Mbox Mini - Intermittent Distortion during Playback

[bilco]

Here is my setup:

ibook 12" 1.2 GHz PowerPC G4
768 MB DDR SDRAM
OSX v 10.4.9

PT LE 7.3.1
LaCie d2 Quadra Firewire Hard Disk
Both the OS and LaCie drives are formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)

- In System Preferences > Display, set your monitor resolution to a minimum of 1024 X 768 - Done
- In System Preferences > Classic > Start/Stop tab, Uncheck Start Classic when you log in - Done
- In System Preferences > Date & Time, verify that the date is set correctly and that you are not using 24 hour time - Done
Energy Saver settings done, Airport off,

I bought a used Mbox Mini and have been trying to use it on my ibook that already has PT LE 7.3.1 installed and works very successfully with an Mbox 1 and a Digi 002 Rack. I am experiencing intermittent distortion with the Mini when playing back tracks. This is not the high pitched whine problem, it is an awful sounding distortion that usually lasts about 5 seconds or so and then disappears. It seems like it usually happens when I am just starting playback, but not always. I have not connected this rig up to monitors at all, it is happening while just listening back to sessions through a set of Sennheiser HD280 phones plugged in and nothing else. It almost sounds like the headphone amp has a short in it. This has never happened with the Mbox 1 or the Digi 002 Rack.

I am wanting to either sell this or give it to a songwriting friend, but I am not feeling good about passing something on that is not working correctly.

I am trying to duplicate the problem right now, but just like taking a car to a mechanic, it is not misbehaving right now.

*Playing back a variety of sessions from the INTERNAL OS drive, with and without stock Digi plugins, using both USB ports, no problems
*Playing back session from LaCie drive, with and without stock Digirack plugins, no problems

AAArrrrggghh, 30 minutes of playing back different sessions and it won't act up. I guess I'll try to record some on it to see how it does when recording.

Has anyone else out there experienced this with the Mbox Mini?

Thanks,
bilco

[bilco]

Finally got it to act up

Session is on the LaCie drive

10 audio tracks
Melodyne plugin on 1 audio track
1 aux track with D-Verb
Massey L2007 on the Stereo Master track

2048 samples
1processor
85% CPU
DAE Playback Buffer - Level 2

I have the RTAS Engine "Ignore Errors during playback/recording box" and "minimize additional I/O latency" boxes both checked

It only distorted for a few seconds and then threw a "running out of CPU" error.

Usually it distorts for several seconds then clears up and never throws an error.

bilco

[DigiTechSupt]

What's the error number in the message you got?

Have you absolutely, positively verified that all installed plug-ins are compatible? Can you use the Tech Support Utility to post a list of installed plug-ins (you can find it in the General Troubleshooting thread)?

Have you tried trashing preferences or any other troubleshooting?

[bilco]

"What's the error number in the message you got?"

Yesterday's distortion and throwing an error was an anomaly. The problem has consistently been distortion on playback that lasts up to 5 seconds, but finally clears up without ever stopping or throwing an error, with or without plugins instantiated.

"Have you absolutely, positively verified that all installed plug-ins are compatible? Can you use the Tech Support Utility to post a list of installed plug-ins (you can find it in the General Troubleshooting thread)?"

Okay, I printed out the whole General Troubleshooting Thread and I will work through the Tech Support Utility. The only plugins I am using other than the stock Digirack and Bomb Factory plugins are the free downloads of Massey compressor and the Melodyne Plugin. But I will run this utility; maybe the Massey is not current.

"Have you tried trashing preferences or any other troubleshooting?"

I have gotten lazy about trashing preferences since I moved over to Mac. I used to have to do it regularly in my Windows rigs. Now I have to go find out how to do it again.....

Troubleshooting I have done:

*Bought a replacement USB cable from the Store. The problem occurs with the old cable and the new cable with the Mbox Mini
*Played back the same sessions with my Mbox 1 and both the old and new cable. No problem occurs.
*Tried a different set of headphones just to make sure, the headphones are not the problem.

You don't need to respond to this yet. I will go trash preferences, check plugin compatibility, etc. When I go through the whole set of general troubleshooting actions, I will post the results.

Thanks,
bilco

[royalnewjersey]

I am having this exact same problem

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. This problem started in 7.4.2 and has now carried over, (and quite possibly intensified) with Pro Tools 8.

It used to happen just like you said, 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. When a voice would talk, you could hear the static react to the words, it was not just constant.

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

[bilco]

I gave up with mine, gave it to a friend for free. He has not mentioned having the same problem.

I use my Mbox 1 all the time and have never had that exact problem.

My suggestion - get a used Mbox 1 for $100

Sorry I can't help more....
bilco

[DigiTechSupt]

Originally Posted by royalnewjersey

I am having this exact same problem

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. This problem started in 7.4.2 and has now carried over, (and quite possibly intensified) with Pro Tools 8.

It used to happen just like you said, 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. When a voice would talk, you could hear the static react to the words, it was not just constant.

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

How much RAM does your computer have? Which model iMac is this?

Have you tried all the suggestions in the General Troubleshooting thread yet?

[danb]

ME TOO!!!

I'm having the same problem in 8. Tried the troubleshooting thread. I even installed CS2 because I'd read that it solved the problem with some other people. Not me.

Pretty much renders PT unusable and utterly frustrating. I have an HD3 system and there's no problem there...uh, yet, cross fingers. But I am having the exact same symptom on my M-Powered XP machine with FW410 too. My LE machine is a new Macbook Pro (Mbox 2 micro) so it shouldn't be a CPU or RAM issue. I'm barely even running any tracks and it is freaking out. Maybe 3 MIDI and 2 audio and I am getting screaming fuzz, never in the same place, always a surprise, a consistent surprise actually. All my sessions are doing it. Makes you wanna throw your monitors across the room.

Anyone at all know how to fix this????? PLEASE!?!?!

[nenadv]

I got a Mini Mbox 2 a month ago. I am using it for playback only doing some DJ stuff at my church. I also, have Macbook Pro - unibody 2.8GHz with 4Gb of RAM - Lepard 10.5.6. I was always getting a distortion after some playing time (30min to couple of hours - kind of random) and I had to unplug and plug back in the mbox 2 to clear the issue. I tried hooking up Mobx 2 to Max directly and
also to the powered hub - made not difference, and I also followed all suggestions on Digidesgn FAQ for optimal Max run.

Couple a nights ago I decided to use a Y splitter USB cable that has another USB connector for power only. The idea is to use two USB connectors to power the Mbox, and that seems to be working. I was able to play music for 6 hours without any problems.

[onepercentfree]

///mbox2 clicks and pops in pt8cs2

hello ::: i have been getting the same distortion sounds with my mbox2 on my imac 2.4 with 4gig ram and no other plugs then the ones supplied with pt8. My mbox2 as been verified and is in working order say's my dealer- digi told them the same thing they ran test on it all day and it ran fine on a macbook/// the problem happens usually when i am on the net the solution to making it stop is to go in my hardware setup and switch between internal and spdif and back again then the problem goes away but the distortion comes back after a while... is this a problem with my usb bus on my computer anybody knows whats going on - there is nothing plugged to my mbox2 i/o it's all internal sessions using new pt8.0cs2. thanks

http://www.myspace.com/onepercentfree