Bass, Mbox 2 ....anything else ?

Stingray_EB · #1 07-02-2008, 07:32 PM

OK, so I've been looking at buying the Digidesign Mbox 2 with ProTools LE7.

http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product.asp?id=4468

My question is, if I buy the Mbox 2 is that all I need to record ?
I have a high performance Toshiba laptop 180gb 2g RAM running Vista Home Premium (

) 32 bit and JBL Creature Speakers.

I know its a simple laptop/speaker setup but will this do? Or do I need to buy anything else apart from the Mbox 2?

Thanks
Paul

**Basschair** · #2 07-02-2008, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stingray_EB

OK, so I've been looking at buying the Digidesign Mbox 2 with ProTools LE7.

http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product.asp?id=4468

My question is, if I buy the Mbox 2 is that all I need to record ?
I have a high performance Toshiba laptop 180gb 2g RAM running Vista Home Premium (

) 32 bit and JBL Creature Speakers.

I know its a simple laptop/speaker setup but will this do? Or do I need to buy anything else apart from the Mbox 2?

Thanks
Paul

Well, do you have a pre-amp with some sort of a direct output?

Stingray_EB · #3 07-03-2008, 05:40 AM

All I have is my Stingray, Laptop and Speakers and my Mesa 750 and Aguilar GS212.

monkeyland · #4 07-03-2008, 05:46 AM

yes technically that is all you need. the mbox 2 has 2 preamps built in.

of course there are other things that you may want in the future. most notably a set of monitors. i don't know how serious about recording you are but a decent set of monitors will greatly effect your recordings. i would recommend the best set that you can possibly afford, although a little tip from me is to look around for a set of used yorkville YSM-1s and a nice clean power amp. this is what i'm using. the speakers set me back less than 150 and the power amp was about the same. i feel that i'm much better off than anything else that i could have gotten for the same money

active monitors are also nice though for ease of use.

the moral of the story is that good speakers will make life a lot easier.

monkeyland · #5 07-03-2008, 05:49 AM

one more thing is that if you can afford it the Ampeg SVX plugin is really awesome. i use it when i'm doing bass tracks for writing songs and i can get a really good sound very fast. i play guitar in my current band but i write most all of the music at the same time, i wish there were something for guitar that was as convinceing as the ampeg plugin.

when recording real bass tracks i tend to DI the amp(ampeg B@ or GK 800rb) and put a condenser and a large diaphram dynamic on the cab(ampeg 810 or Trace 410)

hunta · #6 07-03-2008, 08:38 AM

A good compressor is nice to have as well.

Stingray_EB · #7 07-03-2008, 08:41 AM

lol necessaty only please. Will my speakers do for now ?

stflbn · #8 07-03-2008, 08:42 AM

My only concern with the mBox is that it locks you into particular apps for audio editing.

**Basschair** · #9 07-03-2008, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stingray_EB

All I have is my Stingray, Laptop and Speakers and my Mesa 750 and Aguilar GS212.

Your Mesa 750 has an xlr direct output which you'd run into the xlr mic in of the MBox2. That, or you could get yourself a microphone and mic your cabinet. Since you'd have two xlr-ins on the MBox, you could do both and blend the signal to your liking, though that may be more hassle than you want right now.

The two preamps in the MBox aren't going to help you much unless you have some sort of direct in (that's why I asked). I definitely agree with Monkeyland about getting a good set of monitors. If you're doing any mixing at your computer (small room, at a desk, something like that), get a reliable set of near-field monitors. For now, what you have will work, but down the road there's a few purchases you can/should make to create a slightly more comprehensive project setup.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stflbn

My only concern with the mBox is that it locks you into particular apps for audio editing.

I wasn't sure if it was still that way with PC. I started with a Mac and PT way back when in college, then moved to PC once it became available and that's exactly how it was: the 001 and 002 were only compatible with PTLE. Lately I've been able to go back to Mac with Pro Tools (finally, Leopard compatibility) and have found that the MBox2 is compatible with PT as well as Garageband and Peak (an excellent 2 track editor for Mac). I imagine there are others as well, though that's just an assumption.

hunta · #10 07-03-2008, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stflbn

My only concern with the mBox is that it locks you into particular apps for audio editing.

AFAIK you can use the mbox with other sequencing apps. As long as the interface has an ASIO driver you can use it with anything, and the mbox does.

Stingray_EB · #11 07-03-2008, 11:43 AM

Thanks for all the help fellas.