Digi 002 Views

General Goods

With the introduction of the Digi 002, Digidesign aims squarely for the middle ground. The Digi 002 is a high-resolution, portable, host-based Pro Tools system that has robust, flexible I/O and a comprehensive integrated control surface. With four built-in microphone preamps, a terrific suite of bundled plug-ins, and a standalone mode that allows the unit to perform double duty as a digital mixer, the Digi 002 sets a new high standard in terms of bang for the buck.

The rear panel of the Digi 002 has a comprehensive array of inputs and outputs (see Fig. 1). The system is fixed: there are no I/O ports for optional cards to fit your particular system. But the choices made by Digidesign are solid. Input channels 1 through 4 are configured as four mic inputs on XLR jacks, with 48V phantom power, as well as four t¼-inch line/instrument inputs. These are controlled by front-panel selector switches and input gain knobs. Defeatable 75 Hz highpass filters are thrown in for good measure. There are four additional ¼-inch line-level analog inputs, each with individual +4 dBu/-10 dBV level switches.

For added flexibility, the Digi 002 has two Alt Source inputs on -10 dBV RCA jacks. They can be used to route a CD player or tape deck through the system and directly out to the monitors. Selection buttons on the front panel allow you to switch between the standard Digi 002 output and the Alt Source output going to the monitoring section. In addition, the Alt Source can be routed to Digi 002 inputs 7 and 8.

The Digi 002's 12 analog outputs consist of a pair of monitor outs, main outputs 1 through 8, and an alternate pair of main outs. All outputs are on ¼-inch jacks operating at +4 dBu, except for the Alt outs, which are -10 dBV RCA jacks designed to connect to a consumer-level device, such as a tape deck. Monitor level is controlled by a front-panel volume pot. There are also Mono and Mute buttons for the monitoring system, as well as a headphone jack with its own level knob. As a final touch, the Digi 002 boots up with the monitor Mute button engaged, which keeps any nasty pops or thumps from blowing your head off when you first boot up your rig. All in all, the output section is well conceived and well implemented.