HELL NO I'M NOT BACK I'M POSTING A REVIEW.
LET ME START THIS OFF BY SAYING THE MOTIF ES SOFTWARE ALMOST DESTROYED MY PC. THE USB/MIDI DRIVERS ARE CRAP WHEN USED WITH PRO TOOLS (YOU CAN'T USE IT WITH PRO TOOLS UNLESS THE MO IS ON). IF YOU HAVE A MOTIF ES, MOTIF OR MO RACK *DON'T* USE THE SUPPLIED SOFTWARE WITH PRO TOOLS *UNLESS* YOU WANT TO TURN ON THE MO EVERY SINGLE TIME. IF YOU DON'T TURN ON THE MOTIF BUT START PRO TOOLS YOU WILL GET AN - 1 OMS ERROR (WHICH SHOULD ***ONLY*** POP UP FOR A MAC BUT IT POPS UP ON PC's) AND A DAE 6069 ERROR. SIMPLY PUT DON'T INSTALL IT UNTIL THEY FIX IT. CUBASE OWNERS DON'T TRIP, I HAVE CUBASE ON MY PC AND IT WORKED FINE. NO ERRORS OR BUGS.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BUY THE LATEST AND GREATEST TOYS (I SHOULD HAVE WAITED). YOU GET STUCK WITH ALL THE BUGS, KINKS AND HIGH PRICES. A COUPLE OF MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD THE SOFTWARE WILL BE UPGRADED, THE PRICE WILL DROP ON YOUR PIECE OF SHIT GEAR THAT YOU'VE GROWN TO HATE AND YOU'LL MOST LIKELY NEVER RECOUP YOUR MONEY....UNLESS YOUR ME OF COURSE.
PRO TOOLS 6.1 VS CUBASE
WELL I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT CUBASE GETS THE AWARD. WHY? WELL BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT GOING ON IN PRO TOOLS. I MEAN THAT MAY BE COOL TO SOME PEOPLE BUT IMHO I NEED *MORE*. MAYBE THIS COULD BE THE CASE OF LESS IS BETTER.
YOU BASICALLY HAVE TWO SCREENS ON PT TO WORK WITH. THE FIRST IS THE TRACK (MIX) SCREEN. THE TRACK SCREEN IS WHERE YOU SELECT YOUR INPUTS (AUDIO AND MIDI) OUTPUTS (AUDIO AND MIDI) PLUG INS, AUX. AND OTHER NICK NACKS. THIS IS WHERE YOU MIX (VOLUME AND PANS AND WRITE AUTOMATION SEQUENCES.
THE SECOND OF THE TWO SCREENS IS THE EDIT SCREEN. THE EDIT SCREEN IS WHERE YOU SEE THE WAVEFORM (YOU CAN SEE THE WAVE FORM WHEN YOU ARE RECORDING), ADJUST TRACK PROPERTIES (LIKE HEIGHT ETC ETC ETC) TIME SELECTION (LIKE BARS/MEASURES/SECONDS), CACHE/FILES AND OTHER CRAP.
UP TO THE TOP IS YOUR TYPICAL AUDIO/MIDI SEQUENCER LAYOUT. IF YOU CAN NAVIGATE CUBASE SX, LOGIC, SONAR OR DP3 YOU SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM NAVIGATING PRO TOOLS 6.1. YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR INPUTS/OUTPUT ROUTINGS FROM THE TOP AS WELL AS MIDI OPTIONS. HERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 001 (WHICH I'VE BEEN USING ON A MAC FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS AT ANOTHER LAB) AND THE 002 (WHICH I'VE BEEN USING AT HOME ON A PC FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.)
THE INTERFACE LOOKS A TAD "DULL" ON THE PC. IT LOOKS "SMUDGED" AND DOESN'T LOOK AS SHARP AND CRISP AS THE MAC VERSION. WHEN I GET THIS 17 INCH LCD THAT MIGHT SPICE IT UP A BIT. UNTIL I DO THE MAC WINS IN THE GRAPHIC DEPARTMENT.
THE MAC ALSO IS DIFFERENT IN THE MIDI DEPARTMENT. ON THE MAC YOU ARE ABLE TO SELECT YOUR GEAR FROM A LIST, CHECK IT AND IMPLEMENT ITS FEATURES ETC ETC ETC WHEN YOUR RECORDING MIDI. BASICALLY WHAT THIS MEANS IS YOU DON'T HAVE TO WASTE HOURS TRYING TO CONFIGURE THE MIDI SETTINGS. SIMPLY CHOOSE YOUR GEAR, MAKE SURE THE I/O IS CORRECT AND GO.
