DigiDesign Mbox User manual

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
Getting Started with Mbox
Version 6.1 for LE Systems on Windows XP and Mac OS X
Version 5.3.3 for LE Systems on Windows XP
Version 5.2.1 for LE Systems on Mac OS 9

Copyright
This guide is copyrighted ©2003 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.
All features and specifications subject to change without
notice.
PN 932011595-00 REV A 06/03
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
We Digidesign,
2001 Junipero Serra Boulevard, Suite 200
Daly City, CA 94014 USA
tel: [phone]
declare under our sole responsibility that the product
Mbox
complies with Part 15 of FCC Rules.
Current Consumption 500mA
Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this
device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device
must accept any interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
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. This equipment generates, uses, and
can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and
used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is no
guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or
television reception, which can be determined by turning the
equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try and correct
the interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or locate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and
receiver.
•Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different
from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician
for help.
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 ICES-
003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme
NMB-003 du Canada.
Australian Compliance
European Compliance

Contents iii
contents
Chapter 1. Welcome to Mbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Mbox Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Pro Tools LE Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Digidesign Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
About the Pro Tools Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
About www.digidesign.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 2. Windows Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Windows System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installing Pro Tools LE and Mbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Installing Optional Software for Pro Tools LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Launching Pro Tools LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Configuring Pro Tools LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 3. Macintosh Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Apple System Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Hard Drive Configuration and Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Installing Pro Tools LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Installing OMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Installing the Demo Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Connecting Mbox to the Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Launching Pro Tools LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Configuring Pro Tools LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Chapter 4. Connecting Your Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Mbox Front Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Mbox Rear Panel Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Getting Started with Mbox iv
Making Signal Connections to Mbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Connecting a Recorder for Mixdowns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
MIDI Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Chapter 5. Working with Pro Tools LE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Session Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Transport Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Navigating a Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Regions Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Importing Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Basic Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Mix Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Final Mixdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Appendix A. Windows System Optimizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Advanced Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Appendix B. Configuring AMS (Mac OS X Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Appendix C. Digidesign ASIO Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Installing the ASIO Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Changing ASIO Driver Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Appendix D. Configuring OMS (Mac OS 9 Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Appendix E. Digidesign Control Panel (Mac OS 9 Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox 1
chapter 1
Welcome to Mbox
Welcome to Mbox, Digidesign’s portable
Pro Tools micro-studio, designed in collabora-
tion with Focusrite.
Mbox provides your USB-equipped computer
with two channels of analog and digital audio
input and output, employing professional-qual-
ity mic preamps and 24-bit analog-to-digital
and digital-to-analog converters.
The Mbox package includes the following:
• Mbox desktop audio interface
•Installer CD-ROM containing Pro Tools LE
software, DigiRack RTAS (Real-Time Audio-
Suite) and AudioSuite plug-ins, and electronic
PDF guides
• This
Getting Started with Mbox Guide , which in-
cludes instructions for installing and config-
uring Mbox, and an introduction to
Pro Tools LE software
•USB connector cable
•Digidesign registration card
Mbox Features
The Mbox desktop audio interface provides the
following:
•2analog audio inputs with Focusrite micro-
phone preamps and switchable 48V phantom
power
• Analog input jacks accept both XLR and 1/4-
inch (TRS) connectors, and are switchable be-
tween Mic, Line, and Instrument levels
•2channels of S/PDIF digital input and output
•2analog monitor outputs
• 24-bit A/D and D/A converters, supporting
sample rates of 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz
• Zero-latency analog record monitoring with
adjustable balance between input and play-
back
• Mono switch for summing the input signal
with the monitor mix
•Analog 1/4-inch TRS insert on each input
• 1/4-inch
( TRS ) or 1/8-inch stereo headphone
output with adjustable level control
• USB-powered operation
Mbox will not function properly if connected
to a USB hub. If you need to use a hub for
other USB peripherals, use a separate USB
port; Mbox must have a dedicated port in or-
der to function properly.

