MBox Troubleshooting Tips with Solutions!

[Cargoplex]

Hey folks. Like a lot of you here in the LE forum, I have been an MBox user for quite awhile now. Although its been great using Pro Tools and my MBox with OS X, there have definitely been two main issues lurking around, always waiting for the perfect moment to piss me off.

The first of these issues is the fateful 'MBox Noise'. You probably know the faint little high-pitched buzzing that I'm speaking of, and if you don't, then you're lucky. The second issue is making MBox play nice with other audio apps via Digi's Coreaudio driver.

1. The MBox Noise Solution
Simply enough, all I did to extiguish this problem was plug my MBox into a Belkin USB hub. I had my MBox for 6 months before I tried this. You can go to Digi's Answerbase right now (http://answerbase.digidesign.com/detail.cfm?DID=6838) and read that they do not 'support' the MBox being plugged into a USB hub, but I have to say that mine has worked just fine ever since I did, minus the 'MBox Noise'!

2. MBox & Digi Coreaudio Driver + 3rd Party Audio Apps Solution
A solution to this came up recently thanks to a fellow DUC member (Arvid Tomayko-Peters) posting about the using the OS X audio utility app Jack Tools. Arvid mentioned that using Jack Tools as a middle man between the MBox and 3rd party audio apps solved any issues with crashing, etc. I mean, the guy was even nice enough to write up an applescript that sets up Jack Tools to work with the MBox! All I have to say is that if you use Peak, Logic, etc. and have been experiencing any crashing related to Digi's less-than-perfect Coreaudio driver (like I have), follow these links and download Jack Tools and Arvid's applescript:

Jack Tools

Arvid's Applescript (http://home.earthlink.net/~arvidtp/)

I wish all you fellow MBox users the best, and I hope that I have helped out a few of you. Make sure to drop Arvid a line and say thanks if you use his 'script.

[Cargoplex]

Your welcome.

[Cammo2009]

Nice tips. Thanks. I was wondering whether plugging the mbox into a hub would work anyway and you answered my question. I find quite often computer things will work even if they aren't supposed to!!

[instro001]

Recently i got a belkin hub to clear the problem with the mbox noise.. it cleared the noise alright but with one problem.. when i lower the buffer size to 128 for non latency recording the playback starts playing heavy static.. but above 128 it plays back fine.. any suggestions?

[instro001]

and on top of that with the belkin 2.0 hub.. i'm getting more drop outs.. any suggestions?