Mbox Pro "Inserts" vs "Hardware inserts"
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I have The Blue Max PreSonus Smart compressor and i would like to use it with my Mbox 3 Pro Setup.
The Condenser mic is in input 1 and i am using Headphone A to track. How do I set this up properly if i want to use the compressor on the live feed while recording? Also would it be better to set it up as a plugin on a track after the fact? if so how would i do that? |
Re: Need help setting up Hardware Compressor with Mbox 3
You have a couple options. This is a stereo compressor, so you can either hook it up as a stereo insert to be used with 2 inputs, or you can set it up as a stereo insert to be used with the DAW. Or a combination of both!
So here's what I would do, if you only plan to use it with mono sources such as a single microphone: Use a dedicated insert jack to feed the compressor LEFT/MONO input and return from LEFT/MONO output. That way you can use it as a hardware insert with your mic, on the way in. Then set up an insert send/return pair in Pro Tools, so you can use the RIGHT side of the compressor as a hardware insert in Pro Tools (for example, Output 3 and Line Input 3 on your MBOX). So you would only be using one at a time. But this would allow you to use the single compressor two different ways, without patching. The drawback is that you now have restricted yourself to mono compression only, and you can't use it for input signals and PT inserts at the same time. |
Re: Need help setting up Hardware Compressor with Mbox 3
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So instead of looking to use Input 1 XLR i would now be using Line input 1 in pro tools etc? Quote:
Thanks! |
Re: Need help setting up Hardware Compressor with Mbox 3
I take the other side on this. With this compressor, as with any inexpensive piece, I would skip it and use plugins. While mixing, there are so many better sounding compressor plugins, and none will entail the round trip out and back, with the associated latency to compensate for or the patching you may need to constantly change. Now, if you really want to improve the signal going in, I would save up until you can afford a very good channel strip(like the API or Grace boxes) or get a small lunchbox(API 500 rack) and stuff it with a really good preamp, compressor and EQ modules. Meanwhile, the Mbox 3 preamps is a solid performer, and you might get better "bang for the buck" by buying a better microphone(which you never mention) and/ or adding some acoustic treatments to your space(the best mic in the world can sound like crap in a bad room):o
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Re: Need help setting up Hardware Compressor with Mbox 3
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Re: Need help setting up Hardware Compressor with Mbox 3
All true but there is a simple work-around. Bring in your mic to a mono AUX track, insert a compressor plugin, route this AUX track to an AUDIO track and record:o
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Re: Need help setting up Hardware Compressor with Mbox 3
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Re: Need help setting up Hardware Compressor with Mbox 3
No doubt about your goal:D Many of us feel that "heavy" compression while tracking is a bad idea because you can never undo it. You can always add more in mix. Consider that the concept of recording hot is actually tied to the "old school" practice of maximizing signal to noise, going to tape. While that made sense then, with a digital recording setup, noise is rarely an issue, hence the phrase, "yellow is the new red". Don't feel compelled to "slam" input levels. I suggest an experimental session for you. Create two mono AUDIO tracks, plus a mono AUX track. On Audio track 1-set its input to the mic. Set AUDIO track 2 to an open bus, the AUX track's output to that same bus, and the AUX track input to the mic. Mute the AUDIO track that gets the direct mic input and put it in record. Insert a compressor plugin on the AUX track and put its associated AUDIO track in record and track your vocal(remembering "yellow is the new red". Now you have compressed vocal on the track fed by the AUX track, and uncompressed vocal on the muted track. Insert a compressor on the "dry" track and compare. Something that might give you the best of both would be to leave the dry track without compression and blend the 2 audio tracks. My point thru all this is simply to try everything, and pick what gives you the desired result:D
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Re: Problem trying to use inserts on MBox Pro
I'm having difficulties with Hardware inserts. I'd like to use the hardware insert functionality for the audio coming in. (Use a Aux track to audition the vocals and get the levels right) then simply add an mono audio track and record using the outbound compressor. This has proven very difficult with the mbox pro 3 as there no support for it it seems (no videos, how to's or documentation) it almost seems as nobody uses the inserts but rather use the loop method of using the same in/outputs numbers to finalize the audio be rerouting the mix through a compressor.
Does anybody know how to properly setup the Mbox Pro 3 to use a Hardware compressor so while recording live vocals it compresses the recorded audio ( I know some will say no your not suppose to blah blah blah) please let me know if you've had experience with this. My full setup is in the sig.. but i'm using an Mbox pro 3 and pro tools 12.4 on a windows setup. I've tried using an insert Y spliter cable from my compressor (mono out left/ right of my compressor) into insert 3 of my mbox pro 3. When I add insert 3 to an mono audio track doesn't seem to work. in fact it seems even if i turn my compressor off it has no effect. Also I've tried coming out of 3 and 4 of my mbox pro 3 into 1 and 2 of my hardware compressor. out of 1 and 2 of my hardware compressor into insert 3 and 4 of my mbox pro 3. When I mount insert 3/4 onto a live audio track the effects are not evident at all. Doesn't work it's like the inserts are useless to me right now because nothing seems to work Anybody know what i'm doing wrong? Or has anyone actually been able to get the hardware inserts on the mbox pro 3 to actually work as intended (alter audio live with a compressor or effects unit while recording). |
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