Setup Guide Mbox® 2 Micro Version 8.0.
Legal Notices Documentation Feedback This guide is copyrighted ©2009 by Avid Technology, Inc. with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Avid. At Avid, we're always looking for ways to improve our documentation. If you have comments, corrections, or suggestions regarding our documentation, email us at techpubs@digidesign.com.
Communications and Safety Regulation Information Communication Statement Compliance Statement NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
Canadian Compliance Statement: This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada. Australian Compliance European Compliance Digidesign is authorized to apply the CE (Conformité Europénne) mark on this compliant equipment thereby declaring conformity to EMC Directive 89/336/EEC and Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC.
contents Chapter 1. Welcome to Mbox 2 Micro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mbox 2 Micro Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pro Tools LE Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . System Requirements and Compatibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conventions Used in This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 5. Mbox 2 Micro Hardware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Mbox 2 Micro Hardware Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Making Hardware Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Appendix A. Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Audio MIDI Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix E. Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 About the Pro Tools Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 About www.digidesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
x Mbox 2 Micro Setup Guide
chapter 1 Welcome to Mbox 2 Micro Welcome to the Mbox® 2 Micro audio playback system. Mbox 2 Micro and Pro Tools LE® provide your USB-equipped computer with a 1/8-inch stereo output, which uses high-quality 24-bit, 48 kHz D/A converters. It also provides a headphone level control. Use the Mbox 2 Micro for monitoring Pro Tools playback when editing and mixing.
Pro Tools LE Capabilities Pro Tools LE on or Mac or Windows provides the following capabilities with Mbox 2 Micro: • Playback of up to 48 mono or stereo digital audio tracks, or a combination of playing back and recording up to 48 mono or stereo digital audio tracks, depending on your computer’s capabilities. • Up to 128 audio tracks (with up to 48 active tracks), 128 Auxiliary Input tracks, 64 Master Fader tracks, 256 MIDI tracks, and 32 Instrument tracks per session.
System Requirements and Compatibility Mbox 2 Micro can be used with a qualified Mac or Windows computer running Pro Tools LE software. A DVD drive is required to use the Pro Tools Installer disc. 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, refer to the latest information on our website: www.digidesign.
Hard Drive Requirements For optimal audio recording and playback, all Pro Tools systems require one or more qualified drives. For a list of qualified hard drives, visit our website: www.digidesign.com/compatibility If you are using an ATA/IDE or FireWire hard drive, initialize your drive with the Disk Utility application included with Apple System software (Mac) or the Windows Disk Management (Windows). For more information, see Appendix C, “Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance.
Conventions Used in This Guide The Pro Tools guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices, keyboard commands, and mouse commands: : Convention Action File > Save Choose Save from the File menu Control+N Hold down the Control key and press the N key Control-click Hold down the Control key and click the mouse button Right-click Click with the right mouse button The names of Commands, Options, and Settings that appear on-screen are in a different font.
6 Mbox 2 Micro Setup Guide
chapter 2 Installing Pro Tools on Mac This chapter contains information for Mac systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools on a Windows computer, see Chapter 3, “Installing Pro Tools on Windows.” Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools Installer disc. Installation Overview Installation of the Mbox 2 Micro on a Mac includes the following steps: 1 “Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Your Interface” on page 8.
Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Your Interface Before connecting your Pro Tools LE interface to the computer, you need to install Pro Tools LE software. Do not start this procedure with your Mbox 2 Micro connected to your computer. To install Pro Tools LE 1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administrator for the account where you want to install Pro Tools. For details on Administrator privileges in Mac OS X, refer to your Apple Mac OS X documentation.
8 If prompted, enter your Administrator password and click OK to authenticate the installation. 9 Follow the remaining on-screen instructions. 10 When installation is complete, click Restart. 11 When prompted, remove the protective USB dust cap from the Mbox 2 Micro and insert the USB connector of the Mbox 2 Micro into any available USB port on your computer. Mbox 2 Micro may not function properly if connected to a USB hub. Connect Mbox 2 Micro to a separate, dedicated USB port.
