Getting Started Mbox® 2 Mini Version 7.
Copyright © 2007 Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. This guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the express written consent of Digidesign. Avid, Digidesign, Mbox , and Pro Tools are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. in the US and other countries. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
contents Chapter 1. Installation QuickStart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Windows Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mac Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2. Welcome to Mbox 2 Mini . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 4. Mac Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Installation Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Mac System Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Installing Pro Tools LE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix C. Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Avoid Recording to the System Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Supported Drive Formats and Drive Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Formatting an Audio Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Partitioning Drives . . . . . . . . . .
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chapter 1 Installation QuickStart Windows Installation Overview (Windows Systems Only) Installing the Mbox 2 Mini on a Windows computer includes the following steps: 1 “Windows System Optimization” on page 7. 2 “Installing Pro Tools LE and Connecting Mbox 2 Mini” on page 10. 3 “Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 12. 4 “Configuring Pro Tools LE” on page 13. 5 Making audio connections to the Mbox 2 Mini. (See Chapter 6, “Making Hardware Connections” for details.
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chapter 2 Welcome to Mbox 2 Mini Welcome to the Mbox® 2 Mini audio production system from Digidesign®. Mbox 2 Mini provides your USB-equipped computer with two channels of analog audio input, two analog monitor outputs, and one headphone output. Mbox 2 Mini includes one professional-quality mic preamp and 24-bit analogto-digital and digital-to-analog converters.
Pro Tools LE Capabilities System Requirements Pro Tools LE on Windows or Mac provides the following capabilities with Mbox 2 Mini: Mbox 2 Mini can be used with a Digidesignqualified Windows or Mac computer running Pro Tools LE software.
Hard Drive Requirements For optimal audio recording and playback, all Pro Tools systems require one or more Digidesign-qualified drives. For a list of Digidesign-qualified hard drives, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com). If you are using an ATA/IDE or FireWire hard drive, initialize your drive with Windows Disk Management (Windows) or the Disk Utility application included with Apple System software (Mac). For more information, see Appendix C, “Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance.
Conventions Used in This Guide Digidesign guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices and key 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 following symbols are used to highlight important information: User Tips are helpful hints for getting the most from your Pro Tools system.
chapter 3 Windows Configuration This chapter contains information for Windows systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools on a Mac computer, see Chapter 4, “Mac Configuration.” Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools Installer disc. Windows System Optimization Before configuring your computer, make sure you are logged in as an Administrator for the account where you want to install Pro Tools.
Enabling DMA To configure Windows Power Management: Enabling your computer's DMA (Direct Memory Access) frees up CPU bandwidth so the computer can do other Pro Tools tasks. 1 Choose Start > Control Panel. 2 Double-click Power Options. 3 Click the Power Schemes tab. In most cases the DMA option will already be set correctly, as Windows XP detects and activates DMA mode by default. 4 From the Power Schemes pop-up menu, select Always On. 5 Click OK.
Recommended Optimizations Pro Tools can also be affected by other software and hardware drivers installed on your computer. 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. 4 Under the General tab, choose “Do not use this device (disable)” from the Device Usage pop-up menu, and click OK.
Disabling Hyper-Threading To Disable System Startup Items: Pro Tools LE takes advantage of the added processing power of computers that have multiple processors, or that feature multi-core processing or Hyper-Threading, for RTAS processing. 1 From the Start menu, choose Run. 2 Type “msconfig” and click OK. The System Configuration Utility opens.
3 Connect the other end of the USB cable to any available USB port on your computer. Wait for the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog to appear and leave it open: Do not click Next. If the Wizard begins to install drivers automatically, press Cancel. Mbox 2 Mini may not function properly if connected to a USB hub. Connect Mbox 2 Mini to a separate, dedicated USB port. 4 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc for Win- MP3 Export Option The MP3 Export Option lets you export MP3 files from Pro Tools.
