Digidesign 003 audio line

Digidesign has launched its 003 line of audio hardware, beginning with the Factory and the Rack. The former is a mixing and recording deck, specifically designed to be used with the company's Pro Tools LE production software. It further has a wide range of input and output ports, such as MIDI, ADAT and S/PDIF, and can sync with external devices via BNC Word Clock. Controls include eight faders, eight rotary encoders, and a multifunction jogwheel. The Factory also uses a FireWire port, and comes bundled with Pro Tools LE plus a variety of effects and instrument plug-ins, such as Ignition Pack 2 Pro. The Rack, meanwhile, is essentially the same as the Factory, but comes in a 2U rack-mount chassis and has less bundled software. The Rack Factory keeps the software intact. The basic 003 Factory should be shipping soon for $2,500; the Rack is $1,300, while the Rack Factory is $1,700.

by MacNN Staff