Mbox 2™ Basics Guide Version 6.8.1 for LE Systems on Windows XP or Mac OS X Digidesign 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA tel: 650·731·6300 fax: 650·731·6399 Technical Support (USA) tel: 650·731·6100 fax: 650·731·6384 Product Information (USA) tel: 650·731·6102 tel: 800·333·2137 International Offices Visit the Digidesign Web site for contact information Web Site www.digidesign.
Copyright © 2005 Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. This guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the express written consent of Digidesign. Avid, Digidesign, Mbox 2, and Pro Tools are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the US and other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
Mbox 2 Introduction Welcome to the Mbox 2 Basics Guide. This guide is designed to give new users specific methods for accomplishing common tasks with the Mbox 2 desktop audio interface and Pro Tools LE software. Once you are familiar with basic Mbox 2 operation with Pro Tools, we recommend that you read the “Working With Pro Tools” tutorial in the Getting Started with Mbox 2 Guide. For the most complete resource for using Pro Tools software, please refer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
Getting Sound In and Out of Mbox 2 To hear audio recorded into a Pro Tools session, you will need to connect headphones or an external sound system (such as powered monitors or a home stereo) to Mbox 2. Sound from Mbox 2 cannot be played through your computer’s speakers or your computer’s sound output. Connecting Headphones On the front panel of the Mbox 2 is a 1/4-inch jack to connect headphones, and a headphone level control to adjust headphone volume.
Connecting Audio Inputs Each Input section has three analog input jacks: Mbox 2 inputs (sources) support microphones, guitars, keyboards, and other types of instruments. Mbox 2 has two audio input sections, labeled Input 1 and Input 2. For stereo inputs, use Input 1 for the left input, and Input 2 for the right input. Mic For XLR microphone cables. Input 2 Input 1 Line (TRS) For 1/4-inch Tip-Ring-Sleeve cables from keyboards, mixers, microphones, and other line sources.
Connecting a Microphone Attaching a Microphone to the Mbox 2 There are several ways to use Mbox 2 with a microphone, depending on the type of microphone and cables that you use. Some microphone cables use an XLR connector to attach a microphone to an input (such as those on the Mbox 2); other microphones use a 1/4-inch connector. If you have a choice, use an XLR connector to connect the microphone to the Mbox 2 to yield better results.
4 If your microphone requires phantom power, make sure the microphone is connected, then press the Phantom Power switch on the front of the Mbox 2 (labeled 48V). This switch sends 48V to both mic inputs. The 48V LED on the front of the Mbox 2 will light when phantom power is being supplied. To use a microphone that has a 1/4-inch TS (Tip-Sleeve) connector: 1 On the back of the Mbox 2, plug the 1/4-inch connector from your microphone into one of the DI inputs.
Connecting Instruments Connecting Instruments to the Mbox 2 Mbox 2 provides two input types (DI and Line) that correspond to the different signal strengths output by different types of instruments. Instruments such as electric guitar or electric bass usually have a lower level of output than line level instruments and electronic audio sources such as mixers, samplers, keyboards, turntables, and synthesizers.
3 On the front of the Mbox 2, turn the Mix control fully left to Input. Mix control Input 1 Mic/DI Gain selector Mic LED Source selector and Gain control for Input 1 4 Set your instrument’s volume to its optimal level. For example, the optimal level for most keyboards is between 80% and 100% of maximum volume. 5 On the front of the Mbox 2, carefully turn the Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your keyboard.
Recording a Pro Tools Session Recording with Pro Tools and the Mbox 2 involves creating a Pro Tools session, preparing an audio track for recording, and recording. To prepare an audio track for recording: To create a session in Pro Tools: 2 Specify 1 Mono Audio Track in Samples, if 1 Verify the connections between the Mbox 2 your source is mono, or 1 Stereo Audio Track in Samples, if your source is stereo. and your instrument or microphone.
6 From the pop-up menu, select the interface in- 2 Choose Windows > Show Transport to display put you want to record. For example, select In 1 if your audio source is mono and plugged into an Input 1 jack on the back of the Mbox 2. Select In 1–2 on any stereo audio track when your audio source is stereo. the Transport window. Click Return To Zero to cue to the beginning of the session.
Impor ting Audio from a CD To import audio from a compact disc: 1 Put the source CD into your computer’s CD drive. 2 Use a third party software program of your choice to extract audio from the CD. 7 Type a name for your session and click Save. Pro Tools creates a new session. 8 In the session, create a new track by choosing File > New Track. 3 Launch Pro Tools. 4 Choose File > New Session. 5 Set Session Parameters in the New Session di- alog as needed, or leave at their default settings.
11 In the Workspace Browser, navigate to the lo- cation where you saved the audio you extracted from your CD in step 2. To play back the new track: 1 In the Transport window, click Return To Zero to cue the beginning of the track. 2 On the front of the Mbox 2, turn the Mix control fully right to Playback. 3 Click Play in the Transport window to begin playback. The CD track you extracted should begin playing back.
Creating an Audio CD from a Pro Tools Session Pro Tools does not create audio CDs directly, but you can create stereo audio files from your Pro Tools sessions that can be used by most common CD burning programs. 2 Choose File > Bounce to Disk. Use the Pro Tools Bounce to Disk feature to combine all your audible tracks into a single “master” audio file. After the new audio file has been bounced to disk, you can burn it to a CD.
8 In the Bounce dialog, give the bounce tracks a name and choose where they should be saved. Burning a CD After the bounce is completed, you will have an audio file that is ready for burning onto a CD. Quit Pro Tools and launch any common thirdparty CD burning application to burn your bounced mix to CD. Make certain that you configure your CD burning application to create an audio CD rather than a data CD. Save Bounce Dialog 9 Click Save. Pro Tools will begin bouncing to disk.
Mbox 2 and MIDI 3 Choose File > New Track and specify 1 MIDI What is MIDI? MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is not audio, and has no sound. MIDI is a way for musical devices to communicate. MIDI is data that can trigger a MIDI device (such as a keyboard or software synthesizer). In order to create or play a MIDI recording, you must have a MIDI keyboard or sound module (real or virtual) connected to the computer through the MIDI ports on Mbox 2 or some other MIDI interface.
7 Make sure MIDI > MIDI Thru is selected, then play some notes on your MIDI controller. The track’s meters move. Remember, MIDI is not audio, and the meters are not registering sound, but MIDI activity. To monitor your MIDI instrument’s analog outputs in Pro Tools, refer to “Monitoring MIDI Instruments Without a Mixer” on page 15. You can also monitor your MIDI instrument’s analog outputs by using an external mixer.
Controlling Delay (Latency) During Monitoring Mbox 2 and Pro Tools LE use your computer for all audio processing, playback, and recording. This causes a small amount of audio delay, or latency. Latency is most obvious when monitoring during recording. You may hear this as a slight delay between when you produce the sound and when you hear the sound through the speakers or headphones. Mbox 2 gives you the ability to monitor your analog input signals while recording, without hearing any latency.
