Mbox as converter?

[Kyle]

Hey
My work has asked me to setup a recording studio to record voice over for training sessions.

I was planning on picking up an AEA R84 with the VO mod and the Universal Audio LA-610 for the front end. I love Pro-Tools and I have it at the home studio. I was thinking about getting the Mbox to use as an interface to PT for the work studio. Does anyone have any experience with bypassing the pre?s on the Mbox and using it in this fashion?

I?d also appreciate any feedback on this mic and pre/eq/comp combination. I love the R84 but I haven?t heard it with this pre. Any other gear suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

[tactics]

You should be fine bypassing the pre's on the mbox it has 1/4" line ins you can use.The mic pre's on the mbox are still quite useable though.

[taperocket]

You cant use the line ins on the mbox to bypass the pre's, the singal just hits a pad and goes right throuhg the pre circuitry, the only way you can get a signal in without the pre's is through the spdif and that won't help you in this case. You'd have to get an external convertor like the mini me or a mic pre with a digital convertor for this purpose

[Kyle]

thanks taperocket!

Have you ever tried using the inserts with this senario?

[operator_tape]

how come you can't bypass the pre's on the mbox when using the line ins, the signal chain is built that way? Thats pretty weird.

[leigh]

You cant use the line ins on the mbox to bypass the pre's, the singal just hits a pad and goes right throuhg the pre circuitry, the only way you can get a signal in without the pre's is through the spdif...

I dunno, what about using the returns in on the Mbox's inserts? Those would be after the pre.

Leigh

[tactics]

Basically i thought this question was about using external mic pre amps with an mbox as a AD converter.Of course its still going through the same circuitry, but confusing the issue with talk of circuitry is not what Kyle asked.The fact remains that with the Mbox switched to the line position you can run your external pre's into it.

[Kyle]

It seems like using the return on the insert is the way to go. I'd like to avoid the Mbox pre if I'm using the UA pre. Just wondering if anyone has tried this.

Thanks for all of your help.

[thearnicasync]

It may be worth researching if you're really concerned about converter quality. On the first four inputs of the 002R, you can line in, but you have not choice but to go through the amplifier circuitry (using it or not), and dynamic range suffers GREATLY...like 105dB vs. 99dB on the first four inputs. Kind of a bummer on the OO2, unless you're using outboard converters. Except that the oo2r was supposed to accomplish this in the first place.

??

kb

[hopeless_opus]

Kyle,

I run a Hamptone HJFP2 pre into and RNC and then into the Inserts of an Mbox1. Sounds pretty good, and much better (more open) than running through the mic/line inputs imo.

One thing though, the inserts are unbalanced on the Mbox1, which for me works great since the RNC is unbalanced. Balanced XLR-TS unbalaced cables should work though.

The Mbox2 has dedicated balanced "line-ins" for each channel. I don't know if those pass through the pre-circutry or not. The Mbox2 does not have inserts. If you are looking at the Mbox2, you could ask if the line-ins run through the pre-circutry on the DUC.

I'm pretty happy with my setup for now, though I may upgrade to some RME converters in the future.

Good Luck!

[Kyle]

Thanks Hopeless! I appreciate your input. I'm excited to get started.