Setup Guide
Mbox® 2 Pro
Version 8.0
Legal Notices
This guide is copyrighted ©2008 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, 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 Xpress, AVoption, Axiom, Beat Detective, Bomb Factory,
Bruno, C|24, Command|8, Control|24, D-Command, D-Control,
D-Fi, D-fx, D-Show, D-Verb, DAE, Digi 002, DigiBase,
DigiDelivery, Digidesign, Digidesign Audio Engine, Digidesign
Intelligent Noise Reduction, Digidesign TDM Bus, DigiDrive,
DigiRack, DigiTest, DigiTranslator, DINR, D-Show, DV Toolkit,
EditPack, Eleven, HD Core, HD Process, Hybrid, Impact,
Interplay, LoFi, M-Audio, MachineControl, Maxim, Mbox,
MediaComposer, MIDI I/O, MIX, MultiShell, Nitris, OMF,
OMF Interchange, PRE, ProControl, Pro Tools M-Powered,
Pro Tools, Pro Tools|HD, Pro Tools LE, QuickPunch, Recti-Fi,
Reel Tape, Reso, Reverb One, ReVibe, RTAS, Sibelius,
Smack!, SoundReplacer, Sound Designer II, Strike, Structure,
SYNC HD, SYNC I/O, Synchronic, TL Aggro, TL AutoPan, TL
Drum Rehab, TL Everyphase, TL Fauxlder, TL In Tune, TL
MasterMeter, TL Metro, TL Space, TL Utilities, Transfuser,
Trillium Lane Labs, Vari-Fi Velvet, X-Form, and XMON are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid
Technology, Inc. Xpand! is Registered in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office. All other trademarks are the property of their
respective owners.
Product features, specifications, system requirements, and
availability are subject to change without notice.
Guide Part Number 9320-59109-00 REV A 11/08
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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: 650-731-6300
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
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.
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
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. Welcome to Mbox 2 Pro
Mbox 2 Pro Features
Pro Tools LE Capabilities
System Requirements and Compatibility
Conventions Used in This Guide
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Chapter 2. Installing Pro Tools on Mac
Installation Overview
Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Your Interface
Launching Pro Tools LE
Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc
Uninstalling Pro Tools
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Chapter 3. Installing Pro Tools on Windows
Installation Overview
Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Your Interface
Launching Pro Tools LE
Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc
Uninstalling Pro Tools LE
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Chapter 4. Configuring Your Pro Tools System
Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System
Configuring Pro Tools LE
Optimizing a Mac System for Pro Tools
Optimizing a Windows System for Pro Tools
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Contents
v
Chapter 5. Hardware Overview
Mbox 2 Pro Front Panel Features
Mbox 2 Pro Back Panel Features
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Chapter 6. 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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Appendix A. Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)
Audio MIDI Setup
MIDI Patch Name Support
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Appendix B. Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)
MIDI Studio Setup
MIDI Patch Name Support
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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Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide
vi
Appendix D. Troubleshooting
Backing Up Your Work
Common Issues
Performance Factors
Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support
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Appendix E. Resources
About the Pro Tools Guides
About www.digidesign.com
Index
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Contents
vii
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide
viii
chapter 1
Welcome to Mbox 2 Pro
Welcome to the Mbox® 2 Pro portable
Pro Tools
Mbox 2 Pro and Pro Tools LE
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 24-bit analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters.
®
micro-studio from Digidesign®.
®
provide your
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 1: Welcome to Mbox 2 Pro
1
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
(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.
(
TRS) stereo headphone outputs
Pro Tools LE Capabilities
Pro Tools LE on Mac or Windows provides the
following capabilities with Mbox 2 Pro:
• Playback of up to 48 mono or stereo digital
audio tracks, or a combination of playing
back
and
recording up to 48 mono or stereo
digital audio tracks, depending on your
computer’s capabilities.
• Up to 128 audio tracks (with up to 48 active
tracks), 128 Auxiliary Input tracks, 64 Master Fader tracks, 256 MIDI tracks, and 32 Instrument tracks per session.
• 16-bit or 24-bit audio resolution, at sample
rates up to 48 kHz.
• Non-destructive, random-access editing
and mix automation.
• Audio processing with up to 10 inserts per
track (RTAS plug-ins or hardware inserts).
• 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 Setup Guide
2
System Requirements and Compatibility
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.
Digidesign can only assure compatibility and
provide support for hardware and software it
has tested and approved.
For complete system requirements and a list of
Digidesign-qualified computers, operating systems, hard drives, and third-party devices, refer
to the latest information on the Digidesign website:
www.digidesign.com/compatibility
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/compatibility
If you are using an ATA/IDE or FireWire hard
drive, initialize your drive with the Disk Utility
application included with Apple System software (Mac) or Windows Disk Management
(Windows).
For more information, see Appendix C,
“Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance.”
Avoid Recording to the System Drive
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 at:
www.digidesign.com/compatibility
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.
Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox 2 Pro
3
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 names of
Commands, Options
, and
Settings
that appear on-screen are in a different font.
The following symbols are used to highlight
important information:
User Tips are helpful hints for getting the
most from your Pro Tools system.
Important Notices include information that
could affect your data or the performance of
your system.
Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or
mouse shortcuts.
Cross References point to related sections in
this guide and other Digidesign guides.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide
4
chapter 2
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 and Connecting Your
Interface” on page 5.
Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Your Interface
Before connecting your Pro Tools LE interface to
the computer, you need to install Pro Tools LE
software.
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, see your Apple OS X documentation.
2 “Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 6.
3 Configuring your system for improved perfor-
mance (see Chapter 4, “Configuring Your
Pro Tools System”).
4 Making audio connections to the Mbox 2 Pro
(see Chapter 6, “Making Studio Connections”).
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 7.
2 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc in your
DVD drive.
3 On the Installer disc, locate and double-click
Install Pro Tools LE.mpkg.
Install Pro Tools LE.mpkg icon
4 Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed
with installation.
5 Click Continue each time you are prompted.
Chapter 2: Installing Pro Tools on Mac 5
6 At the Installation Type page, do one of the
following:
• To install all Pro Tools application files and
free plug-in suites (and associated content),
leave the default Installation options selected and click Continue.
– or –
• Select (or deselect) a custom configuration
of Installation options (see “Installation
Options” on page 6) and click Continue.
7 Click Install.
8 If prompted, enter your Administrator pass-
word and click OK to authenticate the installation.
