Digi 002 vs Roland si24 vs 828 & mackie control?

[rups712000]

I'd really appreciate some help on making a decision for the soundcard/control suface element of my new home studio.

Basically, I like the look of the new DIGI 002 and was fairly settled on this choice. However, my attention was grabbed by the new Roland Studio pro package (si24) - this unit appears to act as a control surface for any sequencer and also act as an audio/midi interace as well - all for 2/3rds of the price of the Digi 002. I have also heard negative comments relating to the lack of a jog shuttle on the 002 - the si24 has one....

So do any of you guys know of head to head comparisions, reviews etc. which compares the merits of both 002 and si24 (pre-amps, converters, faders etc..)?anyone have any experience with either?

If neither of these 'square up', then for the same kind of cash I could get hold of a Mackie control and a Motu 828..now you can see why I'm confused!

thanks for your help.

 

[littledog]

I can't answer your question directly, but I can give you one other factor to consider: collaboration.

It may not be relevant to your specific situation, but many of us end up collaborating with other people or studios in the proscess of doing a project. If you think you might end up wanting to record some of your tracks at another location, having the same system that they do makes it much easier to import the session back onto your computer and continue working on it at home.

So checking out what some of your friends and colleagues are using may be helpful in making a final decision.

 

[natpub]

The MOTU idea is a groovy one. However, I adivse avoiding the whole firewire mess. Go with the 002 if you are commited to a Digi format. Without going into detail, let me just say that having tried the MOTU FW stuff a lot, I was sorely disappointed. The signal path is just too fragile. I could spec it out for you, but just listening is enough. I advise going to a local store and grabbing their BEST headphones. Do an A/B with the MOTU and the Digi. You will see what I mean.

However, with that kinda cash, why not go Nuendo/Mackie Control?

Nuendo is a superior audio recording program, and will allow you to dump over to Pro-Tools if you need to go to an outside studio or archive for a record label (most record labels are now requiring Protools archived product, but now we are talking 10-20k just to get the party started).

I myself do not have Nuendo, but I have worked with it enough to know that it is amazing and totally cutting edge. The surround options are simply stunning, depending on what you are doing. And, in the near future, most young people are gonna want their music in surround.

The Mackie Control surface easily equals the 002, and it is far more readily expandible.

Assuming you use a very clean interface/card, or go whole hog and use something like Lucid or Apogee converters, I suggest you re-think your approach and look at Nuendo and Control.

I myself use Sonar 2XL and Aardvark Q10 with a Mackie Control. Quite frankly, the only thing I would consider trading out for is Nuendo for audio, but then again, I do a LOT of MIDI, so I am gonna pass on that for a while and stay happily with Sonar--at least until George Lucas calls me up and asks me to track the next StarWars, lol! Why, then I would just use BOTH!

As far as the Roland goes, I have no opinion, I have not tried it out. But, they tend to make more "pop"grade gear, and I would shy away from them.

Cheers=)