Pinnacle Systems Mbox 2 Pro - 7.4 Quick Start Guide

Getting Started

Mbox® 2 Pro

Version 7.4

Legal Notices

This guide is copyrighted ©2007 by Digidesign, a division of
Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights
reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be
duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of
Digidesign.

003, 003 Rack, 96 I/O, 96i I/O, 192 Digital I/O, 192 I/O,
888|24 I/O, 882|20 I/O, 1622 I/O, 24-Bit ADAT Bridge I/O,
AudioSuite, Avid, Avid DNA, Avid Mojo, Avid Unity, Avid Unity
ISIS, Avid Unity MediaNetwork, Avid Xpress, AVoption,
AVoption|V10, Beat Detective, Bruno, Command|8, Control|24,
D-Command, D-Control, D-Fi, D-fx, D-Show, DAE, Digi 002,
Digi 002 Rack, DigiBase, DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign
Audio Engine, Digidesign Intelligent Noise Reduction,
Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiDrive, DigiRack, DigiTest,
DigiTranslator, DINR, DV Toolkit, EditPack, Impact, Interplay,
M-Audio, MachineControl, Maxim, Mbox, MediaComposer,
MIDI I/O, MIX, MultiShell, OMF, OMF Interchange, PRE,
ProControl, Pro Tools M-Powered, Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD,
Pro Tools LE, QuickPunch, Reel Tape, Reso, Reverb One,
ReVibe, RTAS, Smack!, SoundReplacer, Sound Designer II,
Strike, Structure, SYNC HD, SYNC I/O, Synchronic, TL Space,
Velvet, and X-Form are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Digidesign and/or Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks
are the property of their respective owners.

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

PN 9320-56828-00 REV A 7/07

Comments or suggestions regarding our documentation?
email: [e-mail]

Communications and Safety Regulation Information

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

• FCC Part 15 Class B

• EN 55022 Class B

• EN 55204 Class B

• 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: [phone]

declare under our sole responsibility that the product

Mbox 2 Pro

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.

Communication Statement

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 Pro

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

Safety Statement

This equipment has been tested to comply with USA and
Canadian safety certification in accordance with the
specifications of UL Standards: UL60065 7th /IEC 60065 7th
and Canadian CAN/CSA C22.2 60065:03. Digidesign Inc., has
been authorized to apply the appropriate UL & CUL mark on its
compliant equipment.

Warning

Digidesign is authorized to apply the CE (Conformité
Europénne) mark on this compliant equipment thereby
declaring conformity to EMC Directive 89/336/EEC and Low
Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC.

Important Safety Instructions

1) Read these instructions.

2) Keep these instructions.

3) Heed all warnings.

4) Follow all instructions.

5) Do not use this apparatus near water.

6) Clean only with dry cloth.

7) Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accordance
with the manufacturer’s instructions.

8) Do not install near any heat sources such as radiators, heat
registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including amplifiers) that
produce heat.

9) Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized or
grounding-type plug. A polarized plug has two blades with one
wider than the other. A grounding type plug has two blades and
a third grounding prong. The wide blade or the third prong are
provided for your safety. If the provided plug does not fit into
your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the
obsolete outlet.

10) Protect the power cord from being walked on or pinched
particularly at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point
where they exit from the apparatus.

11) Only use attachments/accessories specified by the
manufacturer.

12) Unplug this apparatus during lightning storms or when
unused for long periods of time.

13) Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. Servicing
is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way,
such as power-supply cord or plug is damaged, liquid has been
spilled or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus
has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not operate
normally, or has been dropped.

14) The apparatus shall not be exposed to dripping or
splashing and no objects filed with liquids (such as vases)
shall be placed on the apparatus.

Warning!

expose this apparatus to rain or mositure.

To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not

contents

Chapter 1. Installation QuickStart

Windows Installation Overview

Mac Installation Overview

Chapter 2. Welcome to Mbox 2 Pro

Mbox 2 Pro Package

Mbox 2 Pro Features

Pro Tools LE Capabilities

System Requirements

Digidesign Registration

About the Pro Tools Guides

About www.digidesign.com

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Chapter 3. Installing Pro Tools on Windows

Installation Overview

Connecting Mbox 2 Pro and Installing Pro Tools LE

Launching Pro Tools LE

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Uninstalling Pro Tools LE

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Chapter 4. Installing Pro Tools on Mac

Installation Overview

Installing Pro Tools LE

Connecting Mbox 2 Pro to the Computer

Launching Pro Tools LE

Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc

Uninstalling Pro Tools

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Contents

vii

Chapter 5. Configuring Your Pro Tools System

Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System

Configuring Pro Tools LE

Optimizing a Windows System for Pro Tools

Optimizing a Mac System for Pro Tools

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Chapter 6. Hardware Overview

Mbox 2 Pro Front Panel Features

Mbox 2 Pro Back Panel Features

Chapter 7. Making Studio Connections

Connecting Headphones

Connecting a Sound System

Connecting Audio Inputs

Connecting a Microphone

Connecting Instruments to the Mbox 2 Pro

MIDI Connections

Word Clock

Using a Footswitch

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Chapter 8. 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

Appendix B. Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)

Audio MIDI Setup

MIDI Patch Name Support

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started

viii

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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

ix

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started

x

chapter 1

Installation QuickStart

Windows Installation Overview

(Windows Systems Only)

Installing Pro Tools LE™ for Mbox® 2 Pro on a
Windows computer includes the following
steps:

1

“Connecting Mbox 2 Pro and Installing

Pro Tools LE” on page 9.

2

“Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 11.

Your authorization code is located on the
inside cover of this guide.

3

Configuring your system for improved perfor­mance. (See Chapter 5, “Configuring Your
Pro Tools System.”)

4

“Making Studio Connections” on page 35.

Mac Installation Overview

(Mac OS X Systems Only)

Installation of Pro Tools LE for Mbox 2 Pro on a
Mac includes the following steps:

1

“Connecting Mbox 2 Pro to the Computer”

on page 14.

2

“Installing Pro Tools LE” on page 13.

3

“Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 14.

Your authorization code is located on the
inside cover of this guide.

4

Configuring your system for improved perfor­mance. (See Chapter 5, “Configuring Your
Pro Tools System.”)

5

“Making Studio Connections” on page 35.

Chapter 1: Installation QuickStart

1

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started

2

chapter 2

Welcome to Mbox 2 Pro

Welcome to the Mbox® 2 Pro portable
Pro Tools

Mbox 2 Pro provides your Firewire-equipped
computer with four channels of analog audio in­put, six channels of analog audio output, two
channels of digital audio input and output,
MIDI In and Out ports, two channels of analog
monitor output, and two headphone outputs
with front panel level control. Mbox 2 Pro pro­vides professional-quality mic preamps and 24­bit analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog con­verters.

®

micro-studio from Digidesign®.

Mbox 2 Pro Package

The Mbox 2 Pro package includes the following:

• Mbox 2 Pro desktop audio interface and
power adapter

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

• This

Getting Started Guide

tion, configuration, and common tasks for
your Pro Tools system.

• Firewire connector cable (six-pin 1394)

• Power supply

• Digidesign Registration Information Card

, covering installa-

Mbox 2 Pro Features

The Mbox 2 Pro provides the following:

Audio Inputs and Outputs

Mbox 2 Pro lets your Pro Tools LE sessions uti­lize up to six discrete channels of input and up
to eight discrete channels of output, using the
following analog and digital I/O:

Analog Inputs

• Two channels of analog audio input with
microphone preamps and switchable 48V
phantom power. These analog input jacks
include one XLR/TRS combo connector on
the back panel, and two 1/4-inch DI con­nectors with switchable Mic and DI source
selection and LEDs on the front panel. A
–20 dB pad is also available separately on
each analog input channel

• Two additional channels of analog audio
input for Line and Phono sources (RIAA)

Analog Outputs

• Two 1/4-inch TRS analog Monitor outputs

• Four additional 1/4-inch balanced analog
line outputs

• Two additional channels of unbalanced
outputs on a single 1/4-inch TRS connector

Chapter 2: Welcome to Mbox 2 Pro

3

Digital I/O

• Two channels of S/PDIF digital input and out­put. S/PDIF inputs are available independent
of, and in addition to, analog inputs 1–4
when clocking to S/PDIF. S/PDIF outputs are
always available in Pro Tools

MIDI

• One MIDI In and one MIDI Out port, provid­ing 16 MIDI input channels and 16 MIDI out­put channels

Other Capabilities and Specifications

• 24-bit A/D and D/A converters, supporting
sample rates of 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz
and 96 kHz

• Low latency analog record monitoring

• Two 1/4-inch (TRS) stereo headphone outputs
(A and B) with adjustable level controls. Head­phones B can mirror A (output channels 1–2)
or be switched to output channels 3–4

• Footswitch jack for starting or stopping play­back or punching in and out while recording.