9 Follow the remaining on-screen instructions.
10 When installation is complete, click Restart.
11 After the computer has started, connect one
end of the included Firewire cable to the
FireWire port on Mbox 2 Pro. Connect the other
end of the cable to any available FireWire port
on your computer.
Installation Options
Pro Tools LE Options
DigiRack Plug-Ins Installs free plug-ins including
DigiRack plug-ins, free Bomb Factory plug-ins,
Eleven Free, TL Utilities, and Digidesign D-Fi
and Maxim plug-ins.
Pro Tools Creative Collection Installs a set of free
RTAS effects plug-ins and virtual instrument
plug-ins (including 4.4 GB of associated sample
content). For more information, see the Creative
Collection Plug-ins Guide.
Additional Options
The Pro Tools installer provides the following
additional options to install along with
Pro Tools software and plug-ins.
Digidesign CoreAudio Driver This option installs
the Digidesign CoreAudio Driver, which lets
you use Digidesign-qualified audio interfaces
with third-party applications that support the
CoreAudio Driver standard.
Avid Video Engine This option lets you integrate
®
Avid
video peripherals (such as the Avid
®
Mojo
with your Pro Tools system).
MIDI I/O Driver The MIDI I/O
™
Driver is required if you are using the Digidesign MIDI I/O
interface.
To install a subset of Pro Tools software and
plug-ins (and associated content), click the reveal triangle for the Pro Tools LE 8.0 option in
the installer, and deselect any of the following
options that you do not want installed.
Application Files (Required for Pro Tools) Installs the Pro Tools application and supporting
library files needed to run Pro Tools. This option
also installs the Digidesign CoreAudio Driver.
This option must be selected to install Pro Tools.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide6
Launching Pro Tools LE
When launching Pro Tools LE the first time, you
are prompted to enter an authorization code to
validate your software. (The code begins with
the letters DIGI.)
To authorize Pro Tools LE software:
1 Make sure Mbox 2 Pro is connected to your
computer.
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
(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.)
4 Use the Quick Start dialog to do one of
the following:
• Create a new session from template.
• Create a new blank session.
• Open any other session on your system.
Quick Start dialog
For more information on the Quick
Start dialog and session templates, see the
Pro Tools Reference Guide (Help >
Pro Tools Reference Guide).
Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc
Third-Party Applications and
Plug-ins
Your Pro Tools package also includes several free
applications and plug-ins from selected Digidesign Third Party developers. Once you've
completed your Pro Tools installation, you can
install these separately. Go to the Additional
Files/3rd Party Content folder on the
Pro Tools LE Installer disc.
Mbox 2 Pro Factory Bundle
Plug-ins
If you purchased a Factory version of
Mbox 2 Pro, go to the Additional Files/Factory
Bundle Installers folder on the Pro Tools LE Installer disc and run the Install Mbox 2 Pro Factory Bundle installer.
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
CoreAudio Drivers guide.
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.
Chapter 2: Installing Pro Tools on Mac 7
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.
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 Dream.”
Before installing the demo session to your
audio drive, make sure the drive is configured as described in “Formatting an Audio
Drive” on page 54.
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, see your Apple OS X documentation.
2 Go to Applications/Digidesign/Pro Tools/
Pro Tools Utilities and double-click Uninstall Pro
Tools.
3 Click Continue to proceed with the uninstall.
4 Choose the type of uninstall you want to per-
form:
To install the demo session:
1 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc into your
DVD drive.
2 On the Pro Tools LE Installer disc, locate and
open the Additional Files/Pro Tools Demo Sessions Installer folder.
3 Double-click Install demo session.pkg.
4 Follow the on-screen instructions.
5 When prompted, select your audio drive as
the install location and click Next to begin the
installation. When installation is complete,
click Close.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide8
Safe Uninstall Leaves certain plug-ins and system files needed for compatibility with some
Avid products. Use Safe Uninstall if you are using an Avid application or preparing to update
to a CS (customer support) release.
Clean Uninstall Removes all Pro Tools files, including system files, Digidesign plug-ins, and
MIDI patch names. Use Clean Uninstall whenever you are preparing to upgrade, or to troubleshoot from a clean system.
5 Click Uninstall.
6 Enter your Administrator password and click
OK.
7 Click Finish to close the Installer window.
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 2, “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.
Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Your Interface
Before connecting your Pro Tools LE interface to
the computer, you need to install Pro Tools LE
software.
Do not start this procedure with your
Mbox 2 Pro connected to your computer.
Installation Overview
Installing the Mbox 2 Pro on a Windows computer includes the following steps:
1 “Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Your
Interface” on page 9.
2 “Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 11.
3 Configuring your system for improved perfor-
mance (see Chapter 4, “Configuring Your
Pro Tools System”).
4 Making audio and MIDI connections to the
Mbox 2 Pro (see Chapter 6, “Making Studio
Connections”).
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 12.
To install Pro Tools LE:
1 Start Windows, logging in with Administrator
privileges. For details on Administrator privileges, refer to your Windows documentation.
2 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc in your
DVD drive.
3 On the installer disc, locate and open the
Pro Tools Installer folder.
4 Double-click Setup.exe.
.
Setup.exe icon
In Vista, if the User Account Control dialog
appears, click Allow.
Chapter 3: Installing Pro Tools on Windows 9
5 Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed
with installation and click Next when prompted.
6 To install the complete compliment of
Pro Tools software and plug-ins, leave Pro Tools
selected.
12 Wait for the installer to finish installing all
software components, drivers, and PACE System
files before proceeding to the next step.
13 When installation is complete, click Finish
and restart your computer.
7 At the Select Features page, do one of the fol-
lowing:
• To install all Pro Tools application files and
free plug-in suites (and associated content),
leave the default Installation options selected and click Continue.
– or –
• Select (or deselect) a custom configuration
of Installation options (see “Installation
Options” on page 10) and click Continue.
8 Click Next.
9 Click Install.
10 When prompted, connect one end of the in-
cluded Firewire cable to one of the Firewire ports
on Mbox 2 Pro. Connect the other end of the cable to any available Firewire (6-pin 1394) port
on your computer.
11 Click OK.
In Windows XP, a series of Software Installation dialogs about the driver not passing
Windows Logo testing may appear. Click
Continue Anyway on each one until they go
away.
If any other dialogs appear (such as the
“Found New Hardware” dialog), leave
them open and do not click on them. These
dialogs will close on their own.
In Windows Vista, a series of Windows
Security dialogs may appear. Click “Install”
on each one until they go away.
