Pinnacle Systems Mbox 2 Mini - 7.3 Quick Start Guide

Getting Started

Mbox® 2 Mini

Version 7.3

Avid, Digidesign, Mbox , 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.

Product features, specifications, system requirements, and availability are subject to change without notice.

PN 9329-55986-00 REV A 1/07

Communications and Safety Regulation Information

Compliance Statement This model Digidesign Mbox 2 Mini complies with the following standards regulating interference and EMC:

• FCC Part 15 Class B

• EN 55022

• EN 55204

• AS/NZS 3548 Class B

• CISPR 22 Class B

Radio and Television Interference This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.

DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY

We Digidesign,

2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard, Suite 200

Daly City, CA 94014 USA

tel: 650-731-6300

declare under our sole responsibility that the product

Mbox 2 Mini

complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules.

Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and

used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try and correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or locate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Mbox 2

Any modifications to the unit, unless expressly approved by Digidesign, could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.

Canadian Compliance Statement:

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-

003.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

Australian Compliance

European Compliance

Chapter 1. Installation QuickStart

Windows Installation Overview

Mac Installation Overview

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Chapter 2. Welcome to Mbox 2 Mini

Mbox 2 Mini Package

Mbox 2 Mini Features

Pro Tools LE Capabilities

System Requirements

Digidesign Registration

About the Pro Tools Guides

About www.digidesign.com

Chapter 3. Windows Configuration

Installation Overview

Windows System Optimization

Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Mbox 2 Mini

Launching Pro Tools LE

Configuring Pro Tools LE

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Removing Pro Tools LE

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Contents

iii

Chapter 4. Mac Configuration

Installation Overview

Mac System Optimization

Installing Pro Tools LE

Connecting Mbox 2 Mini to the Computer

Launching Pro Tools LE

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Configuring Pro Tools LE

Removing Pro Tools

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Chapter 5. Mbox 2 Mini Hardware Overview

Mbox 2 Mini Front Panel Features

Mbox 2 Mini Back Panel Features

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Chapter 6. Making Hardware Connections

Connecting Headphones

Connecting a Sound System

Connecting Audio Inputs

Connecting a Microphone to the Mbox 2 Mini

Connecting Instruments to the Mbox 2 Mini

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Chapter 7. Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE

Recording a Pro Tools Session

Importing Audio from a CD

Creating an Audio CD from a Pro Tools Session

Recording MIDI in a Pro Tools Session

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Appendix A. Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)

MIDI Studio Setup

MIDI Patch Name Support

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Appendix B. Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)

Audio MIDI Setup

MIDI Patch Name Support

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide

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Appendix C. Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

Supported Drive Formats and Drive Types

Formatting an Audio Drive

Partitioning Drives

Defragmenting an Audio Drive

Using Mac Drives on Windows Systems

Hard Disk Storage Space

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Appendix D. Troubleshooting

Index

Backing Up Your Work

Common Issues

Performance Factors

Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support

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Contents

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide

chapter 1

Installation QuickStart

Windows Installation Overview

(Windows Systems Only)

Installing the Mbox 2 Mini on a Windows computer includes the following steps:

“Windows System Optimization” on page 7.

“Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting

Mbox 2 Mini” on page 10.

“Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 12.

“Conﬁguring Pro Tools LE” on page 13.

Making audio connections to the Mbox 2 Mini. (See Chapter 6, “Making Hardware Connections” for details.)

Mac Installation Overview

(Mac OS X Systems Only)

Installation of the Mbox 2 Mini on a Mac includes the following steps:

“Mac System Optimization” on page 19.

“Installing Pro Tools LE” on page 21.

“Connecting Mbox 2 Mini to the Computer”

on page 21.

“Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 22.

“Conﬁguring Pro Tools LE” on page 23.

Making audio connections to the Mbox 2 Mini. (See Chapter 6, “Making Hardware Connections” for details.)

Chapter 1: Installation QuickStart

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide

chapter 2

Welcome to Mbox 2 Mini

Welcome to the Mbox® 2 Mini audio production system from Digidesign

Mbox 2 Mini provides your USB-equipped computer with two channels of analog audio input, two analog monitor outputs, and one headphone output. Mbox 2 Mini includes one professional-quality mic preamp and 24-bit analogto-digital and digital-to-analog converters.

Mbox 2 Mini Package

The Mbox 2 Mini package includes the following:

• Mbox 2 Mini desktop audio interface

• Pro Tools Installer disc containing Pro Tools LE™ software, DigiRack RTAS (RealTime AudioSuite) and AudioSuite plug-ins, optional software, and electronic PDF guides

• Mbox 2 Mini QuickStart Sheet

• USB connector cable

• Digidesign Registration Information Card

Mbox 2 Mini Features

The Mbox 2 Mini provides the following:

• Two channels of analog audio input:

• XLR connector with microphone preamp and switchable 48V phantom power.

• Two 1/4-inch TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) connectors. One input is switchable between Mic and Line/DI level devices.

• –20 dB pad available separately on each input channel.

• Two 1/4-inch TRS analog monitor outputs.

• 1/4-inch TRS

• Adjustable level control for headphone and monitor outputs.

• Mon (Monitor) Mute switch for muting monitor outputs, without muting headphone output. This switch does not affect recording.

• 24-bit A/D and D/A converters, supporting sample rates of 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz.

• Zero-latency analog record monitoring with Mix knob for adjustable balance between input and playback.

• USB-powered operation.

stereo headphone output.

Mbox 2 Mini may not function properly if connected to a USB hub. Connect Mbox 2 Mini to a separate, dedicated USB port.

Chapter 2: Welcome to Mbox 2 Mini

Pro Tools LE Capabilities

System Requirements

Pro Tools LE on Windows or Mac provides the following capabilities with Mbox 2 Mini:

• Playback of up to 32 mono (or 16 stereo) digital audio tracks, or a combination of playing back (or 16 stereo) digital audio tracks, depending on your computer’s capabilities

• Up to 128 audio tracks (with 32 voiceable tracks maximum), 128 Auxiliary Input tracks, 64 Master Fader tracks, 256 MIDI tracks, and 32 Instrument tracks per session

• 16-bit or 24-bit audio resolution, at sample rates up to 48 kHz

• Non-destructive, random-access editing and mix automation

• Audio processing with up to 5 RTAS plugins per track, depending on your computer’s capabilities

• Up to 5 inserts per track

• Up to 10 sends per track

• Up to 32 internal mix busses

Pro Tools LE uses your computer’s CPU to mix and process audio tracks (host processing). Computers with faster clock speeds yield higher track counts and more plug-in processing.

and

recording up to 32 mono

Mbox 2 Mini can be used with a Digidesignqualified Windows or Mac computer running Pro Tools LE software.

For complete system requirements, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

Compatibility Information

Digidesign can only assure compatibility and provide support for hardware and software it has tested and approved.

For a list of Digidesign-qualified computers, operating systems, hard drives, and third-party devices, refer to the latest compatibility information on the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com)

MIDI Requirements

USB MIDI interfaces work effectively with Pro Tools systems on Windows or Mac. Serial MIDI interfaces are supported on Windows systems only.

Only USB MIDI interfaces are compatible with Pro Tools systems for Mac OS X. Modem-to-serial port adapters and serial MIDI devices are not supported.

For a list of supported adapters, refer to the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide

Hard Drive Requirements

For optimal audio recording and playback, all Pro Tools systems require one or more Digidesign-qualified drives.

For a list of Digidesign-qualified hard drives, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

If you are using an ATA/IDE or FireWire hard drive, initialize your drive with Windows Disk Management (Windows) or the Disk Utility application included with Apple System software (Mac).

For more information, see Appendix C, “Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance.”

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

Recording to your system drive is not recommended. Recording and playback on a system drive may result in lower track counts and fewer plug-ins.

Digidesign does not recommend recording to the system drive. Record to a system drive only when necessary.

About the Pro Tools Guides

This Getting Started guide explains how to install Pro Tools LE software, make basic connections to your Mbox 2 Mini interface (to get sound in and out of your interface), and do common tasks (such as recording in Pro Tools).

In addition to any printed guides or documentation included with your system, PDF versions of Pro Tools guides and Read Mes are installed automatically with Pro Tools.

The main guides (such as the Pro Tools Reference Guide and the Pro Tools Menus Guide) are accessi- ble from the Pro Tools Help menu.

• Pro Tools Reference Guide explains Pro Tools software in detail.

• Pro Tools Menus Guide covers all the Pro Tools on-screen menus.

• DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide explains how to use the RTAS and AudioSuite plug-ins included with Pro Tools.

• Digidesign Plug-Ins Guide explains how to use optional Digidesign plug-ins.

• Pro Tools Shortcuts lists keyboard and Rightclick shortcuts for Pro Tools.

Digidesign Registration

Review the enclosed Digidesign Registration Information Card and follow the instructions on it to quickly register your purchase online. Registering your purchase is the only way you can be eligible to receive complimentary technical support and future upgrade offers. It is one of the most important steps you can take as a new user.

These guides and other guides are installed on your startup drive during installation. To view or print PDF guides, you can use Adobe Reader or Apple Preview (Mac only).

Printed copies of the Pro Tools Reference Guide and other guides in the Pro Tools guide set can be purchased separately from the DigiStore (www.digidesign.com).

Chapter 2: Welcome to Mbox 2 Mini

Conventions Used in This Guide

Digidesign guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices and key commands:

Convention Action

File > Save Choose Save from the File

Control+N Hold down the Control key

and press the N key

About www.digidesign.com

The Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com) is your best source for information to help you get the most out of your Pro Tools system. The following are just a few of the services and features available.

Registration Register your purchase online. See the enclosed Digidesign Registration Information Card for instructions.

Control-click Hold down the Control key

and click the mouse button

Right-click Click with the right mouse

button

The following symbols are used to highlight important information:

User Tips are helpful hints for getting the most from your Pro Tools system.

Important Notices include information that could affect your data or the performance of your system.

Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or mouse shortcuts.

Cross References point to related sections in this guide and other Digidesign guides.

Support Contact Digidesign Technical Support or Customer Service; download software updates and the latest online manuals; browse the Compatibility documents for system requirements; search the online Answerbase; join the worldwide Pro Tools community on the Digidesign User Conference.

Training and Education Become a certified Pro Tools Operator or Expert; study on your own using courses available online, or find out how you can learn in a classroom setting at a certified Pro Tools Training Center.

Products and Developers Learn about Digidesign products; download demo software; learn about our Development Partners and their plug-ins, applications, and hardware.

News and Events Get the latest news from Digidesign; sign up for a Pro Tools demo.

To learn more about these and other resources available from Digidesign, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide6

chapter 3

Windows Conﬁguration

This chapter contains information for Windows systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools on a Mac computer, see Chapter 4, “Mac Conﬁguration.”

Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools Installer disc.

Installation Overview

Installing the Mbox 2 Mini on a Windows computer includes the following steps:

1 “Windows System Optimization” on page 7.

2 “Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting

Mbox 2 Mini” on page 10.

Windows System Optimization

Before configuring your computer, make sure you are logged in as an Administrator for the account where you want to install Pro Tools. For details on Administrator privileges, refer to your Windows documentation.

Required Optimizations

To ensure optimum performance with Pro Tools LE, configure the following settings before you install Pro Tools hardware and software.

When you are finished changing Windows system settings, restart your computer.

3 “Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 12.

4 “Conﬁguring Pro Tools LE” on page 13.

