool called Beat Detective. While the lack of SMPTE rules out using the Digi 002 for any film or video work, the software is fine for music production and non-SMPTE-based sound production.

However, Digidesign is bundling a variety of RTAS and AudioSuite plug-ins with the Digi 002. The ones I received include the Waves Renaissance compressor, EQ, and reverb; IK Multimedia's SampleTank software sampler and AmpliTube speaker simulator; Native Instruments' Pro-52 synthesizer; and Digidesign's D-FX chorus, flanger, and delay. Digidesign says that the contents of the bundle and the number of plug-ins included are subject to change at any time.

IN SITU

As soon as the Digi 002 arrived, I put it to the acid test of high-resolution acoustic recording. It took less than 15 minutes to set up the Digi 002 and install Pro Tools LE 5.3.2. From there, I plugged pairs of Neumann KM 184 and Earthworks QTC-1 microphones directly in to the Digi 002's mic preamps using Blue Kiwi cables. I recorded musician Jory Prum singing folk songs while playing his steel-string guitar in a quiet, acoustically treated studio, at a resolution of 24-bit, 96 kHz. The results were clean, clear, and smooth, with a detailed top end. The highs sounded neither harsh nor hyped but were instead extended and well integrated into the sound. The Digi 002's mic preamps are quiet, neutral, and colorless. They are solid in their performance and well suited to the rigorous demands of high-resolution audio.

I continued to throw the most difficult audio tasks that I could think of at the Digi 002: jingling keys, tambourines, shakers, metallic hits, and big low-frequency thumps — all at 24-bit, 96 kHz. In each case, the Digi 002 held its own, recording everything faithfully, with a minimum of the harshness and high-end distortion that is so often characteristic of 44.1 kHz recording.

CRACKING THE WHIP

Just after receiving the Digi 002 for review, I got the call to do sound design for LucasArts Entertainment Company's new game Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. Time was short, and I needed to set up an office on-site and get rolling right away. I decided to subject the Digi 002 to a grueling real-world project. So I set it up with my Apple 600 MHz iBook, a Maxtor 120 GB external FireWire drive, a pair of Mackie HR824 powered monitors, and an Akai Z8 sampler.

For the most part, the Digi 002 did its job admirably, helping me quickly create the whip cracks, pistol fire, zeppelin motors, and magical energy zaps that are a signature part of the Raiders of the Lost Ark universe. I worked back and forth between Pro Tools and other audio apps constantly, all the while checking email, using the Internet, and transferring files using FTP. Outright crashes were fairly rare, although a bug in the Pro Tools software (which I'll describe in a moment) left me reaching for the aspirin from time to time. All in all, though, the Digi 002/Pro Tools LE system was a very good choice for video-game audio production, and it's the one I intend to use in future projects with LucasArts Entertainment.

The Digi 002's control surface had its chance to really shine during the mixing process. I had one week to design and create final mixes for 30 cineractives (short, linear movies that appear throughout the game to move the story along). Because of the short timeline, I was editing sound effects and ambiences and recording Foley directly into the same sessions that held the music and dialog stems. The Digi 002 performed like a champ, allowing me to track, process, and mix almost simultaneously.

After I had worked with it for a while, I refined my mixing style to best take advantage of the control surface: I would rough in a mix by moving the faders until everything sat fairly well, then write an automation pass. Next, I played through the mix, finding any area that needed refinement. Finally, I would select that region and move the faders during playback to overwrite the previous automation for that section. At no time did I pay any attention to levels or meters, other than to make sure that the master fader's levels were hot without clipping. The resulting mixes breathed with life and had a wonderful dynamic quality not usually present in breakpoint-automation-style mixes. I never needed compression, relying instead on fader moves to make everything audible.

ALL ROSES HAVE THORNS

While the Digi 002 performed its duties admirably, there was one nagging bug that caused frustration and impeded my progress. The Digi 002 occasionally emitted a loud click at the end of playback. Far less frequently, the bug manifested itself as a high-pitched whine or even full-scale white noise blasting out of my monitors. Quitting and restarting Pro Tools always solved the problem.

Eventually, I determined that the problem had to do with moving virtual or physical faders during playback, in sessions that had a master fader. I was then able to replicate the problem on an Mbox and a Digi 001, all on different computers. The bug is in Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools Free software, versions 5.x and up. The bug is not present on Pro Tools TDM systems. After I went back and forth with Digidesign for several weeks about the bug, the company was able to replicate it. Shortly before I finished this review, Digidesign released a patch (DAE 5.3.2cs2) to fix the bug. Preliminary results are encouraging, but I did not have sufficient time to work with the update to guarantee that all problems with this bug have been solved.