Installation Options
Pro Tools LE Options
To install a subset of Pro Tools software and
plug-ins (and associated content), click the plus
(+) next to Pro Tools LE 8.0 option in the Select
Features page of the installer, and deselect any
of the following options that you do not want
installed.
Application Files (Required for Pro Tools) Installs the Pro Tools application and supporting
library files needed to run Pro Tools. This option
must be selected to install Pro Tools.
DigiRack Plug-Ins Installs free plug-ins including
DigiRack plug-ins, free Bomb Factory plug-ins,
Eleven Free, TL Utilities, and Digidesign D-Fi
and Maxim plug-ins.
Pro Tools Creative Collection Installs a set of free
RTAS effects plug-ins and virtual instrument
plug-ins (including 4.4 GB of associated sample
content). For more information, see the Creative
Collection Plug-ins Guide.
Additional Options
The Pro Tools installer provides the following
additional options to install along with
Pro Tools software and plug-ins.
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.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide10
Avid Video Engine The Avid Video Engine is required to use Pro Tools with Avid video peripherals such as the Avid Mojo.
Command|8 Controller and Driver The Command|8
®
Driver is required if you are using the
Digidesign Command|8 control surface.
Launching Pro Tools LE
When launching Pro Tools LE the first time, you
are prompted to enter an authorization code to
validate your software. (The code begins with
the letters DIGI.)
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 Digidesign website
(www.digidesign.com).
To install QuickTime:
1 Visit www.apple.com and go to the Quick-
Time page.
2 Download the QuickTime installer applica-
tion to your computer.
3 Double-click the QuickTime installer applica-
tion and follow the on-screen installation instructions.
4 Restart your computer.
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. (Your authorization code is located on the inside front cover of this guide.)
4 Use the Quick Start dialog to do one of
the following:
• Create a new session from template.
• Create a new blank session.
• Open any other session on your system.
Quick Start dialog
For more information on the Quick
Start dialog and session templates, see the
Pro Tools Reference Guide (Help >
Pro Tools Reference Guide).
Chapter 3: Installing Pro Tools on Windows 11
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.
Refer to your Pro Tools Installer disc for additional software and installers.
Digidesign ASIO Driver
The Digidesign ASIO (Audio Sound Input Output) Driver is a single-client multichannel
sound driver that allows third-party audio programs that support the ASIO standard to record
and play back through Digidesign hardware.
For detailed information on configuring the
Digidesign ASIO Driver, see the Windows
Audio Drivers Guide.
DirectSound Windows System Audio Driver
Third-Party Applications and
Plug-ins
Your Pro Tools package also includes several free
applications and plug-ins from selected Digidesign Third Party developers. Once you've
completed your Pro Tools installation, you can
install these separately. Go to the Additional
Files\3rd Party Content folder on the
Pro Tools LE Installer disc.
Mbox 2 Pro Factory Bundle
Plug-ins
If you purchased a Factory version of
Mbox 2 Pro, go to the \Additional Files\Factory
Bundle Installers folder on the Pro Tools LE Installer disc and run the Mbox 2 Pro Factory Bundle Setup.exe.
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 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 LE Installer disc.
For information on installing and configuring the standalone version of the Digidesign
Windows Audio Drivers, see the Windows
Audio Drivers Guide.
The Mbox 2 Pro ASIO Driver and DirectSound
Driver for Mbox 2 Pro are automatically installed when you install Pro Tools.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide12
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.
Uninstalling Pro Tools LE
Use the Uninstall Pro Tools application to uninstall Pro Tools software from your computer.
The demo session for Pro Tool LE is named “Filtered Dream.”
Before installing the demo session to your
audio drive, make sure the drive is configured as described in “Formatting an Audio
Drive” on page 54.
To install the demo session:
1 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc into your
DVD drive.
2 On the Pro Tools LE Installer disc, locate and
open the Additional Files\Pro Tools Demo Sessions 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 Finish.
The demo session can be opened by doubleclicking the Filtered Dream.ptf file (located
in the Filtered Dream Demo Session folder).
To uninstall Pro Tools from your computer:
1 Start Windows, logging in with Administrator
privileges. For details on Administrator privileges, refer to your Windows documentation.
2 Go to Program Files\Digidesign\
Pro Tools\Pro Tools Utilities and double-click
Uninstall Pro Tools.exe.
3 Click Next.
4 Click Uninstall to proceed with the uninstalla-
tion.
Chapter 3: Installing Pro Tools on Windows 13
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide14
chapter 4
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 4: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 15
Configuring Pro Tools LE
Pro Tools System Settings
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 installed)
In most cases, the default settings for your system provide optimum performance, but you
may want to adjust them to accommodate large
or processing-intensive Pro Tools sessions.
Hardware Buffer Size
The Hardware Buffer Size (H/W Buffer Size) con-
trols the size of the buffer used to handle host
processing tasks such as Real-Time AudioSuite™
®
(RTAS
) plug-ins.
• Lower Hardware Buffer Size settings are useful
for improving latency issues in certain recording situations or for improving certain system
performance problems. On Pro Tools LE systems, lower settings reduce all input-to-output monitoring latency on any record-armed
tracks or Auxiliary Input tracks with live inputs.
• Higher Hardware Buffer Size settings are useful for sessions that are using more RTAS plugins for playback. These settings allow for more
audio processing. They can also be useful to
reduce errors on machines that require a
higher buffer size.
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.
2 From the H/W Buffer Size pop-up menu, select
the audio buffer size, in samples.
3 Click OK.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide16
RTAS Processors
The RTAS Processors setting determines the
number of processors in your computer allocated for RTAS (Real-Time AudioSuite) plug-in
processing.
With computers that have multiple processors,
or that feature multi-core processing or hyperthreading, this setting lets you enable multiprocessor support for RTAS plug-ins. 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
handled 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 processing
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 Processors and CPU Us-
age 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 the maximum (up to 99% on a single
processor system).
To set the number of RTAS Processors:
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
2 From the RTAS Processing pop-up menu, select
the number of available processors you want to
allocate. The number of processors available varies depending on how many processors are
available on your computer:
• Select 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 number of processors for
RTAS processing.
3 Click OK.
System Usage Window and RTAS Processing
The System Usage window (Windows > System
Usage) displays the combined amount of RTAS
processing occurring on all enabled processors
with a single indicator, regardless of how many
processors are available in the system. If the System Usage Window shows that you are at the
limit of available resources, increase the number
of RTAS processors and adjust the CPU Usage
Limit setting.
Chapter 4: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 17
CPU Usage Limit
RTAS Engine (RTAS Error Suppression)
The CPU Usage Limit setting 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 effect
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
RTAS plug-ins.