5 Making audio connections to the

Mbox 2 Mini. (See Chapter 6, “Making Hardware Connections” for details.)

Chapter 3: Windows Conﬁguration 7

Enabling DMA

Enabling your computer's DMA (Direct Memory Access) frees up CPU bandwidth so the computer can do other Pro Tools tasks.

In most cases the DMA option will already be set correctly, as Windows XP detects and activates DMA mode by default.

To enable DMA for any IDE hard drives:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 In Classic View, double-click System.

3 Click the Hardware tab.

4 Under Device Manager, choose Device Man-

ager.

5 In the Device Manager window, double-click

IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, then double-click the Primary IDE Channel for your IDE hard drive.

6 Click the Advanced Settings tab.

To conﬁgure Windows Power Management:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click Power Options.

3 Click the Power Schemes tab.

4 From the Power Schemes pop-up menu, select

Always On.

5 Click OK.

This sets System Standby, System Hibernate, and “Turn off hard disks” to Never.

On AMD processors, be sure to check and disable Cool N’Quiet in the System BIOS (in the Cool & Quiet Configuration section). Refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for instructions on disabling this power option, if necessary.

Disabling ClearType Font Smoothing

When using Pro Tools, the Effects “Clear Type” setting must be disabled.

7 For each device, set the Transfer Mode to

“DMA if available,” and click OK.

8 Repeat steps 5–7 for any additional IDE Chan-

nels.

9 Close the Computer Management window.

Disabling System Standby and Power Management

When using Pro Tools, the Windows System Standby power scheme must be set to Always On. This helps prevent long record or playback passes from stopping due to system resources powering down.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide8

To disable ClearType font smoothing:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click Display.

3 Click the Appearance tab.

4 Click Effects.

5 Deselect “Use the following method to

smooth edges of screen fonts.”

6 Click OK to save your settings and close the

Effects dialog.

7 Click OK.

8 Restart the computer.

Recommended Optimizations

Pro Tools can also be affected by other software and hardware drivers installed on your computer. It is recommended (but not required) that you do the following:

• Avoid running any unneeded programs at the same time as Pro Tools.

• Turn off any software utilities that run in the background, such as Windows Messenger, calendars, and disk maintenance programs.

• Turn off any nonessential USB devices while running Pro Tools.

• If your video display card supports it, enable Bus Mastering in the manufacturer’s Control Panel. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for details.

Optional Optimizations

The following system optimizations may help Pro Tools perform better on some systems. It is recommended that you only try these optimizations if necessary, as they may disable or adversely affect the functionality of other programs on your system.

4 Under the General tab, choose “Do not use

this device (disable)” from the Device Usage pop-up menu, and click OK.

5 Close the Computer Management window.

Adjusting Processor Scheduling

To Adjust Processor Scheduling Performance:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 In Classic View, double-click System.

3 Click the Advanced tab.

4 Under the Performance section, click the Set-

tings button.

5 In the Performance Options window, click the

Advanced tab.

6 Under the Processor scheduling section, select

the Background Services option.

7 Under the Memory Usage section, select the

System cache option.

8 Click OK to close the Performance Options

window.

9 Click OK to close the System Properties win-

dow.

Disabling Network Cards

If applicable, disable any networking cards (other than a FireWire card that you might use to connect an external drive to your system).

To disable a network card:

1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-

age.

2 Under System Tools, select Device Manager.

3 In the Device Manager window, double-click

Network adapters, then double-click the Network Adapter card you want to disable.

10 Restart the computer for the changes to take

effect.

Chapter 3: Windows Conﬁguration 9

Disabling Hyper-Threading

Pro Tools LE takes advantage of the added processing power of computers that have multiple processors, or that feature multi-core processing or Hyper-Threading, for RTAS processing.

However, if you set the number of processors available for RTAS processing to 1 (in the Pro Tools Playback Engine dialog), some computers with hyperthreading capability may experience decreased performance.

If this occurs, you can increase the number of RTAS processors in the Playback Engine dialog, or you can disable Hyper-Threading on the computer.

Refer to your computer’s documentation for steps on how to enter the computer’s BIOS and disable Hyper-Threading.

Disabling System Startup Items

To Disable System Startup Items:

1 From the Start menu, choose Run.

2 Type “msconﬁg” and click OK. The System

Conﬁguration Utility opens.

3 Under the General tab, choose Selective Star-

tup.

4 Deselect Load Startup Items and click OK.

5 Click Restart to restart the computer.

6 After restarting, the computer displays a Sys-

tem Conﬁguration message. Check to see if Pro Tools performance has increased before you deselect the “Don't show this message again” option. If performance has not changed, run “msconﬁg” and return your computer Selective Startup back to Normal Startup. Alternatively, try disabling Startup items and non-essential processes individually.

The fewer items in use by your computer, the more resources are available for Pro Tools. Some startup applications may be consuming unnecessary CPU resources, and should be turned off.

If you disable any of the following startup items, do so carefully:

• Portable media serial number (required for applications that utilize a copy protection key)

• Plug and play

• Event log

• Cryptographic services

• DHCP Client, TCP/IP Net BIOS, and other networking-related items (unless the computer has no network or internet connection, in which case these items can be disabled)

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide10

Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Mbox 2 Mini

Windows will display several messages during installation that can be ignored, including multiple “Found New Hardware” dialogs and “A Problem Occurred During Hardware Installation.”

To install Pro Tools LE and Mbox 2 Mini:

1 Start Windows, logging in with Administrator

privileges. For details on Administrator privileges, refer to your Windows documentation.

2 Connect the small end of the included USB ca-

ble to the USB port on Mbox 2 Mini.

3 Connect the other end of the USB cable to any

available USB port on your computer. Wait for the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog to appear and leave it open: Do not click Next. If the Wizard begins to install drivers automatically, press Cancel.

MP3 Export Option The MP3 Export Option lets you export MP3 files from Pro Tools. This option is purchased separately.

12 Click Next.

13 Click Install.

Mbox 2 Mini may not function properly if connected to a USB hub. Connect Mbox 2 Mini to a separate, dedicated USB port.

4 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc for Win-

dows in your CD/DVD drive.

5 On the Installer disc, locate and open the

Pro Tools Installer folder.

6 Double-click the Setup icon.

7 Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed

with installation.

8 Select the install location. For maximum reli-

ability, install Pro Tools on your startup drive.

9 Click Next.

10 Select the Pro Tools application for installa-

tion.

11 You can also select from a list of optional

items to install along with Pro Tools.

Mac HFS+ Disk Support Option This option lets your Pro Tools system read, write, record, and play back using Mac-formatted HFS+ disks. HFS+ disks are commonly referred to as Mac OS Extended disks.

Windows will display several messages during installation that can be ignored, including multiple “Found New Hardware” dialogs and “A Problem Occurred During Hardware Installation.”

If you get a warning dialog about the driver not passing Windows Logo testing, click Continue Anyway.

14 Wait for the installer to ﬁnish installing all

software components, drivers, and PACE System ﬁles before proceeding to the next step.

15 When installation is complete, click Finish.

If the USB LED on the front panel of the Mbox 2 Mini does not illuminate after installation, try unplugging the USB cable from the Mbox 2 Mini USB port and plugging it back in. If the USB LED still does not illuminate, shut down the computer, disconnect Mbox 2 Mini and start the computer. Once the computer has fully restarted, reconnect Mbox 2 Mini.

DigiTranslator DigiTranslator™ is a software option for Pro Tools that lets you convert and exchange OMF and AAF sequences and MXF files directly in the Pro Tools application. This option is purchased separately.

Command|8 Controller and Driver The Command|8 Driver is required if you are using the Digidesign Command|8 control surface.

Chapter 3: Windows Conﬁguration 11

Installing QuickTime

QuickTime is required for Pro Tools if you plan to include movie files, or import MP3 or MP4 (AAC) files in your sessions. QuickTime for Windows XP is available as a free download from the Apple website (www.apple.com).

For information on which version of QuickTime is compatible with your version of Pro Tools, visit the compatibility pages of the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

To install QuickTime:

1 Visit www.apple.com and go to the Quick-

Time page.

2 Download the QuickTime installer applica-

tion to your computer.

3 Double-click the QuickTime installer applica-

tion and follow the on-screen installation instructions.

4 Restart your computer.

Launching Pro Tools LE

When launching Pro Tools LE the first time, you are prompted to enter an authorization code.

To authorize Pro Tools LE software:

1 Double-click the Pro Tools LE shortcut on

your desktop (or the application icon in the Pro Tools folder inside the Digidesign folder).

2 Enter the authorization code in the dialog

(making sure to type it exactly as printed, and observing any spaces and capitalization), then click Validate.

Your authorization code is located on the envelope flap for the Pro Tools LE installer disc.

The Pro Tools Installer disc includes additional software for your system. For more information, see “Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc” on page 16.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide12

Conﬁguring Pro Tools LE

Pro Tools System Settings

Pro Tools LE lets you adjust the performance of your system by changing system settings that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and recording.

In most cases, the default settings for your system provide optimum performance, but you may want to adjust them to accommodate large or processing-intensive Pro Tools sessions.

Hardware Buffer Size

To change the Hardware Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

The Hardware Buffer Size (H/W Buffer Size) controls the size of the buffer used to handle host processing tasks such as Real-Time AudioSuite (RTAS) plug-ins. The H/W Buffer setting can also be used to manage monitoring latency.

◆ Lower Hardware Buffer Size settings reduce

monitoring latency, and are useful when you are recording live input.

◆ Higher Hardware Buffer Size settings allow for

more audio processing and effects, and are useful when you are mixing and using more RTAS plug-ins.

In addition to causing slower screen response and monitoring latency, higher Hardware Buffer Size settings can increase the latency caused by RTAS plug-ins, and affect the accuracy of plug-in automation, mute data, and MIDI track timing.

Playback Engine dialog for Mbox 2 Mini

2 From the H/W Buffer Size pop-up menu, select

the audio buffer size, in samples.

3 Click OK.

RTAS Processors

The RTAS Processors setting determines the number of processors in your computer allocated for RTAS plug-in processing.

With computers that have multiple processors, or that feature multi-core processing or hyperthreading, this setting lets you enable multi-processor support for RTAS processes. Used in combination with the CPU Usage Limit setting, the RTAS Processors setting lets you control the way RTAS processing and other Pro Tools tasks are carried out by the system.

◆ A higher number of processors reserves more

CPU processing capacity for RTAS plug-in processing. This is useful for sessions with large number of RTAS plug-ins.

Chapter 3: Windows Conﬁguration 13

◆ A lower number of processors leaves more

CPU processing capacity for automation, screen redraws, and video playback in Pro Tools, or for other application running at the same time as Pro Tools.

To set the number of RTAS Processors:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the RTAS Processors pop-up menu, select

the number of available processors you want to allocate for RTAS plug-in processing.

3 Click OK.

To change the CPU Usage Limit:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the CPU Usage Limit pop-up menu, se-

lect the percentage of CPU processing you want to allocate to Pro Tools.

3 Click OK.

RTAS Engine (RTAS Error Suppression)

The RTAS Engine option determines RTAS error reporting during playback and recording. This is especially useful when working with instrument plug-ins.

CPU Usage Limit

The CPU Usage Limit controls the percentage of CPU resources allocated to Pro Tools host processing tasks. Used in combination with the RTAS Processors setting, the CPU Usage Limit setting lets you control the way Pro Tools tasks are carried out by the system.