Getting Started with Mbox 2
Pro Tools LE Capabilities
Pro Tools LE software provides the following ca-
pabilities with Mbox:
Pro Tools LE 6.1
• Play back up to 32 mono digital audio
tracks, and play back up to 30 tracks while
recording up to 2 tracks, depending on
your computer’s capabilities
•Sessions can include up to 128 audio tracks
(with 32 voiceable tracks maximum), 256
MIDI tracks, 128 Auxiliary Input tracks,
and 64 Master Fader tracks.
Pro Tools LE 5.3.3 (Windows Only)
• Play back up to 32 mono digital audio
tracks, and play back up to 30 tracks while
recording up to 2 tracks, depending on
your computer’s capabilities
•Sessions can include up to 32 audio tracks,
128 MIDI tracks, 64 Auxiliary Input tracks,
and 64 Master Fader tracks.
Pro Tools LE 5.2.1
• Play back up to 24 mono digital audio
tracks, and play back up to 22 tracks while
recordingupto2tracksdependingonyour
computer’s capabilities. See the Digidesign
Web site for information on 32 track capa-
bility with Pro Tools LE 5.2.1 (www.digide-
sign.com/compato)
.
•Sessions can include up to 32 audio tracks,
128 MIDI tracks, 64 Auxiliary Input tracks,
and 64 Master Fader tracks.
All Systems
• 16-bit or 24-bit audio resolution, at sample
rates up to 48 kHz
•Nonlinear, random-access editing and mix au-
tomation
• Audio processing with up to 5 RTAS plug-ins
per track, depending on your computer’s ca-
pabilities
• Up to 5 inserts and 5 sends per track
• Up to 16 internal mix busses
Pro Tools LE uses your computer’s CPU to
mix and process audio tracks (host process-
ing). Computers with faster clock speeds
yield higher track counts and more plug-in
processing.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox 3
System Requirements
Mbox can be used with a Digidesign-qualified
Windows or Macintosh computer running
Pro Tools LE software.
Digidesign can only assure compatibility and
provide support for hardware and software it
has tested and approved. For a list of Digidesign-
qualified computers, operating systems, hard
drives,andthird-partydevices,refertothelatest
compatibility information on the Digidesign
Web site (www.digidesign.com/compato).
Hard Drive Configuration and
Maintenance
It is recommended that you start with a newly
initialized audio drive. You should also periodi-
cally defragment your audio drive to ensure
continued system performance.
For a list of qualified hard drives and SCSI host
bus adapters, visit the Digidesign Web site
(www.digidesign.com/compato).
Avoid Recording to System Drives
Although Pro Tools LE will let you record to
your system drive, this is generally not recom-
mended. Recording and playback on system
hard drives results in lower track counts and
fewer plug-ins.
Hard Drive Storage Space
Mono audio tracks recorded with 16-bit resolu-
tion at 44.1 kHz (CD quality) require approxi-
mately 5 MB of hard disk space per minute.
The same tracks recorded with 24-bit resolution
require about 7.5 MB per minute. Table 2 lists
the required drive space for certain track num-
bers and track lengths, to help you estimate
your hard disk usage.
Table 2. Required hard drive space for audio tracks
Number of tracks and length 16-bit at
44.1 kHz
16-bit at
48 kHz
24-bit at
44.1 kHz
24-bit at
48 kHz
1 mono track, 1 minute 5 MB 5.5 MB 7.5 MB 8.2 MB
1 stereo track (or two mono
tracks), 5 minutes
50 MB 55 MB 75 MB 83 MB
1 stereo track (or two mono
tracks), 60 minutes
600 MB 662 MB 900 MB 991 MB
24 mono tracks, 5 minutes 600 MB 662 MB 900 MB 991 MB
24 mono tracks, 60 minutes 7 GB 7.8 GB 10.5 GB 11.6 GB
32 mono tracks, 5 minutes 800 MB 883 MB 1.2 GB 1.3 GB
32 mono tracks, 60 minutes 9.4 GB 10.4 GB 14 GB 15.4 GB

