Okay, Windows 98 users: Just how long have you been waiting to get a taste of the quality and performance of Pro Tools from Digidesign? Way too long, right? There’s no denying Digidesign’s digital audio workhorse has held the distinction of being the premiere audio recording, editing and mastering solution for countless professional engineers, producers and post-production houses around the globe; there’s also no denying what an impact the introduction of the Digi001 and Digi Toolbox XP has made on the world of Mac-based home and project studio owners, placing all of that power and ingenuity in the hands of audio enthusiasts everywhere — and at such an unbelievable price.

Well guess what, Win98 folks, not even the government can stop you from picking up these impressive tools for your PC now, because Digidesign has begun shipping versions of the Digi001 ($995 list) and Digi Toolbox XP ($545 list) for the Windows 98 PC operating system — and Sweetwater has them here for you, ready to ship right to your front door.

Both the Digi001 and Toolbox XP come bundled with Pro Tools LE 5.0.1, the host-based digital audio workstation software. Among the plethora of excellent features in Pro Tools LE are the availability of a full 24 tracks of 16- or 24-bit audio, up to 128 MIDI tracks and non-destructive, sample-accurate editing of both audio and MIDI. What’s more, both Audio Suite and Real-Time Audio Suite (RTAS) plug-ins are included. The RTAS DigiRack includes the kind of effects you know you’ll need to get started: EQ, Dynamics Processing, Mod Delay, Dithering — and at low latency, so when you tweak anything, it changes responsively and in real time.

The Audio Suite plug-ins allow you to create a new file with processed sound; when you need to Time Compress or Expand a file to sync to video for instance, or change the overall Pitch, Normalize your levels or even play the whole file in Reverse, just dial up one of these. And if you need auxiliary inserts/sends, well, there are five of them on every track. With 16 internal digital busses and the ability to use the I/O’s on a Digi001 or the Toolbox XP’s Audiomedia III Card as Insert sends/receives (hook up your own external effects!), the flexibility of this system really begins to become evident.

There are more than enough Digidesign Development Partners making new plug-ins for Pro Tools too, so you won’t have to look too hard to find a plug-in with the effect you need. We happen to carry all the best plug-ins here at Sweetwater. A quick search for ‘plug-ins’ at “www.sweetwater. com” might be the only E-Stop for audio you need.

If you’re not already familiar with the difference between Pro Tools LE and the regular Pro Tools TDM system, the essence of it is this: The TDM system has its own allocated hardware that handles the audio and plug-in processing, whereas the LE version utilizes the CPU of your computer to handle these tasks. Therefore, your audio capacity will be directly affected by the speed of your computer in the case of Pro Tools LE. However, if you are mindful of the specific system requirements Digidesign has determined for the use of Pro Tools LE on a PC running Windows 98, you shouldn’t encounter any limitations in its use (that is, you should be able to push the Pro Tools LE to its maximum specifications without any problems).

The great thing about using the LE systems is if you happen to have access to a studio with the TDM version, your sessions are completely compatible, even down to the plug-ins you used (if the studio has the TDM versions of your RTAS plug-ins, they’ll be in the session). This compatibility works in both directions, so you can work on those sessions interchangeably, in a professional studio or in the comfort of your own home.

If you’re not familiar with the Digi001 ($995 list), you should seriously consider this all-in-one audio and MIDI production system for your Win98 setup. With eight balanced analog Inputs/Outputs, eight ADAT optical I/O, and two S/PDIF channels (and all at 24-bit resolution), you’ve got a total of 18 inputs and outputs that you can use simultaneously — and also as Insert sends/receives during mixdown sessions. You just can’t find that kind of I/O flexibility at a comparable price anywhere (and it’s almost guaranteed that you won’t find the Digi001, or any other equipment at a better price than you will at Sweetwater).

What’s more, you also get a MIDI I/O to take advantage of the comprehensive MIDI editing features of Pro Tools LE. Throw in a pair of additional analog monitor outs and a headphone out with its own volume control, and you might just end up selling your mixer.
The front of the Digi001’s I/O box includes two special mic pre inputs that accept either XLR or 1/4” balanced input, each with an independent gain knob, a high pass filter at 60 Hz and a –26 dB input pad. 48v phantom power is also supplied to both inputs via a switch on the front panel. It’s like having a professional mic pre wired straight into your computer! And Digidesign knows how professional audio is supposed to sound and operate, so these preamps are actually usable, rather than just window dressing.

One of the more thoughtful features of this interface is the footswitch jack so users can control punch ins/outs hands-free, so you don’t have to start tracking by clicking the mouse button with your nose! The Digi001 also comes with a choice of seven different cool color faceplates. You can choose the best shade for your studio or order all seven for a new color every day of the week.

Another new audio option for Win98 systems is the Digi Toolbox XP ($545 list), which is based on the extremely reliable Audiomedia III soundcard. Previous generations of this PCI-based professional audio card have been what’s run Pro Tools for many years now. The six RCA I/O’s on this card provide 18-bit stereo analog ins and outs, and 24-bit S/PDIF stereo digital I/O, so mixing directly to your PC from a DAT or the stereo outs on your mixer is an ideal way to immediately get going with the Pro Tools LE 5.0.1 (which also comes bundled with this hardware). Additionally, both the analog and digital ins and outs can be used concurrently to have either four ins or outs running together at once, or you can use them as Insert send / receives.

Digi Toolbox XP is a very affordable way to easily get into a Pro Tools system for your Win98 based PC, especially if you’re just getting into digital audio on your computer. Plus, it’s a PCI card, so you know it’s easy to install: Just pop it into the slot, start up your computer and notice how your noise floor plummets to levels previously unheard of from your PC! And after you’ve considered all of the other options in audio production software, it’s hard to not end up coming back to Pro Tools, the standard in professional DAWs.

Finally, there’s also no question that your Sales Engineer at Sweetwater would love to tell you more about either product, not to mention make you an incredible deal on either the Toolbox XP or Digi001 (or both) today, so give them a call right now!

Pro Tools LE 5.0.1 (Digi001 and Digi Toolbox XP) Supported CPU Models & Speeds:

Highly Recommended: Intel Pentium III — Processors of all speeds supported, Single Processor. Also Supported: Intel Pentium II — 300 MHz or faster, Single Processor

Additional Computer Requirements:  

• System Software: Windows 98, Second Edition
• Total System RAM: 128 MB minimum 192 MB recommended (Additional RAM required for simultaneous use with MIDI sequencers. Virtual memory is not supported)
• Intel chipset and ATX motherboard
• Phoenix or Award BIOS (recommended)
• CD-ROM drive for software install 
• AGP or PCI graphic card
• Monitor, color required, with minimum resolution of 800 x 600
• One available PCI Slot
• Storage: 4GB hard drive space dedicated for audio (minimum). For maximum performance a dedicated, qualified ATA/IDE or SCSI disk drive is recommended.
• Optional Third-Party SCSI HBA Card
• Adaptec AVA-2906