MBOX 2 MINI 10.3.3 update?

[kyluigi]

Just got a refurb from apple, 2012 MBPR. Loving it and unfortunately can't get ProTools for a while- had version 8 which doesn't work on the OS it came with (Mountain Lion). In the meantime I am wanting to use my mbox 2 mini with Garageband X but apparently I have to have OS X 10.9 at least.

My Question: Anyone having success with this driver update-10.3.3 and an mbox 2 mini on OS X 10.9? It appears avid just updated it today but it says it supports mavericks? Will I be ok-I've read reports of it not working right.

[VRW]

What you could do actually would be to backup your current system on your external 250GB drive for example
via the Time Machine app of your Mac OS.
Then get Mavericks and do a clean install of it (to get rid of any old stuff on your Mac) and get it fully updated.
Then install the latest 10.3.3 driver and see if you will be able to get it to work with Garageband.
If the MBox would not work anyway, you always could restore your 10.8. system.

Unfortunately with all these units (Mboxes 2, Digi003s) people just need good luck to get it to work
with Mavericks actually.
Avid try to provide suitable drivers for it but many people out there can´t use those anymore anyway.
Seems to be just kinda legacy for Mavericks (+PT11) obviously.

However maybe it´s worth a try if you can´t afford a more recent interface at the moment. Maybe you will be
one of those lucky guys who can get it to work? Who knows?

If you would not want to do all this you could try another option after (better) having backed up your system.

The 10.3.3 driver is supported by Mac OS 10.8. also, so you could install it on the current system and download
and install the REAPER DAW (which would work with 10.8. too).
REAPER is free for 60 days and can be used even after it.
http://www.reaper.fm/download.php

It is a very usable, professional DAW and has been an alternative DAW for many Pro Tools users for the last few years.
It´s a bit similar in it´s functions and workflow to PT. And it definitely is not limited as to many functions like Garageband.

If you could get it to work with your MBox, you wouldn't have to spend any money at all at the moment.
Not even to buy Mavericks.

There are many video tutorials on You Tube for REAPER which could help you to get to know it more easily and quickly.
http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...r+daw+tutorial

There´s another advantage REAPER would offer-because REAPER supports VST+AU formats you would then have access
to thousands of free VST plugins and instruments you can find on the web.
Of course not all are good ones but nowadays you could find lots of seriously usable stuff out there.

If however REAPER is not your thing and your MBox Mini doesn´t work either with Mavericks anymore,
you could look for a cheap audio interface to run at least Garageband with it.

Something like that e.g.
http://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-in.../scarlett-solo
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ScarlettSolo
http://www.musictech.net/2014/08/foc...it-a-scarlett/
http://www.wirerealm.com/reviews/foc...terface-review
For sure $99.- are not nothing but it seems to be a pretty good one for this price and
could definitely be a replacement for your MBox 2 Mini if there should be no way to use it anymore.

That´s finally all ideas that came to my mind.

Wishing you the best of success,

VRW




MacMini i7Quad, 16GB Ram, MBP Mid 2012 2,5GHz i5, 16GB Ram, MacOS 10.9.5, Apogee Quartet+Duet 2, Genelec Active, Yamaha NS10,
Pro Tools 11.2.1, Logic 10.0.7, Waves, MCDSP, Duende Native, Softube, HOFA, IK Multimedia, NI etc.

[kyluigi]

Originally Posted by VRW

Avid try to provide suitable drivers for it but many people out there can´t use those anymore anyway.
Seems to be just kinda legacy for Mavericks (+PT11) obviously.

So you're saying the problem lies with Mavericks not avid? Well, I decided to sell my mbox and pt8 on ebay since I couldn't use the software and for what I would get for the hardware alone, I could then afford a newer, better interface like the Focusrite Saffire pro 24 (plenty of input options for my needs). I will eventually get Pro Tools 11 later this year.

[VRW]

I think it´s both. Avid try to support Mavericks but somehow the whole range of their
(Native) hardware which includes all Mboxes 2, Digi 002/003 and even all MBoxes 3
seem to have problems to work properly with Mavericks and PT11 (which only works
with Mavericks).
I´m no technician at all but what I have noticed was that in most cases those units
don´t go well with Mavericks anymore despite their "recent" drivers.

Many have problems with the connections if Firewire or USB 2/USB 3 and lots of other stuff.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that all those units originally were made
to perfectly work with 32bit Pro Tools systems only, far prior Mac OS systems and prior
Mac computers from a technical point of view and there actually was kind of "cut"
technology-wise between OS Mountain Lion/Pro Tools 10 and OS Mavericks/Pro Tools 11.
Not only the 32bit/64bit thing, there must have happened more, whatever.

It would have been up to Avid actually to make it possible to use all the older gear
with Mavericks and the recent Mac computers too but probably it would have costed
too much money and resources to adapt it, so they seem to have decided then that
if a user would want to use a new Mac with the latest OS Mavericks and PT11, he also
should get a recent interface instead of the older gear.

As mentioned before there was kind of "cut" at the whole technology, if processors,
connections (Thunderbolt), probably the whole "architecture" of programs and stuff
did kind of change, made a great leap "forwards", so that many of the prior stuff does
not match it anymore.

With the next generation of Avid interfaces all will be back to how it used to be probably
as before this particular period of time Avid interfaces used to work best with Pro Tools
always for a few years/a few new OS systems at least.

As to your decision to sell the MBox+LE8 this is definitely one good idea IMO.
Firstly now you still can get a few bucks for it, in a year or two you won´t get
any money for it anymore I think.
Secondly you save yourself lots of "pain" and trouble as to your new MBP, PT11
and Mavericks (even the next Mac OS -Yosemite-is about to come).

The Focusrites are a great option as to what-you-get-for-the-price. They provide
a lot of features and a very decent audio quality for the low prices.
However they also have struggled a lot with drivers, Mavericks, Pro Tools 11 and new
Mac computers (connection-wise) this year.

Me personally would recommend the Saffire 26 just because that unit was the latest
release of that series (in May 2014) and they already knew about all the problems which
had occurred with the other Saffires and Scarlets at that time.
So chances are good that they may have solved some stuff with this new unit.
Unlike to all the other Saffires/Scarlets (including the 24) I haven´t seen any issue reports
about the new Saffire 26 since May which may definitely be "a good sign" in a way.
The 26 is only $50.- more than the 24.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SaffPro26
http://global.focusrite.com/firewire...saffire-pro-26

Just a suggestion.

Wishing you the very best,


VRW

[kyluigi]

Originally Posted by VRW

As to your decision to sell the MBox+LE8 this is definitely one good idea IMO. Me personally would recommend the Saffire 26 just because that unit was the latest
release of that series.

Yeah just a scan up on ebay and I realized I could at least get a scarlett 2i2 or 2i4 for around what I can sell the package so to me it was a no brainer-new interface for old package. I follow graham cochrane from therecording revolution.com and he champions the Focusrite boxes and you're right for the price its pretty decent. I do like the Focusrite 26 as well but we will see how much money is available after selling the PT8/MBOX. At the least I think it should still work just fine with PT11/OS Mavericks since it is a "recent" interface.