Thanks for the input everyone! I think maybe I wasn't clear on exactly what I wanted to do though. Here's the deal:
1) I want to track (basic tracks) on analog.
2) I want to move these tracks to protools.
3) I want to continue with overdubs and mix in protools.
For the past several years, I've been doing everything within a Mackie digital 8 bus-MDR/HDR environment with outboard mic pre's. If I needed a little eq or compression on the way in, I'd get it from the d8b console. The d8b is tied to the MDR via lightpipe and I want to keep it that way and charge a lower rate for that set-up.
Now that I'm tracking to 2-inch, I have no Dynamics Processing. i.e. eq's, compressors, etc., since I cant use the ones on the console anymore. I still have some budget Behringer stuff lying around though.
Anyway, I thought maybe I could use protools as an "input channel strip". I have plenty of I/O (mix plus with 3-888/24's).
I'm waiting for some new patchbays to be built so I can't try this and was just wondering if anyone else had tried this sort of thing. It seems that it is the same concept as having a digital console and tracking to analog. I wondered if it would sound better than using the Behringer conpressors and eq's in an all-analog input path. Ultimately, my ears will be the judge.