PT LE 8 - MBOX 2 Mini - Fresh Install, New system, DIRTY sound

[donkeywithdream]

Hi everyone, let me first state that I purchased the Mbox 2 Mini with Pro Tools LE 8 afer purchasing a brand new system with little to no research on
compatibility. This is my fault and I should be ashamed of myself. Previously I was using a Echo MIA sound card and figured I'd make the leap to Pro Tools
since my new hardware would certainly be able to handle PT. Or would it??? hehe.


I've completed the installation and occasionally will get the DAE 1115 error upon launch but for the most part I can get into PT software with no issues.
At this point I have not attched the Mbox to my soundboard I am only using headphones connected directly to the box. When I playback in Protools (for
instance if I import an audio track) the sound is very low and DIRTY!! I haven't attempted any recording at this point. If I turn it
up enough I will hear very choppy/distorted/dirty sound. I have tried a fresh install and upgraded to PT 8.0.1 and still have the same issue.

I'm wondering if perhaps I have a similar issue to what Demicus reported in this thread: http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=257391

If that is the case, could I be affected by the Intel 9xx Chipset issue: http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?...4&itemid=23005 ??

Through searching the forums it appears others are using my same chipset with no issues however I haven't seen my particular motherboard listed.


My plan at this point is to go buy a PCI USB riser card and attach the MBOX and see if this resolves the issue but looking for some advice before
I do that. I have been through the compatibility guides and hardware troubleshooting threads and from everything I can tell my hardware should be fine.
(Have tried every USB port, swapped out USB cables etc)

I currently only have one sata hard drive and relaise to record and utilize this properly I need to add a second drive. I'm assuming that I still should
have clear playback of audio before adding the second drive though. (again I haven't even attempted recording yet)

I don't have an offical Sandra report but here is my system summary which I think will be adequate. Please let me know if you have any thoughts.


Windows XP SP3 (I'm dual booting, I have Win 7 64 / Win XP SP3 - using the XP partition for ProTools)
MSI P55-CD53 ATX Motherboard
Intel P55 Chipset
Intel Core i7-860 2.8GHz 8M LGA1156 Processor
8GB DDR3 PC3-10600 1333MHz Memory (2GB x 4) (obv XP only recognizes 3 GB)
22X Lightscribe DVDRW + 22X DVDRW SATA Drives
ATI Radeon HD4650 1GB PCIe (1DVI / 1VGA / 1HDMI)
320GB 7200RPM 3G SATA II Hard Drive

[sw rec]

That second hard drive is just as critical to playing back as it is to recording. Your best bet is to FIRST do EVERYTHING you can to meet the compatibility requirements, eliminate the negatives, and work from there.

[donkeywithdream]

Thank you for the reply. I just added the second drive and have the same exact problem. Any other suggestions? Do you think I will have any luck trying a PCI USB card?

[donkeywithdream]

I have resolved the issue with the addition of a Dynex DX-2P2C USB PCI card. Thank you very much to Demicus from this thread http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=257391.

It may be good to note if you are building/buying a system to avoid using the MSI P55-CD53 ATX motherboard.

[Mokki]

Originally Posted by donkeywithdream

I have resolved the issue with the addition of a Dynex DX-2P2C USB PCI card. Thank you very much to Demicus from this thread http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=257391.

It may be good to note if you are building/buying a system to avoid using the MSI P55-CD53 ATX motherboard.

i have the same problem with you, my board is MSI P55-GD65, i'll try pci usb card,thanks for the sloved sharing.

[sw rec]

If you guys are trying to make this work with USB externals, it won't. Digi says FIREWIRE only for externals.

[Mokki]

i got a dynex pci to usb card, it works, but sometimes i got a 6086 buffer error when record or playback, i think it maybe i5 turbo boost problem,im keep tring.but thank goodness dae 1115 forever gone.

thanks to donkeywithdream and everyone.