Digidesign MBoX 2...

petelms

petelms

Well-known member
Hi.

Anyone here have Digidesign MBox 2? I've been thinking of getting one...any comments?

miovvd.jpg


Thanks. :thumbsup:
 
krestofre said:
What are you hoping to do with it?
Click to expand...

Save the whole world. :laugh:

No, seriously, I need second soundcard for my setup. I already have MOTU 828 mkII and I love it. That's for the music computers. I will need some decent soundcard also for the videoediting&music listening PC. I would like to also get hands finally on a little ProTools setup and see how it feels. This works with USB, so I think it would be a great companion with my laptop on the field, recording interviews and other stuffs also...
 
petelms said:
Save the whole world. :laugh:

No, seriously, I need second soundcard for my setup. I already have MOTU 828 mkII and I love it. That's for the music computers. I will need some decent soundcard also for the videoediting&music listening PC. I would like to also get hands finally on a little ProTools setup and see how it feels. This works with USB, so I think it would be a great companion with my laptop on the field, recording interviews and other stuffs also...
Click to expand...

I've had too many damn problems with Digidesign hardware. If your computer varies AT ALL from their recommendations, you're screwed. Be sure to check that out before pulling the trigger.

That being said, I run a Firewire 410 & Pro Tools M-Powered at home. I don't know if Digidesign (after buying out M-audio) is going to change around the 410 & make it as hardware specific as the MBox or Digi002. I bought my 410 when it was still M-Audio at the helm.

And Pro-Tools is nice... but I think that there are better programs than PT LE. If you've got the money to go all the way with a PT HD setup, then go for it!

David Kuznicki
Production Manager, WGTE-TV30
 
Hi, David. Thanks for your comments. :thumbup:

Yep, I was also thinking about the M-Audio 410. I think it could also be great choice...are you happy with your 410? It's also a little bit cheaper...and it also seems to have GSIF 2 support that I might need sometimes...hmm...Maybe I should go with 410...looks great choice...
 
I have an Mbox 1 and personally, I love it. It's great as a portable laptop unit, but it's a little cumbersome for field recording (just because I have a heavy laptop, not because of the Mbox). David is right about making sure that your computer meets Digi's specs, but I find them to be more forgiving then say, Avid's NLE specs.

The only thing that concerns me is you general use soundcard comments. Whereas you can use Mbox for all of the computer's sound, I personally find this a pain and just use my Mbox with ProTools.

The ProTools M-Powered stuff is nice, but PT M-Powered is unable to use the DVToolkit plug-in to allow you to import OMF files from Avid, and get Timecode functionality in PT. For some people this is a deal breaker, for some people it doesn't matter.
 
Hey, btw, David...I think 410 is not working in my laptop then without power supply because I have a little firewire port only in my laptop...:undecided Is it called 4-pin or something like that...Am I right? And have you tested this? :huh:

"powered via DC supply or FireWire bus* * 6-pin FireWire port required"

Here's the link:

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FireWire410-focus.html
 
Hey Petelms,

the 410 comes with a 6pin to 6pin firewire cable (6 pin basically can carry power to the 410), and also a 6pin to 4pin firewire (data only, no power).

So - if you running the 410 from a machine with 6pin connection, you dont need power.
If you running the 410 from a machine with 4pin connection (like most laptops), you need to use the power pack that comes with the 410 for this reason.


I have the 410, Ive tried it out in most situations, I really like it, cant see a reason for me to upgrade and I even do pro work on it occasionally (naturally, sound design work, not music work). I wouldn't touch Pro Tools with a barge pole unless its HD - Nuendo will kill any Pro Tools rig except HD, and even then its still preference.
 
timapter said:
Hey Petelms,

the 410 comes with a 6pin to 6pin firewire cable (6 pin basically can carry power to the 410), and also a 6pin to 4pin firewire (data only, no power).

So - if you running the 410 from a machine with 6pin connection, you dont need power.
If you running the 410 from a machine with 4pin connection (like most laptops), you need to use the power pack that comes with the 410 for this reason.


