I currently have a Digidesign 003. I'm running this with a 2012 MacBook Pro running Mountain Lion. My DAW is generally ProTools 10, though I also work in Logic Pro 9 occasionally. The 003 doesn't work well in Logic at all, but tracks fine in ProTools.
I had originally bought the 003 with the plan of it being being the centerpiece of my studio. I was going to BLA mod it, get some good outboard pres, probably add a Rosetta 800 down the line, and have a solid 16 channel setup. Now that Avid aren't supporting the 003 range with the release of 11 (which is soon apparently), I'd rather not be using obsolete hardware, so am looking for an interface to replace the 003 as the centerpiece of my studio.
What I'm looking for:
-8 or more inputs
-4 or more outputs (preferably
-the ability to connect other converters (probably via ADAT)
-the ability to bypass built-in pres (if there are any)
-USB, Firewire, or Thunderbolt (probably wishful thinking)
-low latency monitoring
-preferably rackmountable
I really like the feature-set of the 003, and would love to get a comparable piece. Conversion clearly has come on leaps and bounds since the 003, so I imagine nicer conversion would come at a cheaper price now, but I found the 003's conversion to be perfectly fine, and its pres were really functional as well. My only real concern with it is the looming lack of support from Avid and the fact that it doesn't play nice in Logic at all.
I'd really like to keep the cost down as much as possible, but I would like a professional piece of equipment (as the 003 was considered in its heyday) and recognize that that comes at a price. The Apogee Ensemble seems like a good fit, but looking online it seems that they're phasing it out? Still, used price of around $1000 seems like a perfect fit. The UA Apollo is a bit out of my range at the moment. Under $1000 would be great, used or new. Any ideas?
