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Hatsubai « Good midlevel pre »
Published on 06/17/11 at 06:31The Digidesign Mbox 2 Pro is part of the Mbox series. This pre is a step up from the normal Mbox 2 and has a few cooler features. First of all, you always get Pro Tools LE with these bundles, so you'll always have a good recording environment. This one is powered by firewire instead of USB, and that's probably the biggest reason I recommend this model over the Mbox 2. This also has 4 analog inputs, 6 analog outputs, 2 DIs, 2 channels of S/PDIF, MIDI, 2 headphone jacks, phantom power and more.
UTILIZATION
Digidesign did a great job fitting everything into this box without it being too hectic. First of all, everything is self contained in this unit. That means there are no breakout wires running anywhere to connect various gear. Apogee tends to have this problem, and it can be a real pain. Thanks to the firewire connection, there's zero lag. Whereas USB 2.0 could sometimes have some lag issues depending on how you set the buffer and how many plugins you're running while tracking, firewire is much more forgiving in that aspect. Pro Tools LE is pretty stable, and I didn't have too many problems with it. I'm more of a Logic guy, so I can't praise it too much.
GETTING STARTED
The unit is very easy to set up, and getting started is a breeze. Simply plug in the components to their corresponding ports, install Pro Tools LE and you're good to go. One issue with all Digidesign stuff is that it's locked to Pro Tools. That was a big issue for me since I'm a Logic user, but that's what happens when you start using proprietary gear.
OVERALL OPINION
I prefer this unit over the regular Mbox 2 simply because this has firewire. The software bundle that comes with it is solid, it's easy to set up, everything is self contained without any breakout cables, the price is pretty good and it sounds good as well. If you're looking for a good mid level pre, check this out.
UTILIZATION
Digidesign did a great job fitting everything into this box without it being too hectic. First of all, everything is self contained in this unit. That means there are no breakout wires running anywhere to connect various gear. Apogee tends to have this problem, and it can be a real pain. Thanks to the firewire connection, there's zero lag. Whereas USB 2.0 could sometimes have some lag issues depending on how you set the buffer and how many plugins you're running while tracking, firewire is much more forgiving in that aspect. Pro Tools LE is pretty stable, and I didn't have too many problems with it. I'm more of a Logic guy, so I can't praise it too much.
GETTING STARTED
The unit is very easy to set up, and getting started is a breeze. Simply plug in the components to their corresponding ports, install Pro Tools LE and you're good to go. One issue with all Digidesign stuff is that it's locked to Pro Tools. That was a big issue for me since I'm a Logic user, but that's what happens when you start using proprietary gear.
OVERALL OPINION
I prefer this unit over the regular Mbox 2 simply because this has firewire. The software bundle that comes with it is solid, it's easy to set up, everything is self contained without any breakout cables, the price is pretty good and it sounds good as well. If you're looking for a good mid level pre, check this out.