Getting Started with Mbox 4
Digidesign Registration
Make sure to complete and return the registra-
tion card included with your Pro Tools Mbox
system. Registered users will receive periodic
software update and upgrade notices. Refer to
the registration card for information on techni-
cal support.
About the Pro Tools Guides
This Getting Started with Mbox Guide explains
how to install and use Mbox to record, edit, and
mix audio and MIDI tracks in Pro Tools LE. For
additional information, see the following on-
line guides:
•
Pro Tools Reference Guide explains Pro Tools LE
software in detail.
•
DigiRack Plug-Ins Guide explains how to use
the RTAS and AudioSuite plug-ins included
with Pro Tools LE.
•
MIDI Control Surfaces Guide covers the use of
MIDI control surfaces (such as MotorMix
from CM Labs) with Pro Tools LE.
•
Keyboard Shortcuts lists keyboard shortcuts for
Pro Tools LE.
PDF versions of the Pro Tools guides are in-
stalled automatically with Pro Tools LE, and are
accessible from the Pro Tools menu (Mac OS X)
or the Pro Tools Help menu (Windows XP and
Mac OS 9). To view or print the PDF guides, you
can install Acrobat Reader (included on the
Pro Tools LE Installer CD-ROM).
Conventions Used in This Guide
Digidesign guides use the following conven-
tions to indicate menu choices and key com-
mands:
:
The following symbols are used to highlight im-
portant information:
.
Printed copies of the Pro Tools LE Manual
set (including the Pro Tools Reference
Guide) can be purchased separately from
the DigiStore (www.digidesign.com).
Convention Action
File > Save Session Choose Save Session 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 (Windows) Click with the right mouse
button
User Tips are helpful hints for getting the
most from your system.
Important Notices include information that
could affect your data or the performance of
your system.
Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or
mouse shortcuts.
Cross References point to related sections in
other Digidesign guides.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Mbox 5
About www.digidesign.com
The Digidesign Web site (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 fea-
tures available.
Support Contact Digidesign Technical Support
or Customer Service; download software up-
dates and the latest online manuals; browse the
Compatibility documents for system require-
ments; search the online Answerbase; join the
worldwide Pro Tools community on the Digide-
sign User Conference.
Training and Education Become a certified
Pro Tools Operator or Expert; study on your
own using courses available online, or find out
how you can learn in a classroom setting at a
certified Pro Tools Training Center.
Products and Developers LearnaboutDigidesign
products; download demo software; learn about
our Development Partners and their plug-ins,
applications, and hardware.
News and Events Get the latest news from
Digidesign; sign up for a Pro Tools demo.
To learn more about these and other resources
available from Digidesign, visit our Web site
(www.digidesign.com).

Getting Started with Mbox 6

Chapter 2: Windows Configuration 7
chapter 2
Windows Configuration
Installation of the Mbox on a Windows com-
puter includes the following steps:
1 Configuring Windows System Software set-
tings. (See “Windows System Settings” on
page 7.)
2 Connecting the Mbox unit to your computer.
and installing Pro Tools LE software (See “In-
stalling Pro Tools LE and Mbox” on page 10.)
3 Restarting your computer.
4 Configuring your Pro Tools system (See “Con-
figuring Pro Tools LE” on page 14.)
5 Making audio connections to the Mbox. (See
Chapter 4, “Connecting Your Studio” for de-
tails.)
Windows System Settings
Configure your Window system settings, as fol-
lows:
Required Settings These instructions must be
followed before installing Pro Tools.
Recommended Settings These instructions
should be followed to optimize your system’s
capabilities, or to let older computers run
Pro Tools LE.
Required Settings
To ensure optimum performance with
Pro Tools LE, configure the following Control
Panel settings for your version of Windows XP.
Disable Hyper-Threading
For Pentium IV computers with Hyper-Thread-
ing, disable Hyper-Threading in the BIOS.
Enable DMA
Enabling yourcomputer's DMA (DirectMemory
Access) frees up CPU bandwidth so your com-
puter can do other Pro Tools tasks.
Inmostcasesthe DMA option will already be set
correctly, as Windows XP detects and activates
DMA mode by default.
If problems occur after configuring all re-
quired and suggested settings, see
Appendix A, “Windows System Optimiza-
tions” for information on troubleshooting
and configuring advanced settings.
When finished updating required Windows
system settings, power down your com-
puter.

