And with this package I would be getting all of those great Digi002 plugins and the control surface.Īnd seeing as how I am new to recording, I have a lot of learning to do anyway, so I wouldn't expect my recordings to come out all that great for awhile anyway.

The presumption being, that if I DID go with the cheaper preamp, I would eventually upgrade to the Presonus Digimax when the funds allow it. But if I went with this preamp instead of the Presonus, I'd save about $600 bucks which would allow me to have enough to get the mic's and accessories I would need to get my basic studio off the ground. Now I realize that the sound quality of this preamp is probably crap, and it doesn't have digital output so I'd have to just run the direct out's from each channel to the eight analog in's on the Digi002. it's the SM PR8, 8-channel preamp for $199.00. HOWEVER, I recently was browsing through the musiciansfriend website and happened across this 8-channel preamp by SM Pro Audio. get the 001 and add plugins and control surface down the road as my needs change. Up to this point the choice seemed pretty clear. HOWEVER, I think if I got the 001 I would also want to buy some extra plugins and the cost could go up by $200-$300. That would leave me PLENTY of extra money to buy some mic's, cables, stands, etc to get up and running, and maybe even spend a little more on the monitors. ($800 for the 001, $800 for the Digimax preamp, $800 for the PC, and $500 for the monitors). Now if I went with the 001 I'd be at about $2900. Total that up and I'm at about $4300 and I still need to get mic's, cables, stands, etc. Then I still need to get a PC, ($800 for the 'Allen' system), and finally monitors, which I figured maybe ($500) give or take. According to my estimates, if I went with the Digi002 ($2200) and bought the Presonus Digimax preamp ($800), I'd be at around $3000. Then as I grow and become a better engineer, I'd upgrade and add more plugins, mics, and pre's down the road for whatever future needs I may have. I had set a rough startup budget of around $4500 for everything to get up and running. I need between 9 and 10 simultaneous mic inputs (to mic my drums) so whether I go with the Digi001 or the Digi002 I am still faced with buying an 8-channel outboard preamp to supplement the built in pre's on the 001 or 002. Okay, after further research it has come down to these two choices.

Digi 002 vs digi 003