Overview of
|
The one drawback about the MBox that usually causes people to purchase more expensive LE Pro Tools hardware is that it only has four inputs, meaning you can only simultaneously record 4 (separated) tracks at once. Typically, for home studio purposes, that's all you really need. But there are occasions when that can be a problem. If you wanted to record drums in LE Pro Tools and you're using drum mounted mics rather than recording the kit with two overhead mics in stereo, obviously you wouldn't be able to do it. The only way you can record more tracks than you have inputs (5 or more in this case) is to route the audio to an external mixer first, and then send it out in two stereo tracks. You could do another combination besides just two outputs, but remember that in any case, even if you are simultaneously recording more than 4 tracks with the MBox, you will only have 4 individual tracks in your LE Pro Tools mix. If that sounds confusing, think of it this way; you can have 12 mics all hooked up to a 12 channel mixer. Even though the mixer may have 12 outputs, the LE Pro Tools MBox only has four inputs, so you'd have to get all the levels perfect in the mixer because you can only divide those 12 separate tracks up among 4 separate tracks once they reach the MBox. You'd probably end up just running everything out of the mixer in a 2 channel stereo mix setup, and then do all your post EQ in LE Pro Tools after the fact. And in truth, the MBox only has two analog inputs with two analog TRS inserts as well. Inserts typically aren't used for mics, but rather recording directly from an audio source's outputs, like a MIDI, or synthesizer.
If that drawback is enough for you to decide that the MBox wouldn't fulfill your LE Pro Tools home studio needs, then you can skip to the next LE Pro Tools hardware description below. Otherwise, take a look at the MBox features:
- Two balanced XLR/1/4" combo analog inputs
- Two balanced 1/4" analog outputs
- Focusrite mic preamps
-Two analog TRS inserts
- 24-bit signal path from input to output
- Completely USB-powered
- Near zero-latency monitoring. (Latency is the amount of delay between the time you play a note and the time you hear it in your headphones.)
- 48V phantom power
- Headphone 1/8" and 1/4" outputs
- Input peak indicators
- Mono summing
- The latest LE Pro Tools software included
So as you can see, this LE Pro Tools setup isn't a mickey mouse recording solution. You're getting quite a bit of features packed into this little thing.
If you're new to home recording, the MBox is a great place to start. It's extremely simple to learn how to use, and can produce radio-ready mixes if that's what your goal is. And even if you choose to upgrade to more expensive hardware later on, the portability of the MBox will make you want to hang onto it for when you're on the road... you'll have 24/7/365 access to
LE Pro Tools
software, the most powerful recording software available for home recording.
Home-Studio-Recording.com rating: 9.5 out of 10
The Digi 002 is really the next step up in LE Pro Tools from the MBox. Actually, it's more of a giant leap than a step. The FireWire based hardware has two versions; the Digi 002, and the less expensive but equally enticing Digi 002 Rack version, (with the same LE Pro Tools software.) We'll compare the two versions momentarily.
The biggest difference between the MBox and the Digi 002 is that with this hardware, you can simultaneously record eight tracks in LE Pro Tools at once. The Digi 002 has eight analog inputs- four of those being top quality mic pres each with individual gain and high-pass filter, in addition to paired phantom power. (If for nothing else, the extra four inputs alone may be worth the price jump from the MBox for a lot of people.) The Digi 002 connects with your laptop or desktop via a single FireWire (or 1394) connection, which makes this hardware basically as portable as the MBox.
So what are the differences between the less expensive LE Pro Tools Digi 002 Rack version and the regular Digi 002?
There's really only one big difference; the Digi 002 Rack version doesn't have a physical control surface. The Digi 002 mixer isn't rack-mountable; it's a state-of-the-art mini console at your fingertips- a complete external control surface that is about the easiest-to-use digital mixer on the market. Here's the official listing of Digi 002 features:
- 8 touch-sensitive motorized faders with snapshot capability (not on Digi 002 Rack version)
- 8 motion-sensitive rotary encoders used for pan/send/meter/plug-in control (not on Digi 002 Rack version)
- 10 digital scribble strips for track names/pan/send/fader/plug-in values/timeline position (not on Digi 002 Rack version)
- Stand-alone mode: 8x4x2 digital mixer with EQ and effects (not on Digi 002 Rack version)
- Footswitch for QuickPunch control
- 8 analog inputs
- 8 analog outputs
- 4 mic pres with individual gain, high-pass filter and 48V phantom power capability on channel pairs
- 8 channels of ADAT optical I/O, 2 channels of S/PDIF I/O
- Outputs 1 and 2 mirrored on 1/4" TRS monitor output (with dedicated volume control)
- MIDI I/O: 1 IN port, 2 OUT ports (16 channels IN/32 channels OUT)
- 4-bit/96 kHz A/D and D/A converters
- Alternate Source Input for direct monitoring of -10 dBV audio equipment
- Headphone output with dedicated volume control
- Transport control
- FireWire connectivity
- The latest LE Pro Tools software included
All these upgrades from the MBox come with a price, but if you're set on putting together a serious home recording studio, then you may want to consider the LE Pro Tools Digi 002 because of the added flexibility of having significantly more capabilities.
And even though it may seem like the control surface on the more expensive Digi 002 isn't worth the huge jump in price from the rack version or even the MBox, keep in mind that the alternative in LE Pro Tools is to do all your mixing and levels with your mouse, which can get tedious after hours in the studio. Not having physical buttons and knobs or a control surface at your fingertips can make everything in the recording, mixing and mastering process more time consuming. With that said, thousands of home studio musicians and engineers manage to do it in LE Pro Tools and many other software recording programs, so you can too if you don't think it'll be a problem for you.
Whatever hardware you decide to go with, LE Pro Tools will simplify the recording process for you, so you can focus on making music, rather than trying to figure out complex software operations.