MBox pop/clicks

[CharlieX]

Hello to fellow toolers...

Here is a weird one:
I own a digi001 and have set up about five for friends with 0 problems. I just stick to the Digidesign recomendations for computer parts and build them myself to specs. No extras. Just ProTools boxes.
I just built a system for a friend, but he bought an Mbox. It runs XP. I researched first of course, and downloaded the software, the firmware (2.0), etc, etc. Like I said, I've done it before successfully. The system runs like a dream on a P4 2.4, but:

I am getting little random digital clicks that are being recorded when using the Line input. They remind me of the clicks that happened when DMA was not enabled on 98 or ME systems. On his XP it is enabled. The clicks are not audible when monitoring the input, only when monitoring PT while in record mode, and the clicks are being recorded. As you can imagine I am going a bit insane trying to find the why...
The drives are way fast enough, it happens while even MONITORING, not actually recording. I have played with the buffer size, and every other setting I have thought of.
Any suggestions? Anything I might have missed? I thought I knew some tricks, but I can always learn new ones!

Thanks,
CharlieX

[winter20]

Been having the same problem here with no luck. Only during record/monitor. The ticks/pops are pretty sporadic and I've been fixing them by zooming in on the wave and just redrawing the ticks, which show up as individual spikes either up or down. No idea what the problem is either, hopefully a firmware update will fix it, my computer definitely is powerful enough I think.

[mlemos]

Over on the mac forum they say that a firmware upgrade fixes the problem. Are you sure that you're using the latest firmware?
Or was an update only released for the mac users? [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Avid]

The v20 firmware update is included with Pro Tools 5.3.3 software for Mbox on XP:
http://www.digidesign.com/download/533winle/

Ijnstallation Instructions:
#10 - Mbox firmware version 20 is required when using Mbox on Windows XP. After you have installed Pro Tools LE 5.3.3 and have restarted your computer run the "MboxFirmwareUpdater.exe" program located in the Digidesign\Pro Tools\Pro Tools Utilities folder on your computer to check your firmware or update your Mbox firmware to version 20 if needed. See page 11 (page 15 in the PDF) of the Getting Started with Mbox Windows guide for more information.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">It sounds like CharlieX has already checked that, though, so it doesn't sound like that is the problem.
You might want to check to make sure you have the full Service Pack 1 for Windows XP installed as well:
To find out if you have Windows XP Service Pack 1, right-click on your computer icon and choose Properties. In the General section, it will say "Service Pack 1" below where your operating system is listed if you have SP1 installed.

[CharlieX]

Thanks for the responses....

Digi,
I have v20 installed. TechSupport suggested this yesterday over the phone, but I had already done it. I checked just in case and it is v20.
Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

[CharlieX]

and...
I do have SP1 for XP installed. Like I said, the installation is "by the DIGI book"

[rascalmanny]

See....this is what scares me about Pro Tools. All these little problems on PCs. I know all programs have little bugs that pop up now and then, but after reading the DUC for a while now it seems like there are alot. I don't want to spend $450 on an Mbox or $2100 on a 002 and be scared of installation probs. Maybe in about 6 months they will have the PC side up to speed. Heck, it took me 3 times to get PT free working! But it may have been the fault of Win98 (the worst OS ever!). I'm waiting for PTv6. But even then I might go Mac with it. Something I once swore I would never do.

I've installed Sonar 2 XL and Cubase SL on 4 different computers and not only did I not have any probs, I wasn't WORRIED that I would have any. I KNEW they would work. And they have. No probs at all. But I do want to get Pro Tools. So I will keep reading the DUC.

[Rail Jon Rogut]

You have to take a little perspective.. people only post and bitch when they're having problems.. when things are working well.. you don't hear from them. In any support forum you're only going to hear from the tiny percentage of folks with problems.. you can't judge a product based on what you see in any support forum.

Rail

[rascalmanny]

This is true and I do plan on buying a version of PT in the very near future. It is just sometimes hard to understand why there are so many "certain conditions" that have to be met. I mean, why certain chipsets? Or why do I have to have service pack 1 on XP for Mbox but not on the 002? Seems like alot of hoops have to be jumped through to use PT on the PC. I don't see why digidesign can't release a software only full version of PTle that is hardware independant. Similar to what is available to Sonar or Cubase. I buy the program, install it, and use whatever soundcard I want. As long as my computer meets the minimum req. specs.

But I understand digi wanting to maintain a certain professional level.

[Joshua@SteakhouseStudio]

Hi, I have a semi related question, I purchsed an MBox for my toshiba P4 1.6 laptop, with a western digital pcmcia firewire card and a Que 60G AV drive. I have been previously using Sonar with this same system, in which I was getting over 32 stereo tracks without a hitch. I have read these posts for a while now and figured i would give it a shot. We use the full PT rig at the studio, but I needed something to interface so I can travel with the tracks for editing. I finally got the MBox up, loaded the current firmware V.20 and mostly everything is good. The main problem I am having is that on bootup. If the PCMCIA fire wire card is in the laptop, it hangs on bootup. When I remove the card, the system will boot. I called my sister in law @ Microsoft, and she said XP played hell with IRQs. When I uninstalled the pcmcia card in device mngr, and redetected it, it reinstalled the IRQ's in the same place as before. There is a conflict, and tech support isn't much help. I think this is also why I am getting a few clicks as well. Does anybody have a suggestion on how to reconfig the IRQs without totally trashing the system. lol Thanks. Josh