Mbox 3 Pro and the 003 Controller.

[philip888]

Originally Posted by nst7

After setting up the Mbox Pro for standalone mode, as directed in the manual, you then disconnect it from the computer. You're not using them both as interfaces, it can't be done.

Ok so under Standalone Settings under Clock Source should it be internal, External SPIDF, Or External Word Clock?

Should I set the Sample rate for the session or will that be controlled by the 003? Also the Mode should be set to AD/DA correct?

[philip888]

And so after this is setup do I connect the spdif cables to the 003 and set the output to the spdif and clock to external in pro tools?

Sorry for all the newb questions I am lost here though.

Appreciate it.

[philip888]

Ok I am just lost here as to how I am supposed to get the music frp, the computer through the 003 into the mbox for the AD/DA and out of the mbox to my monitors.

[serio]

traditional stand alone method:
connect spdif out of 003 to spdif in of Mbox and vice versa.
setup the standalone section of your mbox control panel properly, while the mbox is connected
(to start out- ADDA, internal clock, whatever sample rate your session will be in)
some settings can be changed while disconnected, unfortunately not the sample rate. read about that in the manual
reboot with 003 connected instead of the mbox
set the 003 to clock through spdif
route your session out through spdif 1-2 to hear your music through the monitors connected to the mbox outputs 1-2.

there are some annoyances with this method that you may run in to.
so i have a different method that ill tell you about soon!

[philip888]

Originally Posted by serio

traditional stand alone method:
connect spdif out of 003 to spdif in of Mbox and vice versa.
setup the standalone section of your mbox control panel properly, while the mbox is connected
(to start out- ADDA, internal clock, whatever sample rate your session will be in)
some settings can be changed while disconnected, unfortunately not the sample rate. read about that in the manual
reboot with 003 connected instead of the mbox
set the 003 to clock through spdif
route your session out through spdif 1-2 to hear your music through the monitors connected to the mbox outputs 1-2.

there are some annoyances with this method that you may run in to.
so i have a different method that ill tell you about soon!

Thanks but for whatever reason in the 003 session Setup>Hardware>Clock Source it will not select S/PDIF.

On the mbox sample rate is 48 just like the session I am trying to do this change in.

Any other suggestions?

[philip888]

This Sux I guess the spdif i/o is fried on the mbox.

[serio]

some annoyances of the traditional method:
headphone gain moves up and down with the monitor gain while the Mbox is in standalone mode(so if you want to turn your monitors down, your headphone volume on the Mbox will also decrease)
you cant change sample rates while the Mbox is disconnected from the computer


My Method (might take a minute to learn) :
connect the spdif cables as described in the traditional method
connect your 003 to your comp and the mbox to the 003 (unless you have separate busses, in which case connect each one to their own firewire bus, not to be confused with just a separate port) basically keeping the mbox after the 003 in the firewire chain so that the 003's performance wont be hindered by the mbox being in the chain. Youre still going to set the 003 to clock through spdif and set the sample rate of the Mbox through the control panel. But we arent going to disconnect the Mbox. In pro tools, use the 003 as your interface. But since the Mbox is connected, we can use the control panel to route the digital and analog signals just as they are while in standalone mode. So, in Outputs 1-2 tab, select stereo mix one. bring up the faders for hardware inputs 7-8 (those are the spdif inputs). For the spdif left and right tab, use mix 4 and bring up the faders for hardware inputs 1-2. Now your setup for stereo ADDA but with more flexibility than standalone ADDA mode!

[serio]

make sure your going from an "in" to an "out" and not in to in or out to out

[philip888]

Originally Posted by serio

some annoyances of the traditional method:
headphone gain moves up and down with the monitor gain while the Mbox is in standalone mode(so if you want to turn your monitors down, your headphone volume on the Mbox will also decrease)
you cant change sample rates while the Mbox is disconnected from the computer


My Method (might take a minute to learn) :
connect the spdif cables as described in the traditional method
connect your 003 to your comp and the mbox to the 003 (unless you have separate busses, in which case connect each one to their own firewire bus, not to be confused with just a separate port) basically keeping the mbox after the 003 in the firewire chain so that the 003's performance wont be hindered by the mbox being in the chain. Youre still going to set the 003 to clock through spdif and set the sample rate of the Mbox through the control panel. But we arent going to disconnect the Mbox. In pro tools, use the 003 as your interface. But since the Mbox is connected, we can use the control panel to route the digital and analog signals just as they are while in standalone mode. So, in Outputs 1-2 tab, select stereo mix one. bring up the faders for hardware inputs 7-8 (those are the spdif inputs). For the spdif left and right tab, use mix 4 and bring up the faders for hardware inputs 1-2. Now your setup for stereo ADDA but with more flexibility than standalone ADDA mode!

Originally Posted by serio

make sure your going from an "in" to an "out" and not in to in or out to out

Serio your instructions are perfect it really helped this newb in this kind of thing connect some dots.

It is crazy.

I set up the mixer like you said. Played a wav file using WMP and the sound comes out of the monitors as you would expect.

When I open up my test session I can't change the clock source to spdif.

And yes my SPDIF I/O is connected correctly. I to the O and the O to the I.

In the Windows Control Panel Under Sound. The Digi 003 S/PDIF 9/10 is selected as the default Playback Device.

[nst7]

If your using the 003 as the master clock, make sure that the clock on the Mbox Pro (using the control panel window) is set to external Spidf. Sample rate should be set to automatic (it will recieve the sample rate from the clock of the 003.

If you have this set up, then I think you just need to set the 003 clock to "internal", not Spidf.