Saturday, March 2nd saw New York’s famed Manhattan Center upstairs ballroom filled with over 800 eager attendees at the most recent Digi World, Digidesign’s free tradeshow for Pro Tools users.
Walking the floor, the crowds were treated to a variety of Development Partner booths that were showcasing the latest plug-in, hardware, and software technologies. Users were able to sit down to personal demonstrations to help further their understanding of the ever-growing reliance on software products for DAW based recording/mixing.
Most of the crowd was there to see and hear the latest Pro Tools offering, Pro Tools|HD. With sample rates of up to 192 kHz, the new platform features both hardware and software (v.5.3) upgrade paths for Pro Tools users. The main stage featured a large multichannel demonstration area that included video projection, with both Post and Music showcases on the hour. There was also a Post panel and Music panel of industry experts, offering frank discussions and Q&A sessions with the audience.
In addition, a classroom was set up with rows of laptops wired to the new Digidesign/Focusrite M-box, which is a 2-channel USB audio peripheral for those on the go. Working with Pro Tools 5.2 LE software, it features 24-bit stereo S/PDIF digital I/O, two analog TRS inserts, and a headphone amp with volume control. Overall, Digi World New York gave Pro Tools users, and those who are interested in buying in the future, the ability to have their many questions answered. The decision to buy any new gear is always one audio professionals both agonize and dream over, but attending a Digi World is an excellent way to help make those decisions a little easier.
