Specifications

Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox 3
Hard Drive Considerations
Hard Drive Configuration and
Maintenance
It is recommended that you start with a newly
initialized audio drive. You should also periodi-
cally defragment your audio drive to ensure
continued system performance.
For a list of qualified hard drives, see our
Web site (www.digidesign.com/compato).
If you are using an ATA/IDE or FireWire hard
drive, initialize your drive with Windows Disk
Management (Windows) or the Disk Utility ap-
plication included with Apple System software
(Macintosh).
Avoid Recording to System Drives
Although Pro Tools LE will let you record to
your system drive, this is generally not recom-
mended. Recording and playback on system
drives results in lower track counts and fewer
plug-ins.
Hard Disk Storage Space
Mono audio tracks recorded with 16-bit resolu-
tion at 44.1 kHz (CD quality) require approxi-
mately 5 MB of hard disk space per minute.
The same tracks recorded with 24-bit resolution
require about 7.5 MB per minute. Table 2 lists
the required disk space for certain track num-
bers and track lengths, to help you estimate
your hard disk usage.
Table 2 lists the required disk space for certain
track numbers and track lengths, to help you es-
timate your hard disk usage.
Table 2. Required hard drive space for audio tracks
Number of tracks and length 16-bit at
44.1 kHz
16-bit at
48 kHz
24-bit at
44.1 kHz
24-bit at
48 kHz
1 mono track, 1 minute 5 MB 5.5 MB 7.5 MB 8.2 MB
1 stereo track (or two mono
tracks), 5 minutes
50 MB 55 MB 75 MB 83 MB
1 stereo track (or two mono
tracks), 60 minutes
600 MB 662 MB 900 MB 991 MB
24 mono tracks, 5 minutes 600 MB 662 MB 900 MB 991 MB
24 mono tracks, 60 minutes 7 GB 7.8 GB 10.5 GB 11.6 GB
32 mono tracks, 5 minutes 800 MB 883 MB 1.2 GB 1.3 GB
32 mono tracks, 60 minutes 9.4 GB 10.4 GB 14 GB 15.4 GB