Getting Started with Mbox8
Enable DMA for any IDE hard drives:
1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-
age.
2 In Classic view, choose Start > Control Panel >
System > Hardware.
– or –
InCategoryview, choose Start > Control panel >
Performance and Maintenance > System > Hard-
ware.
3 Under System Tools, choose Device Manager.
4 In the Device Manager window, double-click
IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, then double-click
the Primary IDE Channel for your IDE hard
drive.
5 Click the Advanced Settings tab.
6 For each device, set the Transfer Mode to
“DMA if available,” and click OK.
Inmost cases, this will alreadybe set correctly as
Windows XP will detect and activate DMA
mode by default.
7 Repeat steps 4–6 for any additional IDE Chan-
nels.
8 Close the Computer Management window.
Disable Virus Protection Software
Avoid running virus protection software while
using Mbox since it adversely affects system per-
formance (as do all background processes). If
you are using virus protection software, you
must turn it off or remove it and restart your
computer.
Disable System Standby and Power
Management
When using Pro Tools, the Windows System
Standby power scheme must be set to Always
On. This helps prevent long record or playback
passes from stopping due to system resources
powering down.
To configure Windows Power Management:
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
2 In Classic View, double-click the Power Op-
tions Control Panel, then click the Power
Schemes tab.
– or –
In Category view, click Performance and Main-
tenance, then click Power Options, then click
the Power Scheme tab.
3 From the Power Schemes pop-up menu, select
Always On.
4 Click OK.
This sets System Standby, System Hibernate,
and “Turn off hard disks” to Never.
Disable ClearType Font Smoothing
When using Pro Tools, the Effects “Clear Type”
setting must be disabled.
To disable ClearType font smoothing:
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
2 In Classic view, double-click Display.
– or –
InCategoryview,clickAppearance andThemes,
then click Display.
3 Click the Appearance tab.
4 Click Effects.

Chapter 2: Windows Configuration 9
5 Deselect “Use the following methods to
smooth edges of screen fonts.”
6 Click OK to save your settings and close the
Effects dialog.
7 Click OK.
Completing Windows System Settings
Recommended Configuration
Pro Tools LE can also be affected by other soft-
ware and hardware drivers installed on your
computer. For best possible performance, it is
recommended (but not required) that you:
•AvoidrunningotherWindowsprogramsat
the same time as Pro Tools LE.
•Turn off any software utilities that run in
the background, such as Windows Messen-
ger, calendars, and disk maintenance pro-
grams.
•Turn off any nonessential USB devices
while using Mbox
• If your video display card supports it, en-
able Bus Mastering in the manufacturer’s
Control Panel.
• Disable any networking cards (other than
any 1394 “FireWire” card that you might
use to connect an external drive to your
system).
Hard Drive Configuration and
Maintenance
Formatting an Audio Drive
On Windows, it is recommended that you start
with newly formatted drives dedicated for au-
dio. For optimum performance, audio drives
should be formatted withthe FAT32 or NTFS file
system.
To format and configure an audio drive:
1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-
age.
2 Under Storage, choose Disk Management.
3 In the Disk Management window, right-click
the hard drive you will use for audio and choose
Format.
4 Foroptimaldiskperformance,select 32Kfrom
the Allocation unit size pull-down. This in-
creases how efficiently audio data is written to
and read from the drive.
5 Make sure the Quick Format option is dese-
lected,thenclick Start, and follow the on-screen
instructions.
6 When formatting is complete, close the For-
mat window.
Audio Drives and Disk Cleanup
The process of recording, editing, and deleting
tracks and sessions can quickly decrease overall
drive performance. It is suggested that you regu-
larly use Disk Cleanup (or an equivalent utility)
toasses the condition of drives and, ifnecessary,
delete temporary files and other unused data.
When finished updating required Windows
system settings, power down your com-
puter.
For information on disabling networking
cards, see “Disabling Network Cards” on
page 59.
Pro Tools only supports Basic drive Types.