Pro Tools Creative Collection Installs a set of free RTAS effects plug-ins and virtual instrument plug-ins (including 4.4 GB of associated sample content). For more information, see the Creative Collection Plug-ins Guide. Additional Options The Pro Tools installer provides the following additional options to install along with Pro Tools software and plug-ins.
4 Use the Quick Start dialog to do one of the following: • Create a new session from template. • Create a new blank session. • Open any other session on your system. Quick Start dialog For more information on the Quick Start dialog and session templates, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc The Pro Tools Installer disc provides additional software for your system, including audio drivers (for playing other audio applications through your Digidesign hardware) and a Pro Tools demo session. Check your Pro Tools Installer disc for additional software and installers. Third-Party Applications and Plug-ins Your Pro Tools package also includes several free applications and plug-ins from selected Third Party developers.
Standalone Mbox 2 Micro CoreAudio Driver The Mbox 2 Micro CoreAudio Driver can be installed as a standalone driver on Mac systems that do not have Pro Tools software installed. For information on installing and configuring the standalone version of the Mbox 2 Micro CoreAudio Driver, see the CoreAudio Drivers Guide. Pro Tools Demo Session The Pro Tools LE Installer disc includes a demo session that you can use to verify that your system is working. The demo session for Pro Tool LE is named “Filtered Dreams.
Uninstalling Pro Tools If you need to uninstall Pro Tools software from your computer, use the Uninstaller application. To remove Pro Tools from your computer: 1 Make sure you are logged in as an Administrator for the account where Pro Tools is installed. For details on Administrator privileges in Mac OS X, refer to your Apple OS X documentation. 2 Go to Applications/Digidesign/Pro Tools/Pro Tools Utilities and double-click Uninstall Pro Tools. 3 Click Continue to proceed with the uninstall.
chapter 3 Installing Pro Tools on Windows This chapter contains information for Windows systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools on a Mac computer, see Chapter 2, “Installing Pro Tools on Mac.” Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools Installer disc. Installation Overview Installing the Mbox 2 Micro on a Windows computer includes the following steps: 1 “Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Mbox 2 Micro” on page 16.
Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Mbox 2 Micro Before connecting your Pro Tools LE interface to the computer, you need to install Pro Tools LE software. Do not start this procedure with your Mbox 2 Micro connected to your computer. To install Pro Tools LE: 1 Start Windows, logging in with Administrator privileges. For details on Administrator privileges, refer to your Windows documentation.
5 At the Select Features page, do one of the following: • To install all Pro Tools application files and free plug-in suites (and associated content), leave the default Installation options selected and click Continue. – or – • Select (or deselect) a custom configuration of Installation options (see “Installation Options” on page 18) and click Continue. 6 Click Next. 7 Click Install.
11 When installation is complete, click Finish and restart your computer. The USB LED on the Mbox 2 Micro illuminates green when it is receiving power and ready for use. If the USB LED on the Mbox 2 Micro does not illuminate after installation, or it is blinking, try unplugging it from your computer and plugging it back in. If the USB LED still does not illuminate, shut down the computer, disconnect the Mbox 2 Micro and start the computer. Once the computer has fully restarted, reconnect the Mbox 2 Micro.
Mac HFS+ Disk Support Option This option lets your Pro Tools system read, write, record, and play back using Mac-formatted HFS+ disks. HFS+ disks are commonly referred to as Mac OS Extended disks. Avid Video Engine The Avid Video Engine is required to use Pro Tools with Avid video peripherals such as the Avid Mojo. Command|8 Controller and Driver The Command|8® driver is required if you are using the Digidesign Command|8 control surface.
Launching Pro Tools LE When launching Pro Tools LE the first time, you are prompted to enter an authorization code to validate your software. (The code begins with the letters DIGI.) To authorize Pro Tools LE software: 1 Make sure the Mbox 2 Micro is connected to your computer. 2 Double-click the Pro Tools LE shortcut on your desktop (or the application icon in the Pro Tools folder inside the Digidesign folder).