NOT SO WITH THE PC VERSION. ON THE PC VERSION YOU HAVE MIDI MACHINE AND I THINK I SAW A TIMECODE TAB. I USE MIDI CLOCK FOR SYNC AND I WAS ABLE TO SYNC THE DIGI WITH ALL MY GEAR IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. ONCE AGAIN THIS COULD BE A CASE OF "LESS IS BETTER."
ANOTHER THING I NOTICED WERE THE GAIN/INPUT SETTINGS. ON THE DIGI 001 RACK (ON A MAC) YOU COULD ADJUST THIS FROM THE PROGRAM. SAY OUR RECORDING STRINGS AND THEY AREN'T LOUD ENOUGH. YOU CAN BOOST THE GAIN AND GET THE DESIRED LEVEL. I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT SCREEN ON THE PC VERSION. WHAT I DO SEE IS 4 GAIN KNOBS ON THE FRONT AND FOUR-10/+4 SWITCHES ON THE BACK.
AS FAR AS PRE AMPS AND CONVERTERS THE DIG 002R DESTROYS THE DIGI 001. THE DIGI IS ACTUALLY "CHEAP" IN PRICE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF THE HARDWARE AND QUANTITY (INPUTS, OUTPUTS ETC ETC ETC) YOU GET. I MULTITRACKED A BEAT TO THE DIGI 001 AND TRACKED THE SAME BEAT ON THE 002R A DAY OR TWO LATER. I USED MY NEW MONSTER CABLES (CUSTOM MADE AND HELLA EXPENSIVE) WHEN I TRACKED THE CUTS AND DIDN'T RAISE ANY LEVELS. I WAS ABLE TO HEAR MORE CLARITY IN THE HI's AND SOFT PASSAGES. BY "SOFT PASSAGES" I MEAN SOFT INSTRUMENTS OR SECTIONS IN THE SONG THAT DON'T GET LOUD. I TESTED THE SONGS ON SEVERAL SPEAKER SETS INCLUDING MY BROTHER IN LAW'S MULTI THOUSAND DOLLAR HOME AUDIO SETUP. YOU CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE IN RECORDINGS WHEN YOU LISTEN ON HI FI SYSTEMS WITH EXPENSIVE CABLES (AND TREATED ROOMS.)
MY NEXT "TEST" WILL BE A COMPARISON BETWEEN CUBASE SX AND PRO TOOLS. IM GOING TO RECORD SOMETHING IN PRO TOOLS AND RECORD THE SAME THING IN CUBASE SX USING THE DIGI 002R. THE 002R HAS ASIO DRIVERS AND I'VE BEEN USING THE DIGI TO PLAYBACK SX TRACKS. CUBASE AND PT USE A DIFFERENT MIX/SUMMING MATRIX SO IM EAGER TO SEE/HEAR HOW THEY SOUND BACK TO BACK.
SO LETS WRAP IT UP.
HARDWARE = GREAT
SOFTWARE= SO SO
HERES MY TAKE ON IT. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A NEW SOUNDCARD OR INTERFACE LOOK INTO THE DIGI 002R ***AND*** THE LATEST MOTU INTERFACE. COMPARE THEM BOTH (SOUND AND PRICE WISE) AND SEE WHICH ONE IS BEST SUITED FOR *YOUR* NEEDS. IF YOU AREN'T OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND DON'T NEED THE PRO TOOLS "NAME" YOU MIGHT DO BETTER BY USING THE MOTU AND OTHER SOFTWARE (CUBASE SX WOULD BE MY CHOICE).
AS FAR AS EXTERNAL PRE AMPS AND CONVERTERS PEOPLE ARE GETTING GOOD RESULTS WITH THE STAND ALONE (STOCK) PRE/CONVERTERS. ****DON'T**** GO OUT AND BUY AN EXTERNAL PRE OR CONVERTER IF YOU DON'T KNOW *WHY* YOU'RE DOING IT. SERIOUSLY WHY WASTE THE 600-19,856.20 ON A PRE OR CONVERTER WHEN YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LISTENING FOR? HOW DO YOU KNOW THEY SOUND SHITTY? DID YOU COMPARE THEM TO NEVE PRE AMPS? DEFINE SHITTY. IS THAT WHAT EM MAGAZINE SAID?
