Mbox Basics Guide.book - Digidesign Support Archives
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1. Korg Trinity Pro 1 Roland WS 880EX 1 v v vV Wha SokSynthi Kk 1 On Macintosh systems choose MIDI gt Input So data m Devices and make sure your input device is se Predefined lected in the MIDI Input Enable window pais channel g channel 9 2 Choose File gt New Track and specify 1 MIDI channel 10 channel 11 Track then click Create channel 12 channel 13 channel 14 channel 15 channel 16 MIDI Output Selector 14 Mbox Basics Guide 5 In the Mix Window record enable the MIDI track 6 Make sure MIDI gt MIDI Thru is selected then play some notes on your MIDI controller The track s meters move Remember MIDI is not au dio and the meters are not registering sound but MIDI activity O To monitor your MIDI instrument s analog outputs in Pro Tools refer to Monitoring MIDI Instruments Without a Mixer on page 15 You can also monitor your MIDI instru ment s analog outputs by using an external mixer To record a MIDI track 1 Verify that the MIDI track you want to record to is record enabled and receiving MIDI 2 In the Transport window click Return To Zero to start recording from the beginning of the ses sion You can also record according to a selec tion or from the cursor location in the Edit window 3 Click Record in the Transport window 4 Click Play in the Transport window or press the Spacebar to begin recording 5 Play your MIDI instrument 6 When you have f2. lo Session Parameters Audio File Type Sample Rate Bit Depth cation where you saved the audio you extracted BWF WAV v 441kH2 v O 16Bit from your CD in step 2 1 0 Settings 24 Bit Stereo Mix 4 syslem Sample Music AE ceog t Fader Gain Enforce Mac PC Compatibility 6 0B 12 dB a oO ja Ei Besthoven s Symphony He B ch ER 118 74 hrie File New Session dialog 6 Select where you want to save your session 7 Type a name for your session and click Save Pro Tools creates a new session Browsing in the Workspace Browser 10 Mbox Basics Guide 12 Click and hold on the speaker icon in the waveform window to audition the audio file 4 syslem Sample Music E 2 OOOaH Ga Bonbon Syepiory Minh CREE ana Auditioning an audio file in the Workspace Browser 13 Drag the audio file from the Workspace Browser to the audio track you created in your session Dragging the audio file from the Workspace Browser to an audio track To play back the new track 1 In the Transport window click Return To Zero to cue the beginning of the track 2 On the front of the Mbox turn the Mix con trol fully right to Playback 3 Click Play in the Transport window to begin playback The CD track you extracted should be gin playing back Importing Audio from a CD 11 Creating an Audio CD from a Pro Tools Session Pro Tools does not create audio CDs directl
3. the Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your keyboard Connecting Instruments 7 Recording a Pro Tools Session Recording with Pro Tools and the Mbox in volves creating a Pro Tools session preparing an audio track for recording and recording To create a session in Pro Tools 1 Verify the connections between the Mbox and your instrument or microphone 2 Launch Pro Tools 3 Choose File gt New Session 4 Set Session Parameters in the New Session di alog as needed or leave them at their default set tings For details on New Session settings see the Getting Started with Mbox Guide Name the session Folders Save in O untitled Session File Backups EB untitied pts File name untitled Save Cancel Audio File Type Sample Rate Bit Depth BWF WAY w 44 1 kHz v 16 Bit 1 0 Settings 24 Bit Stereo Mix Save as type Pro Tools Session pts Session Parameters Fader Gain Enforce Mac PC Compatibility 6 cB 12 dB New Session dialog 5 Select where you want to save your session 6 Type a name for your session 7 Click Save Pro Tools creates a new session 8 Mbox Basics Guide To prepare an audio track for recording 1 Create a new track to record on by choosing File gt New Track 2 Specify 1 Mono Audio Track in Samples if your source is mono or 1 Stereo Audio Track in Samples
4. the Mbox turn the Mix con trol fully left to Input to hear only the input sig nal Or to hear an equal mix of playback and input signals turn the Mix control to the center See Controlling Delay Latency During Moni toring on page 16 for more information on us ing the Mix control during recording To record an audio track 1 Click the Record Enable button for the track Record enabling a track in the Mix window 2 Choose Windows gt Show Transport to display the Transport window Click Return To Zero to cue to the beginning of the session Return To Zero Fast Forward Rewind Play Go to End Stop Record ER z j T 4 m i Transport window 3 Click Record in the Transport window to arm Pro Tools for recording The Record button will flash red to indicate that Pro Tools is ready to record 4 When you are ready to start recording click Play or press the Spacebar 5 Record your performance 6 Click Stop in the Transport window or press the Spacebar when you are finished recording To play back a recorded track 1 If the track s Record Enable button is lit click on it to take it out of Record mode 2 On the front of the Mbox turn the Mix con trol fully right to Playback to hear only play back signal To hear an equal mix of playback and input signals turn the Mix control to the center See Controlling Delay Latency During Monitoring on page 16 for more infor