Additional Software on the Pro Tools Installer Disc The Pro Tools Installer disc provides additional software for your system, including audio drivers (for playing other audio applications through your Digidesign hardware) and a Pro Tools demo session. Refer to your Pro Tools Installer disc for additional software and installers. Third-Party Applications and Plug-ins Your Pro Tools package also includes several free applications and plug-ins from. Go to the Additional Files\3rd Party Content folder on your
Digidesign WaveDriver (Windows XP Only) The Digidesign WaveDriver Windows System Audio Driver is a single-client, stereo sound driver that allows third-party audio programs that support the WaveDriver MME (Multimedia Extension) standard to play back through Digidesign hardware. For detailed information on configuring the Digidesign WaveDriver, see the Windows Audio Drivers Guide.
5 When prompted, select your audio drive as the install location and click Next to begin the install. 6 When installation is complete, click Close. The demo session can be opened by double-clicking the Filtered Dream.ptf file (located in the Filtered Dream Demo Session folder). Uninstalling Pro Tools Use the Uninstall Pro Tools application to uninstall Pro Tools software from your computer. To uninstall Pro Tools from your computer: 1 Start Windows, logging in with Administrator privileges.
24 Mbox 2 Micro Setup Guide
chapter 4 Configuring Your Pro Tools System After you have connected your system and installed Pro Tools software, you are ready to start up and configure your Pro Tools system. Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System To ensure that the components of your Pro Tools system communicate properly with each other, you need to start them in a particular order. Start up your Pro Tools system in this order: 1 Lower the volume of all output devices in your system. 2 Turn on any external hard drives.
5 Turn off any control surfaces. 6 Turn off any external hard drives. Configuring Pro Tools LE Software Pro Tools System Settings In the Playback Engine dialog, Pro Tools LE lets you adjust the performance of your system by changing system settings that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and recording. Mbox 2 Micro provides no external input; it is an output only device. Consequently, you cannot record an external source with the Mbox 2 Micro.
Hardware Buffer Size The Hardware Buffer Size (H/W Buffer Size) controls the size of the buffer used to handle host processing tasks such as Real-Time AudioSuite™ (RTAS) plug-ins. The H/W Buffer setting can also be used to manage monitoring latency. Lower Hardware Buffer Size settings reduce monitoring latency, and are useful when you are recording live input. Note that you can still bus record in Pro Tools LE even though Mbox 2 Micro provides no external input.
Used in combination with the CPU Usage Limit setting, the RTAS Processors setting lets you control the way RTAS processing and other Pro Tools tasks are carried out by the system. For example: • For sessions with large numbers of RTAS plug-ins, you can allocate 2 or more processors to RTAS processing and set a high CPU Usage Limit.
CPU Usage Limit The CPU Usage Limit controls the percentage of CPU resources allocated to Pro Tools host processing tasks. Used in combination with the RTAS Processors setting, the CPU Usage Limit setting lets you control the way Pro Tools tasks are carried out by the system.
RTAS Engine (RTAS Error Suppression) The RTAS Engine option determines RTAS error reporting during playback and recording. This is especially useful when working with instrument plug-ins. You should only enable RTAS error suppression if you are experiencing frequent RTAS errors that are interrupting your creative workflow. When RTAS error suppression is enabled, you can experience a degradation of audio quality.
DAE Playback Buffer Size The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory DAE allocates for disk buffers. The buffer size is shown in milliseconds, which indicates the amount of audio buffered when the system reads from disk. The optimum DAE Playback Buffer Size for most disk operations is 1500 msec (Level 2). DAE Playback Buffer Size settings lower than 1500 msec (Level 2) may improve playback and recording initiation speed.
Cache Size The Cache Size determines the amount of memory DAE allocates to pre-buffer audio for playback and looping when using Elastic Audio. The optimum Cache Size for most sessions is Normal. A Cache Size setting of Minimum reduces the amount of system memory used for disk operations and frees up memory for other system tasks. However, performance when using Elastic Audio features may decrease.