The maximum available CPU Usage Limit depends on the number of processors in your computer and on the number of processors you
specify for RTAS processing. This value can
range from 85% for single-processor computers,
and 99% for multiprocessor computers (which
dedicate one entire processor to Pro Tools).
On multiprocessor computers, the maximum
CPU Usage Limit is reduced when you use all your
processors (as selected in the RTAS Processing
pop-up menu). For example, on dual-processors,
the limit is 90%. On four-processor computers,
the limit is 95%.
The RTAS Engine option determines 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.
To enable RTAS error suppression:
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
2 Select Ignore Errors During Playback/Record.
3 You can also select Minimize Additional I/O La-
tency.
4 Click OK.
Increasing the CPU Usage Limit may slow
down screen responses on slower computers.
To change the CPU Usage Limit:
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
2 From the CPU Usage Limit pop-up menu, select
the percentage of CPU processing you want to
allocate to Pro Tools.
3 Click OK.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide18
RTAS Error Suppression Options
Ignore Errors During Playback/Record When en-
abled, 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 (whichever is greater). If you are on
an older, slower computer, you may want to disable this option to avoid adverse performance.
This option is only available if the Ignore Errors
During Playback/Record option is enabled.
The optimum DAE Playback Buffer Size for most
disk operations is 1500 msec; Level 2 (Default).
• DAE Playback Buffer Size settings lower than
1500 msec; Level 2 (Default) may improve
playback and recording initiation speed, as
well as preview in context in DigiBase browsers. 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 (Default) 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, starting preview in context from DigiBase browsers, or
cause a longer audible time lag while editing
during playback.
DAE Playback Buffer Size
The DAE Playback Buffer Size setting determines
the amount of memory DAE allocates for disk
buffers. In addition to levels, the DAE Playback
Buffer Size shows values in milliseconds, which
indicate the amount of audio buffered when the
system reads from disk.
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.
Chapter 4: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 19
Cache Size
The Cache Size setting determines the amount
of memory DAE allocates to pre-buffer audio for
playback and looping when using Elastic Audio.
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.
Normal Is the optimum Cache Size for most sessions.
Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size
(Structure Plug-in Only)
This setting appears in the Playback Engine dialog only if Structure, Structure LE, or
Structure Free 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).
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.
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.
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.
2 From the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size pop-up
menu, select a buffer size.
3 Click OK.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide20
Optimizing the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size
(Structure Plug-in Only)
This option appears in the Playback Engine dialog only if one of 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 change the default Sample Rate:
1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
Hardware Setup dialog for Mbox 2 Pro
2 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate
pop-up menu.
3 Click OK.
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.
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.)
the Pro Tools Reference
Clock Source
The Pro Tools Hardware Setup dialog lets you select the Clock Source for the system.
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.
Chapter 4: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 21
To select the Clock Source:
1 Choose Setup > Hardware.
2 Choose the clock source from the Clock Source
pop-up menu.
4 Click OK.
See the Pro Tools Reference Guide (Help >
Pro Tools Reference Guide) for more information on renaming I/O paths.
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.
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.
To rename I/O paths in I/O Setup:
1 Choose Setup > I/O.
Configuring MIDI Setup
If you plan to use any MIDI devices with Pro Tools,
do one of the following:
On Mac, configure your MIDI setup with Au-
dio MIDI Setup. See Appendix A, “Configuring
AMS (Mac OS X Only)” for details.
– or –
On Windows, configure your MIDI setup with
MIDI Studio Setup. See Appendix B, “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)” for details.
Backing Up Your System
Configuration
After configuring your system and Pro Tools,
you should save an image of your system drive
using a backup utility such as Norton Ghost. By
doing this, you can quickly restore your system
configuration and settings if you encounter any
problems.
I/O Setup dialog for Mbox 2 Pro
2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, or Bus tab to dis-
play 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.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide22
Optimizing a Mac System for Pro Tools
To ensure optimum performance with
Pro Tools LE, configure your computer before
using Pro Tools software.
To optimize a Windows system, see “Optimizing a Windows System for Pro Tools”
on page 25.
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.
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.
For details on qualified versions of Mac OS,
refer to the latest compatibility information
on the Digidesign website
(www.digidesign.com/compatibility).
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.
Turning Off Energy Saver
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.
Disable or Reassign Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Used by Pro Tools
To have the full complement of Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts, you need to disable or reassign
any conflicting Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts in
the Apple System Preferences, including the following:
• “Show Help menu”
• Under “Keyboard Navigation”
• “Move focus to the window drawer”
• Under “Dock, Exposé, and Dashboard”
• “Automatically hide and show the Dock”
• “All windows”
• “Application windows”
• “Desktop”
• “Dashboard”
• “Spaces”
• Under “Spotlight”
• “Show Spotlight search field”
• “Show Spotlight window”
For a complete list of Pro Tools keyboard
shortcuts, see the Keyboard Shortcuts Guide
(Help > Keyboard Shortcuts).
Chapter 4: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 23
To disable or reassign Mac OS X keyboard
shortcuts:
1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple
menu and click Keyboard & Mouse.
6 Press and hold Command+Option+Con-
trol+Shift and select “Control+Option+Shift+Command+Number Keys” from the “To switch directly
to a space” pop-up menu.
2 Click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab.
3 Do one of the following:
• Deselect the Mac OS X options that conflict
with Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts.
– or –
• Assign different, non-conflicting keyboard
shortcuts to the corresponding Mac OS X
options.
Reassign Spaces Keyboard Shortcuts
If you want to use Spaces, you should reassign
the Spaces keyboard shortcuts to avoid conflicts
with important Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts.
You can reassign Spaces keyboard shortcuts to
use a combination of modifier keys (Command+Option+Control+Shift) in addition to
the default Spaces keyboard shortcut assignments to avoid these conflicts.
To reassign Spaces keyboard shortcuts to use
modifier key combinations that do not conflict
with Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts:
1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple
menu and click Exposé & Spaces.
2 Click the Spaces tab.
3 Ensure that Enable Spaces is selected.
Disabling Spotlight Indexing
The Mac OS X Spotlight feature automatically
indexes files and folders on local hard drives in
the background. In most cases, this is not a concern for normal Pro Tools operation. However,
if Spotlight starts indexing drives while recording in a Pro Tools session with high track counts
for an extended period of time, it can adversely
affect Pro Tools system performance. You may
want to disable Spotlight indexing for all local
drives before using Pro Tools for big recording
projects.