LET ME START THIS OFF BY SAYING THE MOTIF ES SOFTWARE ALMOST DESTROYED MY PC. THE USB/MIDI DRIVERS ARE CRAP WHEN USED WITH PRO TOOLS (YOU CAN'T USE IT WITH PRO TOOLS UNLESS THE MO IS ON). IF YOU HAVE A MOTIF ES, MOTIF OR MO RACK *DON'T* USE THE SUPPLIED SOFTWARE WITH PRO TOOLS *UNLESS* YOU WANT TO TURN ON THE MO EVERY SINGLE TIME. IF YOU DON'T TURN ON THE MOTIF BUT START PRO TOOLS YOU WILL GET AN - 1 OMS ERROR (WHICH SHOULD ***ONLY*** POP UP FOR A MAC BUT IT POPS UP ON PC's) AND A DAE 6069 ERROR. SIMPLY PUT DON'T INSTALL IT UNTIL THEY FIX IT. CUBASE OWNERS DON'T TRIP, I HAVE CUBASE ON MY PC AND IT WORKED FINE. NO ERRORS OR BUGS.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU BUY THE LATEST AND GREATEST TOYS (I SHOULD HAVE WAITED). YOU GET STUCK WITH ALL THE BUGS, KINKS AND HIGH PRICES. A COUPLE OF MONTHS DOWN THE ROAD THE SOFTWARE WILL BE UPGRADED, THE PRICE WILL DROP ON YOUR PIECE OF SHIT GEAR THAT YOU'VE GROWN TO HATE AND YOU'LL MOST LIKELY NEVER RECOUP YOUR MONEY....UNLESS YOUR ME OF COURSE.
PRO TOOLS 6.1 VS CUBASE
WELL I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT CUBASE GETS THE AWARD. WHY? WELL BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT GOING ON IN PRO TOOLS. I MEAN THAT MAY BE COOL TO SOME PEOPLE BUT IMHO I NEED *MORE*. MAYBE THIS COULD BE THE CASE OF LESS IS BETTER.
YOU BASICALLY HAVE TWO SCREENS ON PT TO WORK WITH. THE FIRST IS THE TRACK (MIX) SCREEN. THE TRACK SCREEN IS WHERE YOU SELECT YOUR INPUTS (AUDIO AND MIDI) OUTPUTS (AUDIO AND MIDI) PLUG INS, AUX. AND OTHER NICK NACKS. THIS IS WHERE YOU MIX (VOLUME AND PANS AND WRITE AUTOMATION SEQUENCES.
THE SECOND OF THE TWO SCREENS IS THE EDIT SCREEN. THE EDIT SCREEN IS WHERE YOU SEE THE WAVEFORM (YOU CAN SEE THE WAVE FORM WHEN YOU ARE RECORDING), ADJUST TRACK PROPERTIES (LIKE HEIGHT ETC ETC ETC) TIME SELECTION (LIKE BARS/MEASURES/SECONDS), CACHE/FILES AND OTHER CRAP.
UP TO THE TOP IS YOUR TYPICAL AUDIO/MIDI SEQUENCER LAYOUT. IF YOU CAN NAVIGATE CUBASE SX, LOGIC, SONAR OR DP3 YOU SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM NAVIGATING PRO TOOLS 6.1. YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR INPUTS/OUTPUT ROUTINGS FROM THE TOP AS WELL AS MIDI OPTIONS. HERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 001 (WHICH I'VE BEEN USING ON A MAC FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS AT ANOTHER LAB) AND THE 002 (WHICH I'VE BEEN USING AT HOME ON A PC FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.)
THE INTERFACE LOOKS A TAD "DULL" ON THE PC. IT LOOKS "SMUDGED" AND DOESN'T LOOK AS SHARP AND CRISP AS THE MAC VERSION. WHEN I GET THIS 17 INCH LCD THAT MIGHT SPICE IT UP A BIT. UNTIL I DO THE MAC WINS IN THE GRAPHIC DEPARTMENT.
THE MAC ALSO IS DIFFERENT IN THE MIDI DEPARTMENT. ON THE MAC YOU ARE ABLE TO SELECT YOUR GEAR FROM A LIST, CHECK IT AND IMPLEMENT ITS FEATURES ETC ETC ETC WHEN YOUR RECORDING MIDI. BASICALLY WHAT THIS MEANS IS YOU DON'T HAVE TO WASTE HOURS TRYING TO CONFIGURE THE MIDI SETTINGS. SIMPLY CHOOSE YOUR GEAR, MAKE SURE THE I/O IS CORRECT AND GO.
