When the digital recording revolution swept the home studio world, Digidesign was right at the forefront with the Mbox: a USB audio interface that sounded great, performed reliably, and offered easy portability for the mobile recordist. All this came at a price that made it easy for anyone to get into serious digital multi-track recording (the fact that it came with industry-standard Pro Tools recording software didn't hurt either). With the upgraded Mbox 2 line of interfaces, Digidesign has taken a classic design and made it even better, and the Mbox 2 Mini represents the easiest way to start producing amazing audio. While small--and decidedly affordable--the Mbox 2 Mini still boasts incredible fidelity, a crystal-clear preamp that supports professional studio microphones, and of course, access to industry-standard Pro Tools recording and mixing software.
Mini, Yet Mighty
At a compact 1.75 by 5 by 6 inches, the Mbox 2 Mini was built to travel. As such, it's USB powered--no external power supply necessary--and housed in a rugged metal chassis. Fearlessly travel with a 2-in, 2-out digital studio, complete with a single high-quality mic channel. Even without external power, the MBox 2 Mini is capable of providing a true 48v of phantom power, necessary for connecting top-notch condenser microphones. Both channels feature a new -20db input, making the Mbox 2 Mini capable of recording a much wider variety of sources than its
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predecessor. When you're mixing on the road, you'll love the clarity of the high-quality headphone amp, but the Mbox 2 Mini also sports a pair of balanced 1/4-inch outputs for hooking up pro-grade monitor speakers when you get back to the studio.
Celebrated Sound Quality
When the MBox hit the market in 2002, home recordists and professionals alike were amazed by the sound quality for its price, and the MBox 2 Mini more than lives up to that stellar reputation. The Digidesign-produced microphone preamp is the very definition of transparent, but both analog input channels benefit from the Pro's ultra-clean and ultra-stable converters. The MBox 2 Mini supports up to 24-bit, 48 kHz sampling rates for better than CD-quality digital audio recordings. One of the best features on the original MBox was its input/playback monitor mix control. It's on the MBox 2 also, and it enables simple, latency-free overdubbing, meaning you'll be able to craft layered, intricate arrangements without ever worrying about the audible hardware delays or distracting playback echos inherent in many interfaces in the same price range.
Industry-Standard Pro Tools Software
For home recording enthusiasts and pro engineers alike, one of the most attractive parts of the Mbox 2 Mini package is the software it comes with. What does "industry-standard" really mean? For starters, Pro Tools HD systems are found in the biggest hit-making recording studios around the world. Truly, it's rare to find a professional studio without a Pro Tools rig, and the projects you start on your MBox 2 / Pro Tools LE system can be effortlessly imported into any Pro Tools HD rig. And then there are the reasons that Pro Tools is and has been the industry-standard: ease-of use, powerful editing and mixing flexibility, and incredible sound quality. The LE version that ships with your MBox 2 Mini offers most of the same operations as the top-of-the-line HD systems, including parameter automation, non-destructive audio editing, and support for RTAS instrument and effects plug-ins. Speaking of plug-ins, Pro Tools LE comes with a formidable supply of them, including synthesizers, guitar amp simulators, reverb processors, pitch bending tools, and the amazing Beat Detective LE, a one-step find-and-replace utility for drum tracks. Both Pro Tools LE and the MBox 2 Mini are fully supported by both Windows and Mac operating systems, so no one has to feel left out of the Digidesign phenomenon.
If you've been hesitant to step up to a true Pro Tools recording system, the time for waiting is over: there's never been a Digidesign interface as affordable as the Digidesign Mbox 2 Mini. Buy it now through zZounds, and you'll also get our renowned customer service at no extra charge, not to mention the best shipping prices in the industry. There's never been a better mobile recording solution.
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