Pro Tools LE Capabilities

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

• Playback of up to 32 mono (or 16 stereo)
digital audio tracks, or a combination of
playing back and recording up to 32 mono
(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 96 kHz

• Nondestructive, 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 hardware 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.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started4

System Requirements

Mbox 2 Pro can be used with a Digidesign-qual­ified Windows or Mac computer.

A DVD drive is required to use the Pro Tools In­staller disc.

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, visit the Digidesign website
(www.digidesign.com).

MIDI Requirements

Mbox 2 Pro includes one MIDI In port and one
MIDI Out port, providing 16 channels of MIDI
input and 16 channels of MIDI output.

If you require additional MIDI ports, add a MIDI
interface to your system. 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, visit the Digide­sign website (www.digidesign.com).

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.

Digidesign Registration

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

• Complimentary technical support

• An update to the latest version of Pro Tools
at no charge if you bought a system with
older software in the box

• Future upgrade offers

Chapter 2: Welcome to Mbox 2 Pro 5

About the Pro Tools Guides

This Getting Started guide explains how to in­stall Pro Tools LE software, make basic connec­tions to your Mbox 2 Pro 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.

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).

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

menu

Control+N Hold down the Control key

and press the N key

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
other guides.

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).

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started6

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.

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

Support and Downloads 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).

Chapter 2: Welcome to Mbox 2 Pro 7

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started8

chapter 3

Installing Pro Tools on Windows

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

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 Pro on a Windows com­puter includes the following steps:

1 “Connecting Mbox 2 Pro and Installing

Pro Tools LE” on page 9.

2 “Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 11.

Connecting Mbox 2 Pro and Installing Pro Tools LE

To install Pro Tools LE and Mbox 2 Pro:

1 Start Windows, logging in with Administrator

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

2 Connect one end of the included Firewire ca-

ble to one of the Firewire ports on Mbox 2 Pro.

3 Connect the other end of the cable to any

available Firewire (6-pin 1394) 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.

3 Configuring your system for improved perfor-

mance. (See Chapter 5, “Configuring Your
Pro Tools System.”)

4 Making audio and MIDI connections to the

Mbox 2 Pro. (See Chapter 7, “Making Studio
Connections” for details.)

Throughout the installation, you should ig­nore all Found New Hardware Wizard dia­logs. Do not click Next.

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.

Chapter 3: Installing Pro Tools on Windows 9

9 Click Next.

13 Click Install.

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.

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.

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

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 11.

12 Click Next.

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

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

On Windows Vista, if you get a warning di­alog about the driver, click “Install this
Driver 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.

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.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started10

4 Restart your computer.

Disabling Screen Saver

(Windows Vista Only)

To avoid errors during recording and playback
of Pro Tools sessions, you must set your Win­dows Vista screen saver to “None.”

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.

To set your Windows Vista screen saver to “None”:

1 Right-click on the desktop.

2 Choose Personalize.

3 Click Screen Save.

4 Set the Screen saver to None.

5 Click Apply.

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 Make sure Mbox 2 Pro is connected to your

computer and powered on.

2 Double-click the Pro Tools LE shortcut on

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

3 Enter the authorization code in the dialog

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

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

Windows Audio Drivers

The Mbox 2 Pro ASIO Driver and DirectSound
Window System Audio Driver let you use your
Digidesign Mbox 2 Pro hardware interface with
third-party applications that support the ASIO
Driver or DirectSound Driver standard.

The Mbox 2 Pro ASIO Driver and DirectSound
Driver for Mbox 2 Pro are automatically in­stalled when you install Pro Tools.

Mbox 2 Pro ASIO Driver

The Mbox 2 Pro ASIO (Audio Sound Input Out­put) Driver is a single-client multichannel
sound driver that allows third-party audio pro­grams that support the ASIO Driver standard to
record and play back through Mbox 2 Pro.

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

Your authorization code is located on the inside
front cover of this guide.

Chapter 3: Installing Pro Tools on Windows 11

DirectSound Windows System Audio Driver

The DirectSound Windows System Audio Driver
is a multi-client, multichannel sound driver that
allows third-party audio programs that support
the DirectSound standard to play back and
record through Mbox 2 Pro.

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

Standalone 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 installing and configur­ing the standalone version of the Digidesign
Windows Audio Drivers, see the Windows
Audio Drivers Guide.

2 From your CD/DVD drive, locate and open

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

3 Double-click Setup.exe.

4 Select your audio drive as the install location

and click Install.

5 When installation is complete, click OK.

The demo session can be opened by double­clicking the Filtered Dream.ptf file (located
in the Filtered Dream Demo Session folder).

Uninstalling Pro Tools LE

If you need to uninstall Pro Tools software from
your computer, you can use Windows com­mands for uninstalling programs.

To uninstall Pro Tools from your computer
(Windows Vista):

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Under Programs, click “Uninstall a program.”

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.

The demo session for Pro Tool LE is named “Fil­tered Dreams.”

Before installing the demo session to your
audio drive, make sure the drive is config­ured as described in “Formatting an Audio
Drive” on page 64.

To install the demo session:

1 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc into your

CD/DVD drive.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started12

3 Select Pro Tools.

4 Click Uninstall.

5 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove

Pro Tools.

To uninstall Pro Tools from your computer
(Windows XP):

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click Add or Remove Programs.

3 From the Currently Installed Programs list, se-

lect Digidesign Pro Tools.

4 Click the Remove button.

5 Follow the on-screen instructions to remove

Pro Tools.

chapter 4

Installing Pro Tools on Mac

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

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

Installation Overview

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

1 “Installing Pro Tools LE” on page 13.

2 “Connecting Mbox 2 Pro to the Computer”

on page 14.

3 “Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 14.

4 Configuring your system for improved perfor-

mance. (See Chapter 5, “Configuring Your
Pro Tools System.”)

5 Making audio connections to the Mbox 2.

(See Chapter 7, “Making Studio Connections”
for details.)

Installing Pro Tools LE

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

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.

Chapter 4: Installing Pro Tools on Mac 13

8 You can also select from a list of optional

items to install along with Pro Tools:

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.

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

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

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 15.

9 Click Install.

10 If prompted, enter your Administrator pass-

word and click OK to authenticate the installa­tion.

11 Follow the remaining on-screen instructions.

12 When installation is complete, click Restart.

Connecting Mbox 2 Pro to the Computer

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

To connect Mbox 2 Pro to your computer:

1 Connect the small end of the included

Firewire cable to the FireWire port on
Mbox 2 Pro.

2 With your computer on, connect the other

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

Launching Pro Tools LE

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 Make sure Mbox 2 Pro is connected to your

computer and powered on.

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

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

3 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 inside
front cover of this guide.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started14

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.

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

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.

The demo session for Pro Tool LE is named “Fil­tered Dreams.”

Before installing the demo session to your
audio drive, make sure the drive is config­ured as described in “Formatting an Audio
Drive” on page 64.

Mbox 2 Pro CoreAudio Driver

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

The Mbox 2 Pro CoreAudio Driver is installed
automatically when you install Pro Tools.

For information on configuring the Mbox 2
Pro CoreAudio Driver, see the

Drivers guide

.

Standalone Mbox 2 Pro CoreAudio Driver

The Mbox 2 Pro 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
Pro CoreAudio Driver, see the CoreAudio
Drivers Guide.

CoreAudio

To install the demo session:

1 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc into your

DVD drive.

2 From your DVD drive, locate and open the Ad-

ditional Files/LE Demo Session Installer folder.

3 Double-click LE Demo Session Setup.exe.

4 Follow the onscreen instructions.

5 When prompted, select your audio drive as

the install location and click Next to begin the
install.

