Digi 002 Pro Tools 8 Le Authorization

By Debbie Poyser & Derek JohnsonFireWire audio and MIDI interfaces are gaining in popularity, as are fader surfaces designed for hands-on control of computer recording packages. Now Digidesign have combined the two.Photo: Mark EwingWhen the Digi 001 recording system was launched in 1999, Digidesign had a considerable success on their hands. This appealing combination of good-quality audio I/O, MIDI interfacing, and a 'Light Edition' of Digi's Pro Tools industry-standard recording and editing software formed a reliable total solution for the digital project studio. At least, it was almost a total solution. Expectations and possibilities change rapidly in the hi-tech music world, and what few in the project studio arena were seeking in 1999 was the kind of dedicated, hands-on controllability, optimised for the user's recording software, that's now becoming so popular. Steinberg's Houston and Emagic's Logic Control hardware units, obviously very attractive when combined with Cubase or Logic, come readily to mind.

1. Digi 002 Console

Find great deals on eBay for protools digi 002. Shop with confidence. SOLVED: Authorization code for pro tools le 7. Installing Pro tools LE 6. If this was already solved, well, this will help someone else. My guess is your new G5 came with 1. 7 or earlier. Digi 002 Connection. Find great deals on eBay for Pro Tools 8. Digi 002 Family (Rack / Mixer). Avid Digidesign Pro Tools.

Digidesign already have background in control-surface design — their pro users have the lavish Pro Control and the slightly less expensive Control 24 to choose from — and arguably it was time to extend it to their LE project level.What Digi have actually done, though, is slightly different from simply launching a hardware controller for their existing LE Pro Tools setups, the Digi 001 and M Box. Instead, they've created a new, self-contained mini-studio system integrating updated Pro Tools LE software with a neat hardware unit combining all necessary audio/MIDI interfacing, via FireWire, and a control surface set up to exploit the power of LE.

The Digi 002, as it's called, is not a 001 replacement: it costs significantly more, and 001 will continue to be manufactured. The new system, rather, provides a welcome extra tier in the Digi hierarchy, between the extremely affordable M Box and 001 and the multi-thousand-pound HD systems, as well as adding the option of dedicated hands-on controllability to the project end of Digi's range. Where the 001 allowed 16- and 24-bit recording at 44.1 or 48 kHz, the 002 adds 88.2 and 96 kHz operation, bringing the system up to date with current trends. On top comes a plug-in bundle said to be worth £1400. Switching the 002 into stand-alone mode turns it into an assignable 8:2 desk with a useful feature set.

Each of the eight inputs is equipped with a fader, pan pot, mute and solo buttons, onboard three-band EQ (with swept mid), a send each to the built-in reverb and delay effects processors, two further sends (routed to outputs 7 and 8) for external effects or basic submixing (for alternative headphone mixes, for example), and an onboard compressor for each of the four mic-amp-equipped inputs. Should you use the two extra sends for effects processing, returns would occupy some of the eight inputs.A basic snapshot memory has 24 slots for storing stand-alone settings, but these cannot be accessed via MIDI. They're really only for saving particular setups, for manual recall, and can't be chained to produce an automated mix. The onboard effects are basic but good quality; the delay maxes out at 500ms, and the reverb is limited to three basic algorithms and a compact parameter set.

Compressors offer control over ratio, attack and release, with soft- and hard-knee options, and they work rather well. We wish they could be used within Pro Tools!Although it's a pity that the ADAT inputs cannot be used alongside the analogue inputs in stand-alone mode (it's one or the other in this mode), the ADAT outs can be used. Any audio routed through the inputs can be automatically passed to the ADAT output, on a track-to-track basis, pre-fader and pre-effects. Thus the desk could be used in a basic live situation with an ADAT-equipped tape or hard-disk multitrack.The 002's hardware resembles a compact digital mixer, featuring the familiar faders, knobs and buttons, plus a set of displays, which make the necessary assignability of the controls much easier to deal with.

On the rear panel are the connections that in other digital recording systems (including the 001) would reside on a rackmount recording interface or breakout box and possibly on a card inside the computer. Aside from the control surface aspect, the big departure for the 002's hardware side is that there is no longer any need for an interface card inside the computer, as the FireWire connection is used for high-speed, bi-directional MIDI, audio and control data transfer. This is Digi's first FireWire product, though they ventured outside the traditional 'PCI card plus breakout box' paradigm with the recent USB M Box interface.The 002's I/O capability is broadly similar to that of the 001 in terms of numbers, though it does offer two extra mic amps, allowing up to four mics to be recorded simultaneously.