To minimize system memory allocation: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 2 Select Minimize System Memory Allocation. 3 Click OK. 4 Restart your computer. Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size (Structure Plug-in Only) This setting appears in the Playback Engine dialog only if Structure, Structure LE, or Structure Free is installed on your system. The Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size determines the amount of memory DAE allocates for streaming playback from disk with the Structure plug-in.
Optimizing the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size (Structure Plug-in Only) This option appears in the Playback Engine dialog only if one of the Structure sampler instrument plug-in is installed on your system. This option is useful when you are playing samples from the same drive that contains audio for the current session. When this option is selected, Pro Tools automatically optimizes the size of the Plug-in Streaming Buffer to facilitate disk access from both Pro Tools and Structure.
Configuring I/O Setup Using the I/O Setup dialog, you can label Pro Tools LE input, output, insert, and bus signal paths. The I/O Setup dialog provides a graphical representation of the outputs and signal routing of the Mbox 2 Micro. Mbox 2 Micro provides no external input; it is an output only device. Pro Tools LE has default I/O Setup settings that will get you started. Use the I/O Setup dialog only if you want to rename the default I/O paths. To rename I/O paths in I/O Setup: 1 Choose Setup > I/O.
Configuring MIDI Setup If you plan to use any MIDI devices with Pro Tools, do one of the following: On Mac, configure your MIDI setup with the Apple Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) utility. See Appendix A, “Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only).” – or – On Windows, configure your MIDI setup with MIDI Studio Setup. See Appendix B, “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)” for details.
Turning Off Software Update To turn off the Software Update feature: 1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu and click Software Update. 2 Click the Scheduled Check tab and ensure Check for updates is deselected. Turning Off Energy Saver To turn off the Energy Saver feature: 1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu and click Energy Saver. 2 Click Sleep and do the following: • Set the computer sleep setting to Never. • Set the display sleep setting to Never.
Disable or Reassign Mac Keyboard Shortcuts Used by Pro Tools To have the full complement of Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts, you need to disable or reassign any conflicting Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts in the Apple System Preferences, including the following: • “Show Help menu” • Under “Keyboard Navigation” • “Move focus to the window drawer” • Under “Dock, Exposé, and Dashboard” • “Automatically hide and show the Dock” • “All windows” • “Application windows” • “Desktop” • “Dashboard” • “Spaces” • Under “Spotli
To disable or reassign Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts: 1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu and click Keyboard & Mouse. 2 Click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. 3 Do one of the following: • Deselect the Mac OS X options that conflict with Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts. – or – • Assign different, non-conflicting keyboard shortcuts to the corresponding Mac OS X options.
Disabling Spotlight Indexing The Mac OS X Spotlight feature automatically indexes files and folders on local hard drives in the background. In most cases, this is not a concern for normal Pro Tools operation. However, if Spotlight starts indexing drives while recording in a Pro Tools session with high track counts for an extended period of time, it can adversely affect Pro Tools system performance.
Optimizing a Windows System for Pro Tools To ensure optimum performance with Pro Tools LE, configure your computer before using Pro Tools hardware and software. For Mac System Optimization, see “Optimizing a Mac System for Pro Tools” on page 36. Before configuring your computer, make sure you are logged in as an Administrator for the account where you want to install Pro Tools. For details on Administrator privileges, see your Windows documentation.
5 Click the Advanced Settings tab. 6 For each device, do one of the following depending on your operating system: • Check the box Enable DMA (Windows Vista) – or – • Set the Transfer Mode to DMA if available (Windows XP) 7 Click OK. 8 Repeat the above steps for any additional IDE Channels. 9 Close the Computer Management window. Disabling System Standby and Power Management When using Pro Tools, the Windows System Standby power scheme must be set to Always On.