6 When installation is complete, click Close.

Chapter 4: Installing Pro Tools on Mac 15

Pro Tools Session Templates

The Pro Tools LE Installer disc includes factory
session templates that are pre-configured to
common track and mixer setups. Using these
templates will save you the trouble of having to
create your studio setup from scratch every time
you start a new session.

See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for informa­tion on using or customizing session templates.

To install factory session templates:

1 Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc into your

DVD drive.

2 From your DVD drive, locate and open the Ad-

ditional Files/LE Session Templates Installer
folder.

3 Double-click LE Session Templates Setup.exe.

4 Follow the onscreen instructions.

5 When prompted, select your audio drive as

the install location and click Next to begin the
install.

6 When installation is complete, click Close.

The demo session can be opened by double­clicking the Filtered Dream.ptf file (located
in the Filtered Dream Demo Session folder).

Uninstalling Pro Tools

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

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:

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.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started16

chapter 5

Configuring Your Pro Tools System

After you have connected your system and in­stalled Pro Tools software, you are ready to start
up and configure your Pro Tools system.

Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System

To ensure that the components of your
Pro Tools system communicate properly with
each other, you need to start them in a particu­lar order.

Start up your Pro Tools system in this order:

1 Lower the volume of all output devices in

your system.

2 Turn on any external hard drives. Wait ap-

proximately ten seconds for them to spin up to
speed.

3 Turn on any control surfaces (such as Com-

mand|8).

4 Turn on any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or

synchronization peripherals.

Shut down your Pro Tools system in this order:

1 Quit Pro Tools and any other running applica-

tions.

To quit Pro Tools, choose File > Exit
(Windows) or Pro Tools > Quit (Mac).

2 Turn off or lower the volume of all output de-

vices in your system.

3 Turn off your computer.

4 Turn off any MIDI interfaces, MIDI devices, or

synchronization peripherals.

5 Turn off any control surfaces.

6 Turn off any external hard drives.

5 Turn on your computer.

6 Launch Pro Tools or any third-party audio or

MIDI applications.

Chapter 5: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 17

Configuring Pro Tools LE

Pro Tools System Settings

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.

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

Playback Engine dialog for Mbox 2 Pro (Structure plug­in not installed)

Hardware Buffer Size

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.

To change the Hardware Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog for Mbox 2 Pro (Structure plug­in installed)

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started18

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 (Real-Time AudioSuite) plug-in
processing.

With multiprocessor computers, this setting lets
you manage multi-processor support for RTAS
processing. With multiple processor computers
that support Hyper-Threading (and have it en­abled), you must disable Hyper-Threading for
this setting to become available. See your com­puter’s documentation for steps on how to enter
the computer’s BIOS and disable Hyper-Thread­ing.

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. For
example:

• For sessions with large numbers of RTAS plug­ins, you can allocate 2 or more processors to
RTAS processing and set a high CPU Usage
Limit.

• For sessions with few RTAS plug-ins, you can
allocate fewer processors to RTAS and set a low
CPU Usage Limit to leave more CPU resources
available for automation accuracy, screen re­sponse, and video.

• Depending on the importance of video and
overall screen response, and on the density of
automation being employed, try different
combinations of RTAS Processing and CPU
Usage Limit settings to achieve the best re­sults. For example, to improve screen re­sponse in a medium-sized session using a
moderate number of RTAS plug-ins, try reduc­ing the number of RTAS plug-ins, but keep the
CPU Usage Limit set to its maximum on a sin­gle processor system.

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. The num­ber of processors available varies depending on
how many processors are available on your
computer:

• Choose 1 Processor to limit RTAS process­ing to one CPU in the system.

• Choose 2 Processors to enable load balanc­ing across two available processors.

• On systems running four or more proces­sors, choose the desired number of RTAS
processors as needed.

3 Click OK.

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.

Chapter 5: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 19

The maximum available CPU Usage Limit de­pends on the number of processors in your com­puter and on the number of processors you
specify with the RTAS Processor setting. This
value can be up 99 percent for single-processor
computers or 90 percent for multi-processor
computers.

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

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.

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 are two RTAS Engine options:

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.

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
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.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started20

DAE Playback Buffer Size

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the
amount of memory DAE allocates for disk buff­ers. The buffer size is shown in milliseconds,
which indicates the amount of audio buffered
when the system reads from disk.

The optimum DAE Playback Buffer Size for most
disk operations is 1500 msec (Level 2).

• DAE Playback Buffer Size settings lower than
1500 msec (Level 2) may improve playback and
recording initiation speed. However, a lower set­ting 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
1500 msec (Level 2) allow higher track count,
higher density of edits in a session, or the use of
slower hard drives. However, a higher setting
may increase the time lag when starting play­back or recording, or cause a 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 1500 msec (Level 2) is
recommended unless you are encountering

-9073 (“Disk too slow or fragmented”)
errors.

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. Memory requirements for
each setting are shown at the bottom of the
Playback Engine dialog.

3 Click OK.

If Pro Tools needs more system memory for the
DAE Playback Buffer, it will prompt you to re­start your computer.

Cache Size

The Cache Size determines the amount of mem­ory DAE allocates to pre-buffer audio for play­back and looping when using Elastic Audio.

The optimum Cache Size for most sessions is
Normal.

• A Cache Size setting of Minimum reduces the
amount of system memory used for disk opera­tions and frees up memory for other system
tasks. However, performance when using Elastic
Audio features may decrease.

• A Cache Size of Large improves performance
when using Elastic Audio features, but it also de­creases the amount of memory available for
other system tasks, such as RTAS processing.

Using a larger Cache Size leaves less system
memory for other tasks. The default setting
of Normal is recommended unless you are
encountering -9500 (“Cache too small”)
errors.

To change the Cache Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 From the Cache Size pop-up menu, select a

disk cache size.

3 Click OK.

System Memory Allocation

When you start your computer, Pro Tools auto­matically reserves a portion of system memory
for the DAE Playback Buffer. This reserved mem­ory is unavailable to other applications, even if
Pro Tools is not running.

Chapter 5: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 21

You can set Pro Tools to reserve only the mini­mum amount of required memory, so that more
system memory is available to other applica­tions.

To minimize system memory allocation:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 Select the “Minimize System Memory Allocation”

option.

Using a larger Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size
leaves less system memory for other tasks.
The default setting of 250 ms (Level 2) is
recommended unless you are experiencing
problems with the audio quality of sample
playback.

To change the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

3 Click OK.

4 Restart your computer.

Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size

(Structure Plug-in Only)

This setting appears in the Playback Engine dia­log only if the Structure sampler instrument
plug-in is installed on your system. The Plug-in
Streaming Buffer Size determines the amount of
memory DAE allocates for streaming playback
from disk with the Structure plug-in. This set­ting only affects playback if disk streaming is ac­tivated in Structure’s plug-in controls (see the
Structure Plug-in Guide for more information).

The optimum Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size for
most sessions is 250 ms (Level 2).

• Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size settings lower
than 250 msec (Level 2) reduce the amount of
system memory used for sample playback and
frees up memory for other system tasks. How­ever, audio quality of sample playback may de­crease.

• Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size settings higher
than 250 msec (Level 2) improve the audio qual­ity of sample playback, but they also decrease
the amount of memory available for other sys­tem tasks, such as RTAS processing.

2 From the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size pop-up

menu, select a buffer size.

3 Click OK.

Optimizing the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size

(Structure Plug-in Only)

This option appears in the Playback Engine dia­log only if the Structure sampler instrument
plug-in is installed on your system. This option
is useful when you are playing samples from the
same drive that contains audio for the current
session. When this option is selected, Pro Tools
automatically optimizes the size of the Plug-in
Streaming Buffer to facilitate disk access from
both Pro Tools and Structure. The Plug-in
Streaming Buffer Size pop-up menu is unavail­able when this option is selected.

To set Pro Tools to optimize the Plug-in Streaming
Buffer Size:

1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.

2 Select the “Optimize for Streaming Content” op-

tion.

3 Click OK.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started22

Pro Tools Hardware Settings

In the Hardware Settings dialog, 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

Internal Use this setting if you are recording an­alog signals directly into Mbox 2 Pro. When set
to internal, Mbox 2 Pro provides four channels
of input (analog only).

