High-Pitched whine from MBox2 1/4" outs

[mikeb_inLA]

Tried posting this before and tried what was suggested to no avail.

I have my 1/4" outs on the MBox2 connected to my mixer and every I time I launch ProTools (or some other app using the MBox2 for audio outs) I get this high-pitched whine coming out. I get it from the main outs or the headphone out on my mixer. Also, I tried hooking the MBox outs directly to my amp and still hear the whine in my speakers.
Note: the whine DOES NOT come out of the MBox2 headphone out.

Now the odd thing is that this only is happening when using on my Mac Pro (quad 2.66ghz) running OS X 10.4.11. I installed PT on my laptop PC, running Windows XP Homes SP2 and I don't have the problem.

I first was using unbalanced cables and tried new balanced cables. DIDN'T FIX
Tried different USB ports. DIDN'T FIX!
Tried different USB cables, including Monster Ultimate Performance USB cable. DIDN'T FIX!
Tried turning off everything else and just run Mac, monitor and mixer. DIDN'T FIX!
Tried different AC outlets. DIDN'T FIX!
Unplugged everything from Mac, except MBox, keyboard and monitor. DIDN'T FIX!
Moved Mac, MBox and mixer away from other computer and audio equipment. DIDN'T FIX!
Reinstalled ProTools. DIDN'T FIX!
Did maintenance on Mac, including defrag on OS and Audio drives. DIDN'T FIX!
Ran firmware update on MBox2, so now at version 1.43. DIDN'T FIX!

Just to note I also have a MOTU 2408mk3 interface on my Mac and the monitor outs on that interface don't have any whine.

Now I would say the problem is with the outs on the MBox2 interface, except the problem doesn't occur if it's hooked up to my PC.
The PT version on the PC is 7.1 and the Mac 7.1.1cs2.

So the problem must lie somewhere on the Mac itself and be some sort of software issue. It must be some sort of driver issue on the Mac, as I get the whine when launching other apps that are using the MBox2 for audio out. I've tried on Cubase 4 when setting to Digidesign driver and iTunes, when default audio out on Mac is set to MBox2.


So I am hoping someone has some idea of what I can do to fix this issue. I've tried everything found on the forums I've searched.

Any suggestions would be EXTREMELY appreciated!!

[The Dougfather]

Hi, this has often been referred to as USB whine and unlike you with my original Mbox i actually get it through the headphone outs. I managed to resolve the problem by placing a behringer hum destroyer between the line outs of my mbox and the inputs of my mixer. Now if i want a headphone mix off of the mbox i just pick it up from the mixer instead of the mbox itself.

Cheers

[mobilemac'nstrat]

Hi, I just switched from an original mbox to an mbox2.
I had the USB whine on the original mbox but only noticed it at high volumes on quiet passages and never on bounced tracks played on other equipment.

Now with the mbox2 it's worse and actually is audible on exported files played on other equipment - which is completely DISASTROUS!

I get this as soon as I connect my mixer to the inputs of the mbox 2.

Would the hum destroyer help here?

[1ace1]

HI all.

Mikeb_inla, I had this problem with the mBox1. Not only on playback but it also tracked any audio with the whine!

Have you tried using another mBox2, if it is not there with another mBox2 then your mBox2 hardware is to blame. Take it back to the retailer and swap it for another one.

Good luck

A:)

[SixChurchStreet]

Sounds like a ground loop problem, the sounds are obviously coming from the computer, but the problem can be correct by using an EbTech HumX on your amp.

Boot your computer. Before launching pro tools, put your ear up to one speaker. You should be able to hear a light digital noise. Now move your mouse back and forth. Does the sound change and correspond to your mouse movements? I had exactly that problem. And it got a LOT more audible once you boot pro tools. I got that HumX, put it at the end of my amp's power cord and it cleaned all that noise right up.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HumX/

Seems pricey for what it does I guess, but it works. I couldn't live with that digital whine. It's exactly that frequency that makes me physically ill. lol.

[marklee5]

I just moved from a 001 on a G4 to mbox mini on an iMac Intel 2.4 Ghz with 10.5.6. I get the high pitched whine in the speakers only (not in the headphones and I hope not on the bounced tracks) but it is a BIG problem.

If people have been talking about this for two years, surely there is a solution. Nothing on the mBox changes the situation and the whine is in the speakers seconds after starting pro tools (before the sequence is open) and whether the monitor mute is engaged or not.

Hopefully Digi has a solution, otherwise this is really bad news. I love PT8 and I have been surprised at how good the mbox 2 mini sounds.

Thanks for any help.

Mark

[marklee5]

I did a variety of suggested things from tech support and the posts. Nothing seemed to work.

Then I took the output from the headphone jack and ran that to a mixer, then the amp and then to the speakers. Still the whine. But it did not whine in the headset so I knew it had something to do with connecting to other equipment (the amp, the mixer) that were plugged into things.

One of the posts from a guy at Sweetwater had talked about ground loops. I always associated the ground loop with 60 or 120 hz hum or buzz. But he was right. I took a fifty cent ground lift (or whatever those three to two prong widgets are) plugged the amplifier into it and into the wall, and voila the whine is gone.

I think the biggest problem for me is that there are a hundred suggestions for solutions and I get confused. I am glad to be rid of the whine. My guess is that this is frequently the problem when someone gets a whine, and it is hard to see the tree for the forest of suggestions.

Thanks all for the help.

Mark

[jimst57]

Originally Posted by marklee5

I think the biggest problem for me is that there are a hundred suggestions for solutions and I get confused. I am glad to be rid of the whine. My guess is that this is frequently the problem when someone gets a whine, and it is hard to see the tree for the forest of suggestions.

I think that may be because several things can cause hum/noise/whine problems, and different people find different solutions.

What solved it for me was using balanced cables from the Mbox2 outputs to my mixer. The whine is compleatly gone. If I put back the unbalanced cables, it comes back.

[cgraebe90]

I just tried using cheater plugs on both plugs of my power monitors and the wine is gone.

those little gray plugs are .50 cents each, that other hum thing is 60$

[djgizmo]

Originally Posted by jimst57

I think that may be because several things can cause hum/noise/whine problems, and different people find different solutions.

What solved it for me was using balanced cables from the Mbox2 outputs to my mixer. The whine is compleatly gone. If I put back the unbalanced cables, it comes back.

How do you use balanced cables when the Mbox2 only has unbalanced outputs?

I have the same issue and I'm wondering how I can resolved it. Ground lifting didn't seem to work for me.