Pro Tools LE 8 Mbox 2 mini in Windows XP VM -- distorted audio.

[datacrime]

Hey there,

I'm trying to archive my old XP studio machine so I can get rid of the computer and bulky hardware but still access the sessions if need be.
I imaged the drive and am running Windows XP as a virtualbox VM on my new system.
I replaced my Digi003 with an old Mbox 2 mini as it's smaller/easier to keep around and would still let me access my old sessions.

Everything is set up and working okay, except the audio from the output of the Mbox is very distorted, it's a digital kind of breaking up -- not the signal being too hot.
This happens for any sound played through windows and through the Mbox, which leads me to believe it's not a Pro Tools setting.
Windos audio also plays fine from the VM if I route it through my normal speaker set up instead of the Mbox (although this is not a USB interface, so there's a chance it could be an issue with the USB passthrough on the VM).

I'm imagining it is most likely a driver issue. The Mbox was installed automatically and detected by Windows XP, however I noticed Windows XP installed drivers that appear to be for the newer Mbox series (black model) and I don't know if they have legacy support inbuilt. When opening up the Mbox Mini app from system preferences it said hardware disconnected, so I at least assume legacy support is not fully functioning if there at all.
I uninstalled these drivers and have been on the hunt for Digidesign-period Mbox2 specific drivers, but all the archive.digidesign.com sites I have found linked to seem to be down.

Does anyone have these drivers or does anyone have any other clues on how to troubleshoot this?

[albee1952]

Hmmm, some thoughts:

https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...nload/en379411
scroll down to Additional Downloads and click on Legacy Hardware Drivers

Re VM, Pro Tools won't run that way

Re saving old sessions, those should open fine on newer Pro Tools so simply save the drive with the sessions(the recording drive) and maybe stuff it into a newer USB3 drive case and all should be good. Do remember that, no matter how this is handled, some old plugins are not going to work on any modern Pro Tools rig because many were changed when they got updated to AAX64 and some just never made the jump at all.

Re Mbox, you say "normal speaker set up instead of the Mbox (although this is not a USB interface". I'm not sure what you mean here, so consider: Pro Tools LE8 will not run on without an interface from that era.

[Darryl Ramm]

Virtual machines are just a terrible environments for audio, they do not interact well with the real time requirements of audio, and Pro Tools is much more sensitive to this than other software. And even if other audio apps appears to work OK with quick tests they are very likely to have problems under more systems load.

All this is likely a waste of time. You can pick up a modern ASIO interface say like a Focusrite 2i2 for around US$150, and use the current version of Pro Tools, on Windows 10 or 11 starting with the free Pro Tools Intro (actually the best free version of Pro Tools ever done). Or subscribe or upgrade to a higher end version.

[datacrime]

Originally Posted by albee1952

H
https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...nload/en379411
scroll down to Additional Downloads and click on Legacy Hardware Drivers

thanks but only windows 7, 8, 8.1 drivers are hosted there.

the vm might not work, but since general audio through the vm does work while routed through my RME internal card instead of the Mbox, i'd like to at least try the correct drivers before writing off the whole concept of using a vm.

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by datacrime

thanks but only windows 7, 8, 8.1 drivers are hosted there.

the vm might not work, but since general audio through the vm does work while routed through my RME internal card instead of the Mbox, i'd like to at least try the correct drivers before writing off the whole concept of using a vm.

The real solution is the one you don't want, and that is to come into the 21st century. A modern Windows 10/11 rig with modern Pro Tools is a thousand miles ahead of any 32 bit OS and software. You have no idea what you are missing This can be done on a very reasonable budget by looking at something like a used(eBay) HP Z4 tower(around $300), a modest interface(Focusrite, Behringer, Presonus, etc. have offerings that start at just over $100 and Behringer is less than that). Your old sessions done on XP should all open on a modern PC(you just need to save them in the new file format).

[datacrime]

Originally Posted by albee1952

The real solution is the one you don't want, and that is to come into the 21st century. A modern Windows 10/11 rig with modern Pro Tools is a thousand miles ahead of any 32 bit OS and software. You have no idea what you are missing This can be done on a very reasonable budget by looking at something like a used(eBay) HP Z4 tower(around $300), a modest interface(Focusrite, Behringer, Presonus, etc. have offerings that start at just over $100 and Behringer is less than that). Your old sessions done on XP should all open on a modern PC(you just need to save them in the new file format).

lol the duc is the same as ever i see..
i have a modern rig i'm very happy with (where do you think i'm running this vm).

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by datacrime

lol the duc is the same as ever i see..
i have a modern rig i'm very happy with (where do you think i'm running this vm).

Yes DUC is the same... too many people who think they know what they are doing but cannot get past their Dunning–Kruger issues and will not listen to advice from others with more knowledge or experience when that conflicts with whatever convoluted, broken, over-complicated way they have convinced themselves they are going to do stuff.