Getting Started with Mbox10
To use Disk Cleanup:
1 Choose Start > Control Panels.
2 In Classic view, double-click Administrative
Tools.
– or –
In Category View, click Performance and Main-
tenance, then click Administrative Tools.
3 Select Computer Management, then select
Storage.
4 Choose Disk Management.
5 Select the desired volume in the list, then
choose File > Options.
Disk Cleanup determines how performance is
being affected by drive condition, and lets you
review and delete temporary and other unneces-
sary files from the selected volume. For more in-
formation on using Disk Cleanup, see your Win-
dows XP documentation.
Defragmenting an Audio Drive
Periodically defragment audio drives to maintain
system performance.
To defragment an audio drive:
1 Right-click My Computer and choose Man-
age.
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.
5 When defragmenting is complete, close the
Computer Management Window.
Avoid Recording to System Drives
Although Pro Tools will let you record to your
system drive, this is generally not recom-
mended. Recording and playback on system
hard drives results in lower track counts and
fewer plug-ins. You should record to system
drives onlywhen necessary (for example,if your
computer system has just one hard drive).
Installing Pro Tools LE and
Mbox
To install Pro Tools LE on Windows:
1 Make sure you have configured all the re-
quired Windows system settings, and rebooted
your computer. See“Windows System Settings”
on page 7 for more information.
2 Start up Windows, logging in with Adminis-
trator privileges. If you do not have Administra-
tor privileges or do not know how to set them
up, see your Windows User’s Guide.
3 Connect the small end of the included USB ca-
ble to the USB port on Mbox.
4 Connecttheother end of the USB cable to any
available USB port on your computer. Wait for
the Found New Hardware Wizard dialog to ap-
pear and leave it open: Do not press Next.
5 Insert the Pro Tools Installer CD-ROM for
Windows in your CD-ROM drive. Locate and
open the Pro Tools Installer folder, and double-
click the Setup icon.
Mbox may not function properly if con-
nected to a USB hub. If you need to use a
hub for other USB peripherals, connect the
hub to a separate USB port; Mbox must
have a dedicated port in order to function
properly.