◆ Lower CPU Usage Limit settings limit the ef-

fect of Pro Tools processing on other CPU-intensive tasks, such as screen redraws, and are useful when you are experiencing slow system response, or when running other applications at the same time as Pro Tools.

◆ Higher CPU Usage Limit settings allocate

more processing power to Pro Tools, and are useful for playing back large sessions or using more real-time plug-ins.

The maximum available CPU Usage Limit depends on the number of processors in your computer and on the number of processors you specify for RTAS processing. This value can range from 85 percent for single-processor computers to 99 percent for multi-processor computers.

You should only enable RTAS error suppression if you are experiencing frequent RTAS errors that are interrupting your creative workflow. When RTAS error suppression is enabled, you can experience a degradation of audio quality. However, this may be acceptable in order to avoid interrupting playback and recording when working with instrument plug-ins. Be sure to disable RTAS error suppression when you need to ensure the highest possible audio quality, such as for a final mix.

There is one RTAS Engine option:

Ignore Errors During Playback/Record When enabled, Pro Tools continues to play and record even if the RTAS processing requirements exceed the selected CPU Usage Limit. This can result in pops and clicks in the audio, but does not stop the transport.

To enable RTAS error suppression:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 Select Ignore Errors During Playback/Record.

3 Click OK.

Increasing the CPU Usage Limit may slow down screen response on slower computers.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide14

DAE Playback Buffer Size

Pro Tools Hardware Settings

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory DAE allocates for disk buffers. The optimum DAE Playback Buffer Size for most disk operations is Level 2.

◆ DAE Playback Buffer Size settings lower than

Level 2 may improve playback and recording initiation speed, but may make it difﬁcult to play or record tracks reliably with sessions containing a large number of tracks or a high density of edits, or with systems that have slower or heavily fragmented hard drives.

◆ DAE Playback Buffer Size settings higher than

Level 2 will allow for a higher density of edits in a session or a higher track count when using slower hard drives. However, a higher setting can also cause a time lag to occur when starting playback or recording, or longer audible time lag while editing during playback.

Using a larger DAE Playback Buffer Size leaves less system memory for other tasks. The default setting of Level 2 is recommended unless you are encountering -9073 (“Disk too slow or fragmented”) errors.

Pro Tools lets you set the default sample rate and clock source for your system, as well as a range of controls specific to each type of audio interface.

Default Sample Rate

The Sample Rate setting appears as the default sample rate when you create a new session. (This setting is available in the Hardware Setup dialog only when no session is open.)

You can change the sample rate when creating a new Pro Tools session by selecting a different sample rate in the New Session dialog. (Refer to

Guide for details.)

To change the default Sample Rate:

1 Choose Setup > Hardware.

the Pro Tools Reference

To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the DAE Playback Buffer pop-up menu,

select a buffer size.

3 Click OK.

Hardware Setup dialog for Mbox 2 Mini

2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate

pop-up menu.

3 Click OK.

Chapter 3: Windows Conﬁguration 15

Clock Source

The Pro Tools Hardware Setup dialog is set to Internal, which supports recording analog signals directly into Mbox 2 Mini analog inputs 1–2.

Conﬁguring I/O Setup

Using the I/O Setup dialog, you can label Pro Tools LE input, output, insert, and bus sig- nal paths. The I/O Setup dialog provides a graphical representation of the inputs, outputs, and signal routing of the Mbox 2 Mini.

Pro Tools LE has default I/O Setup settings that will get you started. Use the I/O Setup dialog only if you want to rename the default I/O paths.

To rename I/O paths in I/O Setup:

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, or Bus tab to

display the corresponding connections.

MIDI Studio Setup

(Optional)

If you plan to use any MIDI devices with Pro Tools, configure your MIDI setup with MIDI Studio Setup. See Appendix A, “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)” for details.

Backing Up your System Conﬁguration

After configuring your system and Pro Tools, you should save an image of your system drive using a backup utility such as Norton Ghost. By doing this, you can quickly restore your system configuration and settings if you encounter any problems.

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

The Pro Tools Installer disc provides additional software for your system, including audio drivers (for playing other audio applications through your Digidesign hardware) and a Pro Tools demo session.

I/O Setup dialog for Mbox 2 Mini

3 To change the name of a path or subpath,

double-click directly on the Path Name, type a new name for the path, and press Enter.

4 Click OK.

See the Pro Tools Reference Guide (or choose Help > Pro Tools Reference Guide) for more information on renaming I/O paths.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide16

Refer to your Pro Tools Installer disc for additional software and installers.

Windows Audio Drivers

The Digidesign ASIO Driver and WaveDriver Windows System Audio Driver let you use your Digidesign hardware interface with third-party applications that support the ASIO Driver or WaveDriver MME (Multimedia Extension).

The Digidesign ASIO Driver and WaveDriver for your Digidesign hardware are automatically installed when you install Pro Tools.

Digidesign ASIO Driver

The Digidesign ASIO (Audio Sound Input Output) Driver is a single-client multichannel sound driver that allows third-party audio programs that support the ASIO standard to record and play back through Digidesign hardware.

For detailed information on configuring the Digidesign ASIO Driver, see the Windows Audio Drivers Guide.

Digidesign WaveDriver

The Digidesign WaveDriver Windows System Audio Driver is a single-client, stereo sound driver that allows third-party audio programs that support the WaveDriver MME (Multimedia Extension) standard to play back through Digidesign hardware.

Pro Tools Demo Session

The Pro Tools LE Installer disc includes a demo session that you can use to verify that your system is working.

Before installing the demo session to your audio drive, make sure the drive is configured as described in “Formatting an Audio Drive” on page 56.

To install the demo session:

1 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc into your

CD/DVD drive.

2 From your CD/DVD drive, locate and open

the Additional Files/Pro Tools LE Demo Session Installer folder.

3 Double-click Setup.exe.

For detailed information on configuring the Digidesign WaveDriver, see the Windows Audio Drivers Guide.

Standalone Digidesign Windows Audio Drivers

Digidesign Windows Audio Drivers can be installed on Windows systems that do not have Pro Tools software installed. Use the standalone version of the Digidesign Windows Audio Drivers installer (Digidesign Audio Drivers Setup.exe), which is available on the Pro Tools Installer disc.

For information on configuring the standalone version of the Digidesign Windows Audio Drivers, see the Windows Audio Drivers Guide.

4 Select your audio drive as the install location

and click Install.

5 When installation is complete, click OK.

Removing Pro Tools LE

If you need to remove Pro Tools LE software from your computer, you can use the Add or Remove Programs command.

To remove Pro Tools from your computer:

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click Add or Remove Programs.

3 From the Currently Installed Programs list, se-

lect Digidesign Pro Tools LE.

4 Click the Change/Remove button.

5 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove

Pro Tools LE.

Chapter 3: Windows Conﬁguration 17

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide18

chapter 4

Mac Conﬁguration

This chapter contains information for Mac systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools on a Windows computer, see Chapter 3, “Windows Conﬁguration.”

Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools Installer disc.

Installation Overview

Mac System Optimization

To ensure optimum performance with Pro Tools, configure your computer before installing Pro Tools hardware and software.

Before configuring your computer, make sure you are logged in as an Administrator for the account where you want to install Pro Tools. For details on Administrator privileges in Mac OS X, refer to your Apple OS X documentation.

Installation of the Mbox 2 Mini on a Mac includes the following steps:

1 “Mac System Optimization” on page 19.

2 “Installing Pro Tools LE” on page 21.

3 “Connecting Mbox 2 Mini to the Computer”

on page 21.

4 “Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 22.

5 “Conﬁguring Pro Tools LE” on page 23.

6 Making audio connections to the Mbox 2

Mini. (See Chapter 6, “Making Hardware Connections” for details.)

Do not use the Mac OS X automatic Software Update feature, as it may upgrade your system to a version of Mac OS that has not yet been qualified for Pro Tools. For details on qualified versions of Mac OS, see the latest compatibility information on the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

Turning Off Software Update

To turn off the Software Update feature:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Software Update.

2 Click Update Software and deselect Check for

Updates.

Chapter 4: Mac Conﬁguration 19

Turning Off Energy Saver

Disabling the Spotlight Shortcuts

To turn off the Energy Saver feature:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Energy Saver.

2 Click Sleep and do the following:

• Set the computer sleep setting to Never.

• Set the display sleep setting to Never.

• Deselect “Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible” option.

Setting Processor Performance

(Mac G5 Computers Only)

To set the Processor Performance:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Energy Saver.

2 Click Options and set Processor Performance

to Highest.

Disabling Spotlight Indexing

The Mac OS X Spotlight feature indexes files and folders in the background, affecting system performance. It is recommended that you disable Spotlight indexing before using Pro Tools.

To disable Spotlight indexing:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Spotlight.

2 In the Spotlight window, click Privacy.

3 To prevent indexing of a drive, drag its icon

from the desktop into the list.

The Mac OS X Spotlight feature uses the same key commands Pro Tools uses to start recording (Command+Spacebar), and to record online (Command+Option+Spacebar). If you want to retain use of these key commands in Pro Tools, these shortcuts must be disabled.

To disable the Spotlight keyboard shortcut:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Spotlight.

2 Deselect “Spotlight menu keyboard shortcut”

and “Spotlight window keyboard shortcut.”

Disabling the Dashboard Shortcut

The Mac OS X Dashboard feature uses the same key command Pro Tools uses to start recording (F12). If you want to retain use of this key command in Pro Tools, this shortcut must be disabled.

To disable the Dashboard keyboard shortcut:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Dashboard and Exposé.

2 Set the Dashboard keyboard shortcut to “–” to

disable the shortcut.

Enabling Journaling for Audio Drives

If you plan to use an audio drive that you used with a previous version of Pro Tools on the Mac, enable journaling.

To enable journaling:

1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in

Applications/Utilities.

2 Select the volume in the left column of the

Disk Utility window.

3 Click Enable Journaling in the toolbar.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide20

Installing Pro Tools LE

After the Apple System software settings are configured, you are ready to install Pro Tools LE.

10 If prompted, enter your Administrator pass-

word and click OK to authenticate the installation.

11 Follow the remaining on-screen instructions.

To install Pro Tools LE on Mac OS X:

1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administra-

tor for the account where you want to install Pro Tools. For details on Administrator privileges in Mac OS X, refer to your Apple Mac OS X documentation.

2 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc in your

CD/DVD drive.

3 On the Installer disc, locate and double-click

“Install Pro Tools.”

4 Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed

with installation.

5 Select the install location. For maximum reli-

ability, install Pro Tools on your startup drive.

6 Click Continue.

7 Select the Pro Tools application for installa-

tion.

8 You can also select from a list of optional

items to install along with Pro Tools:

MIDI I/O Driver The MIDI I/O Driver is required if you are using the Digidesign MIDI I/O.

MP3 Export Option The MP3 Export Option lets you export MP3 files from Pro Tools. This option is purchased separately.

12 When installation is complete, click Restart.

The Pro Tools Installer disc includes additional software for your system. For more information, see “Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc” on page 22.

Connecting Mbox 2 Mini to the Computer

Before launching Pro Tools LE software, connect Mbox 2 Mini to your computer.

To connect Mbox 2 Mini to your computer:

1 Connect the small end of the included USB ca-

ble to the USB port on Mbox 2 Mini.

2 With your computer on, connect the other

end of the USB cable to any available USB port on your computer.

Mbox 2 Mini may not function properly if connected to a USB hub. Connect Mbox 2 Mini to a separate, dedicated USB port.

