Mbox 4?

[ianbee]

I know it's SUPER early to be discussing this, but the original and first Mbox hit the shelves in 2003, shortly followed by the release of the Mbox 2 in 2005. Five years later, Avid officially released the Mbox 3 in 2010. So is it possible that we could be expecting an Mbox 4 anytime soon / within the next year or two? To be honest, I don't think this will happen but you never know... I don't really see the point or any major improvements / modifications they could possibly make with the Mbox in comparison to the significant improvements that they have made with each new version of the Mbox in the past. But maybe I am wrong, Avid never fails to surprise us!

So with that being said, do you think Avid will release an Mbox 4 any time soon and if so what are some features, additions, or specs etc. that you would like to see on the Mbox 4?

Here are some of my ideas:
- USB 3.0
- Thunderbolt

That's really all of the ideas I can think of at the moment (I'm super tired lol).

[Bill Denton]

Given that Avid seems to be focusing more on the high-end pro/post markets, a 004 is pretty unlikely...

[nst7]

He was referring to an Mbox 4, not a 004. Though I think it would be great for them to release a 004.

[ianbee]

Originally Posted by Bill Denton

Given that Avid seems to be focusing more on the high-end pro/post markets, a 004 is pretty unlikely...

Why did you think I was talking about the 004? The title says "Mbox 4", and I never once said anything about the 004 and mentioned / said "Mbox" about 10 times in the OP. lol

[Craig F]

Originally Posted by ianbee

I know it's SUPER early to be discussing this, but the original and first Mbox hit the shelves in 2003, shortly followed by the release of the Mbox 2 in 2005. Five years later, Avid officially released the Mbox 3 in 2010. So is it possible that we could be expecting an Mbox 4 anytime soon / within the next year or two? To be honest, I don't think this will happen but you never know... I don't really see the point or any major improvements / modifications they could possibly make with the Mbox in comparison to the significant improvements that they have made with each new version of the Mbox in the past. But maybe I am wrong, Avid never fails to surprise us!

So with that being said, do you think Avid will release an Mbox 4 any time soon and if so what are some features, additions, or specs etc. that you would like to see on the Mbox 4?

Here are some of my ideas:
- USB 3.0
- Thunderbolt

That's really all of the ideas I can think of at the moment (I'm super tired lol).

And how many Windows machines have Thunderbolt?

At this time I would expect a "004" before a MB4, but what do I know

[John_Toolbox]

There really isn't going to be anything to gain by changing something simple like the mbox to USB3 or thunderbolt. That kind of bandwidth is only necessary when you get into much higher i/o. Better converters, better mic pres, and maybe more onboard DSP would be the most likely upgrades. But I think the current ones will last for a while, they are still pretty good interfaces compared to others in their class.

[Bill Denton]

Okay...okay...mea culpa on the 004 thing. Look at the 6:35 AM timestamp on my original post and you can perhaps understand my screw-up.

But, for the same reasons I noted about a 004, there will probably not be a new MBox 4 either...

[YYR123]

Yeah it's too new - should be another 3 years or so b/F they release another version

The product line is skimpy but nice - mbox3 for most and fast track for the cheaper and eleven rack for the Gtr players - nice lineup

[sunburst79]

Given the recent marketing shuffle they have been doing in regards to concentrating on the Pro sector I wouldn't be surprised to see them drop consumer hardware entirely and replace it with rebranded MAudio or other hardware. With PT 9 opening up hardware choices and so many great choices out there it almost doesn't make sense to go to the trouble to design one from scratch.

Maybe they could kiss and makeup with Focusrite. A rebranded Focusrite interface with Avid specific firmware that had LLM enabled and was bundled with PT would probably be a hit.

I think the 004 as a replacement for the 003 probably was axed with HD Native and the Omni as a upgrade path from entry level to HD.

If I was running the show I would partner with some or one better consumer hardware venders rather than spending a ton of money on R and D on a product with low margins.

PTLE hardware was a different story pre v9 when you needed it to run LE. The was a built in captive market. That has essentially ceased to exist.

[Chief Technician]

Originally Posted by sunburst79

I think the 004 as a replacement for the 003 probably was axed with HD Native and the Omni as a upgrade path from entry level to HD.

One vendor (name withheld to protect the guilty) has found several customers that look at HD Native as the 004.