Digidesign MBox2

I received my Mbox 2 from Digidesign in a bundle package that I purchased from musicians friend website back in the summer of 2009. It came with a mic, pro tools and two studio monitors. The studio monitors and mic were pretty cheap though but the Mbox 2 was definitely worth the purchase. It connected to my computer / laptop and synced up with my DAW pretty easy. I really didn’t use it with pro tools because I was impatient and couldn’t figure out the ins and out connection settings in pro tools itself so I used it in fl studio.

It worked great, I had no issues with it and im glad to say that I had a chance to use it. Though it doesn’t have enough instrument in hook ups for me anymore because I need at least 6 for all of my gear, but at the time it was just what I needed. When using it in FL Studio I did hit some complications though getting it to work each time. For some reason it happened to a lot of fl users. I read on the forums for fl studio that many people had issues with getting the Mbox 2 go work properly in their system. But that wasn’t Digidesign’s fault.

Overall, if you need an audio interface to track your gear into and through there might not be a better more affordable audio interface on the market today. But as I stated if you are using it with fl studio beware because there may be some complications and if you are using it in pro tools make sure you read the manual because getting the ins and outs right will take some time if you don know what your doing. But knowing what I know now I would purchase it again. It works great and it can take a few small drops because I have dropped it a few times and it just left some minor scrapes on it.

The Mbox 2 is a portable audio interface that you can use in your home studio and sync it your monitors, mic, and almost any outboard gear that you use. The Mbox 2 allows you to have a pro tools setup in the privacy of your own home.
The MBox2 can be used with other popular programs as well it doesn’t just have to be pro tools. I have used the Mbox 2 with Fl Studio 8xxl and it works fine. You will have to play with it some and mess with the settings in order to get it to work right. Starting this Mbox 2 up is easy and its plug and play, just install pro tools and you are good to go. Now when you start using this Mbox 2 and pro tools you will need to have a manual for pro tools, the Mbox 2 is easy, but pro tools is difficult to understand for the beginner.

The Mbox 2 is a very strong piece of equipment and it is very portable you can take it with you anywhere, its not too big and it can be taken anywhere that you go right along with your laptop. The Mbox 2 is compatible with Windows as well as Mac. Works better with mac though, I used it with windows and had some minor driver issues when installing. Nothing major, and it was fixed pretty quick. Also keep in mind that when installing the Pro Tools that comes with the Mbox 2 it will take a lot of your cpu and your hardrive up. So before purchasing make sure you have enough memory and ram to power the software that comes with the Mbox 2. This box is very affordable and it’s a must have for your home studiuo.

Besides the effects the sought after Pro Tools has to offer the best part about this interface is it's simplicity and quality. It is ideal for classrooms with creative students looking to get familiar with the recording and editing process.

It seems a bit pricey but after recording a few jams with a Shure PG42 mic I was suprised to find the recording quality blowing away my usual latency-problem expectations. However, there was a strange kind of loud smallness in the sound of my recordings until I got precise with my microphone placement.

For the teacher, student, or beginner studio musician, this is a great way to achieve quality recordings along with access to some ear tickling editing capabilities. If your willing to get creative with your single input and microphone/instrument, you may just become one with this interface right away and find yourself glued to your PC.

For someone less intent on portability and more intent on having more than just one instrument input, take a glance at an Alesis MultiMix USB 8-Channel Mixer. Some users report more desirable effects as well and better sound quality.

This product is completely worth the price, especially since you will always have Pro Tools afterward, you can always record via other software, and you can always use a new, different, USB interface with your Pro Tools software.

This was the first audio interface that I bought for my Pro Tools setup. It's relatively small and only has two analog inputs, but this is enough for some people to do small recording projects at home, so this isn't really a bad thing, especially considering the price.
This interface has 4 ins and outs (2 analog, 2 digital). The analog inputs have XLR and quarter inch inputs, and 1/4 inch outputs. They both have phantom power so that you can use a condenser microphone. They are capable of recording at a rate of 24-bits and 48 kHz, which is better than CD quality. The interface has a MIDI in/out as well. The interface connects to your computer via USB.
If that doesn't sound convincing, keep in mind that buying the bundle (which the above price reflects) will include the Pro Tools software (LE version), as well as several plugins that are quite useful. These include the standard Pro Tools plug-ins, as well as a few nice ones including the Bomb Factory Joe Meek emulators (which are really nice).
While all these features are nice, there's no denying the limitations of this setup. Forget live recording of an ensemble, the most you can do at once is acoustic guitar and voice, or something comparable. Also, the pre-amp in this interface is nowhere near top of the line. You aren't going to a get a studio quality sound, even if you have a good mic. The mic pre is almost as important, so I wouldn't want to use this for anything more than demos, especially nowadays. However, it is a good place to start for people who are just learning Pro Tools. Learning on bad equipment can actually be a good thing, as it will force you to learn how to mix and edit well. Overall, this is for beginners, and if you feel the need to just save up more money and get a better one, go for it. Otherwise, this isn't a bad place to start.