Installing QuickTime QuickTime is required for Pro Tools if you plan to include movie files, or import MP3 or MP4 (AAC) files in your sessions. QuickTime for Windows XP is available as a free download from the Apple website (www.apple.com). For information on which version of QuickTime is compatible with your version of Pro Tools, visit the compatibility pages of the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com). To install QuickTime: 1 Visit www.apple.com and go to the QuickTime page.
Configuring Pro Tools LE To change the Hardware Buffer Size: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. Pro Tools System Settings Pro Tools LE lets you adjust the performance of your system by changing system settings that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and recording. In most cases, the default settings for your system provide optimum performance, but you may want to adjust them to accommodate large or processing-intensive Pro Tools sessions.
A lower number of processors leaves more CPU processing capacity for automation, screen redraws, and video playback in Pro Tools, or for other application running at the same time as Pro Tools. To set the number of RTAS Processors: To change the CPU Usage Limit: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 2 From the CPU Usage Limit pop-up menu, se- lect the percentage of CPU processing you want to allocate to Pro Tools. 3 Click OK. 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
DAE Playback Buffer Size Pro Tools Hardware Settings The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory DAE allocates for disk buffers. The optimum DAE Playback Buffer Size for most disk operations is Level 2. Pro Tools lets you set the default sample rate and clock source for your system, as well as a range of controls specific to each type of audio interface.
Clock Source MIDI Studio Setup The Pro Tools Hardware Setup dialog is set to Internal, which supports recording analog signals directly into Mbox 2 Mini analog inputs 1–2. (Optional) 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 inputs, outputs, and signal routing of the Mbox 2 Mini. Pro Tools LE has default I/O Setup settings that will get you started.
Digidesign ASIO Driver Pro Tools Demo Session The Digidesign ASIO (Audio Sound Input Output) Driver is a single-client multichannel sound driver that allows third-party audio programs that support the ASIO standard to record and play back through Digidesign hardware. The Pro Tools LE Installer disc includes a demo session that you can use to verify that your system is working. For detailed information on configuring the Digidesign ASIO Driver, see the Windows Audio Drivers Guide.
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chapter 4 Mac Configuration This chapter contains information for Mac systems only. If you are installing Pro Tools on a Windows computer, see Chapter 3, “Windows Configuration.” 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 Mini on a Mac includes the following steps: 1 “Mac System Optimization” on page 19. 2 “Installing Pro Tools LE” on page 21.
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. • Deselect “Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible” option.
Installing Pro Tools LE After the Apple System software settings are configured, you are ready to install Pro Tools LE. To install Pro Tools LE on Mac OS X: 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. 2 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer disc in your CD/DVD drive. 3 On the Installer disc, locate and double-click “Install Pro Tools.
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 Mbox 2 Mini CoreAudio Driver is installed by default when you install Pro Tools. For information on configuring the Mbox 2 Mini CoreAudio Driver, see the CoreAudio Drivers Guide.
Configuring Pro Tools LE To change the Hardware Buffer Size: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. Pro Tools System Settings Pro Tools LE lets you adjust the performance of your system by changing system settings that affect its capacity for processing, playback, and recording. In most cases, the default settings for your system provide optimum performance, but you may want to adjust them to accommodate large or processing-intensive Pro Tools sessions.
A lower number of processors leaves more CPU processing capacity for automation, screen redraws, and video playback in Pro Tools, or for other application running at the same time as Pro Tools. To set the number of RTAS Processors: To change the CPU Usage Limit: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 2 From the CPU Usage Limit pop-up menu, se- lect the percentage of CPU processing you want to allocate to Pro Tools. 3 Click OK. 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
128 samples (which ever is greater). If you are on an older, slower computer, you may not want to enable this option since doing so can adversely affect performance. The Minimize Additional I/O Latency option is only available if the Ignore Errors During Playback/Record option is enabled. Using a larger DAE Playback Buffer Size leaves less system memory for other tasks. The default setting of Level 2 is recommended unless you are encountering -9073 (“Disk too slow or fragmented”) errors.