S/PDIF Use this setting to record or listen to
Mbox 2 Pro S/PDIF inputs connected to an ex­ternal digital device. This setting will synchro­nize Pro Tools to that digital device.

S/PDIF input is only available when S/PDIF
is the Clock Source.

Word Clock Use this setting to clock Pro Tools LE
to a Word clock source connected to the
Mbox 2 Pro Word Clock In port.

To select the Clock Source:

1 Choose Setup > Hardware.

2 Choose the clock source from the Clock

Source pop-up menu.

3 Click OK.

Your digital input device must be connected
and powered on for Pro Tools to synchro­nize to it. If your input device is not powered
on, leave the Clock Source set to Internal.

Hardware Setup dialog for Mbox 2 Pro

2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate

pop-up menu.

3 Click OK.

Clock Source

The Pro Tools Hardware Setup dialog lets you se­lect the Clock Source for the system.

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.

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.

Chapter 5: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 23

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

1 Choose Setup > I/O.

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.

I/O Setup dialog for Mbox 2 Pro

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

display the corresponding connections.

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.

Configuring MIDI Setup

If you plan to use any MIDI devices with Pro Tools,
do one of the following:

 On Windows, configure your MIDI setup with

MIDI Studio Setup. See Appendix A, “Configur­ing MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)” for de­tails.

– or –

 On Mac, configure your MIDI setup with Au-

dio MIDI Setup. See Appendix B, “Configuring
AMS (Mac OS X Only)” for details.

Optimizing a Windows System for Pro Tools

(Windows XP Only)

To optimize a Mac system for Pro Tools, see
“Optimizing a Mac System for Pro Tools”
on page 27.

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 using Pro Tools hardware and software.

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

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.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started24

To enable DMA for any IDE hard drives
(Windows XP):

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

To configure Windows Power Management
(Windows XP):

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 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.

7 For each device, set the Transfer Mode to “DMA

if available,” and click OK.

8 Repeat the above steps for any additional IDE

Channels.

9 Close the Device Manager window and then

the System Properties 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.

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). See
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.

To disable ClearType font smoothing
(Windows XP):

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Double-click Display.

Sleep (or hibernate) settings are supported
when using Mbox 2 Pro and the Windows
System Audio drivers with an application
other than Pro Tools LE.

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.

Chapter 5: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 25

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 FireWire 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.

To disable a network card:

1 Right-click My Computer and choose Manage.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

10 Restart the computer for the changes to take

effect.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started26

Disabling System Startup Items

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 can be turned off.

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

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

• The Plug and Play service

• Event log

• Cryptographic services

To Disable System Startup Items (Windows XP):

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

Startup.

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 Startup
Selection back to Normal Startup - load all device
drives and services. Alternatively, try disabling
Startup items and non-essential processes indi­vidually.

Optimizing a Mac System for Pro Tools

(Mac Only)

To optimize a Windows XP system, see
“Optimizing a Windows System for
Pro Tools” on page 24.

To ensure optimum performance with
Pro Tools LE, configure your computer before
using Pro Tools 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.

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, visit
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 the Software Update tab.

3 Deselect Check for Updates.

Chapter 5: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 27

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 the Sleep tab 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 and G4 Powerbooks Only)

To set the Processor Performance:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Energy Saver.

2 Click the Options tab and set Processor Perfor-

mance 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.

Disabling Spotlight indexing will cause the
Find function in Mac OS X to no longer
work. You will no longer be able to search
for files on drives set to private.

To disable Spotlight indexing:

1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple

menu and click Spotlight.

2 In the Spotlight window, click the Privacy tab.

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

To yield higher performance from audio drives,
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 Pro Getting Started28

chapter 6

Hardware Overview

Mbox 2 Pro Front Panel Features

The Mbox 2 Pro front panel has the following features:

Ext Clock LED

MIDI Activity LED

Power

LED

Headphones level

(A, B)

Headphone Outputs

(A and B)

3–4 Switch and LED

(Headphone B)

Monitor

Level

Peak
LED

48V

Switch and LED

Figure 1. Mbox 2 Pro front panel

Power LED

The Power LED indicates that the Mbox 2 Pro is
powered on.

Ext (External) Clock LED

The External Clock LED lights to indicate that
either S/PDIF or Word clock is the current
Pro Tools clock source. When unlit, this LED in­dicates Internal clock.

Peak
LED

Input 2

Gain

Pad

DI/Mic 2 LEDs

Source
selector

Aux In (3–4)

Source

selector

and

Gain

LED

Input 1

Source

Gain

Peak
LED

Input 1 DI Input 2 DI

selector

Pad

DI/Mic 1 LEDs

MIDI Activity LED

This LED lights to indicate Mbox 2 Pro is receiv­ing or sending MIDI.

Chapter 6: Hardware Overview 29

Headphone Outputs

48V Switch and LED

Mbox 2 Pro provides two 1/4-inch, stereo head­phone outputs, A and B, each with its own level
control. Headphones mirror the Monitor out­puts, by default (usually your main Pro Tools
Analog 1–2 outputs). Headphone B can also be
configured for discrete monitoring of Pro Tools
outputs 3–4 (Analog 3–4) using the 3–4 switch.

Headphone Level

The headphone knobs adjust the output level of
their corresponding Headphone output (A or B).

3–4 Switch and LED

The 3–4 switch toggles Headphone B output be­tween the main outputs (1–2), and output chan­nels 3–4. When this switch is in its “out” posi­tion, Headphone B mirrors Headphone A output
and the 3–4 LED is off. When this switch is in its
“in” position, Headphone B monitors Pro Tools
output channels 3–4.

Monitor Level

The Monitor knob adjusts the output level of
the Mon Out ports. In Pro Tools, this will be the
signal routed to Analog outputs 1–2.

Phantom power is activated by the switch la­beled 48V on the front panel of Mbox 2 Pro. The
LED, when lit, indicates that 48V phantom
power is active on both Mic/Line inputs. These
inputs provide phantom power for micro­phones that require it to operate.

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.

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

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started30

Gain Controls

Peak LEDs

These knobs adjust the input gain levels of their
corresponding input (Input 1, Input 2, or
Aux In).

DI Inputs

Front panel DI connectors are provided for in­put channels 1 and 2, to connect electric guitar,
electric bass, and similar instruments.

Mic/DI Source Selectors and LEDs

These switches select either the Mic (XLR) and
Line (TRS) inputs or DI inputs for each channel.
The DI and Mic LEDs indicate the current source
input.

The Aux In Source select switch selects the Aux
Line inputs, or Phono inputs.

For more information, see “Connecting Audio
Inputs” on page 37.

Input 1, 2 and the Aux Input have Peak LEDs
that also function as signal meters. They light
green at –60 dBFS, yellow at –6 dBFS, and red at
0 dBFS (peak).

Pad Switches and LEDs

The Pad switches engage a –20 dB pad on their
corresponding input channels. When engaged,
the Pad LEDs light.

Chapter 6: Hardware Overview 31

Mbox 2 Pro Back Panel Features

Figure 2 identifies each port on the Mbox 2 Pro back panel.

Inputs 1 and 2

Mic/Line 2

Mic/Line 1

Aux In (3–4)

Phono In L/R

Line In L/R

Monitor
outputs

(1–2) (1–4)

Line

outputs

S/PDIF
digital I/O

Line Out

(5–6)

Footswitch

MIDI I/O

Ground post

Figure 2. Mbox 2 Pro back panel

The Mbox 2 Pro back panel has the following
features:

DC Power

This port supplies power to Mbox 2 Pro using
the included power supply. Though external
power is not always required, you should use ex­ternal power if your 1394 bus is unable to pro­vide enough power, or if you need to conserve
battery power in a portable computer.

FireWire (1394) Port

This standard FireWire 1394 connector is used
to connect your computer to Mbox 2 Pro. One
6-pin FireWire cable is included with
Mbox 2 Pro. The Mbox 2 Pro can be powered
solely through its 1394 connection to your com­puter, or using an external power supply (in­cluded with your system).