To configure Windows Power Management (Windows XP): 1 Choose Start > Control Panel. 2 Double-click Power Options. 3 Click the Power Schemes tab. 4 From the Power Schemes pop-up menu, select Always. 5 Verify that the following settings are set to Never: • Turn off hard disks • System standby • System hibernates 6 Click OK. Disabling User Account Control (Windows Vista Only) For optimal performance with Pro Tools on Windows Vista, disable User Account Control (UAC).
Recommended Optimizations Pro Tools can also be affected by other software and hardware drivers installed on your computer. For best possible performance, it is recommended (but not required) that you do the following: • Avoid running any unneeded programs at the same time as Pro Tools. • Turn off any software utilities that run in the background, such as Windows Messenger, calendars, and disk maintenance programs. • Turn off any non-essential USB devices while running Pro Tools.
Adjusting Processor Scheduling To adjust Processor Scheduling performance: 1 Right-click Computer (Windows Vista) or My Computer (Windows XP) and choose Properties. 2 in the System Properties window, click the Advanced tab. 3 Under the Performance section, click the Settings button. 4 In the Performance Options window, click the Advanced tab. 5 Under the Processor Scheduling section, select the Background Services option. 6 Under the Memory Usage section, select the System cache option.
To Disable System Startup Items: 1 From the Start menu, type “msconfig” in Run (Windows XP) or in Start Search (Windows Vista) and click OK to open the System Configuration Utility. 2 Under the General tab, choose Selective Startup. 3 Deselect Load Startup Items and click OK. 4 Click Restart to restart the computer. 5 After restarting, the computer displays a System Configuration message. Check to see if Pro Tools performance has increased before you deselect the Don't show this message again option.
chapter 5 Mbox 2 Micro Hardware Overview Mbox 2 Micro Hardware Features (raise) (lower) Output Level Lanyard hole 1/8th-Inch Stereo Output USB LED Figure 1. Mbox 2 Micro panel The Mbox 2 Micro provides the following hardware features: USB LED The USB LED indicates that the Mbox 2 Micro has received power from its USB connection. Once the USB light is on, you can play back audio through the Mbox 2 Micro 1/8-inch Stereo Output.
Output Level The Output Level control adjusts the output level of the 1/8-inch Stereo Output. In Pro Tools, this is the signal that is routed to Outputs 1–2. Be sure to lower the Output Level before starting playback in Pro Tools, then adjust the level to a comfortable setting. Lanyard Hole Use the lanyard hole to fasten your Mbox 2 Micro to lanyard or key chain. 1/8-Inch Stereo Output Use the 1/8-inch Stereo Output to connect stereo headphones with an 1/8-inch stereo connector.
Making Hardware Connections To hear audio played back from a Pro Tools session, you will need to connect headphones or an external sound system (such as powered monitors or a home stereo) to the Mbox 2 Micro. Sound from the Mbox 2 Micro cannot be played through your computer’s speakers or your computer’s sound output. Connecting Headphones On the panel of the Mbox 2 Micro is an 1/8-inch jack to connect headphones. Use the Output Level control to adjust the output volume.
50 Mbox 2 Micro Setup Guide
appendix a Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only) Audio MIDI Setup Pro Tools recognizes the ports on your MIDI interface as generic ports. With Mac OS X, you use Apple’s Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) utility to identify external MIDI devices connected to your MIDI interface and configure your MIDI studio for use with Pro Tools. To configure your MIDI studio in AMS: 1 Do one of the following: • Launch Audio MIDI Setup (located in Applications/Utilities). – or – • In Pro Tools, choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio.
5 Connect the MIDI device to the MIDI interface by clicking the arrow for the appropriate output port of the device and dragging a connection or “cable” to the input arrow of the corresponding port of the MIDI interface. Making MIDI input and output connections (Digidesign Command|8 shown) 6 Click the arrow for the appropriate input port of the device and drag a cable to the output arrow of the corresponding port of the MIDI interface. To remove a connection, select the cable and press Delete.
To configure an external MIDI device: 1 Select the external device icon and click Show Info (or double-click the new device icon). External Device Icon 2 Select a manufacturer and model for the new device from the corresponding pop-up menus. (If the Manufacturer and Model pop-up menus do not provide a name for your particular device, you can type a name.) Naming a new MIDI device For Manufacturer and Model names, AMS refers to one or more files with the suffix “.