LOW-LATENCY MODE

At this stage of digital audio development, latency is still the bugaboo of all host-based systems. The Digi 002 is no exception, but it offers a Low Latency Monitoring mode to negate the problem during the overdubbing process.

Enabling Low Latency Monitoring defeats any plug-ins or sends assigned to Record-enabled tracks and requires that the tracks be routed to audio outputs 1 and 2. In addition, these tracks won't register their levels to the master faders during playback. These limitations are small, though, and the improvement in timing due to lower latency is well worth it.

MIX AND MATCH

The Digi 002 has one more trick up its sleeve: it can function as a standalone 8×4×2 digital mixer. So when you are done recording, you can take the Digi 002 out to the coffeehouse and use it as a perfectly serviceable mixer for small gigs.

In mixer mode, the Digi 002 can receive input from the eight analog inputs or the optical or coaxial S/PDIF inputs, but not the eight channels of ADAT Lightpipe. It is limited to 44.1 or 48 kHz sampling rates, but it has enough internal DSP to offer 3-band EQ on all eight channels, dynamics processing on channels 1 through 4, and reverb and delay effects. All effects are editable from the rotary knobs and faders and, while not spectacular, are certainly good enough for a live situation. Snapshots of settings can be stored, and input/output channels 7 and 8 can be used to connect external effects processors.

TOP NOTCH

The Digi 002 is undoubtedly the coolest portable studio I have ever seen. It offers robust inputs and outputs; nice-sounding mic preamps; excellent sound quality; 24-bit, 96 kHz capabilities; a full-featured and well-designed physical interface; standalone mixer mode with built-in processing; and a generous plug-in bundle. And you get all of that for just over two grand.

If you are primarily a Pro Tools user and you don't want to take the expensive step into TDM-based systems, the Digi 002 is the box for you. I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up.

Digi 002 Specifications

Analog Inputs	(4) XLR mic inputs, +4 dBu; (4) TRS line inputs, +4 dBu/-10 dBV switchable; (4) TRS line inputs, +4 dBu; (2) RCA alt-source inputs, -10 dBV
Analog Outputs	(2) ¼" TRS monitor outputs, +4 dBu; (8) ¼" TRS line outputs, +4 dBu; (2) RCA alt-main outputs, -10 dBV
Digital I/O	(8) channels ADAT Lightpipe optical; (2) channels S/PDIF (RCA or optical)
MIDI I/O	(1) In, (2) Out
Additional I/O	(2) FireWire ports; (1) footswitch port
Number of Channel Strips	8
Frequency Response	20 Hz-20 kHz (+0.15/-0.5 dB)
Sampling Rates	44.1, 48, 88.2, 96 kHz
Bit Depths	16, 24
Audio Tracks	32
MIDI Tracks	32
Dimensions	18.9" (W) × 6.1" (H) × 17.1" (D)
Weight	15.2 lb.
A/D Converters
Dynamic Range	Inputs 1-4: >101 dBA, 98 dB (unweighted); inputs 5-8: >108 dBA, 105 dB (unweighted); alt-source inputs: >99 dBA, 97 dB (unweighted)
Total Harmonic Distortion	Mic inputs: 0.004% @ 62 dB gain;
+ Noise	line inputs: •0.004% @ +17 dBu input level
D/A Converters
Dynamic Range	Main/monitor outputs: Ž112 dBA, 110 dB (unweighted); alt outputs: 98 dBA, 95 dB (unweighted)
Total Harmonic Distortion	Main/monitor outputs: <0.0016% (-60 dBFS @ 1 kHz);
+ Noise	outputs 3-8 and Alt outputs: <0.0023% (-60 dBFS @ 1 kHz)

PRODUCT SUMMARY

Digidesign
Digi 002
digital audio interface/control surface
$2,495

FEATURES	4.0
EASE OF USE	4.5
AUDIO QUALITY	4.0
VALUE	5.0
RATING PRODUCTS FROM 1 TO 5

PROS: Excellent sound quality. Capable of 24-bit, 96 kHz resolution. Comprehensive control surface. Tight integration between hardware and software. Standalone mixer mode. Generous plug-in bundle. A lot of bang for the buck.

CONS: No BNC word-clock input. No scrub/shuttle wheel. No numeric keypad. No dedicated Save button. Intermittent audible click/noise bug.

Manufacturer

Digidesign
tel. (800) 333-2137 or (650) 731-6300
e-mail prodinfo@digidesign.com
Web www.digidesign.com