Pinnacle Systems Mbox Mini - 9.0 User Guide

®

Mbox Mini User Guide

Version 9.0

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contents

Chapter 1. Welcome to Mbox Mini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Mbox Mini Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

System Requirements and Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Conventions Used in This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

About www.avid.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Chapter 2. Mbox Mini Hardware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Mbox Mini Front Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Mbox Mini Back Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 3. Installing and Connecting Mbox Mini. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Chapter 4. Making Studio Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Connecting Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Connecting Audio Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Connecting a Microphone to Mbox Mini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Connecting Instruments to the Mbox Mini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Chapter 5. Using the Driver Control Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Setting Sample Rate and Buffer Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Viewing Firmware and Installer Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Appendix A. Using Third-Party Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Configuring Mbox Mini for Third-Party Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Configuring the Apple Sound Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Contents iii

Appendix B. Compliance Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Environmental Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

EMC (Electromagnetic Compliance) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Safety Compliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Mbox Mini User Guideiv

chapter 1

Welcome to Mbox Mini

Welcome to the Mbox®Mini USB audio inter­face from Avid

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

Mbox Mini integrates with Pro Tools
and is compatible with third-party audio appli­cations that support the CoreAudio (Mac) or
ASIO (Windows) standard.

®

.

®

software,

Mbox Mini Features

The Mbox Mini provides the following:

• Two channels of analog audio input:

• Combo connector with XLR (microphone)
input and 1/4-inch (line-level) input and
switchable 48V phantom power

• Two 1/4-inch TRS (Tip-Ring-Sleeve) con­nectors. One input is switchable between
Line and DI level devices. The other is DI
only and switchable with the Combo con­nector for Input 1

• Gain control with –20 dB pad available sep­arately on each input channel

• Two 1/4-inch TRS analog monitor outputs

• 1/4-inch (TRS) stereo headphone output with
adjustable level control

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

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

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

• USB-powered operation

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

Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox Mini 1

System Requirements and Compatibility

Conventions Used in This Guide

Mbox Mini can be used with a qualified Win­dows or Mac computer running Pro Tools soft­ware 8.0.4 or higher.

For Pro Tools installation instructions, see
the Pro Tools Installation Guide.

Mbox Mini can be also be used with a qualified
Mac or Windows computer running any other
Core Audio- or ASIO-compliant software.

Mbox Mini hardware drivers must be installed
before you can connect and use your
Mbox Mini.

For Mbox hardware drivers installation in­structions, see Chapter 3, “Installing and
Connecting Mbox.”

A DVD drive is required to use the Drivers In­staller disc (included with your Pro Tools soft­ware package).

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

For complete system requirements and a list of
qualified computers, operating systems, hard
drives, and third-party devices, visit:

www.avid.com/compatibility

All of our 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

Control-click Hold down the Control key

Right-click Click with the right

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:

and press the N key

and click the mouse button

mouse button

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

Mbox Mini User Guide2

About www.avid.com

The Avid website (www.avid.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.

Support and Downloads Contact Avid Customer
Success (technical support); download software
updates and the latest online manuals; browse
the Compatibility documents for system re­quirements; search the online Knowledge Base
or join the worldwide Pro Tools community on
the User Conference.

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 Avid
products; download demo software or learn
about our Development Partners and their
plug-ins, applications, and hardware.

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

Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox Mini 3

Mbox Mini User Guide4

chapter 2

Signal Clip

Headphone
output

LEDs

Signal Clip
LEDs

Gain/

–20 dB pad switches 1–2

Mon/Mute
switch

Master monitor
knob

Power
LED

Mix (Ratio)

Phantom power
(+48V) LED

Mbox Mini Hardware Overview

Mbox Mini Front Panel Features

Figure 1 identifies controls, indicators, and input and output ports on the front panel on the
Mbox Mini.

Figure 1. Mbox Mini front panel

Gain/–20 dB Pad Switches 1

This knobs adjusts the gain level for Inputs 1
(Mic/Line or DI) depending on which input is
enabled by the back panel Combo/DI switch.
Turn the knob clockwise to increase gain, and
counter-clockwise to decrease gain. If your input
signal is too hot even with the Gain knob at a
low setting, pull the Gain knob out to engage a
“pad” that attenuates the signal by -20dB.

Gain/–20 dB Pad Switch 2

This knob adjusts the input gain level of Input 2
(Line/DI) depending on which input is enabled
by the back panel Line/DI switch. Turn the knob
clockwise to increase gain, and counter-clock­wise to decrease gain. If your input signal is too
hot even with the Gain knob at a low setting,
pull the Gain knob out to engage a “pad” that
attenuates the signal by –20dB.

Chapter 2: Mbox Mini Hardware Overview 5