Getting Started Mbox® 2 Version 7.
Legal Notices This guide is copyrighted ©2007 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this guide may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Digidesign.
Any modifications to the unit, unless expressly approved by Digidesign, could void the user's authority to operate the equipment. 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.
contents Chapter 1. Installation QuickStart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Windows Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mac Installation Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Chapter 2. Welcome to Mbox 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter 5. Configuring Your Pro Tools System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Starting Up or Shutting Down Your System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Configuring Pro Tools LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Optimizing a Windows System for Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix C. Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Avoid Recording to the System Drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Supported Drive Formats and Drive Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Formatting an Audio Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Partitioning Drives. . . . . . . . . . .
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chapter 1 Installation QuickStart Windows Installation Overview (Windows Systems Only) Installing the Mbox 2 on a Windows computer includes the following steps: 1 “Connecting Mbox 2 and Installing Pro Tools LE” on page 9. 2 “Launching Pro Tools LE” on page 11. Your authorization code is located on the inside cover of this guide. 3 Configuring your system for improved perfor- mance. (See “Configuring Your Pro Tools System” on page 19.) 4 Making audio and MIDI connections to the Mbox 2.
2 Mbox 2 Getting Started Guide
chapter 2 Welcome to Mbox 2 Welcome to the Mbox® 2 audio/MIDI production system from Digidesign®. Mbox 2 provides your USB-equipped computer with two channels of analog audio input and output, two channels of digital audio input and output, MIDI In and Out ports, analog monitor outs, and a headphone output with front panel level control. Mbox 2 provides professionalquality mic preamps and 24-bit analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters.
Mbox 2 Features Pro Tools LE Capabilities The Mbox 2 provides the following: Pro Tools LE software provides the following capabilities with Mbox 2: • Two channels of analog audio input with microphone preamps and switchable 48V phantom power • Analog input jacks include one XLR and two 1/4-inch connectors (one TRS, one TS), with switchable Mic, Line, and DI levels • –20 dB pad available separately on each analog input channel • Two channels of S/PDIF digital input and output • S/PDIF inputs are availabl
System Requirements Mbox 2 can be used with a Digidesign-qualified Windows or Mac computer running Pro Tools LE software. A DVD drive is required to use the Pro Tools Installer disc. For complete system requirements, visit the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com). Compatibility Information Digidesign can only assure compatibility and provide support for hardware and software it has tested and approved.
About the Pro Tools Guides This Getting Started guide explains how to install Pro Tools LE software, make basic connections to your Mbox 2 interface (to get sound in and out of your interface), and do common tasks (such as recording in Pro Tools). In addition to any printed guides or documentation included with your system, PDF versions of Pro Tools guides and Read Mes are installed automatically with Pro Tools.
About www.digidesign.com The Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com) is your best 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. See the enclosed Digidesign Registration Information Card for instructions.
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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 4, “Installing Pro Tools on Mac.” Connecting Mbox 2 and Installing Pro Tools LE To install Pro Tools LE: Before installing this version of Pro Tools, refer to the Read Me information included on the Pro Tools LE Installer disc.
6 Double-click the Setup icon. 12 Click Next. 7 Follow the on-screen instructions to proceed 13 Click Install. with installation. 8 Select the install location. For maximum reli- ability, install Pro Tools on your startup drive. 9 Click Next. On Windows XP, several messages are displayed during installation that can be ignored, including multiple “Found New Hardware” dialogs and “A Problem Occurred During Hardware Installation.” 10 Select the Pro Tools application for installa- tion.
To install QuickTime: 1 Visit www.apple.com and go to the Quick- Time page. 2 Download the QuickTime installer applica- tion to your computer. 3 Double-click the QuickTime installer applica- tion and follow the on-screen installation instructions. 4 Restart your computer. If the USB LED on the front panel of the Mbox 2 does not illuminate after installation, try unplugging the USB cable from the Mbox 2 USB port, and plugging it back in.
The Digidesign ASIO Driver and WaveDriver for Mbox 2 are automatically installed when you install Pro Tools. Digidesign ASIO Driver 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. For detailed information on configuring the Digidesign ASIO Driver, see the Windows Audio Drivers Guide.