9 Click Install.

Chapter 4: Mac Conﬁguration 21

Launching Pro Tools LE

The Mbox 2 Mini CoreAudio Driver is installed by default when you install Pro Tools.

When launching Pro Tools LE the first time, you are prompted to enter an authorization code to validate your software.

To authorize Pro Tools LE software:

1 Click the Pro Tools LE icon in the Dock (or

double-click the application icon in the Pro Tools folder inside the Digidesign folder).

2 Enter the authorization code in the dialog

when prompted (making sure to type it exactly as printed, and observing any spaces and capitalization), then click Validate.

Your authorization code is located on the Mbox 2 Mini QuickStart Sheet.

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Check your Pro Tools Installer disc for additional software and installers.

Mbox 2 Mini CoreAudio Driver

The Mbox 2 Mini CoreAudio Driver is a multiclient, multichannel sound driver that allows CoreAudio-compatible applications to record and play back through Digidesign hardware.

For information on configuring the Mbox 2 Mini CoreAudio Driver, see the CoreAudio Drivers Guide.

Standalone Mbox 2 Mini CoreAudio Driver

The Mbox 2 Mini CoreAudio Driver can be installed as a standalone driver on Mac systems that do not have Pro Tools software installed. The standalone version of this driver is available on the Pro Tools Installer disc (in the Additional Files Folder).

For information on installing and configuring the standalone version of the Mbox 2 Mini CoreAudio Driver, see the CoreAudio Drivers Guide.

Pro Tools Demo Session

The Pro Tools Installer disc includes a separate demo session installer. You can use this session to verify that your system is working.

To install the demo session:

1 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc in your

CD/DVD drive. Locate and double-click the demo session installer icon.

2 Select your audio drive as the install location

and click Install.

3 When installation is complete, click Quit.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide22

Conﬁguring Pro Tools LE

Pro Tools System Settings

Pro Tools LE lets you adjust the performance of your system by changing system settings that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and recording.

In most cases, the default settings for your system provide optimum performance, but you may want to adjust them to accommodate large or processing-intensive Pro Tools sessions.

Hardware Buffer Size

◆ Lower Hardware Buffer Size settings reduce

monitoring latency, and are useful when you are recording live input.

◆ Higher Hardware Buffer Size settings allow for

more audio processing and effects, and are useful when you are mixing and using more RTAS plug-ins.

To change the Hardware Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog for Mbox 2 Mini

2 From the H/W Buffer Size pop-up menu, select

the audio buffer size, in samples.

3 Click OK.

RTAS Processors

The RTAS Processors setting determines the number of processors in your computer allocated for RTAS plug-in processing.

◆ A higher number of processors reserves more

CPU processing capacity for RTAS plug-in processing. This is useful for sessions with large number of RTAS plug-ins.

Chapter 4: Mac Conﬁguration 23

◆ A lower number of processors leaves more

CPU processing capacity for automation, screen redraws, and video playback in Pro Tools, or for other application running at the same time as Pro Tools.

To set the number of RTAS Processors:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the RTAS Processors pop-up menu, select

the number of available processors you want to allocate for RTAS plug-in processing.

3 Click OK.

To change the CPU Usage Limit:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the CPU Usage Limit pop-up menu, se-

lect the percentage of CPU processing you want to allocate to Pro Tools.

3 Click OK.

RTAS Engine (RTAS Error Suppression)

The RTAS Engine options determine RTAS error reporting during playback and recording. This is especially useful when working with instrument plug-ins.

CPU Usage Limit

◆ Lower CPU Usage Limit settings limit the ef-

◆ Higher CPU Usage Limit settings allocate

more processing power to Pro Tools, and are useful for playing back large sessions or using more real-time plug-ins.

Increasing the CPU Usage Limit may slow down screen response on slower computers.

There are two RTAS Engine options:

Minimize Additional I/O Latency When enabled, any additional latency due to suppressing RTAS errors during playback and record is minimized to 128 samples. Suppressing RTAS errors requires at least 128 samples of additional buffering on some systems. If this option is disabled, the buffer is half the H/W Buffer Size, or at least

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide24

128 samples (which ever is greater). If you are on an older, slower computer, you may not want to enable this option since doing so can adversely affect performance.

The Minimize Additional I/O Latency option is only available if the Ignore Errors During Playback/Record option is enabled.

To enable RTAS error suppression:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 Select Ignore Errors During Playback/Record.

3 If available, you can also select Minimize Ad-

ditional I/O Latency.

4 Click OK.

DAE Playback Buffer Size

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory DAE allocates for disk buffers. The optimum DAE Playback Buffer Size for most disk operations is Level 2.

◆ DAE Playback Buffer Size settings lower than

◆ DAE Playback Buffer Size settings higher than

To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the DAE Playback Buffer pop-up menu,

select a buffer size.

3 Click OK.

Pro Tools Hardware Settings

Pro Tools lets you set the default sample rate and clock source for your system.

Default Sample Rate

The Sample Rate setting appears as the default sample rate when you create a new session. (This setting is available in the Hardware Setup dialog only when no session is open.)

You can change the sample rate when creating a new Pro Tools session by selecting a different sample rate in the New Session dialog. (See the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

To change the default Sample Rate:

1 Make sure that no Pro Tools session is open.

2 Choose Setup > Hardware.

)

Hardware Setup dialog for Mbox 2 Mini

Chapter 4: Mac Conﬁguration 25

3 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate

popup menu.

4 Click OK.

Clock Source

The Pro Tools Hardware Setup dialog is set to Internal, which supports recording analog signals directly into Mbox 2 Mini analog inputs 1–2.

Conﬁguring I/O Setup

To rename I/O paths in I/O Setup:

1 Choose Setup > I/O

2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, or Bus tab to

display the corresponding connections.

Pro Tools LE has default I/O Setup settings that will get you started. Use the I/O Setup dialog only if you want to rename the default I/O paths.

I/O Setup dialog for Mbox 2 Mini

3 To change the name of a path or subpath,

double-click directly on the Path Name, type a new name for the path, and press Return.

4 Click OK.

See the Pro Tools Reference Guide (or choose Help > Pro Tools Reference Guide) for more information on renaming I/O paths.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide26

Audio MIDI Setup (AMS)

(Optional)

If you plan to use any MIDI devices with Pro Tools LE, configure your MIDI setup with the Apple Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) utility. See Appendix B, “Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)” for details.

Backing Up your System Conﬁguration

After configuring your system and Pro Tools, you should save an image of your system drive using a backup utility such as Bombich Carbon Copy Cloner. By doing this, you can quickly restore your system configuration and settings if you encounter any problems.

Removing Pro Tools

If you need to remove Pro Tools software from your computer, use the Uninstaller application.

Safe Uninstall Leaves certain plug-ins and system files needed for compatibility with some Avid products.

Clean Uninstall Removes all Pro Tools files, including system files, Digidesign plug-ins, and MIDI patch names.

5 Click Uninstall.

6 Enter your Administrator password and click

OK.

7 Click Finish to close the Installer window.

To remove Pro Tools from your computer:

1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administra-

tor for the account where Pro Tools is installed.

For details on Administrator privileges in Mac OS X, refer to your Apple OS X documentation.

2 Go to Applications/Digidesign/Pro Tools/

Pro Tools Utilities and double-click the “Uninstall Pro Tools” ﬁle.

3 Click Continue to proceed with the uninstall.

4 Choose the type of uninstall you want to per-

form:

Chapter 4: Mac Conﬁguration 27

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide28

chapter 5

Mbox 2 Mini Hardware Overview

Mbox 2 Mini Front Panel Features

The Mbox 2 Mini front panel has the following features:

Headphone Output

Figure 1. Mbox 2 Mini front panel

Headphone/Monitor

Output Level

Mix (Ratio)

Monitor Mute

Headphone Output

Use the Headphone Output to connect a stereo headphone with a 1/4-inch stereo connector.

Headphone/Monitor Output Level

The Headphone/Monitor Output knob adjusts the output level of the Headphone Output and Mon Out (Monitor Output). In Pro Tools, this is the signal that is routed to Outputs 1–2.

USB

LED

Input 1

Gain

Input 2

Gain

Mon (Monitor) Mute Switch

This switch mutes the Monitor Outputs, without muting the Headphone Output. This switch does not affect recording.

Chapter 5: Mbox 2 Mini Hardware Overview 29

Mix (Ratio) Control

USB LED

Mbox 2 Mini gives you the ability to monitor your analog input signals while recording, without the delay incurred by A/D/A converters and host-based processing.

This zero-latency analog monitoring is controlled with the Mix knob, which you can use to blend and adjust the monitor ratio between Mbox 2 Mini analog inputs and Pro Tools playback.

To listen to just the source input signal, turn the Mix knob fully left to Input. To listen to Pro Tools output only, turn the knob fully right to Playback.

The output from the Mix control is routed directly to the Mon Out (Monitor Outputs), and is mirrored in the Headphone output.

This ability to blend and control the relative levels of Pro Tools playback and latency-free live analog inputs can be particularly effective when overdubbing.

The USB LED indicates that the Mbox 2 Mini has received power from its USB connection. Once the USB light is on, audio can pass in or out of the system.

Input 1 Gain Control

This knob adjusts the input gain level of the Input 1 Mic or Line/DI input, depending on which input is enabled by the back panel Mic/DI switch.

Input 2 Gain Control

This knob adjusts the input gain level of the Input 2 Line/DI input.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide30

Mbox 2 Mini Back Panel Features

The Mbox 2 Mini back panel has the following features:

Kensington

Lock port

Mic/DI

Figure 2. Mbox 2 Mini back panel

Pad

Mic

Input

Phantom

Power

Input 1 Section

Mic and Line/DI Inputs

The Input 1 section includes Mic (XLR) and Line/DI inputs.

The Line/DI input accepts line level signals, instruments, and other 1/4-inch TRS (Tip-RingSleeve) or TS (Tip-Sleeve) connections.

On the front panel, the input signal is adjusted by the Input 1 Gain control. The source (Mic or Line/DI) is chosen using the Mic/DI selector on the back panel.

Pad

Line/DI Input 1

Line/DI Input 2

Monitor Outputs

USB port

Pad Switch

The Pad switch engages a –20 dB pad on the input channel 1. When pressed in, the Pad is enabled.

48V Switch

When pressed in, 48V phantom power is active on the Mic XLR input. Phantom power is provided for microphones that require it to operate.

Mic/DI Switch

This switch selects either the Mic or Line/DI inputs for channel 1. When pressed in, the DI input is enabled. When not pressed in, the Mic input is enabled.

Chapter 5: Mbox 2 Mini Hardware Overview 31

About Phantom Power

Dynamic microphones (such as a Shure SM57) do not require phantom power to operate, but are not harmed by it. Most condenser microphones (like an AKG C3000) do require phantom power to operate.

Although phantom power can be used safely with most microphones, it is possible to damage some ribbon microphones with it. Always turn off phantom power and wait at least ten seconds before connecting or disconnecting a ribbon microphone.

Mon Out (Monitor Output)

To monitor your mix, these outputs can be connected to a mixing board, directly to a monitoring system such as a stereo power amp, or another stereo destination.

These outputs accept TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) or TS (Tip-Sleeve) 1/4-inch connections.

The Mon Out L and R outputs play the audio that is routed to analog outputs 1 and 2 from within Pro Tools, respectively. These analog outputs feature 24-bit digital-to-analog converters.

When using phantom power, Mbox 2 Mini’s maximum current per microphone is 4 mA.