The 002's mic amps, which are apparently the same as those on Digidesign's recent pro eight-way preamp, the Pre, sound even better than the pretty decent ones on the 001. The other I/O difference is that all the 002's connections are balanced, which fits in with the higher market positioning of the system.First up are eight analogue ins, the first four of which have both phantom-powered XLR mic sockets and balanced jack connections at mic/line/instrument level. Guitars can be plugged into these inputs, which each have a gain control and switchable low-pass filter, without the need for a preamp. The remaining four analogue ins are on balanced jacks, switchable between +4dBu (professional level) and -10dBv (consumer and semi-pro level) operation. In addition to those eight inputs, there's a useful pair of Alt Source phono inputs, which take the place of inputs 7 and 8 if used, and allow audio inputs from CD players or cassette decks, for example, to be brought into a Session.Moving on to digital inputs, we have a co-axial S/PDIF input and an optical digital input that can function either as an alternative S/PDIF input or as eight channels of ADAT interfacing. (The two S/PDIF options can't be used at the same time.) The 002 hardware is thus basically an 18-input desk that will potentially allow you to record up to 18 tracks at once.

If you don't have a use for the ADAT I/O, you could use external A-D/D-A converters to effectively add futher analogue I/O.On the output front, aside from the obvious matching eight analogue outs (a pair of which routes the main stereo mix out of the system), eight ADAT outs and S/PDIF out, there's an analogue stereo monitor output on balanced jacks, and an Alt Main analogue stereo out on phonos which mirrors the main stereo mix, for recording to a cassette deck, for example. Installing PTLE on our Mac was easy. All the necessary FireWire drivers and the core Digidesign extensions were put where required automatically.

All that was needed was to make the FireWire connection, power up the hardware and boot the software. Technically, there should be an authorisation routine, but it seems that if the software finds a valid authorisation on your computer for another version of PTLE (we're 001 users), it's happy. The bundled plug-ins do need to be authorised.

Note that PTLE v5.3.2, as supplied with 002, won't boot if 001 hardware is installed in your computer.Remaining connections comprise a MIDI In and two Outs, a front-panel headphone socket, a footswitch jack (for activating punch-in/out), and an auto-sensing mains power socket, meaning that the 002 should work anywhere in the world with no power hassles. There are also two FireWire ports, and though you may read suggestions to the contrary, neither can be used for the connection of a FireWire hard drive. If your computer has just a single FireWire port, and you want to use a FireWire hard drive, the best solution is to connect the drive to your computer and the 002 hardware to the drive's 'pass through' port. Like the 001, the 002 has no word clock I/O.The 002 boasts four high-quality mic preamps of the same type used in Digi's high-end Pre preamp, and offers a good range of analogue and digital I/O. Although there are two FireWire ports, the 002 cannot be used in a chain between a computer and a FireWire hard drive.Overall, it's a well thought-out and sensible set of I/O.

The codecs on the analogue ins and outs operate at sample rates up to 96kHz and bit depths of up to 24-bit, and the S/PDIF connection also allows up to 24/96 operation (the ADAT I/O only supports 44.1 and 48 kHz sample rates). Perhaps the main potential inconvenience for some is the fact that all the analogue outs operate at the +4dBu professional level, so if you connect semi-pro recording gear, such as a multi-effects device operating at -10dBv, you may find that the 002 output is too hot; reducing its level should help. It's also worth mentioning that because there are no hardware insert points on the inputs, anyone who wants to insert outboard compressors and the like will have to use up main input/output pairs to do it. Plug-in dynamics are alternatively available if the controller is being used with LE and there are onboard dynamics on inputs 1-4 in stand-alone mode — very useful.Monitoring is simply implemented, though quite well thought-out. There are separate controls for the main stereo monitor output and the headphone socket, with a Mono switch for checking mono compatibility of the stereo mix. The main monitor can also be muted, leaving the headphones operational. Curiously, the Alt Source stereo phono input can also be routed to the monitor (and headphone) output.

This could be useful in a live situation, with the 002 in stand-alone mode (to route pre-set music over the house PA, for example). In the studio, with a simple external mixer you could create a separate monitor mix for overdubbing musicians and feed it back into the Alt Source inputs, leaving the main mix untouched.The 002 system doesn't offer a 'monitor at source' option, to get around the latency inherent in computer-based audio systems. Luckily, PTLE has settings that can help. The hardware buffer parameter offers five levels, between 64 samples (virtually undetectable latency) and 1024 samples (a handy slapback echo).

The level you can achieve depends on CPU speed, how many simultaneous tracks you want to record and how many plug-ins you're using.An alternative to adjusting the hardware buffer is enabling Low Latency Monitoring from the Operations menu. This makes latency almost undetectable, even when recording many 002 inputs at once. However, no effects can be applied to tracks being recorded with Low Latency Monitoring, and it only works with inputs routed directly to audio tracks: audio can't pass through an Aux track first (as you would to add processing during recording).The current situation regarding the addressing of 002 hardware by other software is as yet unclear. It can be set up to be the audio output for Apple's Sound Manager, making it compatible with any app that has Sound Manager support, and Digidesign's WaveDriver allows a similar option for Windows.

Currently, there seems to be no ASIO support; the ASIO DirectConnect driver we use for our Digi 001 system doesn't work properly with 002. It's worth noting, too, that the 002's MIDI I/O is accessible to software other than PTLE, in stand-by mode, but that you won't always be able to get Sound Manager output simultaneously (Propellerhead Reason works fine, for example). The hardware's MIDI I/O is not available, however, if the 002 is in stand-alone mode, which is a shame.The 002 controller links to the host computer solely via FireWire, sending even MIDI data over the FireWire link (in contrast to other controllers, which simply connect via MIDI).