To install factory session templates: 1 Insert the Pro Tools Installer disc into your To uninstall Pro Tools from your computer (Windows XP): DVD drive. 1 Choose Start > Control Panel. 2 From your DVD drive, locate and open the Ad- 2 Double-click Add or Remove Programs. ditional Files/LE Session Templates Installer folder. 3 From the Currently Installed Programs list, se- 3 Double-click LE Session Templates Setup.exe. 4 Follow the onscreen instructions.
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chapter 4 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.
DigiTranslator DigiTranslator™ is a software option for Pro Tools that lets you convert and exchange OMF and AAF sequences and MXF files directly in the Pro Tools application. This option is purchased separately. MIDI I/O Driver The MIDI I/O Driver is required if you are using the Digidesign MIDI I/O interface. MP3 Export Option The MP3 Export Option lets you export MP3 files from Pro Tools. This option is purchased separately. The Pro Tools Installer disc includes additional software for your system.
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 CoreAudio Driver is installed by default when you install Pro Tools. For information on configuring the Mbox 2 CoreAudio Driver, see the CoreAudio 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 doubleclicking the Filtered Dream.ptf file (located in the Filtered Dream Demo Session folder). Uninstalling Pro Tools If you need to uninstall Pro Tools software from your computer, use the Uninstaller application.
chapter 5 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. Shut down your Pro Tools system in this order: 1 Quit Pro Tools and any other running applications.
Configuring Pro Tools LE 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. 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.
To change the Hardware Buffer Size: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 2 From the H/W Buffer Size pop-up menu, select the audio buffer size, in samples. 3 Click OK. RTAS Processors The RTAS Processors setting determines the number of processors in your computer allocated for RTAS (Real-Time AudioSuite) plug-in processing. With multiprocessor computers, this setting lets you manage multi-processor support for RTAS processing.
CPU Usage Limit RTAS Engine (RTAS Error Suppression) 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. The RTAS Engine option determines RTAS error reporting during playback and recording. This is especially useful when working with instrument plug-ins.
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. However, a lower setting may make it difficult to play or record tracks reliably with sessions containing a large number of tracks or a high density of edits, or with systems that have slower or heavily fragmented hard drives.
To minimize system memory allocation: To change the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size: 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine. 2 Select the “Minimize System Memory Allocation” option. 2 From the Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size pop-up 3 Click OK. 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 the Structure sampler instrument plug-in is installed on your system.
Default Sample Rate To select the Clock Source: The Sample Rate setting appears as the default sample rate when you create a new session. (This setting is available in the Hardware Setup dialog only when no session is open.) 1 Choose Setup > Hardware. 2 Choose the clock source from the Clock Source pop-up menu. 3 Click OK. You can change the sample rate when creating a new Pro Tools session by selecting a different sample rate in the New Session dialog.
3 To change the name of a path or subpath, double-click directly on the Path Name, type a new name for the path, and press Enter. Optimizing a Windows System for Pro Tools 4 Click OK. (Windows XP Only) See the Pro Tools Reference Guide (or choose Help > Pro Tools Reference Guide) for more information on renaming I/O paths. Configuring MIDI Setup If you plan to use any MIDI devices with Pro Tools, do one of the following: On Windows, configure your MIDI setup with MIDI Studio Setup.
5 In the Device Manager window, double-click IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, then double-click the Primary IDE Channel for your IDE hard drive. Disabling ClearType Font Smoothing When using Pro Tools, the Effects “Clear Type” setting must be disabled. 6 Click the Advanced Settings tab. 7 For each device, set the Transfer Mode to “DMA if available,” and click OK. 8 Repeat the above steps for any additional IDE To disable ClearType font smoothing (Windows XP): 1 Choose Start > Control Panel. Channels.
Optional Optimizations 7 Under the Memory Usage section, select the System cache option. The following system optimizations may help Pro Tools perform better on some systems. It is recommended that you only try these optimizations if necessary, as they may disable or adversely affect the functionality of other programs on your system. 8 Click OK to close the Performance Options window. 9 Click OK to close the System Properties win- dow.
6 After restarting, the computer displays a Sys- tem Configuration message. Check to see if Pro Tools performance has increased before you deselect the “Don't show this message again” option. If performance has not changed, run “msconfig” and return your computer Startup Selection back to Normal Startup - load all device drives and services. Alternatively, try disabling Startup items and non-essential processes individually.
