Digidesign Mbox
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What is the Mbox?
The Mbox is a audio interface by [Digidesign]. It is aimed at the small, portable [DAW] market.
The Mbox ships with Pro Tools LE and is compatible with all Pro Tools systems, including Pro Tools HD.
The Mbox is currently in in its second incarnation, fittingly dubbed the "Mbox 2." The most notable addition in this new model is its Midi in/out capabilities.
It is compatible with both Windows XP and Mac OS X.
Digidesign's website lists the price of the Mbox 2 as $495 or $595 bundled with plugins for Pro Tools LE.
The unit (in its two incarnations) can be had for $300 to $500 on ebay and various other sites.
Features
Audio and Midi Interface
First and foremost, the Mbox is an audio In/Out unit for a portable DAW setup.
It claims up to four simultaneous inputs and outputs, but this is only when using both the analog and digital I/O.
It has two analog inputs (XLR, 1/4" line, and 1/4" jacks) and two analog outputs (1/4" jacks). Both of the XLR inputs have v48 phantom power and microphone pre-amps, suitable for dynamic, condenser and ribbon microphones.
There are also two channels of S/PDIF digital I/O (RCA). These inputs have no microphone pre-amps.
The Mbox's digital converters are cappable of 24-bit/48 kHz audio. See the Sample Rates and Bit Depth article to learn what this means.
New to the Mbox 2 are the MIDI in/out connections, allowing users to connecting midi keyboards and sound units to the Mbox.
The Mbox also is capable of Zero-latency monitoring, depending on the settings of the DAW software.
For portability, the Mbox is 100% USB powered. It will draw power from your computer in order to power the pre-amps and the unit itself. This will reduce the battery life of a laptop, but is very useful when recording in multiple locations is important.
Mbox as a Dongle (USB Key)
Secondly, the Mbox acts as a USB dongle for Protools. Protools uses very strict copy protection protocols that requires a Digidesign Audio Interface to be connected(Mbox, Digi002, HD units etc.). This is in comparison to Digital Performer that can run with the built in audio on your mac. This is not to be confused with the iLok system by Pace that is required by certain plugins, Waves, Bombfactory, Protools LE Factory Bundle etc.
Alternatives
For someone that needs additional inputs the Digi002 provides 8 in/outs as well as optical that when coupled with an ADAT can accomadate up to 16 simultaneous in/outs.
If you want to spend less and you don't care about getting ProTools LE, the PreSonus FireBox has many of the same feature, including excellent entry level pre-amps that compare favorably to the Mbox's, and retails for $300. It comes with Cubase LE instead of ProTools LE, which is an acceptable alternative if you do not wish/need to move up to ProTool or use specific ProTools plugins. Presonus's FireBox Page
