Limit of 32 audio tracks and no surround support in LE software.

Completely self-contained system from one manufacturer.

Comfortable and well-designed control surface.

Generous line-up of quality, balanced audio I/O, with great mic amps.

On top comes a plug-in bundle said to be worth £1400. Where the 001 allowed 16- and 24-bit recording at 44.1 or 48 kHz, the 002 adds 88.2 and 96 kHz operation, bringing the system up to date with current trends. The new system, rather, provides a welcome extra tier in the Digi hierarchy, between the extremely affordable M Box and 001 and the multi-thousand-pound HD systems, as well as adding the option of dedicated hands-on controllability to the project end of Digi's range. The Digi 002, as it's called, is not a 001 replacement: it costs significantly more, and 001 will continue to be manufactured.

Instead, they've created a new, self-contained mini-studio system integrating updated Pro Tools LE software with a neat hardware unit combining all necessary audio/MIDI interfacing, via FireWire, and a control surface set up to exploit the power of LE. What Digi have actually done, though, is slightly different from simply launching a hardware controller for their existing LE Pro Tools setups, the Digi 001 and M Box.

Digidesign already have background in control-surface design - their pro users have the lavish Pro Control and the slightly less expensive Control 24 to choose from - and arguably it was time to extend it to their LE project level.

Steinberg's Houston and Emagic's Logic Control hardware units, obviously very attractive when combined with Cubase or Logic, come readily to mind. Expectations and possibilities change rapidly in the hi-tech music world, and what few in the project studio arena were seeking in 1999 was the kind of dedicated, hands-on controllability, optimised for the user's recording software, that's now becoming so popular. At least, it was almost a total solution. This appealing combination of good-quality audio I/O, MIDI interfacing, and a 'Light Edition' of Digi's Pro Tools industry-standard recording and editing software formed a reliable total solution for the digital project studio. Photo: Mark EwingWhen the Digi 001 recording system was launched in 1999, Digidesign had a considerable success on their hands. FireWire audio and MIDI interfaces are gaining in popularity, as are fader surfaces designed for hands-on control of computer recording packages.

Digidesign digi 002 console drivers