If you are not sure about the phantom power requirements for your microphone, consult your microphone’s documentation or contact the manufacturer.

Input 2 Section

Input 2 Line/DI Input

The Input 2 section includes one Line/DI input.

The Line/DI input accepts line level signals, instruments, and other 1/4-inch TRS (Tip-RingSleeve) or TS (Tip-Sleeve) connections.

On the front panel, the input signal is adjusted by the Input 2 Gain control.

Pad Switch

The Pad switch engages a –20 dB pad on the input channel 2. When pressed in, the Pad is enabled.

USB Port

This standard USB v1.1 connector is used to connect your computer to the Mbox 2 Mini. One standard USB cable is included with your system.

The Mbox 2 Mini is compatible with USB 2.0 ports. However, the USB 2.0 bus will switch to the slower USB v.1.1 speed to accommodate Mbox 2 Mini.

Kensington Lock Port

Use the Kensington Lock port to secure your Mbox 2 Mini with a Kensington Lock (not supplied).

For more information, visit the Kensington website (www.kensington.com).

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide32

chapter 6

Making Hardware Connections

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 Mini. Sound from Mbox 2 Mini cannot be played through your computer’s speakers or your computer’s sound output.

Connecting Headphones

Connecting a Sound System

The Mon Out (Monitor Outputs) on the back of the Mbox 2 Mini support 1/4-inch plugs. These connections can be balanced or unbalanced TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) style connectors, or unbalanced connectors. To listen to your Pro Tools session, these outputs can be connected to any ampliﬁcation system: powered speakers, a home stereo system, or an audio mixer.

On the front panel of the Mbox 2 Mini is a 1/4inch jack to connect headphones.

Use the Headphone and Monitor Output Level control to adjust headphone and monitor output volume.

To connect headphones:

■ Connect headphones with a 1/4-inch stereo

connector (or adapter) to the Headphone jack.

When connecting to a stereo system, connect the left channel (often the white plug) to Mon Out L, and right channel (often the red plug) to Mon Out R.

Home stereo systems often use RCA connectors. You can use an adaptor or a special cable to convert from the 1/4inch TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) connectors used by Mbox 2 Mini to the RCA connectors on your home stereo.

Mon Out L and R play the audio that is routed to analog outputs 1 and 2 within Pro Tools.

Chapter 6: Making Hardware Connections 33

Connecting Audio Inputs

Mbox 2 Mini inputs (sources) support microphones, guitars, keyboards, and other types of instruments. Mbox 2 Mini 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.

For information about connecting specific audio sources, see “Connecting a Microphone to the Mbox 2 Mini” on page 34, and “Connecting Instruments to the Mbox 2 Mini” on page 35.

Overview of Analog Inputs

Mbox 2 Mini provides a total of two channels of analog input on the back panel. These are labelled Inputs 1 and 2.

Input 1

Connecting a Microphone to the Mbox 2 Mini

Mic Cables and Connectors

There are several ways to use Mbox 2 Mini with a microphone, depending on the type of microphone and cable you use.

Some microphone cables use an XLR connector to attach a microphone to an input (such as those on the Mbox 2 Mini); 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 Mini to yield better results.

XLR connector

Input 1 provides Mic and Line/DI input connectors. Inputs are selectable with the back panel Mic/DI switch.

These inputs appear as Analog In (1) in Pro Tools.

XLR For XLR microphone cables.

Line/DI For 1/4-inch TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) or TS

(Tip-Sleeve) cables from guitars, microphones, keyboards, mixers, or similar sources.

Input 2

Input 2 provides a Line/DI input connector. Inputs are selectable with the back panel Mic/DI switch. This input appears as Analog In (2) in Pro Tools.

Line/DI For 1/4-inch TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) or TS (Tip-Sleeve) cables from guitars, microphones, keyboards, mixers, or similar sources.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide34

1/4-inch connector

XLR and 1/4-inch connectors

Phantom Power

Some microphones require power to operate. This power, called phantom power, is supplied either by a battery in the microphone, or through an audio interface (such as Mbox 2 Mini) that can supply power through the microphone cable.

Most condenser microphones (such as an AKG C3000) require phantom power to operate. Dy- namic microphones (such as a Shure SM57) do not require phantom power to operate, but are not harmed by it.

Using a Mic that Has a 1/4-Inch Connector

To use a microphone that has a 1/4-inch TS (Tip-Sleeve) connector:

1 On the back of the Mbox 2 Mini, plug the 1/4-

inch connector from your microphone into one of the Line/DI inputs.

2 If you are using Input 1, set the Mic/DI switch

on the back panel to DI, by pressing the switch so that it is pressed in.

The Mbox 2 Mini can only supply power through a microphone cable with XLR connectors. If you are not sure about the phantom power requirements for your microphone, refer to your microphone’s documentation or contact the manufacturer.

Using a Mic that Has an XLR Connector

To use a microphone that has an XLR connector:

1 Plug your microphone cable into the Mic in-

put on the back of Mbox 2 Mini.

2 Set the Mic/DI switch on the back panel to

Mic, by pressing the switch so that it is not pressed in.

3 If your microphone requires phantom power,

make sure the microphone is connected, then press the Phantom Power switch (labeled 48V) on the back of the Mbox 2 Mini. 48v phantom power is enabled when the switch is pressed in.

4 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, turn the

Mix control fully left to Input.

5 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, carefully

turn the Input 1 Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your microphone signal.

3 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, turn the

Mix control fully left to Input.

4 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, carefully

turn the input’s Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your microphone signal.

5 If the incoming signal is too loud, press the in-

put’s Pad switch on the back panel to engage the 20 dB pad.

Connecting Instruments to the Mbox 2 Mini

Mbox 2 Mini provides Line/DI inputs that support direct instruments (such as electric guitar and electric bass), and line level devices (including electronic audio sources such as mixers, samplers, keyboards, turntables, and synthesizers).

To use a guitar with Mbox 2 Mini:

1 On the back of the Mbox 2 Mini, plug your

guitar cable into one of the Line/DI inputs.

2 If you are using Input 1, set the Mic/DI switch

on the back panel to DI, by pressing the switch so that it is pressed in.

Chapter 6: Making Hardware Connections 35

3 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, turn the

Mix control fully left to Input.

4 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, carefully

turn the input’s Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your guitar.

5 If the incoming signal is too loud, press the in-

put’s Pad switch on the back panel to engage the 20 dB pad.

To use a keyboard or mixer with Mbox 2 Mini:

1 Plug your keyboard, mixer, or other audio

source into either the Input 1 or Input 2 Line/DI (TRS) inputs on your Mbox 2 Mini. If your source is stereo (such as a stereo keyboard or the stereo output from a mixer), connect the left channel (often the white plug) to Input 1, and right channel (often the red plug) to Input 2.

2 If you are using Input 1, set the Mic/DI switch

on the back panel to DI, by pressing the switch so that it is pressed in.

3 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, turn the

Mix control fully left to Input.

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 Mini, carefully

turn the input’s Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your keyboard.

6 If the incoming signal is too loud, press the in-

put’s Pad switch on the back panel to engage the 20 dB pad.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide36

chapter 7

Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE

This chapter is designed to give new users specific methods for accomplishing common tasks with your Pro Tools system.

For the most complete information on using Pro Tools, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

You can view an electronic PDF version of the

Reference Guide by choosing it from the

Pro Tools Help menu.

Recording a Pro Tools Session

Before you record with Pro Tools and the Mbox 2 Mini, you first create a Pro Tools session, then prepare an audio track for recording.

To create a Pro Tools session:

1 Verify the connections between the

Mbox 2 Mini and your instrument or microphone.

For connection information, see Chapter 6, “Making Hardware Connections.”

3 Choose File > New Session.

4 In the New Session dialog, set the session pa-

rameters as needed, or leave them at their default settings. (For details on New Session settings, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.)

New Session dialog

5 Choose where you want to save your session.

6 Type a name for your session.

7 Click Save.

2 Launch Pro Tools.

Chapter 7: Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE 37

To prepare an audio track for recording:

1 Choose Track > New.

2 Specify 1 Mono Audio Track in Samples, if

your source is mono, or 1 Stereo Audio Track in Samples, if your source is stereo.

6 From the pop-up menu, select the interface in-

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 Mini. Select In 1–2 on any stereo audio track when your audio source is stereo.

7 Play the instrument or sound source at the

volume you will record.

Creating a new Stereo Audio track

3 Click Create.

A mono instrument uses one input on the Mbox 2 Mini, and a stereo instrument uses two. Creating a stereo track in Pro Tools will not make a mono instrument into a stereo instrument. If a mono instrument is recorded on a stereo track, one side of the stereo track will show no signal.

4 Make sure the Mix window is open by choos-

ing Window > Mix.

Showing the Mix window

5 In the Mix window, click the Audio Input Path

selector on the new track.

8 Use the Gain controls on Mbox 2 Mini to

maximize the signal going into Pro Tools while avoiding clipping.

Clipping occurs when you feed a signal to an audio device that is louder than the circuitry can accept. To avoid clipping, adjust the Gain control to a lower level.

9 Using the Mix controls on the front of the

Mbox 2 Mini, do one of the following:

• To hear only the input signal, turn the Mix control fully left to Input.

• To hear an equal mix of playback and input signals, turn the Mix control to the center.

Input Path selector

Choosing an input in the Mix window

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide38

To record an audio track:

1 Click the track’s Record Enable button.

Record enabling a track in the Mix window

2 Choose Window > Transport to display the

Transport window. Click Return to Zero to go to the beginning of the session.

4 Click Stop in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar to stop playback.

Importing Audio from a CD

To import audio from a compact disc:

1 Launch Pro Tools.

2 Choose File > New Session.

Return to Zero

Rewind

Online

Transport window

3 Click Record button in the Transport window

Stop

Fast Forward

Go to EndPlay

Record

to arm Pro Tools for recording. The Record button ﬂashes red to indicate that Pro Tools is ready to record.

4 When you are ready to start recording, click

Play or press the Spacebar.

5 Record your performance.

6 Click Stop in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar when you are ﬁnished recording.

To play back a recorded track:

1 Click the track’s Record Enable button a sec-

ond time to take it out of Record mode.

3 Set Session Parameters in the New Session di-

alog as needed, or leave at their default settings.

New Session dialog

4 Choose where you want to save your session.

5 Type a name for your session and click Save.

6 Put the source CD into your computer’s

CD/DVD drive.

2 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, turn the

Mix control fully right to Playback.

3 Click Play in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar to start playback.

Chapter 7: Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE 39

7 Open the Workspace browser by choosing

Window > Workspace. The Workspace browser is a window where you can ﬁnd, audition, and manage your audio ﬁles.

Opening the Workspace browser

10 Drag the audio ﬁle from the Workspace

browser to the Track List in the Edit window to import the ﬁle to a new audio track.

8 In the Workspace browser, click the Audio CD

icon to show the ﬁles on the CD.

9 Click the speaker icon in the Waveform col-

umn to audition the audio ﬁle. Press the Spacebar to stop playback.

Auditioning an audio ﬁle in the Workspace browser

Dragging an audio ﬁle from the Workspace browser to the Edit window Track List

To play back the new track:

1 In the Transport window, click Return to Zero

to go to the beginning of the track.

2 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, turn the

Mix control fully right to Playback.

3 Click Play in the Transport window to begin

playback.

4 Click Stop in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar to stop playback.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide40

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 CD burning software.

Bouncing Audio 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.

If you are bouncing down audio from 24-bit resolution to 16-bit (CD resolution), you should use a dither plug-in on the main output. (For details, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.)

