Pro Tools Digi 001 OR Tascam 2488

sevendustweb

New member
Hello...

This will be a long post, so please bear with me. I represent an independent band, and I am trying to get them started with Pro Tools. Basically, they went out and purchased a Tascam 2488 (Digital Portastudio) with a 2 yr. warranty for around $1,500.

After looking through this board for over 6 hours, I have assembled a killer computer setup for about $750 (specs are below). That leaves me around $750 to work with. At this point, I have been looking at e-bay for a Digi 001 unit (they run around $250 - $350). With the remaining money, I was hoping to get an outboard mixer (possibly the Yamaha MG16/4 16-Input 4-Bus Mixer = $279.99).

I have been met with much resistance. First, the band is worried that a huge desktop will not be portable (i.e: recording live shows). Second, they are worried that Pro Tools LE will crash (see my specs below to form your own opinion).

My argument is that learning Pro Tools early on will benefit you throughout your career. This is because it is clear that Pro Tools is at the forefront of digital recording, while the Tascam 2488 (while being an easy uit to run) will not offer the advantages of Pro Tools.

Basically, for those who have ever used a Tascam 2488 (or similar unit), I need to find out exactly what benefits Pro Tools offers over this unit. I personally know that a Pro Tools rig would kill this Tascam unit, but I need independent 3rd parties to back me up.

What type of effects will Pro Tools LE reproduce? The Tascam unit will produce 7 effects (Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Pitch Shift, Flanger, Phase, and Gated Reverb).

Is it going to hurt the band long term by going with the Digi 001 over the Digi 002. Granted, there will be no more software updates for the Digi 001, but does a band that merely wants to make web quality demos in their practice space really need all the bells and whistles of a Digi 002 system???

Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated. My proposed specs are below.

-- Harry

SPECS
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(1) Asus K8V SE Deluxe motherboard (Bundled - See CPU price)

(1) AMD Athlon 64 3700+ = $319.99 - $90 rebate = $230.00)

(2) Western Digital Caviar SE 80 GB, 7200 RPM, Serial ATA - WD800JD - $109.00

(2) Kingmax 512 MB SDRAM DDR400 (PC 3200) unbuffered = $91.82

(1) Sapphire Radeon 9550SE 128 MB - AGP 4x/8x video card = $49.00

(1) Lite-On SOHW-16935 - DVD/CD-R Burner = $37.99

(1) Cooler Master CAC-T05-UW ATX mid-tower case = $44.99

(1) Thermaltake Silent Purepower W0014RU 480w power supply = $58.99

(1) Zalman CNPS7000B-cu CPU cooling fan = $43.00

(1) Logitech PS/2 keyboard & Mouse = $16.00
------------------------

TOTAL: $681.00 (before shipping)

With Shipping = $740.00

+ $350 - Pro Tools Digi 001 unit & software

+ $280 - Yamaha MG16/4 - 16-input, 4-bus mixer

------------------------------

GRAND TOTAL: $1,370
 
well, it's really up to what you want to learn. both will work fine for what you're wanting to do. If you think the 002 is too advanced for what you guys need, then you also shouldn't worry about getting "the forefront" of digital recording. For the web, I don't think either of those units will stand out from the other one. They both record sound and that's all you really need. I'd probably go with whatever is cheapest.

The computer should be alright for the 001...i haven't used a AMD 64 with it yet, but it works on other versions fine. The Yamaha would be fun just because it's more hands on than Pro Tools is. Pro Tools will have effects included as well.

And you already know this...but the 001 is not supported by digi anymore and there will be no upgrades past 6.4. That version is good though and has pretty much all the same features as the current versions do (expcept 7.0 has a bunch of new things you won't see).
 
You should stick with the Tascam. It will be a better all in one solution for a band, plus having lots of channels is a big plus

Everything you learn on the tascam will pretty much be same across all systems (routing, recording, etc) with the benefit of actually having a mixing and recording surface

I personally know that a Pro Tools rig would kill this Tascam unit

Based on what? HD sure, 888 probably, Digi 001 running PT lite on a PC? Hell no.
 
altitude909 said:
Based on what? HD sure, 888 probably, Digi 001 running PT lite on a PC? Hell no.

What are you guys talking about either of them killing anything? It's audio. Both record, both process, both mix!
Although with software you can actually edit your audio. So if anything, the software has a leg up on the Tascam. But even that doesn't really matter. A good engineer can get the same results on both units.
 
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