Chapter 2: Windows Configuration 11
6 Click Next to begin installation.
7 Selectthecomponentsyou want to install and
click Next.
8 Wait for the installer to finish installing all
softwarecomponents, drivers, and PACESystem
files before proceeding to the next step.
9 Click Quit when prompted to install Quick-
Time (you will install QuickTime later).
10 Restart your computer.
Installing QuickTime
QuickTime 5 or later is required for video play-
back with Pro Tools LE if you plan to include
movie files in your sessions. Installing the latest
version of QuickTime for Windows is highly rec-
ommended(availablefromwww.apple.com).Be
sure to install the “Recommended” install of
QuickTime or Pro Tools will not handle Quick-
Time video correctly.
To install QuickTime:
1 Locate the QuickTime Installer on your
Pro Tools LE Installer CD-ROM (located in the
Additional Files folder). Follow the on-screen in-
structions to complete the QuickTime installa-
tion process.
2 When installation is complete, click Finish to
restart your computer. See “Installing Optional
Software for Pro Tools LE” on page 12.
Updating Mbox Firmware
Firmware version 2.0 or later is required to use
Mbox on Windows XP.
To Update the firmware on Mbox:
1 Make sure Pro Tools is installed and the Mbox
is connected to the computer.
2 Double-click on MboxFirmwareUpdater.exe.
In Local Disk (C):\ Program Files\Digidesign\
Pro Tools\Pro Tools Utilities.)
3 To check the firmware version currently on
Mbox, click the Start button in the Mbox Firm-
ware Update window.
4 To update the firmware version on the Mbox,
click the Start button in the Mbox Firmware Up-
date window.
If you get a warning dialog about the driver
not passing Windows Logo testing, click
Continue Anyway.
If the USB LED on the front panel of the
Mbox does not illuminate after installation,
try unplugging the USB cable from the
Mbox USB port, and plugging it back in. If
the USB LED still does not illuminate, shut
down the computer, disconnect Mbox and
start the computer. Once the computer has
fully restarted, reconnect Mbox.
If your computer does not start up after in-
stalling QuickTime, use Add/Remove Pro-
grams to remove Pro Tools LE and Quick-
Time, then repeat the installation process in
“Installing Pro Tools LE and Mbox” on
page 10.
If your computer won’t startup after install-
ing QuickTime, use Add/Remove Programs
to remove Pro Tools LE and QuickTime,
then repeat the installation process in “In-
stalling Pro Tools LE and Mbox” on
page 10.
Before you update Mbox firmware,
Pro Tools LE software must be installed
and Mbox connected to your computer.

Getting Started with Mbox12
5 Click Start to check the current firmware ver-
sion on Mbox and begin the firmware upgrade
process.
6 Follow the on-screen instructions:
•Disconnect Mbox from the USB port of the
computer.
• Reconnect Mbox to the USB port of the
computer. The new firmware will be up-
loaded to the Mbox.
• Disconnect and reconnect Mbox.
7 Click OK.
Installing Optional Software
for Pro Tools LE
Your Pro Tools Installer CD-ROM includes sev-
eral software options (as available for your sys-
tem).
Installing Digidesign ASIO Driver
The Digidesign ASIO (Audio Sound Input Out-
put) Driver is a multichannel, multimedia
sound driver that lets third-party audio applica-
tions record and play back through channels
1–2 of Mbox. The Digidesign ASIO Driver is not
required to use Pro Tools LE with Mbox.
Installing the Demo Session
The Pro Tools LE Installer CD includes a demo
session that you can use to verify that your sys-
tem is working.
To install the demo session:
1 Insert the Pro Tools LE Installer CD in your
CD-ROM drive. Locate and double-click
Setup.exe, in D (CD-ROM drive):\Additional
Files\Pro Tools LE Demo Session Installer.
2 Settheinstalllocationtoyouraudiodriveand
click Install.
3 When installation is complete, click OK.
Installing MacOpener
With MacOpener you can open and transfer
Pro Tools sessions created on HFS and HFS Plus-
formatted hard drives (Macintosh) to NTFS or
FAT32-formatted hard drives (Windows).
To share Pro Tools sessions between Macintosh
and Windows system, select the “Enforce
Mac/PC Compatibility” option when creating
the session, or when saving a session copy.
For information on installing, using, and
removing the Digidesign ASIO Driver, see
Appendix C, “Digidesign ASIO Driver”.
Before installing the demo session to your
audio drive, make sure the drive is config-
ured as described in “Formatting an Audio
Drive” on page 9.
On Windows-based Pro Tools systems,
avoid recording or playing audio on hard
drives formatted for Macintosh (the HFS or
HFS Plus file system). Use the Save Session
Copy In command in Pro Tools to copy the
session material to a Windows audio drive
formatted using NTFS or FAT32.
While SDII files can be exported or con-
verted on import, they cannot be used
within Pro Tools sessions on Windows.