2 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk.

Choosing Bounce to Disk from the File menu

3 In the Bounce Options dialog, choose Outputs

1–2 as the Bounce Source.

4 Choose BWF (.WAV) for the File Type.

5 Choose Stereo Interleaved for the Format.

To bounce audio to disk:

1 After you have finished recording and mixing

a session in Pro Tools, select the length of the session in the timeline ruler (or on a track), plus an additional amount of time to avoid cutting off any reverb tails that might continue past the end of the last region.

Session audio selected and ready to bounce

6 Choose 16 for the Resolution and 44100 for

the Sample Rate.

7 If you are changing the sample rate of the

bounced ﬁle, choose a Conversion Quality setting. (For details, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.)

Chapter 7: Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE 41

8 Choose “Convert after Bounce,” and click

Bounce.

Bounce options for creating CD burnable tracks

9 In the Bounce dialog, give the bounce tracks a

name and choose where they should be saved.

Pro Tools begins bouncing to disk. Pro Tools bounces are done in real time, so you hear audio playback of your mix during the bounce process (though you cannot adjust it).

Bouncing to Disk dialog

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 CD burning application to burn your bounced mix to CD.

Entering a name for the bounced ﬁle

10 Click Save.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide42

Make certain that you configure your CD burning application to create an audio CD rather than a data CD.

Recording MIDI in a Pro Tools Session

What is MIDI?

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data 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 controller or sound module (real or virtual) connected to the computer through the MIDI ports on a MIDI interface. Audio from your MIDI instrument can be monitored through the Mbox 2 Mini or sent to an external mixer.

MIDI sound module

MIDI

Audio

Recording MIDI on an Instrument Track

Pro Tools Instrument tracks provide both MIDI and audio capabilities, so you can record MIDI and monitor audio from software and hardware instruments.

To create an Instrument track and conﬁgure it for recording:

1 Choose Setup > MIDI > Input Devices and

make sure your input device is selected in the MIDI Input Enable window, and click OK.

2 Choose Track > New and specify 1 Mono In-

strument Track, then click Create.

Creating a new Mono Instrument track

3 Select View > Mix Window > Instruments to

display the MIDI controls for the Instrument track.

MIDI keyboard (controller)

Signal paths for MIDI instruments

Mixer

To amplifier

Monitoring MIDI Instruments with Mbox 2 Mini

If you have a MIDI instrument that has analog outputs, you can connect it to Mbox 2 Mini to monitor its output.

To connect your MIDI instrument for monitoring in Pro Tools:

■ Connect the MIDI instrument’s audio output

to a Line/DI (TRS) input on your Mbox 2 Mini.

Showing the Instrument View in the Mix window

4 At the top of the Instrument track in the Mix

window, click the track’s MIDI Input selector and assign the device and channel to be recorded, or leave it set to All.

MIDI Input selector

MIDI Input selector in an Instrument track

Chapter 7: Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE 43

5 Do one of the following, depending on the

type of instrument you are using:

• If you are using an instrument plug-in, click an Insert selector and insert the plugin on the Instrument track. The track’s MIDI output is automatically assigned to the instrument plug-in.

Inserting an instrument plug-in on an Instrument track

• If you are using an external MIDI device, click the track’s MIDI Output selector (at the top of the Instrument track) and assign the device and channel to receive the MIDI output (the choices will vary depending on the device).

6 If you are using an external MIDI device and

connected its audio output to Mbox 2 Mini for monitoring in Pro Tools, click the Input selector of the Instrument track and choose the corresponding audio input. (This step is not necessary if you are using an instrument plug-in.)

Choosing an audio input for an Instrument track

7 In the Mix Window, click the track’s Record

Enable button to enable the Instrument track for MIDI recording.

MIDI Output selector in an Instrument track

If your connected MIDI device does not appear, check that you have configured your computer and its MIDI settings.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide44

Track Record Enable button

Enabling an Instrument track for MIDI recording

8 Make sure Options > MIDI Thru is selected.

9 Play some notes on your MIDI controller and

look for the track’s MIDI Velocity meter to move. Remember, MIDI is not audio, and the MIDI Velocity meter is not registering sound output, but MIDI activity.

MIDI Velocity meter

Return to Zero

Rewind

Online

Transport window

Stop

Fast Forward

Go to EndPlay

Record

MIDI meter in Instrument track showing MIDI activity

10 Adjust the audio output level of the Instru-

ment track with its Volume fader.

Volume fader

Adjusting the Volume fader on an Instrument track

To record MIDI on the Instrument track:

1 Verify that the Instrument track you want to

record to is record-enabled and receiving MIDI.

2 In the Transport window, click Return to Zero

to start recording from the beginning of the session. You can also record to a selection in a track or from the cursor location in the Edit window.

3 Click Record in the Transport window.

4 Click Play in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar to begin recording.

5 Play your MIDI controller or input device.

6 When you have ﬁnished recording, click Stop

in the Transport window, or press the Spacebar. The newly recorded MIDI data appears as a MIDI region on the track in the Edit window, as well as in the Region List.

MIDI data in the Instrument track

To play back recorded MIDI data:

1 Click the track’s Record Enable button to take

the Instrument track out of Record mode.

2 In the Transport window, click Return to Zero

to play back from the beginning of the track.

3 Click Play in the Transport window to begin

playback. The recorded MIDI data plays back through the track’s assigned instrument and channel.

Chapter 7: Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE 45

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide46

appendix a

Conﬁguring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)

MIDI Studio Setup

MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) lets you configure the MIDI controllers and sound modules that are connected to your system, and control the routing of MIDI data between your MIDI equipment and Pro Tools.

MSS automatically finds MIDI interfaces, and lets you specify a custom name for each of the MIDI ports within the MIDI Studio Setup document.

MSS also supports XML-based patch file names for storing and importing patch names for your external MIDI devices.

Entire MIDI Studio Setup configurations created within MSS can be imported and exported.

MIDI Studio Setup Window

The MIDI Studio Setup window is organized into three sections. Interface controls are at the top of the window. All the currently defined instruments are displayed in the Instrument Name list on the left side of the window. A detailed view of MIDI parameters is shown in the Properties section on the right.

MIDI Studio Setup window

Interface Controls

Create This button adds a new instrument to the Instrument Name list.

Delete This button deletes the instrument or instruments selected in the Instrument Name list.

Import This button lets you import an existing MIDI Studio Setup file.

Appendix A: Conﬁguring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) 47

Export This button lets you export the current MIDI Studio Setup file.

Show Duplicate Emulated Ports When this option is selected and you are using a MIDI interface that supports timestamping (such as MIDI I/O), the MIDI Studio setup window shows both the DirectMusic time-stamped output ports, and non-stamped duplicate emulated output ports.

Some MIDI Interfaces will not properly load or unload their drivers unless you quit and re-launch Pro Tools. Check the documentation that came with your MIDI interface for more information.

Instrument List

The Instrument list contains all the currently defined instruments. Selecting an instrument in the list displays that instrument’s properties in the Properties section of the window.

Properties Section

The Properties section lets you edit information for new instruments, or instrument currently selected in the Instrument list.

To deﬁne an instrument with MIDI Studio Setup:

1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio.

2 Click Create.

3 In the Instrument Name ﬁeld, type the name

of your instrument, and press Enter.

If you do not enter an instrument name, the Instrument Name field will automatically inherit information from the Manufacturer and Model pop-up menu.

4 Set a manufacturer and model for the new de-

vice from the corresponding pop-up menus. If the Manufacturer and Model pop-up menus do not provide a name for your particular device, choose None.

5 From the Input pop-up menu, choose the in-

put port on your MIDI interface that is connected to the MIDI Out of your instrument.

6 From the Output pop-up menu, choose the

output port on your MIDI interface that is connected to the MIDI In of your instrument.

7 Enable the appropriate MIDI channels (1–16)

for the Send Channels and Receive Channels options (These determine which channels send and receive MIDI.)

MIDI Studio Setup Properties section

When a previously defined instrument is selected in the Instrument list, the Properties section changes to reflect the properties of the selected instrument.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide48

Instrument Name

The Instrument Name field shows the user-definable instrument name for the currently selected instrument.

Manufacturer

The Manufacturer pop-up menu provides a list of MIDI equipment manufacturers. This list is derived from the XML-based MIDI device files.

For more information, see “MIDI Patch Name Support” on page 49.

Model

Receive Channels

The Model pop-up menu provides a list of MIDI devices, filtered by the manufacturer name. This list is derived from the XML-based MIDI device files provided with your Pro Tools installation.

For more information, see “MIDI Patch Name Support” on page 49.

Input Port

The Input Port pop-up menu displays a list of available MIDI interface input ports. Inputs will include any MIDI interfaces enabled on your system. The MIDI interface port that is set and displayed here is the port through which MIDI data is sent from the external MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field into your MIDI interface.

If you set the input port to None, the defined instrument will not appear as a choice in a MIDI Input selector.

Output Port

The Output Port pop-up menu displays a list of available MIDI interface output ports. The port set and displayed here is the port through which MIDI data is sent from your MIDI interface to the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field.

The Receive Channels grid sets the receive channels for the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field.

MIDI Patch Name Support

Pro Tools supports XML (Extensible Markup Language) for storing and importing patch names for your external MIDI devices. Pro Tools installs MIDI patch name files (.midnam) for the factory default patch names of many common MIDI devices. These files reside in directories, sorted by manufacturer, in Program Files\ Common Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch Names\ Digidesign.

To import MIDI patch names into Pro Tools:

1 Verify the MIDI Device name in the MIDI Stu-

dio Setup window (see “MIDI Studio Setup” on page 47).

2 Verify the MIDI track’s output is correctly as-

signed to the MIDI device.

If you set the output port to None, the defined instrument will not appear as a choice in a MIDI Output selector.

Send Channels

The Send Channels grid sets the send channels for the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field.

Appendix A: Conﬁguring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) 49

3 Click the MIDI track’s Patch Select button.

Patch Select button

Patch Select button, Edit window

Patch Select button

6 Click Open.

The Patch Select dialog is populated with patch names and the Patch Name Bank pop-up menu appears in the upper left hand corner of the window.

Patch Select button, Mix window

4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change

button.

Change button

Patch Select dialog

5 In the Open dialog, navigate to Program

Files\Common Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch Names\Digidesign\<name of manufacturer>, and select the MIDI Patch Name file (.midnam) for the MIDI device.

Patch Select dialog with patch names

Once patch names have been imported into Pro Tools, they are available for that MIDI device in all sessions.

To clear patch names:

■ In the Patch Select dialog, click the Clear but-

ton, and click Done.

MIDI patch name files (.midnam) can be edited in any text editor, or you can use third party patch librarian and editor software to create your own custom patch names.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide50

appendix b

Conﬁguring AMS (Mac OS X Only)

5 Connect the MIDI device to the MIDI inter-

Audio MIDI Setup

Pro Tools recognizes the ports on your MIDI interface as generic ports. With Mac OS X, you use Apple’s Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) utility to identify external MIDI devices connected to your MIDI interface and configure your MIDI studio for use with Pro Tools.

To conﬁgure your MIDI studio in AMS:

1 Do one of the following:

• Launch Audio MIDI Setup (located in Applications/Utilities).

– or –

• In Pro Tools, choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio.

2 Click MIDI Devices. AMS scans your system

for connected MIDI interfaces. If your MIDI interface is properly connected, it appears in the window with each of its ports numbered.