Word clock
In/Out

Firewire

Power

4-Pin FireWire Cable

Mbox 2 Pro includes a 6-pin to 6-pin FireWire
cable. Some Windows laptops include a 4-pin
FireWire port. To use Mbox 2 Pro with these
computers, a 4-pin to 6-pin cable is required.
Purchase this cable (model #CS625) through
your authorized Digidesign dealer or online
through the DigiStore (www.digidesign.com).

This cable can also be purchased at com­puter supply stores. Maximum supported
cable length for FireWire (IEEE-1394) is
14 feet (4.3 meters).

MIDI I/O

The MIDI In and MIDI Out ports are standard 5­pin MIDI ports, each providing 16 channels of
MIDI input and output.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started32

Word Clock

S/PDIF Digital I/O

The Word Clock In and Out ports let you con­nect BNC cables to synchronize Pro Tools to in­coming 1x Word clock, and synchronize other
devices to Pro Tools-generated Word clock.

Line Outputs (1–4)

These outputs let you send discrete Pro Tools
outputs to external headphone or cue systems,
remote speakers and similar devices. Line out­puts 1–4 accept balanced TRS, or unbalanced TS,
1/4-inch cables.

Line Out (5–6)

This connector accepts a 1/4-inch cable, to sup­ply two channels of unbalanced output to an ad­ditional analog device. (Line Out 5 = Tip;
Line Out 6 = Ring.)

Footswitch

The footswitch connector on Mbox 2 Pro lets
you use a footswitch pedal to control either
playback start/stop or recording punch in/out.
Both QuickPunch audio punch-in and punch­out and MIDI punch-in and punch-out record­ing are supported.

The S/PDIF in and out ports are unbalanced two­conductor phono (RCA) connectors that utilize
a full 24-bit, two-channel digital data stream.

The Sony/Phillips Digital Interface Format
(S/PDIF) is used in many professional and con­sumer CD recorders and DAT recorders. To
avoid RF interference, use 75-ohm coaxial cable
for S/PDIF transfers and keep the cable length to
a maximum of 10 meters.

In use, the S/PDIF input channels are available
in addition to the four channels of analog audio
input when S/PDIF is selected as the Pro Tools
Clock Source. This lets Mbox 2 Pro be used as a
6-in/8-out digital audio interface for
Pro Tools LE.

The S/PDIF output channels are always avail­able, in all clock modes.

Mon Out (Monitor Output)

These outputs support balanced TRS, or unbal­anced TS, 1/4-inch connections. 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.

The footswitch connector is designed specifi­cally for instantaneous (momentary) on/off
pedals with a 1/4-inch TS connector. Continu­ous on/continuous off pedals can also be used,
but may result in unexpected behavior.

The Mon Out Left and Right 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.

Aux In (Line and Phono Inputs)

The Aux In section provides two pairs of inputs
for different types of equipment. The Aux In
Line L and R inputs are 1/4-inch, balanced TRS
connectors. The Phono inputs are unbalanced,
coaxial RCA connectors.

Chapter 6: Hardware Overview 33

Grounding Post

The Grounding Post is for grounding turntables
and other types of DJ equipment to Mbox 2 Pro.

Mic/Line 1 and 2

Each analog source input channel (Input 1 and
Input 2) provides Mic (XLR) and Line (TRS) in­put on combination jacks. On the front panel,
the input signal is adjusted by the Gain control
for each channel and the source (Mic/Line, or
DI) is chosen using the Source selectors.

Source 2 is at the far left (when looking at the
back panel), and Source 1 is to its right. The back
panel inputs for Source 1 and Source 2 are lo­cated such that they are directly in line with
their associated input controls on the front
panel. This lets you locate input jacks more eas­ily when viewing from the front of the unit.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started34

chapter 7

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

Connecting Headphones

On the front panel of the Mbox 2 Pro are two
1/4-inch headphone connectors, each with an
associated level control, labelled A and B. Con­nect up to two sets of headphones for mixing
and tracking.

Headphone level (A, B)

1/4-inch
Headphone jacks (A, B)

Headphone jacks and controls on front of Mbox 2 Pro

Headphone A monitors the Pro Tools main mix
outputs (usually output channels 1–2).

3–4 (Headphone B)

By default, Headphone B output mirrors the
Pro Tools channel 1–2 output being heard in the
Headphone A output. Whenever a discrete cue
mix is required for overdubbing, Headphone B
output can be switched to monitor output chan­nels 3–4.

Do not use the front panel headphone out­puts for anything but headphones. If you
use a headphone distribution amp or cue
system, use any of the six available Line
Out channels on the back panel. See “Addi­tional Analog Outputs” on page 36.

To connect headphones for mix monitoring:

 Connect headphones with a 1/4-inch stereo

connector (or adapter) to the Headphone A jack.

To connect headphones for selectable monitoring:

 Connect headphones with a 1/4-inch stereo

connector (or adapter) to the Headphone B jack.

To monitor channels 3–4 in Headphone B:

 Press the 3–4 switch so that it is engaged (“in”

position).

See the

Pro Tools Reference Guide for infor-

mation on using signal routing, sends and
bussing to create cue mixes.

Chapter 7: Making Studio Connections 35

Connecting a Sound System

The main monitor outputs on the back of the
Mbox 2 Pro (Mon Out L and R) support 1/4-inch
plugs. These connections can be balanced, 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.

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

Monitor Out

Monitor Out connectors on Mbox 2 Pro (back panel)

Home stereo systems often use RCA connec­tors. You can use an adaptor or a special ca­ble to convert from the TRS or TS connectors
used by Mbox 2 Pro to the RCA connectors
on your home stereo.

To connect a sound system:

 Using 1/4-inch cables, connect the Mon Out L

and Mon Out R on the back panel to the inputs
of your power amplifier, self-powered monitors,
or other monitoring system.

Additional Analog Outputs

Mbox 2 Pro provides a total of six analog output
channels in addition to the primary Monitor
outputs. These include Line Out 1–4, and
Line Out 5–6.

Line Out 1–4

Line Out 5–6

Additional outputs on Mbox 2 Pro (back panel)

Line Out 1–4

Line Outputs 1–4 can be connected to any de­vice that has analog inputs. Use these four bal­anced 1/4-inch TRS outputs to feed analog de­vices such as headphone amps or cue systems
for discrete headphone mixes, samplers, or a
secondary recorder.

Line Out 5–6

Line Out 5–6 provides an additional pair of ana­log output channels. Use this unbalanced 1/4­inch stereo connector to supply two channels of
analog output. (Line Out 5 = Tip, Line Out 6 =
Ring).

To connect additional Mbox 2 Pro outputs:

1 Using 1/4-inch TRS cables, connect any of the

Line Out (1–4) connectors on the back panel to
the inputs of your external devices.

2 Using a 1/4-inch TRS stereo cable, connect the

Line Output (5–6) output on the back panel to
the inputs of your external device.

See the Pro Tools Reference Guide for infor­mation on signal routing, sends and bussing.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started36

Connecting a Digital Deck

Mic/Line In

If you have a CD, DVD, DAT or other device that
accepts S/PDIF connections, connect it to the
S/PDIF In and S/PDIF Out RCA ports on the back
of Mbox 2 Pro.

When recording from Pro Tools to a digital
device, make sure the Pro Tools Clock
Source setting is set correctly. For more in­formation, see “Digital Input and Output”
on page 42.

Connecting Audio Inputs

This section describes the analog inputs avail­able on Mbox 2 Pro. For information about con­necting specific audio sources, see “Connecting
a Microphone” on page 38, and “Connecting
Instruments to the Mbox 2 Pro” on page 40.

Overview of Analog Inputs

Mbox 2 Pro provides a total of four channels of
analog input. On the Mbox 2 Pro, these are la­belled Inputs 1 and 2, and Aux In L-R.

Input 1 Aux In Input 2

Each Mic/Line In section on the back panel pro­vides combination jacks that accept XLR or TRS
connectors for Inputs 1 and 2.

XLR For XLR microphone cables.

Line For 1/4-inch Tip-Ring-Sleeve (TRS) cables

from keyboards, mixers, and other line sources.

If you are using a microphone with a
1/4-inch connector, use the front panel DI
inputs.

DI 1 and DI 2

Input 1 and 2 also provide a front panel DI in­put.

DI For 1/4-inch Tip-Sleeve cables from guitar,
bass, microphones, or similar sources.