5. Mbox Basics Guide Version 6 7 for LE Systems on Windows XP or Mac OS X 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 650 731 6102 tel 800 333 2137 International Offices Visit the Digidesign Web site for contact information Web Site www digidesign com a ww celigidesig mn Copyright This guide is copyrighted 2004 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 DIGIDESIGN AVID and PRO TOOLS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and or Avid Technology Inc All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Product features specifications system requirements and availability are subject to change without notice PN 932013935 00 REV A 9 04 Introduction Welcome to the Mbox Basics Guide This guide is designed to give new users specific methods for accomplishing common tasks with the Mbox desktop audio interface and Pro Tools LE soft ware Once you are familiar with basic Mbox opera tion we recommend that you read the Work ing With Pro Tools tutorial in the Getting Started with Mbox Guide For the most complete resource for using P
6. Phantom Power switch ef O Oa SPDIF li ut Phantom Power switch 4 On the front of the Mbox turn the Mix con trol fully left to Input 5 On the front of the Mbox carefully turn the Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your microphone signal To use a microphone that has a 1 4 inch connector 1 On the back of the Mbox plug the 1 4 inch connector from your microphone into one of the Source inputs The inputs are numbered from the bottom up so Source 1 is the bottom input Source 2 input Source 1 input 1 4 inch connector plugged into the Source 1 input A Do not plug the microphone into the 1 4 inch jacks labeled Inserts These are not inputs They are special connectors for us ing an external effects processor such as a compressor or EQ 2 On the front of the Mbox set the source to Inst instrument by pressing the Source selector until the Inst LED is lit A If you are using a microphone with a 1 4 inch connector do not choose the Mic in put source because the Mbox will not regis ter any signal 3 On the front of the Mbox turn the Mix con trol fully left to Input 4 On the front of the Mbox carefully turn the Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your microphone signal Source Selector Mix control Channel 1 controls and the Mix control on the Mbox front panel Connecting a Microphone 5 Connecting Instru
7. ack and recording This causes a small amount of audio delay or la tency Latency is most obvious when monitoring dur ing recording You may hear this as a slight de lay between when you produce the sound and when you hear the sound through the speakers or headphones Mbox gives you the ability to monitor your an alog input signals while recording without hearing any latency This zero latency analog monitoring is controlled by the Mbox front panel Mix control which you can use to blend and adjust the ratio between the Mbox analog input and Pro Tools playback To use zero latency monitoring while recording 1 Launch Pro Tools and set up a session See Recording a Pro Tools Session on page 8 16 Mbox Basics Guide 2 Do one of the following e Mute the track you are recording on This prevents you from hearing the delayed sig nal coming back from Pro Tools through the Mbox foo Guit 192_D1 D1 L si Luzvetom_ fi Voice lo auto Muting a track Feo Guit 192_01 01 R e Use the Mix control on the front of the Mbox to blend the playback tracks with the analog tracks that you are recording Mix control o o le e f D headphone Mix control on Mbox front panel CY The Mix control has no effect when you are using S PDIF digital inputs Controlling Delay Latency During Monitoring 17
8. ce Options Bounce Source Publish as OMFI Enforce Avid Compatibility File Type Resolution 6 Sample Rate 44100 M Convert During Bounce Convert After Bounce Import After Bounce Bounce options for creating CD burnable tracks 8 In the Bounce dialog give the bounce tracks a name and choose where they should be saved Save Bounce As Folders Save in O Audio Files File name Meant To Be 44 Save as type BWF WAV wav Save Bounce Dialog 9 Click Save Pro Tools will begin 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 2000000 4000000 bridge ro Meant To Be 44 Bouncing to Disk Time Remaining 3 22 Gtr 2 01 01 L type Control period or Escape to cancel Steel Gtr 2_01 01 R Bouncing to Disk dialog Burning a CD After the bounce is completed you will have an audio file that is ready for burning onto a CD Quit Pro Tools and launch any common third party CD burning application to burn your bounced mix to CD w Make certain that you configure your CD burning application to create an audio CD rather than a data CD Creating an Audio CD from a Pro Tools Session Mbox and MIDI What is MIDI 3 In the Mix window click the track s MIDI In put Selector and assign the device and c