To disable Spotlight indexing: Enabling Journaling for Audio Drives 1 Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu and click Spotlight. To yield higher performance from audio drives, enable journaling. 2 In the Spotlight window, click the Privacy tab. To enable journaling: 3 To prevent indexing of a drive, drag its icon from the desktop into the list. 1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in Applications/Utilities.
chapter 6 Mbox 2 Hardware Overview Mbox 2 Front Panel Features The Mbox 2 front panel has the following features: Input 2 Input 1 Headphone Monitor Level Level S/PDIF LED USB LED Mix (Ratio) Gain Mono 48V Peak LED Source selector Pad Gain Peak LED Source selector Pad Headphone Output Mono 48V LED LED Mic/DI LEDs Mic/DI LEDs Figure 1. Mbox 2 front panel S/PDIF LED Front Panel Headphone Output This LED indicates that Mbox 2 is using the S/PDIF inputs as the clock source.
Headphone Level Mono Switch and LED The headphone knob adjusts the output level of the Headphone port, which outputs the signal that is routed to Outputs 1–2 in Pro Tools LE, and mirrors the Line Outputs. The Mono switch sums the input channels to a mono signal (delivering that identical signal to both speakers). This has no effect on Pro Tools playback monitoring, recording, or on the main outputs.
48V Switch and LED Pad Switches and LEDs Phantom power is activated by the switch labeled 48V on the front panel of Mbox 2. The LED, when lit, indicates that 48V phantom power is active on the Mic/Line inputs. These inputs provide phantom power for microphones that require it to operate. The Pad switches engage a –20 dB pad on their corresponding input channels. When engaged, the Pad LEDs light.
Mbox 2 Back Panel Features Figure 2 identifies each port on the Mbox 2 back panel. Input 2 (analog input 2) Mic Input 1 (analog input 1) DI Line Mic DI Line Monitor outputs S/PDIF digital I/O MIDI I/O USB port Figure 2. Mbox 2 back panel The Mbox 2 back panel has the following features: USB Port This standard USB v1.1 connector is used to connect your computer to the Mbox 2. One standard USB cable is included with your system. The Mbox 2 is compatible with USB 2.0 ports. However, the USB 2.
Mon Out (Monitor Output) These outputs support balanced TRS, or unbalanced TS, 1/4-inch connections. 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. The Mon Out Left and Right play the audio that is routed to analog outputs 1 and 2 from within Pro Tools, respectively. These analog outputs feature 24-bit digital-to-analog converters.
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chapter 7 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. Sound from Mbox 2 cannot be played through your computer’s speakers or your computer’s sound output. Connecting Headphones On the front panel of the Mbox 2 is a 1/4-inch jack to connect headphones, and a headphone level control to adjust headphone volume.
Mon Outs Left and Right play the audio that is routed to analog outputs 1 and 2 within Pro Tools. Connecting a Recorder for Mixdowns After you record and mix your sessions in Pro Tools, you may want to mix them down to a DAT, CD recorder, Mini-Disc, or other stereo 2track recording device. For more information on mixdown options, see Chapter 8, “Common Tasks with Pro Tools LE.” Connecting an Analog Deck Connect the left and right Mon Outs on the back of the Mbox 2 to your recorder’s analog inputs.
Each Input section has three analog input jacks: XLR connector Mic For XLR microphone cables. Line (TRS) For 1/4-inch Tip-Ring-Sleeve cables from keyboards, mixers, microphones, and other line sources. 1/4-inch connector DI For 1/4-inch Tip-Sleeve cables from guitar, bass, microphones, or similar sources. XLR and 1/4-inch connectors Phantom Power Mic DI Mic DI Some microphones require power to operate.
Using a Mic that Has an XLR Connector To use a microphone that has an XLR connector: 1 Plug your microphone cable into one of the Mic inputs on the back of Mbox 2. Input 2 Mic input Input 1 Mic input 4 If your microphone requires phantom power, make sure the microphone is connected, then press the Phantom Power switch (labeled 48V) on the front of the Mbox 2. This switch sends 48V to both mic inputs. The 48V LED on the front of the Mbox 2 will light when phantom power is being supplied.
Using a Mic that Has a 1/4-Inch Connector To use a microphone that has a 1/4-inch TS (Tip-Sleeve) connector: 1 On the back of the Mbox 2, plug the 1/4-inch connector from your microphone into one of the DI inputs. Input 1 DI 5 If the incoming signal is too loud, press the Pad switch to engage the 20 dB pad. Connecting Instruments to the Mbox 2 Mbox 2 provides two input types (DI and Line) that correspond to the different signal strengths output by different types of instruments.
