Cubase 4 "upgrade"? to Pro Tools MBox Pro

[warx]

Well I am selling my Cubase 4 Advanced Studio & Edirol FA-101 and I bought my first copy of Pro Tools. Main reason was I have two brother-in-laws I play with who both use it (Digi 003 & Mbox). "Industry Standard" I guess.

Anyways I running it on a Core Duo 2Ghz laptop. The MBox Pro 8 in 8 out sounds great and has good features. The software? Hmmm... I am dealing with problems I dealt with in Cubase three major revisions ago it seems!! I often have to quit the app - power cycle the interface and start again (slow startup too!!). Things like headphone outs (it has two) just stop working or plugins go weird.

I am not at the point where I am regretting it - but do wonder if I should have stuck with Cubase and upgraded to 5. I really had very little glitches -even with SampleTank running all sorts of drums and things. Pro Tools complains about CPU limits quite often too. I look at the Task Manager and it is always under 20% and the warning limit is 85%.

Anyone have any similar experiences?
Mike.

 

[4Mal]

In your setups. make sure you are set for 1 processor, not 2 ... that should help stability wise.

 

[dingbass]

you know i did the same thing (went to pro tools from cubase) and had many of the same issues. I did end up going to back to cubase only because it is what i learned on and was a lot less head ache. also because i use a uad card and when i would insert the plugs in PT there was no time correction and there was a huge slap back effect.
I do switch between the two a little now and then but cubase does do a lot of things well.

 

[warx]

Yeah! My Cubase and all the other software/hardware completes their auctions on ebay in a couple of hours - and I've got sellers remorse already... Gulp. I wonder what PT 9.0 is like if I upgrade for $150.

I am trying the BFD Lite that came with. I heard BFD is pretty nice. I still like my SampleTank and I am using that instead (has a lot more kits - as its not a free/lite version). Might look at the other drum plugin options too. Any suggestions? [should probably start another thread].

 

[fatztreeboy]

ola,
i also just got the mbox pro. this is a very cool machine that upgrades EVERY aspect of their earlier rigs. (i had the 002 rack and PT/7). It has way better pre´s, hardware based soft limiters and super flexible routing software that lets u use any port for just about for anything.

but i agree it is not intuitive. what i have do is use templates often . do not share the firewire bus with anything. use it only for the mbox. get a good non-bus powered usb2 drive( like a lacie). turn off spotlight so your mac doesn´t do any ïndexing¨while u r recording. also, try n use your computer for this purpose only. a dedicated pro-tools computer.

don´t give up pro-tools. the compressors it gives you are worth price alone. PT10 will let you continue to use your old interface along with the MBOX. i have PT 9 and am waiting for my free upgrade to 10. But 9 is fine .l

i just moved to ecuador from San Francisco. i am figuring out my mbox also and will be recording my bass guitar and my band with it. lets stay in touch- fatz

 

[jarrydee]

Pro tools is the pickiest Bi*** in the DAW world. mbox pro 3 is pretty good, the non pros with USB, not that great, I would advise if your on a budget to get anything M-audio over avid, the AD/DA is better as are the preamps..Always try and use 2 hard drives, one for software and one just for record and play from PT, you will notice a big difference. Good luck and get used to the Digi forums, I would use nothing but PT but it comes at a cost, mostly pulling your hair out!

 

[warx]

As a followup. I converted to Presonus Studio One after all. Many good thing to say about it. I got the Artist version free when I bought a StudioLive 16:4:2 desk but upgraded for cheap to the Producer version. Definitely worth checking out.

I kept the MBox Pro 3 (and PT 8LE) just for a second interface. Studio One switches nicely between them too.

Now the problem is I want to use my MacBook Air with these firewire devices... Yup - there's always some stumbling block.

 

[fatztreeboy]

hey warx, i allmost bought the 16-0-2 presonus also. with the Studio live software.( CHEVY´S AND fORDS, avid and presonus). what matter is the songs we make and how they sound. i think maybe we r simular musicians.

my biggest concern now is what i should be douing to protect my electronic instruments etc... from the humid ocean weather. my guuitar strings, for example, rust up quick and iv,e been told tv´s can only last a year or two . salt build up?

i was reading about condensation on wikipedia and how the temp changes can make moisture that can short out stuff. liken when maybe i turn them on and off and heat up nh cool down. before,with my home studio in sf, i left my dig002 left on for 6 years in san francisco. same with my alesis midiverb. maybe i should just leave them all on forever. i got a mackie 1402vlz3 as my mixer. leave that on also? cheers

 

[ScottTunes]

Hey Warx! I don't have any first hand experience working with PTs, so cannot comment on it...Now that it's no longer proprietary, it should be "update-able" for a more compatible experience...

I did, however, migrate from Cubase to Reaper. IMO, Reaper blows Cubase away! Just the price alone for such a great program is incredible! Whether you decide to stick with PTs or not, give Reaper a try (trial is free... Program is $60 for personal use). One of the reasons Reaper is so good (and compatible) is it's lack of "protection" in the software. It's been rock solid for nearly a year for me, and everyone I know who is using it.

Anyway, it's worth a look... IME/IMO,YMMV, etc etc etc...