DI 1 DI 2

Input 1 and 2 front panel DI connectors

Inputs on back of Mbox 2 Pro

Inputs 1 and 2

Inputs 1 and 2 each provide back panel
Mic/Line In 1 and 2 connectors as well as front
panel DI connectors (TS). These inputs appear as
Analog In (1–2) in Pro Tools.

Aux In

Aux In connectors are provided for Line and
Phono sources. These inputs appear as Analog
In (3–4) in Pro Tools:

Line L and R For 1/4-inch Tip-Sleeve cables from
guitar, bass, microphones, or similar sources.

Phono L and R For RCA cables from turntables,
mixers, or similar sources.

Chapter 7: Making Studio Connections 37

Connecting a Microphone

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

Mic Cables and Connectors

There are several ways to use Mbox 2 Pro 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; 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 Pro to
yield better results.

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 Pro) 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.

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
a ribbon microphone.

XLR connector

XLR and 1/4-inch connectors

1/4-inch connector

The Mbox 2 Pro 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.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started38

Using a Mic that Has an XLR Connector

To use a microphone that has an XLR connector:

1 Plug your microphone cable into one of the

Mic/Line inputs on the back of Mbox 2 Pro.

Input 1
Mic input

XLR connector plugged into Input 1

2 Set the input Source to Mic (microphone) by

pressing the Mic/DI Source selector on the front
of Mbox 2 Pro until the Mic LED is lit.

Mic/DI

Source selector

48V (Phantom Power)

Phantom Power switch

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

Monitor control to the desired level.

Monitor control Gain

Monitor control and Gain knob for Input 1

5 On the front of the Mbox 2 Pro, carefully turn

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

Mic

DI

LED

LED

Input 1 Source selector and LEDs

3 If your microphone requires phantom power,

make sure the microphone is connected, then
press the Phantom Power switch (labeled 48V)
on the front of the Mbox 2 Pro. This switch
sends 48V to both XLR mic inputs. The 48V LED
on the front of the Mbox 2 Pro will light when
phantom power is being supplied.

6 If the incoming signal is too loud, press the

Pad switch to engage the –20 dB pad.

Pad

Input 1 Pad

Chapter 7: Making Studio Connections 39

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 Connect the 1/4-inch cable from your micro-

phone to the front panel Input 1 DI input.

Connecting Instruments to the Mbox 2 Pro

Mbox 2 Pro provides three input types (DI, Line
and Aux In) that correspond to the different sig­nal strengths output by different types of instru­ments and other equipment.

Input 1

Connecting a 1/4-inch microphone cable to the Input 1
DI connector

2 Set the source to DI by pressing the input

channel Source selector until the DI LED is lit.

Mic/DI
selector

Input 1 selector switch and DI LED

3 On the front of the Mbox 2 Pro, carefully turn

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

DI Input (Front Panel) Instruments such as elec­tric guitar or electric bass that usually have a
lower level of output than line level instruments
use the front panel DI (“Direct Inject”) input.

Line Inputs (Back Panel) Line level devices, in­cluding electronic audio sources such as mixers,
samplers, keyboards, turntables, and synthesiz­ers use the back panel Line input.

Aux In (Back Panel) Line in L and R for addi­tional line level devices, plus Phono L and R in­puts for turntables/preamps, DJ mixers, and
similar devices. The 1/4-inch TS Line L and R in­puts accept balanced or unbalanced connec­tions. The RCA inputs are fully RIAA compliant,
and Mbox 2 Pro also provides a grounding post
for devices that require such a connection. You
can connect devices to both pairs of Aux In in­puts and then choose between them using the
front panel Source selector switch.

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

Monitor control to the desired level.

5 If the incoming signal is too loud, press the

Pad switch to engage the –20 dB pad.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started40

Connecting Electric Guitar or Bass

To use a guitar with Mbox 2 Pro:

1 On the front of the Mbox 2 Pro, plug your gui-

tar cable into one of the DI inputs.

2 On the front of the Mbox 2 Pro, set the Source

to Mic by pressing the Mic/DI switch until the
Mic LED is lit.

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

Monitor control to the desired level.

Input 1 DI

Connecting guitar to the Input 1 DI connector

2 On the front of the Mbox 2 Pro, set the source

to DI by pressing the Mic/DI switch until the DI
LED is lit.

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

Monitor control to the desired level.

4 On the front of the Mbox 2 Pro, carefully turn

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

Connecting Keyboards and Mixers

To use a keyboard or mixer with Mbox 2 Pro:

1 Plug your keyboard, mixer, or other audio

source into either the Input 1 or Input 2 Line
(TRS) inputs on your Mbox 2 Pro. 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.

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 Pro, carefully turn

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

To use Aux In (3–4) Line inputs:

1 Plug your keyboard, mixer or other line level

device into the Aux In Line inputs (L and R).

2 On the front panel of Mbox 2 Pro, press the

Aux In Source select switch as needed so the
Phono LED is off (unlit). The switch should be
in its “out” position.

Connecting DJ Equipment

To use the Phono inputs:

1 Plug your turntable, mixer, or similar outputs

into the Aux In Phono inputs (L and R).

2 If appropriate, connect your turntable to the

Mbox 2 Pro grounding post. This is necessary
with some preamps and other DJ equipment to
help keep the signals free of (unwanted) hum
and buzz.

If your keyboard has unbalanced outputs,
use the Mbox 2’s DI inputs. Refer to your
keyboard’s documentation

3 On the front panel of Mbox 2 Pro, press the

Aux In Source select switch as needed so the
Phono LED is on (lit). The switch should be in
its “in” position.

Chapter 7: Making Studio Connections 41

Digital Input and Output

Mbox 2 Pro provides two channels of S/PDIF
digital input and output on the back panel. This
lets you record signals from digital devices into
Pro Tools, and send digital audio from Pro Tools
to other digital devices.

Refer to this section whenever you plan to use
S/PDIF input on Mbox 2 Pro.

The following requirement only applies to
using S/PDIF input to record or monitor dig­ital signals through Pro Tools LE and
Mbox 2 Pro.

S/PDIF

In

Out

S/PDIF connectors on Mbox 2 Pro

Connecting Digital Devices

To connect Mbox 2 Pro to an external digital
device:

1 Using RCA (coaxial) cables, connect the

Mbox 2 Pro S/PDIF In to the S/PDIF output of
the device.

2 Connect the Mbox 2 Pro S/PDIF Out to the

S/PDIF input of the external device.

3 Be sure to read the next section for important

information.

In order to record or listen to a digital device
connected to the Mbox 2 Pro S/PDIF In connec­tor, you must do the following to configure the
Pro Tools Clock Source:

To enable the S/PDIF inputs on Mbox 2 Pro:

1 Make sure your have connected the external

digital device to the correct Mbox 2 Pro S/PDIF
connector (In and Out).

2 Make sure the external device is powered on,

that it is set to the correct sample rate, and that
it is configured to provide S/PDIF clock (if rele­vant to your device).

3 Launch Pro Tools LE.

4 Choose Hardware > Setup.

5 Click the Clock Source pop-up menu and

choose “S/PDIF.”

Using S/PDIF Input

This section describes the steps you must take
once you have finished installing and launching
Pro Tools LE to enable the S/PDIF ports for digi­tal input.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started42

Clock Source

Enabling S/PDIF Input in the Hardware Setup dialog

Once enabled in the Hardware Setup dialog, the
S/PDIF inputs become active and will pass audio
to Mbox 2 Pro.

Setting the Clock Source to S/PDIF is the only
way to utilize S/PDIF input. Doing so lets you
record or monitor up to six discrete input chan­nels (the four analog input channels, plus the
two channels of S/PDIF input).

Selecting any other Clock Source (Internal,
or Word Clock) disables S/PDIF input.
S/PDIF output remains available.

MIDI Connections

The two MIDI ports on Mbox 2 Pro let you take
advantage of all the MIDI features of
Pro Tools LE, including recording and editing
MIDI tracks.

To connect MIDI devices to Mbox 2 Pro:

1 Connect the MIDI OUT of your MIDI device

or controller to the MIDI IN port on the back of
Mbox 2 Pro.

2 Connect the MIDI IN of your MIDI device or

controller to the MIDI OUT port on the back of
Mbox 2 Pro.