2 On the front of the Mbox 2, set the Source to DI by pressing the Mic/DI switch until the DI LED is lit. Mix control Mic/DI selector Input 1 Gain (level) control DI LED Connecting Keyboards and Mixers To use a keyboard or mixer with Mbox 2: 1 Plug your keyboard, mixer, or other audio source into either the Input 1 or Input 2 Line (TRS) inputs on your Mbox 2.
4 Set your instrument’s volume to its optimal Using S/PDIF Input level. For example, the optimal level for most keyboards is between 80% and 100% of maximum volume. To configure Pro Tools to record from a S/PDIF device: 5 On the front of the Mbox 2, carefully turn the 1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup. Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your keyboard. 2 Choose S/PDIF from the Clock Source selector.
To connect your MIDI device to Mbox 2: 1 Connect a standard 5-pin MIDI cable from the MIDI Out port of your device to the MIDI In port on the back of Mbox 2. 2 Connect another MIDI cable from the MIDI In port of your device to the MIDI Out port on the back of Mbox 2. MIDI Out MIDI In Mbox 2 MIDI connections Monitoring MIDI Instruments with Mbox 2 If you have a MIDI instrument that has analog outputs, you can connect it to Mbox 2 to monitor its output.
chapter 8 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. You can view an electronic PDF version of the Reference Guide by choosing it from the Pro Tools Help menu. This chapter uses analog inputs in its examples of common tasks.
4 Make sure the Mix window is open by choos- ing Window > Mix. 5 In the Mix window, click the Audio Input Path selector on the new track. 6 From the pop-up menu, select the interface input you want to record. For example, select Analog 1 if your audio source is plugged into an Input 1 connector on the Mbox 2. New Session dialog 5 Choose the audio drive where you want to save your session. Routing an input to a stereo track 6 Type a name for your session.
To record an audio track: To play back a recorded track: 1 Click the track’s Record Enable button. 1 If the track’s Record Enable button is lit, click on it to take it out of Record mode. 2 Click Play in the Transport window or press the Spacebar to start playback. Record enabling a track in the Mix window 2 Choose Track > Input Only Monitoring. This al- 3 Click Stop in the Transport window or press the Spacebar to stop playback. lows you to monitor the input of tracks that are record enabled.
3 In the Workspace browser, click the Audio CD icon to show the files on the CD. 4 Click the speaker icon in the Waveform col- umn to audition the audio file. Press the Spacebar to stop playback. Creating an Audio CD from a Pro Tools Session 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.
8 Choose “Convert after Bounce,” and click Bounce. Choosing Bounce to Disk from the File menu 3 In the Bounce Options dialog, choose Analog 1–2 as the Bounce Source. 4 Choose WAV (BWF) for the File Type. 5 Choose Stereo Interleaved for the Format. 6 Choose 16 for the Resolution and 44100 for 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. the Sample Rate.
10 Click Save. 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). 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).
To create an Instrument track and configure it for recording: 1 Choose Setup > MIDI > Input Devices and make sure your input device is selected in the MIDI Input Enable window, and click OK. 2 Choose Track > New and specify 1 Mono Instrument Track, then click Create. 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.
If your connected MIDI device does not appear, check that you have configured your computer and its MIDI settings. For more information, refer to Appendix A, “Configuring MIDI Studio Setup (Windows Only)” or Appendix B, “Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only).” 6 If you are using an external MIDI device and have connected its audio output to your audio interface for monitoring in Pro Tools, click the Input selector of the Instrument track and choose the corresponding audio input.
To record MIDI on the Instrument track: To play back recorded MIDI data: 1 Verify that the Instrument track you want to 1 Click the track’s Record Enable button to take record to is record-enabled and receiving MIDI. the Instrument track out of Record mode. 2 In the Transport window, click Return to Zero 2 In the Transport window, click Return to Zero to start recording from the beginning of the session. You can also record to a selection in a track or from the cursor location in the Edit 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. Show Duplicate Emulated Ports When this option is selected and you are using a MIDI interface that supports timestamping (such as MIDI I/O), in addition to the MIDI ports on Mbox 2, the MIDI Studio setup window shows both the DirectMusic time-stamped output ports, and non-stamped duplicate emulated output ports. Some MIDI Interfaces will not properly load or unload their drivers unless you quit and re-launch Pro Tools.
