BLOGS

While putting some new gear in my home studio I recently purchased the Mbox 2 by Digidesign....and I must say, impressive is an understatement. Digidesign.com describes the Mbox 2 as:MBox® 2 is a next-generation USB-powered audio/MIDI production system that builds on the performance and simplicity of the original Mbox — Avid’s most popular personal studio system ever. Featuring a wide range of connection options, including analog, digital, and MIDI I/O, Mbox 2 delivers professional performance in an incredibly compact package. Mbox 2 also includes award-winning, easy-to-use Pro Tools LE™ software, which offers many of the same features that top studios rely on to produce Grammy®-winning albums and Academy Award®–winning film sound. Projects created with Mbox 2 and Pro Tools LE software also open on Pro Tools|HD® and Pro Tools M-Powered™ systems — providing instant compatibility with countless Pro Tools®–equipped project and professional studio around the globe.

The reason I purchased this was for a USB power and the zero-latency monitoring amoung other things. The real beauty of the Mbox2 is the overall complete package. Hardware, software, and bundled plug-ins.

As a voice actor, all of these areas are big plus' for the work I do. Although I use Adobe Audition 3.0 as my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) its hard to ignore the power and range of the included Pro Tools LE software.

I mean what doesn't this package include. There is no shortage of plug-ins here for sure. Pro Tools LE plug-in list includes:

In addition to M-Audio Torq LE DJ software and an incredible 8 GB collection of pro-quality loops from industry sound heavyweights Big Fish Audio, Pro Tools software includes a comprehensive bundle of amazing virtual instruments, effects, and utility plug-ins.

Virtual Instruments

• Boom drum machine and sequencer
• DB-33 tonewheel organ emulator with rotating speaker simulation
• Mini Grand acoustic grand piano
• Vacuum monophonic vacuum tube synthesizer
• Xpand!2 multitimbral synth and sample workstation
• Structure Free sample player
• FXpansion BFD Lite acoustic drum module

Effects, Sound-Processing, Utility Plug-ins

• 1-Band EQ III
• 4-Band EQ III
• 7-Band EQ III
• AIR Chorus
• AIR Distortion
• AIR Dynamic Delay
• AIR Enhancer
• AIR Ensemble
• AIR Filter Gate
• AIR Flanger
• AIR Frequency Shifter
• AIR FuzzWah
• AIR KillEQ
• AIR Lo-Fi
• AIR MultiChorus
• AIR Multi-Delay
• AIR Nonlinear Reverb
• AIR Phaser
• AIR Reverb
• AIR Spring Reverb
• AIR StereoWidth
• AIR Talkbox
• AIR Vintage Filter
• BF76 Compressor
• BF Essential Clip Remover
• BF Essential Correlation Meter
• BF Essential Meter Bridge
• BF Essential Noise Meter
• Celemony Melodyne Essential
• Chorus
• Click
• Compressor/Limiter
• D-Verb
• DC Offset Removal
• De-Esser
• Delay
• DigiReWire
• Dither
• Duplicate
• Eleven Free
• Expander/Gate
• Extra Long Delay II
• Flanger
• Gain
• Invert
• Lo-Fi
• Long Delay II
• Maxim
• Medium Delay II
• Multi-Tap Delay
• Normalize
• Ping-Pong Delay
• Pitch
• Pitch Shift
• POWr Dither
• Recti-Fi
• Reverse
• SansAmp
• Sci-Fi
• Signal Generator
• Short Delay II
• Slap Delay II
• Time Compression Expansion
• Time Shift
• TL AutoPan
• TL InTune
• TL MasterMeter
• TL Metro
• Trim
• Vari-Fi

I mean, really?? I've been playing with these plug-ins for a week now and still have yet to get through all of them. For you tech savvy folks, it's got all the bells and whistles you could ask for. For us non-tech engineers it has an ease of use factor that really sells itself.

For those interested here are specifications as listed at degidesign.com

• Analog Inputs — 2 Misc.
• Separate source selection and gain control per channel
• Mic: XLR with 48V phantom power
• Mic preamp: >120 db EIN @ > 50 dB gain
• Line: 1/4"
• DI: 1/4"
• Maximum Input: 8.7 V RMS (balanced), or +21 dBu
• 24-bit clean to/from the computer
• USB type B socket (v. 1.1); cable included (does not support passive USB hubs)
• Analog Line Outputs — 2 Dimensions — measured with Mbox 2 in horizontal (handle-down) configuration
• Maximum Output: +4 dBV into 1 kohm
• Unbalanced output connectors
• Height, box: 4.9cm; with handle: 7.7cm; with handle cover: 5.6cm
• Width: 22.4cm
• Depth: 18.4cm (includes knobs)
• Weight: 1.23 kg.
• Headphone Output A/D
• Separate volume control—1/4" output
• > 6 mW into 50 ohm
• Sample Rate: 44.1, 48 kHz
• Dynamic Range: 106 dB (A-weighted), 103 dB (unweighted)1,2
• THD+N (line input): 0.00079% (-102 dB) @ 1 kHz1,3
• THD+N @ 40 dB gain (mic input): 0.006% (-84 dB) @ 1 kHz1
• Mic EIN (unweighted): -120 dB @ 40 dB gain, 150 ohm source
• Frequency Response: +0/-0.5 dB, 20 Hz – 20 kHz3
• Maximum Input: +21 dB
• Input Impedance (pad off): Mic=3.5 kOhm; Line=10 kOhm; DI= >1 MOhm
• Digital I/O D/A
• S/PDIF I/O (24-bit)
• RCA jacks
• Sample Rate: 44.1, 48 kHz
• Dynamic Range: 106 dB (A-weighted), 103 dB (unweighted)1,4
• THD+N: 0.003% (-90.4 dB); -1 dBFS @ 1 kHz1,3
• Frequency Response: +/-0.5 dB, 20 Hz – 20 kHz3

1. Measurement made using balanced connectors
2. ADC measured -60 dBFS method with minimum gain setting
3. Measured relative to level at 1 kHz
4. Measured with digital input at -60 dBFS @ 1 kHz

The other beautiful thing about the MBox2 is the online support and training that's available online. It's an industry standard that takes some time to master, but well worth the money.

To learn more about this product or other degidesign products, check out http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?itemid=4893

If you have the MBox2, what do you think about it?