MIDI

In Out

If you need additional MIDI ports you can add a
compatible MIDI interface. 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.

MIDI connections to Mbox 2 Pro

MIDI is not audio. To hear the output of
your MIDI devices within Pro Tools, you
must route the audio output of your MIDI
device into your Mbox 2 Pro audio inputs,
and monitor or record the audio into your
session as explained in “Connecting Audio
Inputs” on page 37. For a primer on MIDI
and how to include it in your sessions, see
Chapter 8, “Common Tasks with
Pro Tools LE.”

See also Appendix A, “Configuring MIDI
Studio Setup (Windows Only)” or
Appendix B, “Configuring AMS (Mac OS X
Only)” for information on configuring your
MIDI studio for use with Pro Tools.

Chapter 7: Making Studio Connections 43

Word Clock

Mbox 2 Pro provides Word Clock In and Out
connectors on the back panel that let you syn­chronize, or “clock” Pro Tools LE and
Mbox 2 Pro to industry standard Word clock.
Word clock is used to synchronize a wide range
of devices such as non-linear video systems and
other types of equipment typically found in pro­fessional audio facilities.

With both Word clock input and output, your
Mbox 2 Pro-equipped Pro Tools LE system can
act as Word clock “slave” or “master.”

Do not confuse Word clock and other forms
of “clock reference” with time code and
other forms of “positional reference.” For an
overview of synchronization terminology
and concepts, see the
guide.

To connect Word clock to Mbox 2 Pro:

 Using high-quality, 75 ohm BNC cables (not

included) connect the Mbox 2 Pro Word Clock
In and Out connectors to the appropriate ports
on the other Word clock-capable devices in your
studio.

Pro Tools Reference

Using Word Clock with Pro Tools LE

Pro Tools LE with Mbox 2 Pro can act as Word
clock master, or as a slave to Word clock sup­plied by an external device.

Pro Tools LE as Word Clock Master

Mbox 2 Pro Word clock output is always active,
letting Pro Tools supply Word clock to any con­nected devices that support standard Word
clock.

To use Pro Tools LE as Word clock master:

1 Make sure all connections are correct between

Mbox 2 Pro and your external devices.

2 Configure all external devices to slave to the

Word clock coming from Mbox 2 Pro. (Be sure to
verify sample rate settings, termination require­ments and other internal settings for the device;
refer to the manufacturer’s documentation if
you need more information on the particular re­quirements for your other equipment.)

3 Launch Pro Tools.

4 Choose Hardware > Setup.

5 Click the Clock Source pop-up menu and

choose Internal.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started44

Pro Tools LE as Word Clock Slave

In order to slave Pro Tools to an external Word
clock source, you must configure Word clock as
the Pro Tools Clock source, as follows:

To configure Pro Tools LE with Mbox 2 Pro as a
Word clock slave:

1 Make sure all Word clock and audio connec-

tions are correct as described earlier in this sec­tion.

2 Make sure the external Word clock source is

powered on, and configured to output 1x Word
clock. (Be sure to verify any required termina­tion; refer to the manufacturer’s documentation
if you need more information on the particular
requirements for your device.)

3 Launch Pro Tools.

4 Choose Hardware > Setup.

5 Click the Clock Source pop-up menu and

choose Word Clock.

S/PDIF digital input is not available when
the Pro Tools Clock source is set to Word
clock or Internal. To use S/PDIF input,
S/PDIF must be the Pro Tools Clock source.
For more information, see “Digital Input
and Output” on page 42.

Using a Footswitch

The footswitch connector on Mbox 2 Pro lets
you use a footswitch pedal to control either
playback start/stop or recording punch in/out.
Both QuickPunch audio punch-in and punch­out and MIDI punch-in and punch-out record­ing are supported.

The footswitch connector is designed specifi­cally for instantaneous (momentary) on/off
pedals with a 1/4-inch TS connector. Continu­ous on/continuous off pedals can also be used,
but may result in unexpected behavior.

To use a footswitch control:

1 Connect a footswitch to the footswitch con-

nector on the back panel of the Mbox 2 Pro.

2 Launch Pro Tools.

3 Choose Setup > Hardware.

4 Select Record Punch In/Out or Playback

Start/Stop.

5 Click Ok.

Chapter 7: Making Studio Connections 45

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started46

chapter 8

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.

Recording a Pro Tools Session

Before you record with Pro Tools LE, you first
create a Pro Tools session, then prepare an audio
track for recording.

You can view an electronic PDF version of the

Reference Guide by choosing it from the

Pro Tools Help menu.

This chapter uses analog inputs in its exam­ples of common tasks. To record digitally
through the Mbox 2 Pro S/PDIF input, the
steps are basically the same with the follow­ing important exception: S/PDIF must be
enabled as the Pro Tools Clock Source in the
Hardware Setup dialog. For more informa­tion, see “Digital Input and Output” on
page 42.

To create a Pro Tools session:

1 Verify the connections between your

Mbox 2 Pro and your instrument or micro­phone.

For connection information, see Chapter 7,
“Making Studio Connections.”

2 Launch Pro Tools.

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

Chapter 8: Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE 47

5 Choose the audio drive where you want to

save your session.

6 Type a name for your session.

7 Click Save.

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.

Creating a new Stereo audio track

3 Click Create.

A mono instrument uses one input on the
Mbox 2 Pro, 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 of the sides of
the stereo track will show no signal.

4 Make sure the Mix window is open by choos-

ing Window > Mix.

5 In the Mix window, click the Audio Input Path

selector on the new track.

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

put you want to record. For example, select
Analog 1 if your audio source is plugged into an
Input 1 connector on the Mbox 2 Pro.

Routing an input to a mono track

7 Play the instrument or sound source at the

volume you will record.

8 Use the Gain controls 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 out­put volume of the source device, then adjust
the Mbox 2 Pro Gain control. Adjust these
two levels so that the input Peak LEDs on the
front panel do not light red. (One Peak LED
is provided on the front panel for each input;
Peak LEDs light green when the input signal
is roughly –60 dBFS, light yellow at –6 dBFS,
and will turn red to indicate the input signal
is at –0 dBFS (also known as “full code”).

To record an audio track:

1 Click the track’s Record Enable button.

Record enabling a track in the Mix window

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started48

2 Choose Track > Input Only Monitoring. This al-

lows you to monitor the input of tracks that are
record enabled.

3 Choose Window > Transport to display the

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

Online

Return to Zero

Rewind

Stop

Fast Forward

Go to EndPlay

Record

Importing Audio from a CD

To import audio from a compact disc:

1 Put the source CD into your computer’s

CD/DVD drive.

2 In Pro Tools, open the Workspace browser by

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

Transport window

4 Click Record in the Transport window to arm

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

5 When you are ready to start recording, click

Play or press the Spacebar.

6 Record your performance.

7 Click Stop in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar when you are finished recording.

To play back a recorded track:

1 If the track’s Record Enable button is lit, click

on it to take it out of Record mode.

2 Click Play in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar to start playback.

3 Click Stop in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar to stop playback.

Opening the Workspace browser

3 In the Workspace browser, click the Audio CD

icon to show the files on the CD.

4 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

Chapter 8: Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE 49

5 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.

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 Click Play in the Transport window to begin

playback.

3 Click Stop in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar to stop playback.

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

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

2 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk.

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.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started50

Choosing Bounce to Disk from the File menu

3 In the Bounce Options dialog, choose

Analog 1–2 as the Bounce Source.

4 Choose WAV (BWF) for the File Type.

5 Choose Stereo Interleaved for the Format.

10 Click Save.

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.)

8 Choose Convert after Bounce, and click

Bounce.

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.

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.

Entering a name for the bounced file

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

Chapter 8: Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE 51

Recording MIDI in a Pro Tools Session

What is MIDI?

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.

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 a MIDI interface. Audio from your
MIDI instrument can be monitored through the
audio interface or sent to an external mixer.

MIDI sound module

MIDI

MIDI keyboard (controller)

Signal paths for MIDI instruments

Audio

Mixer

To amplifier

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.

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 dis-

play the MIDI controls for the Instrument track.

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

To record or playback tracks using MIDI
data, your Pro Tools system must be config­ured for MIDI. See Appendix A, “Configuring
MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)” or
Appendix B, “Configuring AMS (Mac OS X
Only).”

