Coming back to ProTools

[stevieleep]

Hi Everyone... Looking for some help.

I entered the DIGI world 8+ years ago with an 001 and had fun. Then, I got married, had 3 kids etc. Well, now I'm getting back into the scene and all my equip is outdated.

I nievely bought a used MBox 2 Factory off of Ebay, (in shipping). I'm not not sure whether the seller is the original owner. I'm new to the iLok concept, but am I basically up the creek on the factory plug-ins? I believe all the software is there, but are their rights already taken? How do I approach this?

Also, should I with a MacBook or an iMac?
Also, is the $75 7.4 upgrade OK for me to purchase (the one I bought has7.0) or did I have to buy a new MBox2?

Sorry for the dumb questions.

[flommer]

If it was advertised as the factory package and you don't get an ilok for/with the authorizations, then I would return it for false advertising. It if was sold in good faith, then maybe Digi has some reasonable way to transfer the authorizations to you.. Maybe you just need to purchase an iLok?

I would only get a laptop if you absolutely need that much portability. An iMac for the same price as a laptop will be more powerful, so it will remain useful for longer. An iMac is also pretty reasonable to move around for on location recording.. Plan on buying an external FW drive whichever computer you get..

If it includes 7.0, then i think you should only need to pay the $75 to get up to 7.4...

[stevieleep]

Thanks for the reply. All the other threads are so technical and mine is pretty lame, so thanks for the time.

[docscholl]

Three points:

1. iLok
2. PT 7.4
3. laptop

First, the iLok.
Although mine came bundled with the 003 Factory, let me tell you that while it is a PAIN to go through all the license approvals, it is worth it, as it opens up a world of plug-in's that will blow your mind.
Still - the best advice I ever got was: learn the basic plug-in's that come with Pro Tools as they usually will be the most used in your mixing and mastering.

Second, Pro Tools version 7.4.
Definitly worth the $75.00.
Especially with elastic audio.
That is money well spent.

Third - check the laptop features before buying.
A friend recently bought the new MacBook.
It is a sweet machine, but he had one complaint:
It did not have a FireWire 800 port...just a 400.

For the record, I've had zero problems using an external hard drive on FireWire 400.
And you WILL want to purchase a good external drive if you buy a laptop.

As for whether a built-in DVD burner is important or not, that's a personal choice.
Most of us save our data on the external drive and just burn audio CD's with the laptop.

Buy with the least amount of RAM and then go to a third party source (like Crucial.com) and buy addtional RAM to install yourself.

A final suggestion if you don't already have it, get a good set of speakers.