Mbox 3 for only AD/DA

[Maddern]

Hi Guys,

Maybe somebody out there might be able to share some wisdom with me... I'm currently looking at improving my recording chain for vocals - Neumann TLM49 - Mbox3 preamp - iMac 11,2 with ProTools9. I'm very happy with the Neumann, but would like to know upgrade my preamp, and eventually get a new AD DA converter (something like an Apogee Symphony)... But you know how it is, I can't make all these steps at once with costs and so on, and firstly need to get a preamp sorted.

The preamp I'm favouring is the Avalon 737... not the most expansive around, but certainly not the cheapest... and has been on the market long enough to be considered a good bit of kit... as I only need it for vocals, the tube element is very appealing.

My question, is I'm assuming the Mbox3 can still be used as a converter.. however, the Avalon does not have any S/PDIF connections... so would it possible to get the AD DA through the MIC/LINE input on the Mbox... so naturally, bypassing the Mbox preamp by not using the phantom power? And if so, does the set-up in ProTools for the Mbox remain the same? Would there also be an issue with the clock at all?

Any advice is very welcome

Thanks

[nst7]

You're confusing a few different things here. Using an external preamp has nothing to do with AD/DA conversion. The Mbox is still doing the conversion, unless you buy another AD/DA converter and use it via Spidf. A preamp is not an AD/DA converter, it's a preamp. The clock is part of the conversion, and so that also will not have anything to do with this.

You can use an external preamp with your Mbox, but it will still be going through the Mbox's built in preamps. There's no way around that. Whether or not that degrades the signal from your high quality preamp is another subject.

If you really want to bypass the preamps, you're better off getting the Mbox 3 Pro, which does completely bypass the preamps when you use the line in selector.

I see you're on PT9. If you were thinking about upgrading to PT11 soon, you may want to just think about getting the Mbox Pro, which will come with a free upgrade to PT11, plus give you the flexibility you want with external preamps and line ins.

Also, regarding your choice of preamp, the Avalon is a fine preamp, but you're also paying for an EQ and compressor that you may or may not need. And it's also a very clean sounding preamp with not much color. Depending on the music you do, there may be other preamps that will suit your style better.

People will give you all kinds of recommendations, but it would help to know the style of music you plan to do, and that may narrow it down.

[Maddern]

Hi nst7,

Thanks for the advice... right, you answered that one pretty conclusive... I was under the impression I could somehow bypass the Mbox3 preamp and use its converter.. so that's a 'no', unless as you say, I upgrade to the pro version... to be frank, it's not essential for me to get PT11, as I only ever use PT for basic vocal tracks... and PT9 does exactly what I need.

I don't record music, as I record vocals for mainly narration tracks... but it's quite versatile, so anything from documentary stuff, through to audio books, TV & radio commercials... the reason I was opting for the Avalon is because I've heard there's a nice warmth with it's tubes, and with the EQ and compressor, it allows me to switch easily from straight narration to pumpy sounding commercial tracks.

I was hoping to make a gradual transition with my gear, but I'm thinking that I might need to just get the new preamp and ad da converter in one move.. the Mbox3 is always good to have around, especially if I'm on the road and a client urgently needs me for something. I'm certainly no tech-guy... I started out in the business, when work was always based around travelling to professional studios... so all this stuff was the responsibility of the resident sound engineer... but the advent of owning your own recording set-up is becoming increasingly popular... even though it's a bit bloody solitary... I still prefer to go out on a gig.