Disabling Spotlight indexing also disables
the Find function in Mac OS X.
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.
Enabling Journaling for Audio Drives
To yield higher performance from audio drives,
enable journaling.
4 Press and hold Command+Option+Con-
trol+Shift and select “Control+Option+Shift+Command+F8” from the “To activate Spaces” pop-up
menu.
5 Press and hold Command+Option+Con-
trol+Shift and select “Control+Option+Shift+Command+Arrow Keys” from the “To switch between
spaces” pop-up menu.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide24
To enable journaling:
1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in
Macintosh HD/Applications/Utilities.
2 Select the volume in the left column of the
Disk Utility window.
3 Click Enable Journaling in the toolbar.
Optimizing a Windows System for Pro Tools
To ensure optimum performance with
Pro Tools LE, configure your computer before
using Pro Tools hardware and software.
To enable DMA for any IDE hard drives:
1 Right-click Computer (Windows Vista) or My
Computer (Windows XP).
2 In the left-hand pane of the Computer Man-
agement window under System Tools, click on
Device Manager.
For Mac System Optimization, see “Optimizing a Mac System for Pro Tools” on
page 22.
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, see your
Windows documentation.
Required Optimizations
To ensure optimum performance with
Pro Tools, 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 your computer can do other Pro Tools tasks.
In most cases the DMA option will already be set
correctly, as Windows detects and activates
DMA mode by default.
3 In the right-hand pane, click the plus (+) sign
to expand IDE ATA/API Controllers.
4 Right-click on the Primary IDE Controller and se-
lect Properties.
5 Click the Advanced Settings tab.
6 For each device, do one of the following de-
pending on your operating system:
• Check the box Enable DMA (Windows Vista)
– or –
• Set the Transfer Mode to DMA if available
(Windows XP)
7 Click OK.
8 Repeat the above steps for any additional IDE
Channels.
9 Close the Computer Management window.
Disabling System Standby and Power Management
When using Pro Tools, the Windows System
Standby power scheme must be set to Always On.
This helps prevent long record or playback
passes from stopping due to system resources
powering down.
Chapter 4: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 25
To configure Windows Power Management
(Windows Vista):
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
2 Double-click Power Options.
3 In the Power Options window, select High Per-
formance.
4 Click Change plan settings.
5 In the Edit Plan Settings window, click Change
advanced power settings.
6 In the Power Options dialog, reveal Hard disk
> Turn off hard disk after.
7 Click the Setting option.
8 Select the value in the Setting (Minutes) field
and press Backspace on your computer keyboard.
9 Press Enter. The hard disk setting changes to
Never and the Power Options dialog closes.
10 In the Edit Plan Settings window, click Save
changes and close the window.
To configure Windows Power Management
(Windows XP):
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
2 Double-click Power Options.
3 Click the Power Schemes tab.
4 From the Power Schemes pop-up menu, select
Always.
5 Verify that the following settings are set to
Never:
• Turn off hard disks
• System standby
• System hibernates
Disabling User Account Control
(Windows Vista Only)
For optimal performance with Pro Tools on
Windows Vista, disable User Account Control
(UAC).
To disable User Account Control (UAC):
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
2 Double-click User Accounts.
3 Click Turn User Account Control on or off.
4 Deselect the Use User Account Control (UAC) to
help protect your computer option.
5 Click OK.
Recommended Optimizations
Pro Tools can also be affected by other software
and hardware drivers installed on your computer. For best possible performance, 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 non-essential USB devices
while running Pro Tools.
• If your video display card supports it, enable Bus Mastering in the manufacturer’s
Control Panel. See the manufacturer’s instructions for details.
6 Click OK.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide26
Optional Optimizations
Adjusting Processor Scheduling
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).
To disable a network card:
1 Right-click Computer (Windows Vista) or My
Computer (Windows XP) 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.
To adjust Processor Scheduling performance:
1 Right-click Computer (Windows Vista) or My
Computer (Windows XP) and choose Properties.
2 in the System Properties window, click the Ad-
vanced tab.
3 Under the Performance section, click the Set-
tings button.
4 In the Performance Options window, click the
Advanced tab.
5 Under the Processor Scheduling section, select
the Background Services option.
6 Under the Memory Usage section, select the
System cache option.
7 Click OK to close the Performance Options
window.
8 Click OK to close the System Properties win-
dow.
9 Restart the computer for the changes to take
effect.
5 Close the Computer Management window.
Chapter 4: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 27
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:
1 From the Start menu, type “msconfig” in Start
Search (Windows Vista) or in Run (Windows XP)
and click OK to open the System Configuration
Utility.
2 Under the General tab, choose Selective Star-
tup.
3 Deselect Load Startup Items and click OK.
4 Click Restart to restart the computer.
5 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.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide28
chapter 5
Hardware Overview
Mbox 2 Pro Front Panel Features
Figure 1 identifies controls, indicators, and input and output ports on the front panel on the
Mbox 2 Pro.
Power
LED
Headphones level
(A, B)
Ext Clock LED
MIDI Activity LED
Headphone Outputs
(A and B)
3–4 Switch and LED
(Headphone B)
Figure 1. Mbox 2 Pro front panel
Aux In (3–4)
Monitor
Level
Peak
LED
48V
Switch and LED
Input 1
Gain
Source
selector
and
LED
Gain
Peak
LED
Input 1 DI Input 2 DI
Source
selector
Pad
DI/Mic 1 LEDs
Peak
LED
Input 2
Gain
Pad
DI/Mic 2 LEDs
Source
selector
Chapter 5: Hardware Overview 29
The Mbox 2 Pro front panel provides the following:
Power LED
Headphone Level
The headphone knobs adjust the output level of
their corresponding Headphone output (A or B).
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.
MIDI Activity LED
This LED lights to indicate Mbox 2 Pro is receiving or sending MIDI.
Headphone Outputs
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.
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.
48V Switch and LED
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.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide30
About Phantom Power
DI Inputs
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.
Gain Controls
These knobs adjust the input gain levels of their
corresponding input (Input 1, Input 2, or
Aux In).
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.
Peak LEDs
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 5: Hardware Overview 31
Mbox 2 Pro Back Panel Features
Figure 2 identifies the inputs and outputs on the back panel of the Mbox 2 Pro.
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 provides the following:
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.
You can purchase this cable (model #CS625)
through your authorized Digidesign dealer or
online at 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 Setup Guide32
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.
Chapter 5: Hardware Overview 33
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.