9. h jacks labeled Inserts These are not in puts They are special connectors for using an external effects processor such as a com pressor or EQ 6 Mbox Basics Guide To use a keyboard or mixer with Mbox 1 Plug your keyboard mixer or other audio source into either the Source 1 or Source 2 input on your Mbox If your source is stereo such as a stereo keyboard or the stereo output from a mixer connect the left channel often the white plug to Source 1 and right channel of ten the red plug to Source 2 The inputs are numbered from the bottom up so Source 1 is the bottom input on the back of your Mbox Source 2 input right channel Source 1 input left channel Mbox configuration for stereo input A Do not plug any sound source into the 1 4 inch jacks labeled Inserts These are not inputs They are special connectors for us ing an external effects processor such as a compressor or EQ 2 On the front of Mbox set the source to Line line level by pressing the Source selector until the Line LED is lit 3 On the front of the Mbox turn the Mix con trol fully left to Input Source Line LED selector Gain level control Source selector and Gain control for the Source 1 input 4 Set your instrument s volume to its optimal level For example the optimal level for most keyboards is between 80 and 100 of maxi mum volume 5 On the front of the Mbox carefully turn
10. hannel MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface is that willbetecorded not audio and has no sound MIDI is a way for musical devices to communicate MIDI is data A All that can trigger a MIDI device such as a key erg gt 1 ut d Korg Trinity Pro 1 b board OF software synthesizer Roland VS 880EX 1 gt all channels SokSynthi gt R Zoom Rhythm Trak 234 1 gt i In order to create or play a MIDI recording you channel 2 Predefined gt channel 3 channel 4 channel 5 channel 6 channel channel 8 channel 9 channel 10 channel 11 channel 12 channel 13 channel 14 must have a MIDI keyboard or sound module real or virtual connected to the computer through a MIDI interface Audio from your MIDI instrument can be sent to an external mixer or monitored through the Mbox MIDI sound module channel 15 channel 16 MIDI Input Selector i thas 4 In the Mix window click on the track s MIDI ee Output Selector and choose the destination as Mixer signment for that MIDI track by choosing a MIDI interface port achannel or a device from the pop up menu choices vary depending on For more information on monitoring through the operating system and Pro Tools version the Mbox see Monitoring MIDI Instruments Without a Mixer on page 15 Signal paths for MIDI instruments none channel 2 N ARTI Pro MCw 1 No Channels Activated To configure a MIDI track for recording
11. if your source is stereo re Mew Tracks cese ME vew Auda Track in tance Creating a new stereo audio track 3 Click Create gt A mono instrument uses one input on the Mbox and a stereo instrument uses two Creating a stereo track in Pro Tools will not make a mono instrument into a stereo in strument If a mono instrument is recorded on a stereo track one of the sides of the ste reo track will show no signal 4 Make certain the Mix window is open by choosing Windows gt Show Mix windows Help T Show Mix Hide Edit h Ctrl Show Task Window Alt j a CEs ecl em we Alki Showing the Mix widow 5 In the Mix window click the Input Selector on the new track Input selector a Choosing an input in the Mix window 6 From the pop up menu select the interface in put you want to record For example select Mic Line 1 if your audio source is plugged into the Source 1 jack on the back of the Mbox no input interface w gt Mic Line 1 Mono bus gt Mic Line 2 Mono plug in Routing an input to a mono track 7 Use the Gain controls on Mbox to maximize the signal going into Pro Tools while avoiding clipping A Clipping occurs when you feed a signal to an audio device that is louder than the cir cuitry can accept To avoid clipping adjust the Gain control to a level where the Peak LEDs on the front of the Mbox flicker occa sionally 8 On the front of
