Mbox Mini, Pro Tools 8, Static and Distortion during Playback! Help :(

[royalnewjersey]

I am having an unnerving problem... This just started happening with Pro Tools 8, and I don't want to go back.

I am using a late 2008 (intel) iMac, Mac OSX 10.5.6, and have used Pro Tools 7.4, 7.4.2, and now PT8.0. I have an Mbox Mini, plugged into an external Hub, as well as using a firewire 400 HD. This problem started in 7.4.2 and has now carried over, (and quite possibly intensified) with Pro Tools 8.

It used to happen intermittently, the audio would have a static distorted quality for 5-10 seconds. Usually it sounded like radio static, almost like the static was only prevalent when audio was actually playing. (not constant in the background) When a voice would talk, you could hear the static react to the words. I figured it was an issue with the Mbox, possibly the hard drive.

I could handle that, because it was once in a long while. It didn't happen often, and only for a few seconds. But now with Pro Tools 8, the problem seems much worse. Same symptoms, but almost 90-100% of the time during audio playback. It starts off normal, and then after 5 seconds of normal sounding audio, static and distortion. Very light, again almost like crappy TV reception, or bad radio antenna.

I don't know what to do... help