How far am I to the Real Thing ?

I know this isn't the answer you're looking for, but it's really not about sound quality anymore. I think the answer is that a great engineer, working with a great producer, with great session players (or a great band), in a great room, performing great songs, could make an incredible record with a Digi 001 right out of the box -- regardless of what pre's, converters or even plug-ins they're using. If you want to achieve great quality, the key is to practice your craft for many many years, spend time with people who are more experienced than you are, and -- more than anything else -- LISTEN. Sorry if you find this response patronizing. I'm just calling it like I see it. Take care, Glenn

If you have upgraded converters, preamps, and a couple of decent mics, you can do anything (sound quality-wise) the TDM guys can do. No one will be able to hear the difference (even if there is any). As the other posts have stated - if there's a difference, there's a 95% chance that it's related to engineering, production, arranging, or performance skills - not the equipment. IMHO, the performance is about 80-90% of the sound. Arrangement, engineering and production make up another 10% or so (not to mention the quality of the songwriting itself). I think equipment choice and quality is that last 3-5%. A good room certainly helps for certain styles of music and productions - so use a bigger studio for your live drums and import the tracks. If you need a REAL piano, you will also probably need to go to a bigger studio. Most everything else can be tracked quite well in a smaller project studio - if it's quiet and acoustically neutral. ------------------ LW

Another thing to consider is the value of working within limitations. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking, "If i only had a _____ then I could really make something great."

Cool, indeed very cool. So all i need know is learn the magic... I'l keep that idea and start working hard. That's all i wanted to know although i allready knew it somehow, but it helps a lot anyway. Thanks to all of you.