12. inished recording click Stop in the Transport window or press the Spacebar The newly recorded MIDI data appears as a MIDI region on the track in the Edit window as well as in the MIDI Regions List To play back a recorded MIDI track 1 Click the Record Enable button to take the MIDI track out of Record mode 2 In the Transport window click Return To Zero to play back from the beginning of the track 3 Click Play in the Transport window to begin playback The recorded MIDI data plays back through the track s assigned instrument and channel Monitoring MIDI Instruments Without a Mixer To monitor your MIDI instrument s analog out putin Pro Tools you can use an Auxiliary Input Auxiliary Inputs function as inputs for both in ternally bussed signals and external audio SOUICES To configure an Auxiliary Input for MIDI monitoring 4 Connect the MIDI instrument s audio output to the appropriate inputs on your Mbox 2 Choose File gt New Track and specify 1 mono or stereo Auxiliary Input then click Create 3 Click the Input selector of the Auxiliary Input channel and choose the input to which your MIDI instrument is connected to the Mbox 4 Adjust the level of the Auxiliary Input with its volume fader Now you will hear the audio out put of your MIDI device in Pro Tools Mbox and MIDI 15 Controlling Delay Latency During Monitoring Mbox and Pro Tools LE use your computer for all audio processing playb
13. instru ments LU in line output TRS 2 Tr 1 i source 2 ine mic TRS XLR Source 2 input Source 1 input Source Inputs on back of Mbox Mbox has two audio inputs labeled Source 1 and Source 2 For stereo inputs use Source 1 for the left input and Source 2 for the right input For information about connecting specific au dio sources see Attaching a Microphone to the Mbox on page 4 and Connecting Instru ments to the Mbox on page 6 Getting Sound In and Out of your Mbox 3 Connecting a Microphone Attaching a Microphone to the Mbox There are several ways to use Mbox with a mi crophone depending on the type of micro phone and cables that you use Some microphone cables use an XLR connector to attach a microphone to an input such as those on the Mbox other microphones use a 1 4 inch connector If you have a choice use an XLR connector to connect the microphone to the Mbox to yield better results XLR connector 1 4 inch connector XLR and 1 4 inch connectors Phantom Power Some microphones require power to operate This power called phantom power is supplied ei ther by a battery in the microphone or through an audio interface such as Mbox that can sup ply power through the microphone cable Most condenser microphones such as an AKG C3000 require phantom power to operate Dy namic microphones such as a Shure SMS7 do not require phanto
14. k of Mbox Front 1 8 inch Headphone jack 2 ____ inserts 1 ic To connect headphones e Connect headphones with a 1 8 inch stereo mini connector or an adapter to the front Headphone jack e Connect headphones with a 1 4 inch stereo connector or adapter to the back Head phone jack 194 The front panel Headphone control adjusts the volume level of both the front and back Headphone jacks 2 Mbox Basics Guide Connecting a Sound System The outputs on the back of the Mbox support 1 4 inch plugs These connections can be bal anced TRS style connectors or unbalanced To listen to your Pro Tools session these outputs can be connected to any amplification system powered speakers home stereo system oran au dio mixer When connecting to a stereo system connect the left channel often the white plug to Line Output 1 and right channel often the red plug to Line Output 2 O Home stereo systems often use RCA connec tors You can use an adaptor or a special ca ble to convert from the TRS or TS connectors used by Mbox to the RCA connectors on your home stereo headphone C qav Y O Oa Line Output 1 left output Line Output 2 right output source Stereo output from the Mbox Line Outputs 1 and 2 play the audio that is routed to analog outputs 1 and 2 within Pro Tools Connecting Audio Inputs Mbox inputs sources support microphones guitars keyboards and other types of
15. m power to operate but are not harmed by it A 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 4 Mbox Basics Guide The Mbox can only supply power through a mi crophone cable with XLR connectors If you are not sure about the phantom power require ments for your microphone consult your mi crophone s documentation or contact the man ufacturer To use a microphone that has an XLR connector 1 Plug your microphone cable into one of the Source inputs on the back of Mbox The inputs are numbered from the bottom up so Source 1 is the bottom input O Q out SPDIF line outp TRS 2 ut O in OO source 2 ne mic li TRS XLR l gt source 1 li i XLR Source 2 input Source 1 input XLR connector plugged into the Source 1 input 2 Set the Source to Mic microphone by press ing the Source selector on the front of Mbox un til the Mic LED is lit Source Mic LED selector Channel 1 Source controls on the Mbox front panel 3 If your microphone requires phantom power make sure the microphone is connected then press the Phantom Power switch on the back of the Mbox labeled 48V This switch sends 48V to both mic inputs The 48V LED on the front of the Mbox will light when phantom power is be ing supplied