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 Setup Guide34
chapter 6
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 the Mbox 2 Pro. Sound
from the 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)
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).
Headphone jacks and controls on front of Mbox 2 Pro
Headphone A monitors the Pro Tools main mix
outputs (output channels 1–2).
For information on using signal routing,
sends, and bussing to create submixes for
monitoring (cue mixes), see the Pro Tools
Reference Guide (Help > Pro Tools Reference
Guide).
Chapter 6: 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.
For information on signal routing, sends and
bussing, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide
(Help > Pro Tools Reference Guide).
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide36
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 41.
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 6: Making Studio Connections 37
Connecting a Microphone
There are several ways to use Mbox 2 Pro 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.
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.
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.
XLR connector
1/4-inch connector
XLR and 1/4-inch connectors
Phantom Power
Some microphones require power to operate.
This power, called phantom power, is supplied either by a battery in the microphone, or through
an audio interface (such as Mbox 2 Pro) that can
supply power through the microphone cable.
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
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide38
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.
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
Source selector
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
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.
Input 1
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
Connecting a 1/4-inch microphone cable to the Input 1
DI connector
Chapter 6: Making Studio Connections 39
2 Set the source to DI by pressing the input
channel Source selector until the DI LED is lit.
Mic/DI
selector
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide40
Connecting Keyboards and Mixers
Connecting DJ Equipment
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.
If your keyboard has unbalanced outputs,
use the Mbox 2’s DI inputs. Refer to your
keyboard’s documentation
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
S/PDIF
In
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.
Out
S/PDIF connectors on Mbox 2 Pro
Chapter 6: Making Studio Connections 41
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.
3 Launch Pro Tools LE.
4 Choose Hardware > Setup.
5 Click the Clock Source pop-up menu and select
S/PDIF.
Using S/PDIF Input
In Pro Tools, you can record or listen to an external digital device that is connected to
Mbox 2 Pro S/PDIF Input connector. Pro Tools
must first be configured to enable the S/PDIF Inputs.
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.
Mbox 2 Pro does not support external sync
at 88.2 and 96 kHz sample rates.
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).
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.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide42
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.
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
Pro Tools Reference
guide.
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
MIDI connections to Mbox 2 Pro
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.
Mbox 2 Pro does not support external sync
at 88.2 and 96 kHz sample rates.
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.
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.
Chapter 6: Making Studio Connections 43
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.
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.
4 Choose Hardware > Setup.
5 Click the Clock Source pop-up menu and select
Internal.
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.
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.
5 Click the Clock Source pop-up menu and select
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 41.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide44
appendix a
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 Macintosh HD/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 A: Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only) 45
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.
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
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.
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
For Manufacturer and Model names, AMS
refers to one or more files with the suffix
“.middev” in the directory Root/Library/
Audio/MIDI Devices. Pro Tools installs a
file that contains information for many
commercially available MIDI devices,
named “Digidesign Device List.middev.” If
the Manufacturer or Model names for any of
your external MIDI devices is not available
in the AMS Manufacturer and Model popup menus, you can add them by editing the
.middev file in any text editor (such as
TextEdit).
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide46
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 A: Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only) 47
MIDI Patch Name Support
Pro Tools supports XML (Extensible Markup
Language) for storing and importing patch
names for you external MIDI devices. Pro Tools
installs MIDI patch name files (.midnam) for the
factory default patch names of many common
MIDI devices. These files reside in directories,
sorted by manufacturer, in Macintosh HD/
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 45).
2 Verify the Instrument or MIDI track output is
correctly assigned to the MIDI device.
3 Click the Instrument or MIDI track Patch Se-
lect button.
4 In the Patch Select dialog, click Change.
Change button
Patch Select dialog
5 In the Open dialog, navigate to /Library/Au-
dio/MIDI Patch Names/Digidesign/<name of
manufacturer>, and select the MIDI Patch Name
file (.midnam) for the MIDI device.
6 Click Open.
The Patch Select dialog is populated with patch
names and the Patch Name Bank pop-up menu
appears in the upper left hand corner of the window.
Once patch names have been imported into
Pro Tools, they are available for that MIDI device in all sessions.
Patch Select button
(Edit window)
Patch Select button
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide48
Patch Select button
(Mix window)
To clear patch names:
In the Patch Select dialog, click Clear, and the
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 b
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
Appendix B: Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) 49
Interface Controls
Properties Section
Create Adds a new instrument to the Instrument Name list.
Delete Deletes the instrument or instruments
selected in the Instrument Name list.
Import Imports an existing MIDI Studio Setup
file.
Export Exports 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.
Instrument List
The Properties section lets you edit information
for new instruments, or instrument currently selected in the Instrument list.
MIDI Studio Setup Properties section
When a previously defined instrument is selected in the Instrument list, the Properties section changes to reflect the properties of the selected instrument.
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.
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.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide50
If you do not enter an instrument name, the
Instrument Name field will automatically
inherit information from the Manufacturer
and Model pop-up menu.
4 Set a manufacturer and model for the new de-
vice from the corresponding pop-up menus. If
the Manufacturer and Model pop-up menus do
not provide a name for your particular device,
select None.
5 From the Input pop-up menu, select the input
port on your MIDI interface that is connected to
the MIDI Out of your instrument.
6 From the Output pop-up menu, select the out-
put 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.)
terface 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.
Instrument Name
The Instrument Name field shows the user-definable instrument name for the currently selected instrument.
Manufacturer
The Manufacturer pop-up menu provides a list
of MIDI equipment manufacturers. This list is
derived from the XML-based MIDI device files.
For more information, see “MIDI Patch
Name Support” on page 51.
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 51.
Input Port
Output Port
The Output Port pop-up menu displays a list of
available MIDI interface output ports. The port
set and displayed here is the port through which
MIDI data is sent from your MIDI interface to
the MIDI device specified in the Instrument
Name field.
If you set the output port to None, the defined instrument will not appear as a choice
in a MIDI Output selector.
Send Channels
The Send Channels grid sets the send channels
for the MIDI device specified in the Instrument
Name field.
Receive Channels
The Receive Channels grid sets the receive channels for the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field.
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 in-
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 C:\Program Files\
Common Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch Names\
Digidesign.
Appendix B: Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) 51
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 49).
2 Verify the Instrument or MIDI track output is
correctly assigned to the MIDI device.
3 Click the Instrument or MIDI track Patch Se-
lect button.
Patch Select button
(Edit window)
Patch Select button
Patch Select button
(Mix window)
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 dialog with patch names
Once patch names have been imported into
Pro Tools, they are available for that MIDI device in all sessions.