3 Click the More Properties arrow to expand the dialog, then enable the appropriate MIDI channels (1–16) for the Transmits and Receives options. (These determine which channels the device will use to send and receive MIDI.
4 Click the device image. The window expands to show images for various MIDI devices (such as keyboards, modules, interfaces, and mixers). Select an icon for your device. Selecting a device icon To use your own custom icons, you can place TIFF image files in /Library/Audio/MIDI Devices/Generic/Images, and they will appear as choices in the AMS device window. 5 Click OK. The device names you enter appear as MIDI input and output choices in Pro Tools.
MIDI Patch Name Support Pro Tools supports XML (Extensible Markup Language) for storing and importing patch names for you external MIDI devices. Pro Tools installs MIDI patch name files (.midnam) for the factory default patch names of many common MIDI devices. These files reside in directories, sorted by manufacturer, in /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names/Digidesign. To import MIDI patch names into Pro Tools: 1 Verify the MIDI Device name in the Audio MIDI Setup window (see “Audio MIDI Setup” on page 51).
4 In the Patch Select dialog, click Change. Change button Patch Select dialog 5 In the Open dialog, navigate to /Library/Audio/MIDI Patch Names/Digidesign/, and select the MIDI Patch Name file (.midnam) for the MIDI device. 6 Click Open. The Patch Select dialog is populated with patch names and the Patch Name Bank pop-up menu appears in the upper left hand corner of the window.
58 Mbox 2 Micro Setup Guide
appendix b Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only) MIDI Studio Setup MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) lets you configure the MIDI controllers and sound modules that are connected to your system, and control the routing of MIDI data between your MIDI equipment and Pro Tools. MSS automatically finds MIDI interfaces, and lets you specify a custom name for each of the MIDI ports within the MIDI Studio Setup document.
Interface Controls Create Adds a new instrument to the Instrument Name list. Delete Deletes the instrument or instruments selected in the Instrument Name list. Import Imports an existing MIDI Studio Setup file. Export Exports the current MIDI Studio Setup file.
Properties Section The Properties section lets you edit information for new instruments, or instrument currently selected in the Instrument list. MIDI Studio Setup Properties section When a previously defined instrument is selected in the Instrument list, the Properties section changes to reflect the properties of the selected instrument. To define an instrument with MIDI Studio Setup: 1 Choose Setup > MIDI > MIDI Studio. 2 Click Create.
6 From the Output pop-up menu, choose the output port on your MIDI interface that is connected to the MIDI In of your instrument. 7 Enable the appropriate MIDI channels (1–16) for the Send Channels and Receive Channels options (These determine which channels send and receive MIDI.) Instrument Name The Instrument Name field shows the user-definable instrument name for the currently selected instrument. Manufacturer The Manufacturer pop-up menu provides a list of MIDI equipment manufacturers.
Output Port The Output Port pop-up menu displays a list of available MIDI interface output ports. The port set and displayed here is the port through which MIDI data is sent from your MIDI interface to the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field. If you set the output port to None, the defined instrument will not appear as a choice in a MIDI Output selector. Send Channels The Send Channels grid sets the send channels for the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field.
3 Click Instrument or MIDI track Patch Select button. Patch Select button, (Edit window) Patch Select button, (Mix window) Patch Select button, Edit window 4 In the Patch Select dialog, click Change.
5 In the Open dialog, navigate to Program Files\Common Files\Digidesign\MIDI Patch Names\Digidesign\, and select the MIDI Patch Name file (.midnam) for the MIDI device. 6 Click Open. The Patch Select dialog is populated with patch names and the Patch Name Bank pop-up menu appears in the upper left hand corner of the window. Patch Select dialog with patch names Once patch names have been imported into Pro Tools, they are available for that MIDI device in all sessions.