The main feature of the front panel is the bank of eight motorised faders, which are quiet, smooth, 10-inch touch-sensitive units made by ALPS. Their space-age, silvery moulded caps initially look a bit on the plasticky side, but they're actually very pleasing to the fingertip. As you would expect, the faders are easily assignable, on a bank system, to control the 32 audio tracks of PTLE, plus as many MIDI and Aux tracks as you have, eight at a time.Also in this main central section above the faders are corresponding Mute and Solo buttons, each with built-in status lamp (like all the buttons).

Digi 002 Console

On the review unit, a couple of these were duller than the rest. A bit higher again are eight 'Sel' buttons, used to select channels for editing, arm them for recording, and so on, and eight rotary encoders, each with a green LED ring above as a value readout. The LED rings can also be switched to provide channel output metering, so although it initially looks as though you don't get level metering, in fact you can choose to have it. It's pretty effective and responsive too, though there is no three-colour system — only the last LED in the ring flashes red if an overload is occurring. A slight niggle is that, depending on where you're sitting in relation to the 002, the rotaries can obscure parts of the LED rings. Lining up exactly with the channel 'strips' are eight very clear LCD 'scribble-strips', one per channel, offering labels abbreviated from LE track names.The rotary encoders can be assigned to control a variety of parameters, including pan, aux send levels for PTLE's five sends per channel (A-E), and the parameters of plug-ins, via named assignment buttons.

Values for these parameters show in the scribble-strip displays momentarily as the parameter is altered, and can also be 'fixed' there with a key-press combination if you need to examine them more closely. Parameters that might be more suited to fader control than rotary control, such as send levels, can even be assigned to the faders instead, via a 'Flip' button.Several different parameter 'Views' help you keep tabs on your mix.

The Views are divided into two types: Console Views show the status of one parameter (pan, send or insert) for all eight channels in a bank and assigns each rotary encoder and channel select button to their own mixer channel, while Channel Views give you access to the status of several parameters for a single selected channel. For example, to see the status of eight channels of pan positions, you select the Pan Console View. The LED rings now show pan position for these channels. Choosing the Insert Console View makes the scribble strips display the abbreviated name of any processors assigned to insert A of each of the current eight channels. To see what's assigned to inserts B to D, you use the lettered buttons to the left.

It's hard to match 002 facilities precisely at a comparable price. You can team software from other manufacturers with their own dedicated MIDI controllers, but you'd have to buy a 96kHz-capable FireWire audio interface elsewhere, and a MIDI interface.

Kitchenaid serial number decoder. Or you can get the software and the audio interface from one manufacturer, but buy a MIDI controller elsewhere. We couldn't spec a comparable system for the same or less money than the 002, and the cost of alternatives tended to be several hundred pounds higher. The closest price-wise was a part-Steinberg/ part-MOTU system, for around £100 higher (the Steinberg Houston was recently reduced in price). We don't guarantee that all the bits are compatible! All contents copyright © SOS Publications Group and/or its licensors, 1985-2019. All rights reserved.The contents of this article are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, whether mechanical or electronic, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publishers.

Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this article but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the publishers can be held responsible for its contents. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the publishers.Web site designed & maintained by PB Associates & SOS.

'Pro Tools Computer Compatibility' Apple Mac & Windows (Below) Pro Tools LE 7.0/7.1.x for Mac OS X Compatibility & Requirements Mbox 2 Pro with Pro Tools LE 7.1.2/7.1.3 for Mac OS X Compatibility. Pro Tools LE 7.1.3 is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) for Intel-based Macs only, with Mbox 2 Pro only. Pro Tools LE 7.1.2 is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) for PPC-based Macs only, with Mbox 2 Pro only. Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Mini, and Mbox with Pro Tools LE 7.0/7.1/7.1.1 for Mac OS X Compatibility. Pro Tools LE 7.1.1 is compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) for Intel-based Macs only. Pro Tools LE 7.0 and 7.1 are compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) for PowerPC-based Macs only.

Mbox 2 Mini not tested with Pro Tools LE 7.0 and lower. Music Production Toolkit and DV Toolkit 2 require Pro Tools LE 7.1 or higher. The original DV Toolkit is officially supported with Pro Tools LE 6.1 through 7.0 For more information on upgrades, updates and links to downloads, click on Pro Tools 7 Info on the right side of the Support section. Digidesign Hardware Required.

Digi 002, Digi 002 Rack, Mbox 2 Pro, Mbox 2, Mbox 2 Mini, original Mbox, or VENUE D-Show FWx hardware required - No other audio interfaces are supported with Pro Tools LE 7. Pro Tools LE software will not work without Digidesign hardware connected. Pro Tools LE supports the use of any single supported Pro Tools LE audio interface. Simultaneous use of multiple Pro Tools LE hardware devices is not supported.