3 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate popup menu. 4 Click OK. Clock Source To rename I/O paths in I/O Setup: 1 Choose Setup > I/O 2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, or Bus tab to display the corresponding connections. The Pro Tools Hardware Setup dialog is set to Internal, which supports recording analog signals directly into Mbox 2 Mini analog inputs 1–2. Configuring I/O Setup Using the I/O Setup dialog, you can label Pro Tools LE input, output, insert, and bus signal paths.
Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Optional) If you plan to use any MIDI devices with Pro Tools LE, configure your MIDI setup with the Apple Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) utility. See Appendix B, “Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only)” for details. Safe Uninstall Leaves certain plug-ins and system files needed for compatibility with some Avid products. Clean Uninstall Removes all Pro Tools files, including system files, Digidesign plug-ins, and MIDI patch names. 5 Click Uninstall.
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chapter 5 Mbox 2 Mini Hardware Overview Mbox 2 Mini Front Panel Features The Mbox 2 Mini front panel has the following features: Input 1 Gain Headphone/Monitor Mix (Ratio) Output Level Input 2 Gain Headphone Output Monitor Mute USB LED Figure 1. Mbox 2 Mini front panel Headphone Output Mon (Monitor) Mute Switch Use the Headphone Output to connect a stereo headphone with a 1/4-inch stereo connector. This switch mutes the Monitor Outputs, without muting the Headphone Output.
Mix (Ratio) Control USB LED Mbox 2 Mini gives you the ability to monitor your analog input signals while recording, without the delay incurred by A/D/A converters and host-based processing. The USB LED indicates that the Mbox 2 Mini has received power from its USB connection. Once the USB light is on, audio can pass in or out of the system.
Mbox 2 Mini Back Panel Features The Mbox 2 Mini back panel has the following features: Kensington Lock port Line/DI Input 1 Mic Input Monitor Outputs Mic/DI Pad Phantom Power USB port Line/DI Input 2 Pad Figure 2. Mbox 2 Mini back panel Input 1 Section Mic and Line/DI Inputs The Input 1 section includes Mic (XLR) and Line/DI inputs. The Line/DI input accepts line level signals, instruments, and other 1/4-inch TRS (Tip-RingSleeve) or TS (Tip-Sleeve) connections.
About Phantom Power Mon Out (Monitor Output) Dynamic microphones (such as a Shure SM57) do not require phantom power to operate, but are not harmed by it. Most condenser microphones (like an AKG C3000) do require phantom power to operate. To monitor your mix, these outputs can be connected to a mixing board, directly to a monitoring system such as a stereo power amp, or another stereo destination.
chapter 6 Making Hardware Connections To hear audio recorded into a Pro Tools session, you will need to connect headphones or an external sound system (such as powered monitors or a home stereo) to Mbox 2 Mini. Sound from Mbox 2 Mini cannot be played through your computer’s speakers or your computer’s sound output. Connecting Headphones On the front panel of the Mbox 2 Mini is a 1/4inch jack to connect headphones.
Connecting Audio Inputs Mbox 2 Mini inputs (sources) support microphones, guitars, keyboards, and other types of instruments. Mbox 2 Mini has two audio input sections, labeled Input 1 and Input 2. For stereo inputs, use Input 1 for the left input, and Input 2 for the right input. For information about connecting specific audio sources, see “Connecting a Microphone to the Mbox 2 Mini” on page 34, and “Connecting Instruments to the Mbox 2 Mini” on page 35.
Most condenser microphones (such as an AKG C3000) require phantom power to operate. Dynamic microphones (such as a Shure SM57) do not require phantom power to operate, but are not harmed by it. Although phantom power can be used safely with most microphones, it is possible to damage some ribbon microphones with it. Always turn off phantom power and wait at least ten seconds before connecting a ribbon microphone. The Mbox 2 Mini can only supply power through a microphone cable with XLR connectors.