66 Mbox 2 Micro Setup Guide
appendix c Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance It is recommended that you start with a newly formatted external or secondary internal audio drive. You should also periodically defragment your audio drive to ensure continued system performance. Always back up any important data on your drive before formatting it, as it will erase all data on the drive. Avoid Recording to the System Drive Recording to your system drive is not recommended.
Hard drive performance depends on factors including system configuration, number of tracks, session sample rate, density of edits, the use of crossfades, and other processes (such as Beat Detective) in a session. For complete hard drive requirements, visit our website: www.digidesign.
Formatting an Audio Drive Formatting Mac Audio Drives For optimum performance, audio drives should be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). To format an audio drive: 1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in Applications/Utilities. Disk Utility (Mac OS X) 2 Click the Erase tab. 3 Select the drive you want to initialize in the column on the left side of the window. If the drive contains existing data, be sure to back up all data before erasing and formatting the drive.
5 Type a name for the new volume. 6 If you plan to connect the drive to a Mac OS 9 computer, select Install Mac OS 9 Drivers. 7 Click Erase. The drive appears on the Desktop with the new volume name. Formatting Windows Audio Drives For optimal performance, audio drives should be formatted as NTFS. Pro Tools only supports Basic drive types. Do not convert the drive to a Dynamic type. To format an audio drive: 1 On Windows Vista, choose Start.
4 If the volume is “Healthy,” do the following: Healthy volumes are volumes that have previously been partitioned and formatted. • In the Disk Management window, right-click the hard drive you will use for audio and choose Format. • In the Format window, name the volume. • Choose a file system. For optimum performance, audio drives should be formatted as NTFS. • Select “Perform a quick format.” • Make sure “Enable file and folder compression” is not selected. • Set the Allocation unit size to Default.
• Select “Perform a quick format.” • Make sure “Enable file and folder compression” is not selected. • Set the Allocation unit size to Default. • Click OK. Partitioning Drives Partitioning creates a logical volume or volumes on a physical drive, almost as if you were creating virtual hard drives. Partitions can then be formatted with the appropriate file system (HFS+ for Mac or NTFS for Windows). Mac OS allows drives larger than 4096 MB to be seen as whole volumes.
Defragmenting an Audio Drive Mac Systems When working with larger files (such as video), you can limit fragmentation by backing up your important files to another disk, erasing the files from the original hard disk, then copying the files back, instead of doing a defragmentation. Window Systems Periodically defragment audio drives to maintain system performance.
If you use your system for intensive editing, or if you frequently delete audio or fade files from your hard drive, you may need to optimize your drives on a weekly basis, or even every few days, since it doesn’t take long for even a large hard drive to become fragmented. Backing Up Data Before Optimizing Since your files will be rewritten by the optimization process, always make a backup copy of the data on your hard drive before you optimize it.
To defragment an audio drive (Windows XP): 1 Right-click My Computer and choose Manage. 2 Under Storage, choose Disk Defragmenter. 3 In the Disk Defragmenter window, choose the drive you want to defragment 4 Click the Defragment button and follow the on-screen instructions. When defragmenting is complete, close the Computer Management window.
Hard Disk Storage Space Mono audio tracks recorded with 16-bit resolution at 44.1 kHz (CD quality) require approximately 5 MB of hard disk space per minute. The same tracks recorded with 24-bit resolution require about 7.5 MB per minute. Stereo audio tracks recorded with 16-bit resolution at 44.1 kHz (CD quality) require approximately 10 MB of hard disk space per minute. The same tracks recorded with 24-bit resolution require about 15 MB per minute.
appendix d Troubleshooting Backing Up Your Work It is highly recommended that you back up your work on a regular basis, and especially before making changes to your system configuration. Backing Up Your Session Data Back up your session and audio data frequently. There are a variety of media that are suited to back up projects of various sizes, including additional hard drives, CD/DVD burners, automated tape backup systems, and high-capacity optical drives.