I have the 410, Ive tried it out in most situations, I really like it, cant see a reason for me to upgrade and I even do pro work on it occasionally (naturally, sound design work, not music work). I wouldn't touch Pro Tools with a barge pole unless its HD - Nuendo will kill any Pro Tools rig except HD, and even then its still preference.
Click to expand...

This would be correct. I power the 410 off the firewire port, but it does come with a wall adapter if you're using it with a laptop. I absolutely love it, although I don't own a laptop, but I can't see a reason why it couldn't be used in the field.

I've used it every day as a general use sound card without issues.

And as for the Pro Tools vs. whatever debate... it's the same as FCP vs. Avid vs. whatever. Pro Tools certainly IS the standard for film post (and I'm not trying to get flamed here!), but in and of itself it's no better than anything else out there.
I use it enough to keep my skills up to date, but I prefer finishing everything (audio included) in Vegas. And Apple's Soundtrack is pretty flexible, as well.

Never used Nuendo, can't comment on it. A friend of mine does, however, and runs it in his recording studio. He swears by it. But again, they're just different tools for the same job.

David Kuznicki
Production Manager, WGTE-TV30
 
Thanks both of you, timapter & David. Great info, just what I needed to know. I think I'm going with 410, it seems to be great choice. I'm using Cubase SX so I think it's going to be great with that. Thanks. :thumbup:
 
Yup, Itll work with Cubase nooo problem. I must say, Im super happy with mine, and whats cool about it is that you can mix surround cuz it has 8 outs... or setup a second monitoring system for referencing.
 
Yep, you are right, timapter! :thumbsup: I'm also planning to add a surround system into my studio someday soon so those outputs will be very very handy to have.
 
I also have some MBoxes (not 2's), and have never had trouble with it with any computer setup.... but all the computers have been Macs. I've migrated the Mboxes from Powerbook 667, 800, 1G 17", 1G 12", 1.5G 12", iMac 20", G5 Dual 2.5. Apple hardware is I guess more standardized than PC hardware. When I say no trouble, I mean in about 300 recording sessions and countless amounts of editing so far...

I'd recommend, for a dabble in ProTools, try to find an new original MBox somewhere (like eBay); they go for $2-300, and the functionality difference is not that great. I don't know about the MBox 2, but the MBox is well-proven and has pretty decent sound. The main new feature on the Mbox 2 that looks useful to me is volume control for the monitor output, which makes hooking up to powered monitors in the edit bay a bit easier....
 
Just for informational purposes here are the differences between Mbox 1 and Mbox 2.

Mbox 1 - Focusrite Pre-amps, Balanced 1/4 inch outputs.

Mbox 2 - Digidesign Pre-amps, UNbalanced 1/4 inch outputs, Midi inputs.

Case design too, but the ones listed above are the big ones. :)
 
krestofre said:
Just for informational purposes here are the differences between Mbox 1 and Mbox 2.

Mbox 1 - Focusrite Pre-amps, Balanced 1/4 inch outputs.

Mbox 2 - Digidesign Pre-amps, UNbalanced 1/4 inch outputs, Midi inputs.

Case design too, but the ones listed above are the big ones. :)
Click to expand...

Also:
Mbox 2 can record 4 simultaneous tracks using SPDIF in; while the Mbox 1 can't do this;

Mbox 2 has a volume control for the main outs, so you can directly hook up powered monitors; Mbox 1 has regular line outs.

Mbox 1 has inserts points for the analog inputs; Mbox 2 doesn't

It's interesting... the two is not intended to be "better" than the original; it is just very different. For my purposes, the original Mbox is better (though I'd prefer the 2's form factor in many situations)... but there are times when the extra 2 inputs would've been handy...

Anyway, to the one who started this:

If you're already using the MOTU, and don't want to have to deal with two software platforms, make sure whatever device you get plays nicely with the software you use... through USER REPORTS and such, not company propaganda. I've heard good things about the Presonus Firebox. The Focusrite Sapphire is considered by many to be what the Mbox 2 was supposed to be, before Digi and Focusrite went separate ways... and is a nice product, but bigger...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top