4 In the Patch Select dialog, click Change.
Change button
Patch Select dialog
5 In the Open dialog, navigate to C:\Program
Files\Common Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch
Names\Digidesign\<name of manufacturer>,
and select the MIDI Patch Name file (.midnam)
for the MIDI device.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide52
To clear patch names:
In the Patch Select dialog, click Clear and then
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.
Supported Drive Formats and Drive Types
Drive Formats
Always back up any important data on your
drive before formatting it, as it will erase all
data on the drive.
Avoid Recording to the System Drive
Recording to your system drive is not recommended. Recording and playback on a system
drive may result in lower track counts or fewer
plug-ins.
Mac Mac systems should use drives formatted
with HFS+ or HFS file system only.
HFS drives are supported as Transfer drives
only.
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 (Help > Pro Tools Reference Guide).
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, visit the
Digidesign website at:
www.digidesign.com/compatibility
Appendix C: Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance 53
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 at:
www.digidesign.com/compatibility
FireWire Hard Drives
Digidesign recommends qualified FireWire
drives and (on Windows systems) a qualified
FireWire host adapter.
For complete information on track count and
the supported number and configuration of
FireWire drives, visit the Digidesign website at:
www.digidesign.com/compatibility
IDE/ATA/SATA Hard Drives
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.
A qualified internal IDE/ATA/SATA drive may be
used as a dedicated audio drive.
For complete information on track count with
internal drives, visit the Digidesign website at:
www.digidesign.com/compatibility
Formatting an Audio Drive
Formatting Mac Audio Drives
For optimum performance, audio drives should
be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide54
Do not choose the “Case-Sensitive” format
option. Pro Tools will not operate properly
with case-sensitive formatted drives.
5 Type a name for the new volume.
6 If you plan to connect the drive to a Mac OS 9
computer, select Install Mac OS 9 Drivers.
7 Click Erase.
The drive appears on the Desktop with the new
volume name.
Formatting Windows Audio Drives
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.
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)
4 If the volume is “Healthy,” do the following:
Healthy volumes are volumes that have previously been partitioned and formatted.
• In the Disk Management window, rightclick the hard drive you will use for audio
and choose Format.
• In the Format window, name the volume.
• Choose a file system. For optimum performance, audio drives should be formatted as
NTFS.
• Select Perform a quick format.
• Make sure Enable file and folder compression
is not selected.
• Set the Allocation unit size to Default.
• Click OK.
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).
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 3.4 GB in size.
Windows XP allows drives formatted with
the NTFS file system to be seen as whole
volumes. Single Pro Tools audio files cannot exceed 3.4 GB in size.
Appendix C: Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance 55
Seek Times on Partitioned Drives
Seek times are actually faster on partitioned
drives (assuming that reads and writes are performed on a single partition), since the heads
only have to seek within the partition boundaries, rather than the whole capacity of the
drive.
Smaller partitions perform faster than larger partitions, but this comes at the expense of contiguous storage space. When you partition a drive,
you will need to find the compromise that best
suits your performance and storage requirements.
Avoid distributing audio files within a session over different partitions on the same
drive since this will adversely affect drive
performance.
Defragmenting an Audio Drive
Mac Systems
When working with larger files (such as video),
you can limit fragmentation by backing up your
important files to another disk, erasing the files
from the original hard disk, then copying the
files back, instead of doing a defragmentation.
Window Systems
Periodically defragment audio drives to maintain
system performance.
For maximum recording and playback efficiency, data should be written to your hard
drive in a contiguous fashion—minimizing the
seek requirements to play back the data. Unfortunately, your computer can’t always store the
sound files in this way and must write to disk
wherever it can find space.
In multitrack recording, audio tracks are written
in discrete files, spaced evenly across the disk.
While fragmentation of individual files may be
zero, the tracks may be far enough apart that
playback will still be very seek-intensive. Also,
the remaining free space on the disk will be discontiguous, increasing the likelihood of file
fragmentation on subsequent record passes.
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).
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.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide56
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 Manage.
2 Under Storage, choose Disk Defragmenter.
Using Mac Drives on Windows Systems
Pro Tools for Windows lets you record and play
back sessions directly from a Mac-formatted
(HFS+) drive connected to a Windows system.
This functionality requires that all Mac session
and audio files be stored on Mac-formatted
drives.
During Pro Tools installation, make sure to select the Mac HFS+ Disk Support option. This option lets your Pro Tools system read, write,
record, and play back using Mac-formatted
HFS+ disks.
For information on using the Mac HFS+
Disk Support option, see the HFS+ Disk Support Option Guide.
For information on sharing sessions between Mac and Windows systems, see the
Pro Tools Reference Guide (Help >
Pro Tools Reference Guide).
Formatting and Maintaining HFS+ Drives
3 In the Disk Defragmenter window, choose the
drive you want to defragment
4 Click the Defragment button and follow the
on-screen instructions.
When defragmenting is complete, close the
Computer Management window.
To format and partition any drives as HFS+, connect the drives to a Mac computer and use the
Apple OS X Disk Utility.
Appendix C: Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance 57
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 Setup Guide58
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 59
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.
Try a complete restart. Turn off your audio in-
terfaces, computer peripherals and your computer, and then turn them on again in the
proper sequence.
If you tried to launch Pro Tools by double-
clicking a Pro Tools session file, do the following:
• Close any error message.
• Double-click the Pro Tools application.
• In Pro Tools, choose File > Open Session to
open the session.
Reinstall the Pro Tools application, using the
Pro Tools Installer disc.
Audio Interface Is Not Recognized
Problem
When you launch Pro Tools it does not recognize an audio interface, or a connected audio interface is not available.
Possible Solutions
Turn off your computer and check to be sure
your cables are properly and securely connected
to your computer and to your audio interface.
Verify that your Hardware Setup dialog set-
tings are correct.
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 Setup Guide60
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.
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
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/compatibility).
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.
Troubleshooting 61
Diagnostic Information
Note any DAE errors or other error codes you encounter. Diagonally, 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 Setup Guide62
appendix e
Resources
Whether you are new to Pro Tools or just starting out with your new system, we encourage
you to read and utilize the many guides that
Pro Tools provides. There are also useful online
resources available, giving you everything from
Pro Tools tips to Pro Tools answers.
About the Pro Tools Guides
In addition to any printed guides included with
your system, PDF versions of the printed guides
and many additional Pro Tools guides and Read
Mes are installed automatically during Pro Tools
installation (see “Documentation Installed Automatically with Pro Tools” on page 64).