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 57. 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 4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change button.
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. 2 Click MIDI Devices. AMS scans your system for connected MIDI interfaces. If your MIDI interface is properly connected, it appears in the window with each of its ports numbered.
5 Connect the MIDI device to the MIDI inter- face 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. 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.
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.
MIDI Patch Name Support 4 In the Patch Select dialog, click the Change button. 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.
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 To format an audio drive: 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. 1 On Windows Vista, choose Start. 2 Right-click Computer (Windows Vista) or My Computer (Windows XP) and choose Manage. 3 Under Storage, choose Disk Management.
5 If the volume is “Unallocated,” do the following: • In the Disk Management window, rightclick the hard drive you will use for audio and choose New Partition. To format an audio drive: 1 Launch the Disk Utility application, located in Applications/Utilities. • In the New Partition Wizard window, click Next. • When prompted, select the partition type. Digidesign recommends using Primary partitions, instead of Extended partitions.
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 for Windows, HFS+ for Mac). Windows XP allows drives formatted with the NTFS file system to be seen as whole volumes. Single Pro Tools audio files cannot exceed 2048 MB in size. Mac OS allows drives larger than 4096 MB to be seen as whole volumes.
Optimizing (Defragmenting) Drives To prevent fragmentation, you can optimize your drive, which rearranges your files into a contiguous format. Most optimizing software lets you run a check on a drive to find out the percentage of fragmentation. If your drive shows moderate to heavy fragmentation, you should consider optimizing it.
Using Mac Drives on Windows Systems Pro Tools for Windows lets you record and play back sessions directly from a Mac-formatted (HFS+) drive connected to a Windows system. This functionality requires that all Mac session and audio files be stored on Mac-formatted drives. During Pro Tools installation, make sure to select the Mac HFS+ Disk Support option. This option lets your Pro Tools system read, write, record, and play back using Mac-formatted HFS+ disks.
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, from automated tape backup systems to high-capacity optical drives, or to CD burners.
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 latest compatibility information on the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com). Try a complete restart.
Before You Call Digidesign 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.
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 on the Digidesign website (www.digidesign.com).
index A E ASIO driver (Windows) 12 audio digital connections 43 audio drivers ASIO driver (Windows) 12 CoreAudio driver (Mac) 17 WaveDriver (Windows) 12 Audio MIDI Setup (AMS) (Macintosh) 59 authorizing Pro Tools LE Mac 17 Windows 11 Energy Saver (Mac), turning off 29 F FireWire requirements 64 G gain headphones 32 input 33 H C Cache Size 23 ClearType font smoothing (Windows), disabling 27 Clock Source 25 and digital output 38 Internal setting 25 S/PDIF (digital) setting 25 connecting Mbox 2 Mac 16 W
I I/O Setup Windows 25 IDE/ATA requirements 64 indicators peak level 33 phantom power 33 S/PDIF 31 USB connection 31 input and output connectors 34 inputs analog 35 digital 34 gain 33 monitoring 32 installing Pro Tools LE Mac 15 Windows 9 installing QuickTime (Windows) 10 J journaling (Mac), enabling 30 K key commands 6 L latency see monitoring M Mbox 2 back panel 34 connecting (Mac) 16 connecting (Windows) 9 features 4 front panel 31 removing the handle 33 MIDI connections 43 requirements 5 setup (Maci
Q QuickTime installing (Windows) 10 R ratio control (Mbox 2) 32 recording digital inputs 43 registration information 5 removing Pro Tools Windows 13, 18 RTAS Processors setting 21 S S/PDIF 34 input indicator 31 mirroring 43 Sample Rate 25 screen saver, disabling (Windows Vista) 11 screen savers 70 SCSI requirements 64 Software Update (Mac), turning off 29 sources analog 35 DI 35 digital 34 line 35 microphone 35 selecting 33 Spotlight indexing (Mac), disabling 29 Spotlight shortcuts (Mac), disabling 30 Sta
www.digidesign.com DIGIDESIGN 2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard Daly City, CA 94014-3886 USA Tel: 650.731.6300 Fax: 650.731.6399 TECHNICAL SUPPORT (USA) Tel: 650.731.6100 Fax: 650.731.6384 PRODUCT INFORMATION (USA) Tel: 800.333.