16. mation on using the Mix control during recording 3 Click Play in the Transport window or press the Spacebar to start playback 4 Click Stop in the Transport window or press the Spacebar to stop playback Recording a Pro Tools Session 9 Importing Audio from a CD To import audio from a compact disc 8 In the session create a new track by choosing 1 Put the source CD into your computer s CD File gt New Track drive re Maw Tracks 2 Use a third party software program of your ple ET ee choice to extract audio from the CD Creating a new stereo audio track 3 Launch Pro Tools A Choo e rie Nen Seo a In the New Track dialog mer 1 Stereo Au dio Track in Samples and click Create 5 Set Session Parameters in the New Session di alog as needed or leave at their default settings For details see the Getting Started with Mbox Guide 10 Open the Workspace Browser by choosing Windows gt Show Workspace The Workspace Browser is a window where you can find audi tion and manage your audio files Name the session Folders Help Showy Mix Ctrl Save in O untitled 9 ea Hide Edit Ctrl Session File Backups B untitled pts Show Task Window Alt Show Workspace Show Project Browse Alk Browsers File name untitled Opening the Workspace Browser Save as type Pro Tools Session pts v 11 In the Workspace Browser navigate to the
17. ments Connecting Instruments to the 2 On the front of the Mbox set the Source to Mbox Inst instrument by pressing the Source selector until the Inst LED is lit Mbox provides two switchable line input types that correspond to the different signal strengths output by different types of instruments Instru Some ments such as electric guitar or electric bass usu Pelectol ally have a lower level of output than instru ments and electronic audio sources such as mixers samplers keyboards turntables and synthesizers Inst LED Source 1 input Gain level control To use a guitar with Mbox 1 On the back of your Mbox plug your guitar cable into one of the Source inputs The inputs are numbered from the bottom up so Source 1 is the bottom input on the back of your Mbox Source selector and Gain control for the Source 1 input 3 On the front of the Mbox turn the Mix con trol fully left to Input 4 On the front of the Mbox carefully turn the Gain control to the right to increase the input level of your guitar wy When you record a guitar or any mono in strument that uses only one source input you will hear the sound in only one side of Source 1 input the stereo field Pushing the mono button on the front of the Mbox brings the sound from one side of the stereo field to both Source 2 input Guitar cable plugged into the Source 1 input A Do not plug the guitar into the 1 4 inc
18. ro Tools software please re fer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide Online Resources Many resources for learning to use Pro Tools are also available online at the Digidesign Web site www digidesign com including the following DISK Digidesign Sound Knowledge Instruc tional material about how to use Pro Tools in cluding DiSK Flix movies that show how to do a number of popular tasks using Pro Tools DigiZine A magazine for and about Pro Tools us ers providing all the latest product news user stories and hundreds of tips and ideas Mbox Basics Requirements Before proceeding make sure you have e Connected the Mbox to your computer with the USB cable and e Installed Pro Tools LE software as described in the appropriate Windows or Macintosh in stallation chapter of the Getting Started with Mbox Guide Introduction 1 Getting Sound In and Out of your Mbox To hear audio recorded into a Pro Tools session you will need to connect headphones or an ex ternal sound system such as powered monitors or a home stereo to Mbox Sound from Mbox cannot be played through your computer s speakers or your computer s sound output Connecting Headphones There are two headphone jacks on the Mbox a 1 8 inch mini plug jack on the front and a 1 4 inch jack on the back You cannot use both jacks at once Back 1 4 inch Headphone jack source ars XLR Headphone jacks on front and bac
19. y but you can create stereo audio files from your Pro Tools sessions that can be used by most common CD burning programs 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 Bouncing Audio to Disk 1 After you have finished recording and mixing a session in Pro Tools highlight the length of the session in the timeline ruler or on a track plus an additional amount of time to avoid cut ting off any reverb tails that might continue past the end of the region Audio session highlighted and ready to bounce 12 Mbox Basics Guide 2 Choose File gt Bounce to Disk Edit AudioSute MIDI Movie Operations Setups New Session Ctrl M Open Session Ctra Chrl ShiFk vy Save Session Chrl 5 Close Session Save Session ds Save Session Copy In Revert to Saved Send Session via DigiDelivery New Tracks Chrl ShiFE h Group Selected Tracks Ctrl G Duplicate Selected Tracks Alk ShiFt D Solit Selected Tracks Into Mono Choosing Bounce to Disk from the file menu 3 In the Bounce Options dialog choose Analog Outputs 1 2 as the Bounce Source 4 Choose BWF WAV for the File Type 5 Choose Stereo Interleaved for the Format 6 Choose 16 for the Resolution and 44100 for the Sample Rate 7 Choose Convert after Bounce and click Bounce reo Bounce Boun
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