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).
Printed Setup Guide
This printed Setup Guide for your system gives
you detailed instructions for setting up and configuring software and hardware for optimum
performance.
Printed Getting Started with Pro Tools Guide
The printed Getting Started with Pro Tools LE has
tutorials on using Pro Tools (such as recording
in a Pro Tools session, importing audio from a
CD, and creating an audio CD from a Pro Tools
session).
Guides Accessible in Pro Tools
The main Pro Tools guides are accessible from
the Pro Tools Help menu. (Choose Help, then select a guide.)
These include:
• Shortcuts Guide, which provides a complete list
of keyboard and Right-click shortcuts for
Pro Tools.
• DigiRack Plug-ins Guide, which describes the
DigiRack plug-ins included with Pro Tools for
both real-time and file-based audio processing.
• Pro Tools Menus Guide, which covers all the
Pro Tools on-screen menus.
• Pro Tools Reference Guide, which explains
Pro Tools software in detail.
Resources 63
Documentation Installed Automatically with Pro Tools
When you install Pro Tools, you get useful PDF
versions of many Pro Tools guides and
Read Mes. This documentation can be found in
the following locations:
Mac Applications/Digidesign/Documentation
Training and Education 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 or learn
about our Development Partners and their plugins, applications, and hardware.
Windows C:\Program Files\Digidesign\
Documentation
To view or print PDF guides, you can use
Adobe Reader or Apple Preview (Mac only).
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.
About www.digidesign.com
The Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com)
is your best online 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.
News and Events Get the latest news from Digidesign or sign up for a Pro Tools demo.
Pro Tools Accelerated Videos Watch the series of
free tutorial videos. Accelerated Videos are designed to help you get up and running with
Pro Tools and its plug-ins quickly.
Helpful Online Resources
Once you get going, here are some helpful online resources:
• Get useful information, help, and tips from
the worldwide community of Pro Tools users
at Digidesign User Conference (DUC). Go to:
http://duc.digidesign.com
• For questions about installation, visit
Digidesign’s online Answerbase. Go to:
http://www.digidesign.com/answerbase
• If you can’t find your answer on the DUC or
Answerbase, contact Digidesign
email support. Go to:
http://www.digidesign.com/tsr
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; or join the worldwide Pro Tools community on the Digidesign User Conference.
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide64
index
A
ASIO driver (Windows) 12
audio drivers
ASIO driver (Windows) 12
CoreAudio driver (Mac) 7
Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Macintosh) 45
authorizing Pro Tools LE
Mac 6
Windows 11
C
Cache Size 20
Clean Uninstall (Mac) 8
Clock Source 21
Internal setting 21
S/PDIF (digital) setting 21
connecting Mbox 2 Pro
Mac 6
CoreAudio driver (Mac) 7
CPU Usage Limit 17, 18
D
DAE Playback Buffer Size 19
DMA option (Windows), enabling 25
drive formatting
Mac 54
Windows 55
drive maintenance 53
drive requirements 3
E
Energy Saver (Mac), turning off 23
Ext Clock LED 30
F
FireWire
cable types 32
FireWire requirements 54
footswitch 33, 44
G
gain
headphones 30
input 31
H
hard drives
drive formats 53
FireWire requirements 54
formatting 54, 55
formatting (Mac) 54
IDE/ATA requirements 54
maintenance 53, 56
optimizing 56
partitioning 55
requirements 3
SCSI requirements 54
space requirements 58
Hardware Buffer Size 16
headphones
gain control 30
outputs A and B 30
I
I/O Setup
Windows 22
IDE/ATA requirements 54
Ignore Errors During Playback/Record option 19
indicators
peak level 31
phantom power 30
Index 65
input and output connectors 33
inputs
digital 33
gain 31
installing Pro Tools LE
Mac 5
Windows 9
installing QuickTime (Windows) 11
J
journaling (Mac), enabling 24
K
key commands 4
L
latency
Hardware Buffer Size 16
M
Mbox 2
back panel 32
features 1
front panel 30
Mbox 2 Pro
connecting (Mac) 6
MIDI
connections 42
requirements 3
setup (Macintosh) 45
setup (Windows) 49
MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) (Windows) 49
Minimize Additional I/O Latency option 19
P
partitioning hard drives 55
Patch Select dialog
Macintosh 48
Windows 52
peak indicators 31
phantom power 39
indicator 30
when to use 31, 38
Playback Engine
RTAS Processors setting 17
Plug-in Streaming Buffer 21
Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size 20
plug-ins
multiprocessors 17
RTAS Processors setting 17
power
management settings (Windows) 25
Power LED 30
Pro Tools
demo session 8
demo session (Windows) 13
removing (Windows) 8, 13
Pro Tools LE
capabilities 2
configuration (Windows) 16
installing (Mac) 5
installing (Windows) 9
processor performance (Mac) 23
Processor Scheduling performance (Windows) 27
Q
QuickTime
installing (Windows) 11
N
network cards (Windows), disabling 27
network connections 60
O
optimizing hard drives 56
outputs
digital 33
Monitor outputs 33
Mbox 2 Pro Setup Guide66
R
removing Pro Tools
Windows 8, 13
RTAS Processors setting 17
S
S/PDIF 33
Safe Uninstall (Mac) 8
Sample Rate 21
screen savers 60
SCSI requirements 54
Software Update (Mac), turning off 23
sources
digital 33
selecting 31
Spotlight indexing (Mac), disabling 24
Startup items (Windows), disabling 28
system
optimization (Mac) 22
optional optimizations (Windows) 27
recommended optimizations (Windows) 26
required optimizations (Windows) 25
shutting down 15
starting up 15
system optimization
Windows 27
system settings
Cache Size 20
Clock Source 21
CPU Usage Limit 18
Hardware Buffer Size 16
I/O Setup 22
Plug-in Streaming Buffer 21
Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size 20
Sample Rate 21
T
technical support
product registration required 61
TRS 37
U
uninstalling Pro Tools
Windows 8, 13
User Account Control (UAC)
disabling 26
W
website 64
Index 67
www.digidesign.com
DIGIDESIGN
2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard
Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA
Tel: 650.731.6300
Fax: 650.731.6399
TECHNICAL SUPPORT (USA)
Tel: 650.731.6100
Fax: 650.731.6375
PRODUCT INFORMATION (USA)
Tel: 800.333.2137
INTERNATIONAL OFFICES
Visit the Digidesign website
for contact information
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