NOT SO WITH THE PC VERSION. ON THE PC VERSION YOU HAVE MIDI MACHINE AND I THINK I SAW A TIMECODE TAB. I USE MIDI CLOCK FOR SYNC AND I WAS ABLE TO SYNC THE DIGI WITH ALL MY GEAR IN A MATTER OF MINUTES. ONCE AGAIN THIS COULD BE A CASE OF "LESS IS BETTER."
ANOTHER THING I NOTICED WERE THE GAIN/INPUT SETTINGS. ON THE DIGI 001 RACK (ON A MAC) YOU COULD ADJUST THIS FROM THE PROGRAM. SAY OUR RECORDING STRINGS AND THEY AREN'T LOUD ENOUGH. YOU CAN BOOST THE GAIN AND GET THE DESIRED LEVEL. I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT SCREEN ON THE PC VERSION. WHAT I DO SEE IS 4 GAIN KNOBS ON THE FRONT AND FOUR-10/+4 SWITCHES ON THE BACK.
AS FAR AS PRE AMPS AND CONVERTERS THE DIG 002R DESTROYS THE DIGI 001. THE DIGI IS ACTUALLY "CHEAP" IN PRICE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE QUALITY OF THE HARDWARE AND QUANTITY (INPUTS, OUTPUTS ETC ETC ETC) YOU GET. I MULTITRACKED A BEAT TO THE DIGI 001 AND TRACKED THE SAME BEAT ON THE 002R A DAY OR TWO LATER. I USED MY NEW MONSTER CABLES (CUSTOM MADE AND HELLA EXPENSIVE) WHEN I TRACKED THE CUTS AND DIDN'T RAISE ANY LEVELS. I WAS ABLE TO HEAR MORE CLARITY IN THE HI's AND SOFT PASSAGES. BY "SOFT PASSAGES" I MEAN SOFT INSTRUMENTS OR SECTIONS IN THE SONG THAT DON'T GET LOUD. I TESTED THE SONGS ON SEVERAL SPEAKER SETS INCLUDING MY BROTHER IN LAW'S MULTI THOUSAND DOLLAR HOME AUDIO SETUP. YOU CAN TELL THE DIFFERENCE IN RECORDINGS WHEN YOU LISTEN ON HI FI SYSTEMS WITH EXPENSIVE CABLES (AND TREATED ROOMS.)
MY NEXT "TEST" WILL BE A COMPARISON BETWEEN CUBASE SX AND PRO TOOLS. IM GOING TO RECORD SOMETHING IN PRO TOOLS AND RECORD THE SAME THING IN CUBASE SX USING THE DIGI 002R. THE 002R HAS ASIO DRIVERS AND I'VE BEEN USING THE DIGI TO PLAYBACK SX TRACKS. CUBASE AND PT USE A DIFFERENT MIX/SUMMING MATRIX SO IM EAGER TO SEE/HEAR HOW THEY SOUND BACK TO BACK.
SO LETS WRAP IT UP.
HARDWARE = GREAT
SOFTWARE= SO SO
HERES MY TAKE ON IT. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A NEW SOUNDCARD OR INTERFACE LOOK INTO THE DIGI 002R ***AND*** THE LATEST MOTU INTERFACE. COMPARE THEM BOTH (SOUND AND PRICE WISE) AND SEE WHICH ONE IS BEST SUITED FOR *YOUR* NEEDS. IF YOU AREN'T OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND DON'T NEED THE PRO TOOLS "NAME" YOU MIGHT DO BETTER BY USING THE MOTU AND OTHER SOFTWARE (CUBASE SX WOULD BE MY CHOICE).
AS FAR AS EXTERNAL PRE AMPS AND CONVERTERS PEOPLE ARE GETTING GOOD RESULTS WITH THE STAND ALONE (STOCK) PRE/CONVERTERS. ****DON'T**** GO OUT AND BUY AN EXTERNAL PRE OR CONVERTER IF YOU DON'T KNOW *WHY* YOU'RE DOING IT. SERIOUSLY WHY WASTE THE 600-19,856.20 ON A PRE OR CONVERTER WHEN YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE LISTENING FOR? HOW DO YOU KNOW THEY SOUND SHITTY? DID YOU COMPARE THEM TO NEVE PRE AMPS? DEFINE SHITTY. IS THAT WHAT EM MAGAZINE SAID?