Digidesign Command 8 Control Surface

The new Command 8 control surface puts integrated, tactile control of Pro Tools TDM or LE systems running on Windows XP or Mac OS X at your fingertips more affordably than ever before. Through a simple USB connection, Command 8's 8 bankable channels of touch-sensitive motorized faders, rotary encoders, and LCD displays enable you to control your Pro Tools system with a fully featured, intelligent control surface. As with other Digidesign control surfaces, Command 8 gives you channel strip mixing functionality along with the ability to view and edit plug-in parameters and to automate sends, pans, track volume, and mutes. Transport controls (Play, Record, etc.) are also included, complete with a footswitch jack for QuickPunch and TrackPunch in, further increasing your independence from mouse-and-keyboard-only interaction with your sessions.

Command 8 also features a 1-IN/2-OUT (16 channels in/32 channels out) MIDI interface for integrating your MIDI-compatible gear into Pro Tools. Its Standalone MIDI controller mode enables you to use the Command 8 with your favorite third-party MIDI applications and devices - any device or application that accepts MIDI control change messages for level, panning, solo, mute, MIDI Machine Control, and other mappable parameters.

For keeping an ear or 2 on your mixes, Command 8 includes an onboard monitor system featuring acclaimed Focusrite audio performance and quality. It supports a main Pro Tools Input, external source (a turntable mixer or CD player, for example) and separate speaker and headphone outputs.

Along with Pro Tools TDM and LE systems, Command 8 also supports Avid products natively, including Avid Media Composer. When used with Avid products, Command 8's controls are mapped to the Automation Gain Tool for recording dynamic volume automation as well as Solo, Mute, and Snap Mode on and off. Because it connects via USB, no additional MIDI interface is required. Better yet, when used in such a way, Command 8's onboard monitor system alleviates the need for an external mixer for speaker control.

Due to its compact size, affordability, and compatibility with both Pro Tools TDM and LE systems, Command 8 is equally well-suited for project studios and small editing suites in commercial post or music studios.

While there are several Pro Tools-compatible compact control surface options from third-party manufacturers, only Command 8 is made by Digidesign and Focusrite specifically for Pro Tools. As a result, Command 8 provides a great deal more sophisticated control with Pro Tools software and has been tested and qualified specifically for Pro Tools.

Digidesign Command 8 Control Surface Features:

• Command 8 features include:
• 8 touch-sensitive, motorized faders
• 8 automatable rotary encoders with LED rings
• Channels bankable in groups of 8
• Big, bright, 110-character (55 characters x 2 rows) backlit LCD
• Integrated 1-IN/2-OUT MIDI interface (16 channels in, 32 out)
• Standalone MIDI controller mode - Easy to map controls to software or devices
• Flexible Focusrite onboard monitoring section
• Works natively with the Avid family of products' Automation Gain Tool
• Simple USB connection to your PC or Mac
• Supports both Pro Tools TDM and LE systems (independently)
• Compact size - Perfect for space-challenged professional and project studios
• May be used in conjunction with ProControl, Control 24, or Digi 002