3 For any MIDI devices connected to the MIDI

interface, click Add Device. A new external device icon with the default MIDI keyboard image will appear.

4 Drag the new device icon to a convenient lo-

cation within the window.

face by clicking the arrow for the appropriate output port of the device and dragging a connection or “cable” to the input arrow of the corresponding port of the MIDI interface.

Making MIDI input and output connections (Digidesign Command|8 shown)

6 Click the arrow for the appropriate input port

of the device and drag a cable to the output arrow of the corresponding port of the MIDI interface.

To remove a connection, select the cable and

press Delete. To delete all connections, click Clear Cables.

7 Repeat steps 3–6 for each MIDI device in your

MIDI setup.

Appendix B: Conﬁguring AMS (Mac OS X Only) 51

To conﬁgure an external MIDI device:

1 Select the external device icon and click Show

Info (or double-click the new device icon).

External Device Icon

2 Select a manufacturer and model for the new

device from the corresponding pop-up menus. (If the Manufacturer and Model pop-up menus do not provide a name for your particular device, you can type a name.)

3 Click the More Properties arrow to expand the

dialog, then enable the appropriate MIDI channels (1–16) for the Transmits and Receives options. (These determine which channels the device will use to send and receive MIDI.)

Enabling MIDI channels

Naming a new MIDI device

For Manufacturer and Model names, AMS refers to one or more files with the suffix “.middev” in the directory Root/Library/ Audio/MIDI Devices. Pro Tools installs a file that contains information for many commercially available MIDI devices, named “Digidesign Device List.middev.” If the Manufacturer or Model names for any of your external MIDI devices is not available in the AMS Manufacturer and Model popup menus, you can add them by editing the .middev file in any text editor (such as TextEdit).

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide52

4 Click the device image. The window expands

to show images for various MIDI devices (such as keyboards, modules, interfaces, and mixers). Select an icon for your device.

Selecting a device icon

To use your own custom icons, you can place TIFF image files in /Library/ Audio/MIDI Devices/Generic/Images, and they will appear as choices in the AMS device window.

5 Click OK.

MIDI Patch Name Support

Pro Tools supports XML (Extensible Markup Language) for storing and importing patch names for you external MIDI devices. Pro Tools installs MIDI patch name files (.midnam) for the factory default patch names of many common MIDI devices. These files reside in directories, sorted by manufacturer, in /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names/Digidesign.

To import MIDI patch names into Pro Tools:

1 Verify the MIDI Device name in the Audio

MIDI Setup window (see “Audio MIDI Setup” on page 51).

2 Verify the MIDI track’s output is correctly as-

signed to the MIDI device.

3 Click the MIDI track’s Patch Select button.

Patch Select button

Patch Select button, Edit window

The device names you enter appear as MIDI input and output choices in Pro Tools.

Patch Select button

Patch Select button, Mix window

Appendix B: Conﬁguring AMS (Mac OS X Only) 53

4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change

button.

Change button

Patch Select dialog

5 In the Open dialog, navigate to /Library/Au-

dio/MIDI Patch Names/Digidesign/<name of manufacturer>, and select the MIDI Patch Name file (.midnam) for the MIDI device.

6 Click Open.

The Patch Select dialog is populated with patch names and the Patch Name Bank pop-up menu appears in the upper left hand corner of the window.

Once patch names have been imported into Pro Tools, they are available for that MIDI device in all sessions.

To clear patch names:

■ In the Patch Select dialog, click the Clear but-

ton, and click Done.

MIDI patch name files (.midnam) can be edited in any text editor, or you can use third party patch librarian and editor software to create your own custom patch names.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide54

appendix c

Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance

It is recommended that you start with a newly formatted external or secondary internal audio drive. You should also periodically defragment your audio drive to ensure continued system performance.

Supported Drive Formats and Drive Types

Drive Formats

Always back up any important data on your drive before formatting it, as it will erase all data on the drive.

Avoid Recording to the System Drive

Recording to your system drive is not recommended. Recording and playback on a system drive may result in lower track counts or fewer plug-ins.

Windows Windows XP systems should use drives formatted as NTFS or FAT32 (NTFS preferred).

Windows systems can also support Mac drives formatted with HFS+ system (also commonly referred to as Mac OS Extended). Refer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide for more information.

Mac Mac systems should use drives formatted with HFS or HFS+ file system only.

HFS drives are supported as Transfer drives only.

Hard drive performance depends on factors including system configuration, number of tracks, session sample rate, density of edits, and the use of crossfades and other processes such as Beat Detective in a session.

For complete hard drive requirements, see the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

Appendix C: Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance 55

SCSI Hard Drives

Digidesign recommends qualified SCSI hard drives and a qualified SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) card or (on Windows systems) a qualified built-in SCSI HBA connector on the motherboard.

For complete information on track count and the supported number and configuration of SCSI drives, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

FireWire Hard Drives

Digidesign recommends qualified FireWire drives and (on Windows systems) a qualified FireWire host adapter.

For complete information on track count and the supported number and configuration of FireWire drives, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

IDE/ATA/SATA Hard Drives

Formatting an Audio Drive

Formatting Windows Audio Drives

(Windows Only)

For optimal performance, audio drives should be formatted as FAT32 or NTFS.

To format an audio drive:

1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-

age.

2 Under Storage, choose Disk Management.

A qualified internal IDE/ATA/SATA drive may be used as a dedicated audio drive.

For complete information on track count with internal drives, refer to the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide56

Disk Management window (Windows XP)

3 If the volume is “Healthy,” do the following:

Healthy volumes are volumes that have previously been partitioned and formatted.

• In the Disk Management window, rightclick the hard drive you will use for audio and choose Format.

• In the Format window, name the volume.

• Choose a ﬁle system. For optimum performance, audio drives should be formatted as NTFS. (FAT32 is also supported.)

Windows Disk Management can only create FAT32 volumes 32 GB or smaller. To create FAT32 volumes greater than 32 GB (up to 2 TB). use a third part utility (such as Swiss Knife or Partition Magic).

• Select “Perform a quick format.”

• Make sure “Enable ﬁle and folder compression” is not selected.

• Set the Allocation unit size to Default.

• Click OK.

4 If the volume is “Unallocated,” do the follow-

ing:

• In the Disk Management window, rightclick the hard drive you will use for audio and choose New Partition.

• In the New Partition Wizard window, click Next.

• When prompted, select the partition type.

Digidesign recommends using Primary partitions, instead of Extended partitions.

• Follow the on-screen instructions to select a partition size and other partition settings.

• When prompted, choose a ﬁle system. For optimum performance, audio drives should be formatted as NTFS. (FAT32 is also supported.)

Windows Disk Management can only create FAT32 volumes 32 GB or smaller. To create FAT32 volumes greater than 32 GB (up to 2 TB). use a third part utility (such as Swiss Knife or Partition Magic).

Pro Tools only supports Basic drive types. Do not convert the drive to a Dynamic type.

• Select “Perform a quick format.”

• Make sure “Enable ﬁle and folder compression” is not selected.

• Set the Allocation unit size to Default.

• Click OK.

Pro Tools only supports Basic drive types. Do not convert the drive to a Dynamic type.

Appendix C: Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance 57

Formatting Mac Audio Drives

(Mac Only)

For optimum performance, audio drives should be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

To format an audio drive:

1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in

Applications/Utilities.

Partitioning Drives

Partitioning creates a logical volume or volumes on a physical drive, almost as if you were creating virtual hard drives. Partitions can then be formatted with the appropriate ﬁle system (NTFS or FAT32 for Windows, HFS+ for Mac).

FAT32 drive partitions have a limit of 2 terabytes (2000 gigabytes), whereas NTFS drive partition sizes are almost limitless.

Windows XP allows drives formatted with the NTFS or FAT32 file systems to be seen as whole volumes. Single Pro Tools audio files cannot exceed 2048 MB in size.

Mac OS allows drives larger than 4096 MB to be seen as whole volumes. Drives must be initialized with a disk utility that recognizes the 2 terabyte limit. Single Pro Tools audio files cannot exceed 2048 MB in size.

Disk Utility (Mac OS X)

2 Click the Erase tab.

3 Select the drive you want to initialize in the

column on the left side of the window.

4 Choose the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) for-

mat.

Do not choose the “Case-Sensitive” format option. Pro Tools will not operate properly with case-sensitive formatted drives.

5 Type a name for the new volume.

6 If you plan to connect the drive to a Mac OS 9

computer, select Install Mac OS 9 Drivers.

7 Click Erase.

The drive appears on the Desktop with the new volume name.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide58

Seek Times on Partitioned Drives

Seek times are actually faster on partitioned drives (assuming that reads and writes are performed on a single partition), since the heads only have to seek within the partition boundaries, rather than the whole capacity of the drive.

Smaller partitions perform faster than larger partitions, but this comes at the expense of contiguous storage space. When you partition a drive, you will need to find the compromise that best suits your performance and storage requirements.

Avoid distributing audio files within a session over different partitions on the same drive since this will adversely affect drive performance.

Defragmenting an Audio Drive

Mac Systems

When working with larger files (such as video), you can limit fragmentation by backing up your important files to another disk, erasing the files from the original hard disk, then copying the files back, instead of doing a defragmentation.

Window Systems

Periodically defragment audio drives to maintain system performance.

For maximum recording and playback efficiency, data should be written to your hard drive in a contiguous fashion—minimizing the seek requirements to play back the data. Unfortunately, your computer can’t always store the sound files in this way and must write to disk wherever it can find space.

In multitrack recording, audio tracks are written in discrete files, spaced evenly across the disk. While fragmentation of individual files may be zero, the tracks may be far enough apart that playback will still be very seek-intensive. Also, the remaining free space on the disk will be discontiguous, increasing the likelihood of file fragmentation on subsequent record passes.

Optimizing (Defragmenting) Drives

To prevent fragmentation, you can optimize your drive, which rearranges your ﬁles into a contiguous format. Most optimizing software lets you run a check on a drive to ﬁnd out the percentage of fragmentation. If your drive shows moderate to heavy fragmentation, you should consider optimizing it.

If you use your system for intensive editing, or if you frequently delete audio or fade ﬁles from your hard drive, you may need to optimize your drives on a weekly basis, or even every few days, since it doesn’t take long for even a large hard drive to become fragmented.

Backing Up Data Before Optimizing

Since your files will be rewritten by the optimization process, always make a backup copy of the data on your hard drive before you optimize it. You should also use a hard drive utility to find and repair any problems before optimizing data or re-initializing your drives. If there is any damage to your hard drive's directories prior to optimizing, serious data loss may result.

Increased fragmentation increases the chance of disk errors, which can interfere with playback of audio, and result in performance errors.

On Windows, to avoid fragmentation, format drives with higher cluster sizes (such as 32K).

Appendix C: Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance 59

Defragmenting Windows Audio Drives

To defragment an audio drive (Windows):

1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-

age.

2 Under Storage, choose Disk Defragmenter.

3 In the Disk Defragmenter window, choose the

drive you want to defragment

4 Click the Defragment button and follow the

on-screen instructions.

When defragmenting is complete, close the Computer Management Window.

Using Mac Drives on Windows Systems

Pro Tools for Windows lets you record and play back sessions directly from a Mac-formatted (HFS+) drive connected to a Windows system. This functionality requires that all Mac session and audio files be stored on Mac-formatted drives.

During Pro Tools installation, make sure to select the Mac HFS+ Disk Support option. This option lets your Pro Tools system read, write, record, and play back using Mac-formatted HFS+ disks.

