#RECALIBRATE DIGIDESIGN DCOMMAND 8 FULL#
#RECALIBRATE DIGIDESIGN DCOMMAND 8 PRO#
#RECALIBRATE DIGIDESIGN DCOMMAND 8 SOFTWARE#
#RECALIBRATE DIGIDESIGN DCOMMAND 8 SERIES#

The main problem is that your fingers tend to slip off them, and you have to resort to holding them between finger and thumb, making it fiddly, and hard to control several faders at once. Maybe they're supposed to be quirky and different, but while their visual appeal is a matter of opinion, they fall short on a practical level. That said, let's deal with my biggest criticism up front! The fader caps are weird, looking and feeling a bit like squashed beer-bottle tops. So, initial impressions are mostly good, and here's a sneak preview: I'm going to say a lot of good things about the Command 8, and it's one of the best all-round controllers I've used. Despite the obvious similarities with the 002, the design of the housing is better, moving from the other surface's slightly toylike 'scooped' appearance to something more traditional.

This impression is reinforced by the way that the power supply screws securely into place, a simple but reassuring touch.

From the pictures on Digi's web site I thought it would be small, light and, dare I say it, plasticky, but in fact it's a hefty and impressive piece of kit. The first thing that struck me about the Command 8 was that it's much bigger than I'd expected.

#RECALIBRATE DIGIDESIGN DCOMMAND 8 PRO#

A significant departure for Digidesign, moreover, is that Command 8 is not just for Pro Tools: it also runs stand-alone as a MIDI controller for any other capable software. Command 8 provides hands-on control of both Pro Tools LE and TDM software, with the same high level of integration and sophistication that we've come to expect since Pro Control, Control 24 and HUI. However, while the Command 8 is indeed similar to the 002's controller, the comparison doesn't do justice to the new unit's scope. Digidesign's Command 8 aims to offer the best of both worlds.ĭigidesign already offer a rackmounting variant on their Digi 002 interface, which offers the Pro Tools LE audio interface component without the control surface, and at first glance, their Command 8 appears to be the reverse: the control-surface element of the Digi 002 without the audio interface.

#RECALIBRATE DIGIDESIGN DCOMMAND 8 SOFTWARE#

Have you got a Command 8, what do you think of it? Do you have suggestions for gear to feature in future Hidden Treasure post? If so then let us know.With fader controllers, you often have a choice of buying something dedicated to one software package, or a generic unit that gives versatility at the cost of tight integration. It may not be the newest controller out there, but it still has a lot to offer nearly a decade after it was launched. That’s a lot of bang for the buck and well worth considering if you want a physical control surface.

#RECALIBRATE DIGIDESIGN DCOMMAND 8 FULL#

So that’s a physical control surface with moving faders, a Pro Tools transport, a monitoring controller (with MONO button), full physical control of plug-ins and instruments, as well as a MIDI interface for around $300.

Allows control of any device that supports MIDI Continuous Controller messages.

Stand-Alone mode with save and recall of up to 8 snapshots.

Five Function keys to access Utility, Fader Mute, and MIDI mapping functions.

Fast and convenient access to sends, inserts, plug-in pages, pan settings, and other track functions.

Tactile control of track volume, pan, send level, send pan, and record status, as well as PRE™ (Digidesign mic preamplifier) gain.

1/4-inch Punch In port for footswitch control of recording.

USB port for direct USB MIDI communication with Pro Tools.

One MIDI In port and two MIDI Out ports providing 16 channels of MIDI input and 32 channels of MIDI output.

Two pairs of analog inputs, one for the main mix from Pro Tools, one for alternate sources Output and level control for mains and headphones

Analog monitoring section with the following features:.

Eight fader strips, each with a motorized, touch-sensitive fader, rotary encoder, LEDs, and Solo, Mute, and Channel Select switches.

What you get for you money is quite a lot. However, the Command 8 still works fully in Pro Tools 11 and now they are going got a song on the second hand market, in the UK you can grab them for a low as £250, or the USA for as low as $325. When Pro Tools 11 was announced some Pro Tools users were left confused by what hardware would and would not work with Pro Tools 11, the Command 8 fell into the ‘Not Officially Supported (Untested)’ and so some rumours started to circulate that effectively wrote this unit off. The first piece of hidden treasure is the Digidesign Command 8, shown by Digidesign at the 119th AES in 2005, so nearly 10 years old, but there’s a still a lot going for the Command 8 a decade later.

#RECALIBRATE DIGIDESIGN DCOMMAND 8 SERIES#

Hidden Treasure is a new series where we look at some items that may have been written off as past their best, but that may deserve consideration before making a purchase of a new item to do a task in the studio.