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started52

MIDI Input selector in an Instrument track

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).

If your connected MIDI device does not ap­pear, check that you have configured your
computer and its MIDI settings. For more
information, refer to Appendix A, “Config­uring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)”
or Appendix B, “Configuring AMS
(Mac OS X Only).”

6 If you are using an external MIDI device and

have connected its audio output to your audio
interface 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

Track Record Enable button

Enabling an Instrument track for MIDI recording

8 Make sure Options > MIDI Thru is selected.

Chapter 8: Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE 53

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

MIDI meter in Instrument track showing MIDI activity

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.

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.

Online

Return to Zero

Rewind

Stop

Fast Forward

Go to EndPlay

Record

MIDI data in an 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.

Transport window

4 Click Play in the Transport window or press

the Spacebar to begin recording.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started54

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) 55

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), in addition to the MIDI ports on
Mbox 2 Pro, 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.

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

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.

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.

MIDI Studio Setup Properties section

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.)

Instrument Name

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

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started56

Manufacturer

Send Channels

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 57.

Model

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 57.

Input Port

The Input Port pop-up menu displays a list of
available MIDI interface input ports. Inputs will
include Mbox 2 Pro and any additional 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 Send Channels grid sets the send channels
for the MIDI device specified in the Instrument
Name field.

Receive Channels

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 55).

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

signed to the MIDI device.

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.

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

Appendix A: Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) 57

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 Pro Getting Started58

appendix b

Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)

2 Click MIDI Devices. AMS scans your system

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.

This chapter shows examples of AMS using
Mbox 2. The instructions for Mbox 2 Pro
are identical to those presented here.

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.

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

Audio MIDI Setup (MIDI Devices)

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.

Appendix B: Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only) 59

5 Connect the MIDI device to the MIDI inter-

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

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.

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.)

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).

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

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started60

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

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.

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

Appendix B: Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only) 61

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 /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 59).

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

signed to the MIDI device.

3 Click the MIDI track’s Patch Select button.

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.

Patch Select button, Edit window

Patch Select button

Patch Select button, Mix window

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started62

Patch Select button

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.

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.

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.

Supported Drive Formats and Drive Types

Drive Formats

Windows Windows XP systems should use drives
formatted as NTFS only.

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).

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.

Appendix C: Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance 63

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

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

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

IDE/ATA/SATA Hard Drives

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).

Formatting an Audio Drive

Formatting Windows Audio Drives

(Windows Only)

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

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

To format an audio drive:

1 On Windows Vista, choose Start.

2 Right-click Computer (Windows Vista) or My

Computer (Windows XP) and choose Manage.

3 Under Storage, choose Disk Management.

• 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.

• Select “Perform a quick format.”

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

• Set the Allocation unit size to Default.

• Click OK.

5 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.

• Select “Perform a quick format.”

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

• Set the Allocation unit size to Default.

• Click OK.

Disk Management window (Windows XP)

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started Guide64

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.

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.

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 for Windows, HFS+ for Mac).

Windows XP allows drives formatted with
the NTFS file system 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.

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.

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.

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

Appendix C: Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance 65

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).

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started Guide66

Defragmenting Windows Audio Drives

To defragment an audio drive (Windows Vista):

1 Choose Start > Control Panel.

2 Click System and Maintenance.

3 Click Performance Information and Tools.

4 Click Advanced Tools.

5 Click Open Disk Defragmenter.

6 In the Disk Defragmenter window, click the

Defragment Now button.

The Defragment Now command defrag­ments all your hard drives. This can take a
lot of time, especially on systems with mul­tiple drives.

Advanced users can use the command line
tool Defrag.exe to defragment individual
drives. See your Windows Vista documen­tation for more information.

To defragment an audio drive (Windows XP):

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

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 Mac 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.

4 Click the Defragment button and follow the

on-screen instructions.

When defragmenting is complete, close the
Computer Management window.

Appendix C: Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance 67

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

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started Guide68

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, from auto­mated tape backup systems to high-capacity op­tical drives, or to CD burners.

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.

Troubleshooting 69

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. Re­fer to the latest compatibility information on
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. See your Getting Started
Guide or Pro Tools Upgrading Guide for installa-

tion instructions.

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

For the following possible solutions, refer to
your Getting Started Guide.

 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.

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.

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.

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started70

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).

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.

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

Troubleshooting 71

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 on 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 Pro Getting Started72

index

A

ASIO driver (Windows) 11
audio drivers

ASIO driver (Windows) 11
CoreAudio driver (Mac) 15

Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Macintosh) 59
authorizing Pro Tools LE

Mac 14
Windows 11

C

Cache Size 21
ClearType font smoothing (Windows), disabling 25
Clock Source 23

Internal setting 23
S/PDIF (digital) setting 23

connecting Mbox 2

Mac 14
Windows 9

CoreAudio driver (Mac) 15
CPU Usage Limit 19

D

DAE Playback Buffer Size 21
Dashboard shortcut (Mac), disabling 28
drive formatting

Mac 65
Windows 64

drive maintenance 63
drive requirements 5

E

Energy Saver (Mac), turning off 28
Ext Clock LED 29

F

FireWire

cable types 32

FireWire requirements 63
footswitch 33, 45

G

gain

headphones 30
input 31

H

hard drives

drive formats 63
FireWire requirements 63
formatting 64, 65
formatting (Mac) 65
IDE/ATA requirements 64
maintenance 63, 66
optimizing 66
partitioning 65
requirements 5
SCSI requirements 63
space requirements 68

Hardware Buffer Size 18
headphones

gain control 30
outputs A and B 30

Index 73

I

I/O Setup

Windows 23

IDE/ATA requirements 64
indicators

peak level 31
phantom power 30

input and output connectors 33
inputs

digital 33
gain 31

installing Pro Tools LE

Mac 13
Windows 9

installing QuickTime (Windows) 10

J

journaling (Mac), enabling 28

K

key commands 6

M

Mbox 2

back panel 32
connecting (Mac) 14
connecting (Windows) 9
features 3
front panel 29

MIDI

connections 43
requirements 5
setup (Macintosh) 59
setup (Windows) 55

MIDI Input Selector 52
MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) (Windows) 55

N

network connections 70

O

optimizing hard drives 66
outputs

digital 33
Monitor outputs 33

P

partitioning hard drives 65
Patch Select dialog

Macintosh 62
Windows 58

peak indicators 31
phantom power 39

indicator 30
when to use 30, 38

Playback Engine

RTAS Processors setting 19

Plug-in Streaming Buffer 22
Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size 22
plug-ins

RTAS Processors setting 19

power

management settings (Windows) 25

Power LED 29
Pro Tools

demo session 15
removing (Windows) 12, 16
session templates (Windows) 16

Pro Tools LE

capabilities 4
configuration (Windows) 18
installing (Mac) 13
installing (Windows) 9

processor performance (Mac) 28
Processor Scheduling performance (Windows) 26

Q

QuickTime

installing (Windows) 10

Mbox 2 Pro Getting Started74

R

registration information 5
removing Pro Tools

Windows 12, 16

RTAS Processors setting 19

S

S/PDIF 33
Sample Rate 23
screen saver, disabling (Windows Vista) 11
screen savers 70
SCSI requirements 63
Software Update (Mac), turning off 27
sources

digital 33
selecting 31

Spotlight indexing (Mac), disabling 28
Spotlight shortcuts (Mac), disabling 28
Startup items (Windows), disabling 27
system

optimization (Mac) 27
required optimizations (Windows) 24
shutting down 17
starting up 17

System Memory Allocation 21
system optimization

Windows 24, 26

system settings

Cache Size 21
Clock Source 23
CPU Usage Limit 19
DAE Playback Buffer Size 21
Hardware Buffer Size 18
I/O Setup 23
Plug-in Streaming Buffer 22
Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size 22
Sample Rate 23
System Memory Allocation 21

T

technical support

product registration required 71

TRS 37

U

uninstalling Pro Tools

Windows 12, 16

Index 75

www.digidesign.com

DIGIDESIGN

2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard

Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

TECHNICAL SUPPORT (USA)

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

PRODUCT INFORMATION (USA)

Tel: [phone]

INTERNATIONAL OFFICES

Visit the Digidesign website
for contact information