pro tools op

HD interface options

There are several interface options when working with an HD system. Of course, Digidesign would like you to only consider their branded version of the Pro Tools interface (and it is the only one that’s officially supported) but there are a growing number of 3rd party interface options that you can choose from. Since this is essentially 4 reviews, I’m going to do this as a series of posts. Feel free to chime in if you know of any others that are worth checking out.

So far, I have owned 4 different units, each with its benefits and drawbacks.

Digidesign 96io
Moderately flexible. Weakest sound quality of the four. TRS inputs (which can be good or bad depending on your situation and for live applications, can be a bit of a pain to have plug in that many inputs at once. But it’s the second cheapest interface you can get your hands on for use with HD (the 96i is cheaper as it only has 2 outputs). I don’t think this box sounds much different than a Digi 002 as far as the converters go. Seems like there’s a bit of smearing going on in the top end (probably a result of jitter) and it just doesn’t have the bottom end punch that you can get out of an Apogee or a Lynx Aurora. The imaging feels a little bit indistinct and 2 dimensional. I do like the array of digital I/O options though. Lightpipe (8 channel), AES (2 channel) and SPDIF. It’s a decent starter unit and can be found pretty cheap, so if you just need some extra channels in a pinch, it’s an acceptable option, but there are definitely better options.

Digidesign 192

This unit sounds better than the 96io. It has more flexibility in terms of i/o because it is expandable. You can pick one of three option cards: an extra 8 analog inputs, 8 more analog outputs, or 8 more digital ins AND outs. The 192 has a much more detailed top end and mids than the 96 io, particularly at higher sample rates, which I think is its best feature. The imaging on this box isn’t as clear as the Lynx Aurora or the Apogee Rosetta, but the 192 is solid and predictable and you can find it in most studios, so it’s worth getting to know. We had this box for about 3 weeks before we sold it. My biggest complaint about both the 96io and the 192 is the ventilation fan which is loud and annoying. Some people might not be bothered with this, but I often track with live vocalists in the control room. They are also large (2 rack spaces) and heavy, which makes them less than ideal for live remote recording and was the first reason we switched to the Apogee Rosetta 800.

Coming next: Part 2: 3rd Party Pro Tools Interface Options (Apogee Rosetta 800 and Lynx Aurora 16)