For information on using the Mac HFS+ Disk Support option, see the HFS+ Disk Support Option Guide.

For information on sharing sessions between Mac and Windows systems, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Formatting and Maintaining HFS+ Drives

To format and partition any drives as HFS+, connect the drives to a Mac computer and use the Apple OS X Disk Utility.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide60

Hard Disk Storage Space

Mono audio tracks recorded with 16-bit resolution at 44.1 kHz (CD quality) require approximately 5 MB of hard disk space per minute. The same tracks recorded with 24-bit resolution require about

7.5 MB per minute.

Stereo audio tracks recorded with 16-bit resolution at 44.1 kHz (CD quality) require approximately 10 MB of hard disk space per minute. The same tracks recorded with 24-bit resolution require about 15 MB per minute.

Table 4 lists the required disk space for certain track numbers and track lengths, to help you estimate your hard disk usage.

Table 4. Required hard drive space for audio tracks (44.1 kHz and 48 kHz sessions shown)

Number of Tracks and Length 16-bit at

44.1 kHz

1 mono track, 1 minute 5 MB 5.5 MB 7.5 MB 8.2 MB

16-bit at

48 kHz

24-bit at

44.1 kHz

24-bit at

48 kHz

1 stereo track (or two mono tracks), 5 minutes

1 stereo track (or two mono tracks), 60 minutes

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

50 MB 55 MB 75 MB 83 MB

600 MB 662 MB 900 MB 991 MB

Appendix C: Hard Drive Conﬁguration and Maintenance 61

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide62

appendix d

Troubleshooting

Backing Up Your Work

It is highly recommended that you back up your work on a regular basis, and especially before making changes to your system configuration.

Backing Up Your Session Data

Back up your session and audio data frequently. There are a variety of media that are suited to back up projects of various sizes, including additional hard drives, CD/DVD burners, automated tape backup systems, and high-capacity optical drives.

The best way to back up an entire session is to use the Save Copy In command. This command lets you save the session file and all of its associated files to a new location.

You can also use the Auto Save Backup feature (in the Operation Preferences page) to have Pro Tools automatically save backups of the session file while you work.

Backing Up Your System Conﬁguration

After configuring your system and Pro Tools, you should save an image of your system drive using a backup utility such as Norton Ghost (Windows) or Bombich Carbon Copy Cloner (Mac). By doing this, you can quickly restore your system configuration and settings if you encounter any problems.

Appendix D: Troubleshooting 63

Common Issues

Pro Tools Won’t Launch

Problem

When you double-click the Pro Tools application or a Pro Tools session ﬁle, Pro Tools doesn’t launch, or displays an error message.

Possible Solutions

◆ Check to be sure your computer has the re-

quired amount of RAM to launch Pro Tools. See the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

◆ Try a complete restart. Turn off your audio in-

terfaces, computer peripherals and your computer, and then turn them on again in the proper sequence.

◆ If you tried to launch Pro Tools by double-

clicking a Pro Tools session ﬁle, do the following:

• Close any error message.

• Double-click the Pro Tools application.

• In Pro Tools, choose File > Open Session to open the session.

◆ Reinstall the Pro Tools application, using the

Pro Tools Installer disc.

Audio Interface Is Not Recognized

Problem

When you launch Pro Tools it does not recognize an audio interface, or a connected audio interface is not available.

Possible Solutions

◆ Turn off your computer and check to be sure

your cables are properly and securely connected to your computer and to your audio interface.

◆ Verify that your Hardware Setup dialog set-

tings are correct.

◆ Try unplugging the USB cable from the

Mbox 2 Mini USB port and plugging it back in. If the USB LED still does not illuminate, shut down the computer, disconnect Mbox 2 Mini and start the computer. Once the computer has fully restarted, reconnect Mbox 2 Mini.

Performance Factors

There are several conditions that may adversely affect the performance of Pro Tools. These include:

Network Connections Close any network connections unless you are using them for network interchange of audio data.

Background Applications Any software utilities that run in the background or generate disk activity, such as virus protection, disk optimization, or file savers, should be turned off or removed.

Screen Savers Screen saver software should be completely disabled on your computer before running Pro Tools.

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide64

Power Saver Features Some automatic power saver features, such as those that spin down the system hard drive, can affect Pro Tools performance. These features should be turned off.

Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support

Register Your System

Register your purchase immediately after reviewing the Digidesign Registration Information Card included with every Pro Tools system. Registering your purchase is the only way you become eligible to receive complimentary technical support and future upgrade offers. Registering is one of the most important steps to complete as a new user.

Use Digidesign Resources

In addition to the printed and PDF versions of Pro Tools guides, your system includes the following sources of information:

Read Me Files These contain late-breaking information and known issues pertaining to Pro Tools software and hardware configurations. Read Me files are installed in Documentation folder when you install Pro Tools.

Answerbase This is a database of common problems and DAE errors, and their solutions based on the latest information from Digidesign Technical Support. This database is installed in the Digidesign folder when you install Pro Tools. Answerbase is also available on the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

Gather Important Information

Digidesign wants to help you resolve problems as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you have the following information handy when you contact Technical Support, it will make the diagnosis of your problem easier. Take a few minutes to collect the following basic information:

System Information

Computer

• Make, model, processor speed

• Amount of system RAM

• Operating system (version of Windows or Mac OS)

• Any Drivers, Disk Utilities, or other systemrelated applications you may have installed

Digidesign Hardware

• Type of cards, interfaces, or peripherals

Hard Drives

• Make, Model

• Drive size (GB)

• Drive speed (RPM)

• Drive type (SCSI, FireWire, IDE/ATA)

• Utility used to format the drive

• Number and size of partitions on the drive

Digidesign Software

• Pro Tools software version

• Plug-in versions

• Other Digidesign software

• Additional plug-ins from Digidesign Development Partners

Website (www.digidesign.com) This is your your best online source for information to help you get the most out of your Pro Tools system.

Appendix D: Troubleshooting 65

Other Hardware

Refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for operational details.

The most common hardware additions include:

• 1394 (FireWire) cards for Windows systems (manufacturer, model)

• Video Capture cards (manufacturer, model)

To verify that your hardware is qualified for use with your Pro Tools system, refer to the latest compatibility information the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).

Other Software

If you are using other audio or video applications, refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for operational details.

Make note of any other software that was running when a problem occurred.

Diagnostic Information

Note any DAE errors or other error codes you encounter. Additonally, note the ability to reproduce the problem under different conditions, for example, with another session, or after changing settings (such as the Hardware Buffer Size).

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide66

index

ASIO driver (Windows) 17 audio drivers

ASIO driver (Windows) 17 CoreAudio driver (Mac) 22 WaveDriver (Windows) 17

Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Mac) 51 authorizing Pro Tools LE

Mac 22 Windows 12

connecting Mbox 2 Mini

Mac 21 Windows 10

CoreAudio driver (Mac) 22 CPU Usage Limit 14, 24

DAE Playback Buffer Size 15, 25 drive formatting

Mac 58 Windows 57

drive maintenance 55 drive requirements 5

FireWire requirements 56

gain

headphones 29 input 30

hard drives

drive formats 55 FireWire requirements 56 formatting 57, 58 formatting (Mac) 58 IDE/ATA requirements 56 maintenance 55, 59 optimizing 59 partitioning 58 requirements 5 SCSI requirements 56 space requirements 61

Hardware Buffer Size 13, 23 headphones

gain control 29 output 29

I/O Setup

Mac 26 Windows 16

IDE/ATA requirements 56 indicators

phantom power 31 USB connection 30

inputs

gain 30

installing Pro Tools LE

Mac 21 Windows 10

installing QuickTime (Windows) 12

key commands 6

Index 67

latency

see monitoring

QuickTime

installing (Windows) 12

Mbox 2 Mini

back panel 31 connecting (Mac) 21 connecting (Windows) 10 features 3 front panel 29

MIDI

setup (Mac) 51 setup (Windows) 47

MIDI Input selector 43 MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) (Windows) 47 mix control (Mbox 2 Mini) 30 monitoring

zero latency 30

network connections 64

optimizing hard drives 59

partitioning hard drives 58 Patch Select dialog

Mac 54 Windows 50

phantom power 35

indicator 31 when to use 32, 35

power management settings

Mac 20 Windows 8

Pro Tools

demo session 22 removing 27

Pro Tools LE

capabilities 4 configuration (Mac) 23 configuration (Windows) 13 installing (Mac) 21 installing (Windows) 10

ratio control (Mbox 2 Mini) 30 registration 5 removing Pro Tools 27 RTAS Processors setting 13, 23

Sample Rate 15, 25 screen savers 64 SCSI requirements 56 sources

selecting 31

system optimization

Mac 19, 20 Windows 7, 8, 9, 10

system requirements 4 system settings

CPU Usage Limit 14, 24 DAE Playback Buffer Size 15, 25 Hardware Buffer Size 13, 23 I/O Setup 16, 26 RTAS Processors 13, 23 Sample Rate 15, 25

technical support

product registration required 65

TRS 34

USB connection indicator 30

WaveDriver (Windows) 17

Mbox 2 Mini Getting Started Guide68

www.digidesign.com

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: 800.333.2137

INTERNATIONAL OFFICES

Visit the Digidesign website for contact information

Pinnacle Systems Mbox 2 Mini - 7.3 Quick Start Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

contents

Installation QuickStart

Windows Installation Overview

Mac Installation Overview

Welcome to Mbox 2 Mini

Mbox 2 Mini Package

Mbox 2 Mini Features

Pro Tools LE Capabilities

System Requirements

MIDI Requirements

Hard Drive Requirements

About the Pro Tools Guides

Digidesign Registration

Conventions Used in This Guide

About www.digidesign.com

Installation Overview

Windows System Optimization

Required Optimizations

Enabling DMA

Disabling ClearType Font Smoothing

Disabling System Standby and Power Management

Recommended Optimizations

Optional Optimizations

Adjusting Processor Scheduling

Disabling Network Cards

Disabling Hyper-Threading

Disabling System Startup Items

Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Mbox 2 Mini

Installing QuickTime

Launching Pro Tools LE

Pro Tools System Settings

Hardware Buffer Size

RTAS Processors

RTAS Engine (RTAS Error Suppression)

CPU Usage Limit

DAE Playback Buffer Size

Pro Tools Hardware Settings

Default Sample Rate

Clock Source

MIDI Studio Setup

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Windows Audio Drivers

Pro Tools Demo Session

Standalone Digidesign Windows Audio Drivers

Removing Pro Tools LE

Installation Overview

Mac System Optimization

Turning Off Software Update

Turning Off Energy Saver

Disabling the Spotlight Shortcuts

Setting Processor Performance

Disabling Spotlight Indexing

Disabling the Dashboard Shortcut

Enabling Journaling for Audio Drives

Installing Pro Tools LE

Connecting Mbox 2 Mini to the Computer

Launching Pro Tools LE

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Mbox 2 Mini CoreAudio Driver

Pro Tools Demo Session

Pro Tools System Settings

Hardware Buffer Size

RTAS Processors

RTAS Engine (RTAS Error Suppression)

CPU Usage Limit

DAE Playback Buffer Size

Pro Tools Hardware Settings

Default Sample Rate

Clock Source

Audio MIDI Setup (AMS)

Removing Pro Tools

Mbox 2 Mini Hardware Overview

Mbox 2 Mini Front Panel Features

Headphone Output

Headphone/Monitor Output Level

Mon (Monitor) Mute Switch