Chapter 2: Windows Configuration 13
To install and configure the MacOpener demo
included with Pro Tools:
1 Insert the Pro Tools Installer CD into your CD-
ROM drive.
2 Locate and double-click the MacOpener in-
staller file in the MacOpener Demo folder lo-
cated at D (CD-ROM drive):\Additional
Files\MacOpener Demo Installer. Follow the on-
screen instructions to install the MacOpener. Af-
ter installation is complete, restart your com-
puter.
3 Choose Start > Programs > MacOpener >
MacOpener Driver Preferences.
4 Verify that the MacOpener Driver is enabled.
Under Driver Settings, select “Enable Ma-
cOpener Driver.”
5 UnderExtension Mapping, select “Do not add
the PC extension to the Mac file name.”
6 Click OK to quit the MacOpener Driver Pref-
erences.
7 Choose Start > Programs > MacOpener >
Mac Lic.exe. When installation is complete,
close the installer.
Removing Pro Tools LE
If you need to remove Pro Tools LE from your
computer use the Add or Remove Programs
command.
To remove Pro Tools LE:
1 Choose Start > Control Panel.
2 In Classic view, double-click the Add or Re-
move Programs icon.
– or –
In Category view, click Administrative Tools,
then click Add or Remove Programs.
3 From the Currently installed programs list, se-
lect Digidesign Pro Tools LE.
4 Click the Change/Remove button.
5 Select Remove, then click Next.
6 Click OK to remove Pro Tools LE.
Launching Pro Tools LE
When launching Pro Tools the first time, you
are prompted to enter an authorization code to
validate your software.
With new Mbox systems, the authorization
code is located on the inside cover of the Getting
Started with Mbox Guide. With software up-
grades, the authorization code is located on the
inside cover of the Upgrading Guide.
To authorize Pro Tools software:
1 Double-click the Pro Tools LE shortcut on
yourdesktop (orthe applicationinthe Pro Tools
folder inside the Digidesign folder).
All formatting and maintenance of
HFS/HFS+ drives should be carried out
when the drive is connected to a Macintosh.
For more information about MacOpener
and its performance limitations, see the
Pro Tools Reference Guide.

Getting Started with Mbox14
2 Enter the authorization code in the dialog
when prompted (making sure to type it exactly
as printed, and observing any spaces and capi-
talization) then click Validate.
Configuring Pro Tools LE
Pro Tools System Settings
Pro Tools LE allows you to adjust the perfor-
mance of your system by changing system set-
tings that affect its capacity for processing, play-
back, and recording
In most cases, the default settings for your sys-
tem provide optimum performance, but you
may want to adjust them to accommodate large
or processing-intensive Pro Tools sessions.
Hardware Buffer Size
The Hardware Buffer Size (H/W Buffer Size) con-
trols the size of the hardware cache used to han-
dle host processing tasks such as Real-Time Au-
dioSuite (RTAS) plug-ins.
◆Lower Hardware Buffer Size settings reduce
monitoringlatency,and areusefulwhen youare
recording live input.
◆Higher Hardware Buffer Size settings allow for
more audio processing and effects, and are use-
ful when you are mixing and using more RTAS
plug-ins.
To change the Hardware Buffer Size:
1 Choose Setups > Playback Engine.
2 Fromthe H/W Buffer Sizepop-upmenu,select
the audio buffer size, in samples.
3 Click OK.
CPU Usage Limit
The CPU Usage Limit controls the percentage of
CPU resources allocated to Pro Tools host pro-
cessing tasks.
◆Lower CPU Usage Limit settings limit the ef-
fect of Pro Tools processing on other CPU-inten-
sive tasks, such as screen redraws, and are useful
when you are experiencing slow system re-
sponse, or when running other applications at
the same time as Pro Tools.
◆Higher CPU Usage Limit settings allocate
more processing power to Pro Tools, and are
useful for playing back large sessions or using
more real-time plug-ins.
◆With Pro Tools 6.x, the maximum CPU Usage
Limit is 85 percent for single-processor comput-
ers, and 99 percent for multi-processor comput-
ers. (The 99 percent setting dedicates one entire
processor to Pro Tools.)
In addition to causing slower screen re-
sponse and monitoring latency, higher
Hardware Buffer Size settings can affect the
accuracy of plug-in automation, mute data,
and timing for MIDI tracks.
Playback Engine dialog for Mbox
Increasing the CPU Usage Limit may slow
down screen responses on slower computers.