3 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, turn the Mix control fully left to Input. 4 On the front of the Mbox 2 Mini, carefully turn the input’s Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your guitar. 5 If the incoming signal is too loud, press the in- put’s Pad switch on the back panel to engage the 20 dB pad. To use a keyboard or mixer with Mbox 2 Mini: 1 Plug your keyboard, mixer, or other audio source into either the Input 1 or Input 2 Line/DI (TRS) inputs on your Mbox 2 Mini.
chapter 7 Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE This chapter is designed to give new users specific methods for accomplishing common tasks with your Pro Tools system. For the most complete information on using Pro Tools, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide. 3 Choose File > New Session. 4 In the New Session dialog, set the session pa- rameters as needed, or leave them at their default settings. (For details on New Session settings, see the Pro Tools Reference Guide.
To prepare an audio track for recording: 1 Choose Track > New. 2 Specify 1 Mono Audio Track in Samples, if your source is mono, or 1 Stereo Audio Track in Samples, if your source is stereo. 6 From the pop-up menu, select the interface in- put you want to record. For example, select In 1 if your audio source is mono and plugged into an Input 1 jack on the back of the Mbox 2 Mini. Select In 1–2 on any stereo audio track when your audio source is stereo.
4 Click Stop in the Transport window or press To record an audio track: 1 Click the track’s Record Enable button. the Spacebar to stop playback. Importing Audio from a CD Record enabling a track in the Mix window To import audio from a compact disc: 2 Choose Window > Transport to display the Transport window. Click Return to Zero to go to the beginning of the session. Return to Zero Rewind Online Fast Forward Play Go to End Stop 1 Launch Pro Tools. 2 Choose File > New Session.
7 Open the Workspace browser by choosing Window > Workspace. The Workspace browser is a window where you can find, audition, and manage your audio files. 10 Drag the audio file from the Workspace browser to the Track List in the Edit window to import the file to a new audio track. Opening the Workspace browser 8 In the Workspace browser, click the Audio CD icon to show the files on the CD. 9 Click the speaker icon in the Waveform column to audition the audio file. Press the Spacebar to stop playback.
Creating an Audio CD from a Pro Tools Session 2 Choose File > Bounce to > Disk. Pro Tools does not create audio CDs directly, but you can create stereo audio files from your Pro Tools sessions that can be used by most CD burning software. Bouncing Audio to Disk Use the Pro Tools Bounce to Disk feature to combine all your audible tracks into a single “master” audio file. After the new audio file has been bounced to disk, you can burn it to a CD.
8 Choose “Convert after Bounce,” and click Bounce. Pro Tools begins bouncing to disk. Pro Tools bounces are done in real time, so you hear audio playback of your mix during the bounce process (though you cannot adjust it). . Bouncing to Disk dialog Burning a CD Bounce options for creating CD burnable tracks 9 In the Bounce dialog, give the bounce tracks a name and choose where they should be saved. After the bounce is completed, you will have an audio file that is ready for burning onto a CD.
Recording MIDI in a Pro Tools Session What is MIDI? MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data is not audio, and has no sound. MIDI is a way for musical devices to communicate. MIDI is data that can trigger a MIDI device (such as a keyboard or software synthesizer). In order to create or play a MIDI recording, you must have a MIDI controller or sound module (real or virtual) connected to the computer through the MIDI ports on a MIDI interface.
5 Do one of the following, depending on the type of instrument you are using: • If you are using an instrument plug-in, click an Insert selector and insert the plugin on the Instrument track. The track’s MIDI output is automatically assigned to the instrument plug-in. 6 If you are using an external MIDI device and connected its audio output to Mbox 2 Mini for monitoring in Pro Tools, click the Input selector of the Instrument track and choose the corresponding audio input.
9 Play some notes on your MIDI controller and look for the track’s MIDI Velocity meter to move. Remember, MIDI is not audio, and the MIDI Velocity meter is not registering sound output, but MIDI activity. Return to Zero Rewind Online Fast Forward Play Go to End Stop Record MIDI Velocity meter Transport window MIDI meter in Instrument track showing MIDI activity 10 Adjust the audio output level of the Instru- ment track with its Volume fader. 3 Click Record in the Transport window.
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appendix a 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. MIDI Studio Setup Window The MIDI Studio Setup window is organized into three sections.