Common Issues Pro Tools Won’t Launch Problem When you double-click the Pro Tools application or a Pro Tools session file, Pro Tools doesn’t launch, or displays an error message. Possible Solutions Check to be sure your computer has the required amount of RAM to launch Pro Tools. Try a complete restart. Turn off your audio interfaces, computer peripherals and your computer, and then turn them on again in the proper sequence.
Audio Interface Is Not Recognized Problem When you launch Pro Tools it does not recognize an audio interface, or a connected audio interface is not available. Possible Solutions Turn off your computer and check to be sure your cables are properly and securely connected to your computer and to your audio interface. Verify that your Hardware Setup dialog settings are correct. Try unplugging the Mbox 2 Micro from the USB port on your computer and then plugging it back in.
Before You Call Technical Support Register Your System Register your purchase immediately after reviewing the Digidesign Registration Information Card included with every Pro Tools system. Registering your purchase is the only way you become eligible to receive complimentary technical support and future upgrade offers. Registering is one of the most important steps to complete as a new user. Gather Important Information We want to help you resolve problems as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Hard Drives • Make, Model • Drive size (GB) • Drive speed (RPM) • Drive type (SCSI, FireWire, IDE/ATA) • Utility used to format the drive • Number and size of partitions on the drive Digidesign Software • Pro Tools software version • Plug-in versions • Other Digidesign software • Additional plug-ins from our Development Partners Other Hardware Refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for operational details.
Diagnostic Information Note any DAE errors or other error codes you encounter. Additonally, note the ability to reproduce the problem under different conditions, for example, with another session, or after changing settings (such as the Hardware Buffer Size).
appendix e Resources Whether you are new to Pro Tools or just starting out with your new system, we encourage you to read and utilize the many guides that Pro Tools provides. There are also useful online resources available, giving you everything from Pro Tools tips to Pro Tools answers.
Guides Accessible in Pro Tools The main Pro Tools guides are accessible from the Pro Tools Help menu. (Choose Help, then select a guide.) These include: • Shortcuts Guide, which provides a complete list of keyboard and Right-click shortcuts for Pro Tools. • DigiRack Plug-ins Guide, which describes the DigiRack plug-ins included with Pro Tools for both real-time and file-based audio processing. • Pro Tools Menus Guide, which covers all the Pro Tools on-screen menus.
About www.digidesign.com The Digidesign website (www.digidesign.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.
86 Mbox 2 Micro Setup Guide
index Numerics G 1/8-inch Stereo Output 48 gain headphones 48 A ASIO driver (Windows) 21 audio drivers ASIO driver (Windows) 21 CoreAudio driver (Mac) 12 WaveDriver (Windows) 22 Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Mac) 51 authorizing Pro Tools LE Mac 10 Windows 20 C Cache Size 32 connecting Mbox 2 Micro Mac 9 CoreAudio driver (Mac) 12 CPU Usage Limit 29 D DAE Playback Buffer Size 31 DMA option (Windows), enabling 41 drive formatting Mac 68 Windows 71 drive maintenance 67 drive requirements 4 F H hard drives dr
M Mbox 2 Micro connecting (Mac) 9 features 1 Hardware 47 MIDI setup (Mac) 51 setup (Windows) 59 MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) (Windows) 59 Minimize Additional I/O Latency option 30 N network cards (Windows), disabling 44 network connections 79 Q QuickTime installing (Windows) 19 R removing Pro Tools Mac 14 Windows 23 RTAS Processors setting 27 S O optimizing hard drives 73 Output Level control 48 P partitioning hard drives 72 Patch Select dialog Mac 57 Windows 64 Playback Engine RTAS Processors setting 27 P
T technical support 80 U uninstalling Pro Tools Mac 14 Windows 23 USB connection indicator 47 User Account Control (UAC) disabling 43 V volume control 48 W WaveDriver (Windows) 22 website 85 Index 89
www.digidesign.com DIGIDESIGN 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA TECHNICAL SUPPORT (USA) Visit the Digidesign Online Support Center at www.digidesign.com/support PRODUCT INFORMATION For company and product information, visit us on the web at www.digidesign.