Chapter 2: Windows Configuration 15
To change the CPU Usage Limit:
1 Choose Setups > 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.
DAE Playback Buffer Size
The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the
amount of memory DAE uses to manage disk
buffers, which affects system performance.
◆Lower DAE Playback Buffer Size settings can
improve playback and recording initiation
speed. However, a lower setting can make it dif-
ficult for slower hard drives to play or record
tracks reliably.
◆Higher DAE Playback Buffer Size settings can
allow for a higher density of edits in a session.
However,a higher setting can cause a time lag to
occurbefore playbackor recordingbegins.It can
also cause a time lag to occur when you are ed-
iting during playback.
To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size:
1 Choose Setups > Playback Engine.
2 From the DAE Playback Buffer pop-up menu,
select a buffer size.
3 Click OK.
Pro Tools Hardware Settings
Using the Hardware Setup dialog, you can select
thedefault samplerateand clock sourceforyour
system, and configure the clock source for your
system.
Default Sample Rate
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.)
To change the default Sample Rate:
1 Make sure that no Pro Tools is session open.
2 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup.
3 Select the sample rate from the Sample Rate
pop-up menu.
4 Click OK.
You can change the sample rate when creat-
ing a new Pro Tools session by selecting a
different sample rate in the New Session di-
alog. (Refer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide
for details.)
Hardware Setup dialog for Mbox

Getting Started with Mbox16
Channel 1–2 Input Source
The Pro Tools Hardware Setup dialogallows you
to configure the two inputs on Mbox to receive
analog or digital signals.
To select the Channel 1–2 input format for Mbox:
1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup.
2 Choose the Channel 1–2 Input format by do-
ing one of the following:
• Choose Analog if you are sending a micro-
phone, line, or instrument signal through
the 1/4”TRS or XLR connectors on Mbox.
– or –
• Choose S/PDIF if you are sending signal
fromadigital device to the S/PDIF input on
Mbox.
Clock Source
Using the Hardware Setup dialog, you can select
the clock source for the system.
Internal If you are recording an analog signal di-
rectly into Mbox, you will usually use the
Pro Tools Internal clock source. The clock
source automatically changes to Internal when
you change the Ch. 1–2 Input to Analog.
SPDIF If you are transferring material into
Pro Tools from an external digital device, you
willusuallysynchronizePro Toolsto thatdigital
device. The clock source automatically changes
to SPDIF when you change the Ch. 1–2 Input to
SPDIF.
To select the clock source:
1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup.
2 Choose the clock source from the Clock
Source pop-up menu.
3 Click OK.
Configuring I/O Setup
Using the I/O Setup dialog, you can label
Pro Tools LE input, output, insert, and bus sig-
nal paths. The I/O Setup dialog provides a graph-
ical representation of the inputs, outputs, and
signal routing of the Mbox.
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.
T
Your digital input device must be connected
and powered on for Pro Tools to synchro-
nize to it. If your input device is not powered
on, leave the Clock Source set to Internal.
Refer to the Pro Tools Reference Guide (or
choose Help > Pro Tools Reference Guide)
for more information on renaming I/O
paths.
After configuring Pro Tools LE and your
system, you should save an image of your
system using Norton Ghost. Norton Ghost
lets you save and recall known good config-
urations of your system and settings, which
can help you recover if you encounter any
problems in the future.