Export This button lets you export the current MIDI Studio Setup file. To define an instrument with MIDI Studio Setup: Show Duplicate Emulated Ports When this option is selected and you are using a MIDI interface that supports timestamping (such as MIDI I/O), the MIDI Studio setup window shows both the DirectMusic time-stamped output ports, and non-stamped duplicate emulated output ports. 2 Click Create.
Model Receive Channels The Model pop-up menu provides a list of MIDI devices, filtered by the manufacturer name. This list is derived from the XML-based MIDI device files provided with your Pro Tools installation. The Receive Channels grid sets the receive channels for the MIDI device specified in the Instrument Name field. For more information, see “MIDI Patch Name Support” on page 49. Input Port The Input Port pop-up menu displays a list of available MIDI interface input ports.
3 Click the MIDI track’s Patch Select button. 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 button Patch Select button, Edit window Patch Select button Patch Select button, Mix window Patch Select dialog with patch names 4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change Once patch names have been imported into Pro Tools, they are available for that MIDI device in all sessions.
appendix b 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 an external MIDI device: 1 Select the external device icon and click Show Info (or double-click the new device icon). 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.) External Device Icon 2 Select a manufacturer and model for the new device from the corresponding pop-up menus.
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. 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.
4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change button. 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.
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.
SCSI Hard Drives Digidesign recommends qualified SCSI hard drives and a qualified SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) card or (on Windows systems) a qualified built-in SCSI HBA connector on the motherboard. For complete information on track count and the supported number and configuration of SCSI drives, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).
3 If the volume is “Healthy,” do the following: 4 If the volume is “Unallocated,” do the follow- ing: Healthy volumes are volumes that have previously been partitioned and formatted. • In the Disk Management window, rightclick the hard drive you will use for audio and choose Format. • In the Disk Management window, rightclick the hard drive you will use for audio and choose New Partition. • In the New Partition Wizard window, click Next. • In the Format window, name the volume.
Formatting Mac Audio Drives (Mac Only) 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. 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 (NTFS or FAT32 for Windows, HFS+ for Mac).
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.
Defragmenting Windows Audio Drives To defragment an audio drive (Windows): 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.
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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 Audio Interface Is Not Recognized Problem 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. See the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com). Try a complete restart.
Power Saver Features Some automatic power saver features, such as those that spin down the system hard drive, can affect Pro Tools performance. These features should be turned off. Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support Gather Important Information Digidesign wants to help you resolve problems as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you have the following information handy when you contact Technical Support, it will make the diagnosis of your problem easier.
Other Hardware Refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for operational details. The most common hardware additions include: • 1394 (FireWire) cards for Windows systems (manufacturer, model) • Video Capture cards (manufacturer, model) To verify that your hardware is qualified for use with your Pro Tools system, refer to the latest compatibility information the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).
index A H ASIO driver (Windows) 17 audio drivers ASIO driver (Windows) 17 CoreAudio driver (Mac) 22 WaveDriver (Windows) 17 Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Mac) 51 authorizing Pro Tools LE Mac 22 Windows 12 hard drives drive formats 55 FireWire requirements 56 formatting 57, 58 formatting (Mac) 58 IDE/ATA requirements 56 maintenance 55, 59 optimizing 59 partitioning 58 requirements 5 SCSI requirements 56 space requirements 61 Hardware Buffer Size 13, 23 headphones gain control 29 output 29 C connecting Mbox 2
L Q latency see monitoring QuickTime installing (Windows) 12 M R Mbox 2 Mini back panel 31 connecting (Mac) 21 connecting (Windows) 10 features 3 front panel 29 MIDI setup (Mac) 51 setup (Windows) 47 MIDI Input selector 43 MIDI Studio Setup (MSS) (Windows) 47 mix control (Mbox 2 Mini) 30 monitoring zero latency 30 ratio control (Mbox 2 Mini) 30 registration 5 removing Pro Tools 27 RTAS Processors setting 13, 23 N network connections 64 O optimizing hard drives 59 P partitioning hard drives 58 Patc
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