Comments on: Digidesign Mbox 2

By: heiner

heiner — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 21:10:30 +0000

how do mbox 1, mbox 2 or mbox pro compare to other mic preamps NOISEWISE

i want to record sounds in stereo with as little noise as possible: instruments and also field recording. what should i get? i search for the cheapest way for realizing a professional level.

By: ello

ello — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:38:09 +0000

gday,

I would have thought if you where spending a couple hundred bucks on an mbox2, the first thing would be to go to the digidesign website and check out whether your computer is compatible with the mbox2 or not. I bought a secondhand digi001 for a measly $260au off ebay a year ago for my introduction to protools, 6.4.

I did my homework and made sure that the pc that I was using was compatible( intel mainboard chipset, ram, deticated harddrive, etc ) I read a heap of reviews online b4 hand where people had probs trying to get the 001 to work with there computers. Ive never had a problem and im no pc guru ( hell, I cant even spell!!!) I read the installation instructions and applied them. “Dont quote me on this” I repeat ” Dont quote me on this, do your own bloody homework” I thought read somewhere on the digi website that your not to use powered usb hubs for mbox2 setups ( im also not to flash at explaining things). Anyways, hope this may help someone. Im lookin at buying an mbox2 shortly. Im still in the process of researching ( but I wont be getting rid of the 001, theres still life in her yet ) Thanks to those with actual industry experience for the tips.

By: Tim McB

Tim McB — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:53:08 +0000

hey all, love the info, John thanks for all the witty yet constructive advice. Just bought an Mbox 2, working through the latency issues, tweaking here and there, try to optomize the settings. Loving it, a great experience for sure. But so far I have been able to record some very clear, bright and yet solid tracks of both vocal and acoustic guitar, from Mics and Di inputs.

I must say the buffer underrun errors are taxing but thats more my system than the mbox, I know I need to buy a dedicated Hard disk which hopefully will solve those issues.

Apart from that. 2 thumbs up. oh by the way, how do you guys rate the KRK RP5 Near field monitors?

By: Thesa

Thesa — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 01:12:14 +0000

I recently bought an MBox 2. I have a PC. Everything went great, I recorded my tracks, did a rough mix. When I returned to edit more of the tracks, the play button stopped working, and after a few restarts, it worked again, but now the sound won’t play. Tech support said the problem might be that the wrong firewire card was installed. I’m trying to find out where I can get one with a Texas Instrument chip. Does this sound right?
Would it have worked in the first place if this was the wrong card?
Thanks!
Thesa

By: PissedCustomer

PissedCustomer — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 15:47:27 +0000

MBOX2 was a massive waste of money, you have to run through hoops just to get the damn thing running, upgrades and BS, goddamn hassle.

By: Kenneth

Kenneth — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:23:22 +0000

oh… and lol at the m-audio being the competition… I wont even tell you why. You figure it out… perhaps run by digidesign.com for hints…

By: Kenneth

Kenneth — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:13:40 +0000

Buttom line… you’re pretty much all morons. John, you’re right about alot of things. The problem for most people with the mbox 2 is most likely what is known among producers as “GIGO” (Garbage In – Garbage Out). That said, the discussion about firewire vs. usb2 was laughable at best. First of all, the mbox 2 is not an usb2 device, it’s an usb 1.1 device. This is why it’s only 48KHz and not 96KHz (and it’s KHz not hz… pretty big difference there buddy!). The Mbox 2 Pro however has a firewire interface, and thus supports 96KHz. It does make a big difference from a device being usb 1.1 to firewire 400. You wont have near the latency problems with the Mbox 2 Pro as you do with the regular Mbox 2 simply do to the firewire > usb. Never the less, zero latency monitoring is indeed possible with both devices if you have any freakin idea what you are doing, if you don’t, get someone to help you, or maybe just keep your day job.

/end rant

By: Matt Chi

Matt Chi — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:49:05 +0000

Lenon Honor – Almost a year later – You have yourself a ground loop problem. A ground lift for your keyboard would fix the issue. Perhaps plugging it into the same outlet as your computer might help too.

By: Roblet

Roblet — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 04:02:14 +0000

I have mbox 2 running on my intel duo core 2.4 mac….but im using xp because macs recent os’s dont support even plugging the mbox in without making you restart…argh!!! so im runnig on xp mode i have 4 gigs of ram…..the first input works fine but the second one gives me pernament delay!!!! its so annoying how the first one works but not the other? seriously come on im trying to fix this and i cant find any help on this site……alot of info but not for my exact problem with the second input on pernament delay

By: David

David — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 19:58:43 +0000

This message is for John. Is there any way I can reach you through email? It seems that you have a wealth of knowledge & you’ve been doing this for a long time. I want reliable advice from someone who knows what they speak of. Please write back mate when you have time. Peace…