Avid M-Audio Mbox 3 PTLE

  • Thread starter Thread starter guitargirl7
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I have an MBox 2 Mini with ProTools LE and its worked well for me. I would assume the MBox 3 would be just as good. I doubt you would have too many complaints if you purchased that bundle.

If you didn't want to spend that much you can probably find something much cheaper that will do everything you want at a fraction of the price. I've talked to people that have trouble learning ProTools. Or there are a lot of people that have spent the cash on ProTools and don't use any of the features that makes it what it is. If you just want a software that can cut and paste you can do that with any software. It's like buying a top of the line sports car, but only driving the speed limit.

Really I think it comes down to how much you want to spend, and what you plan on doing with it. If you are only recording a guitar and vocals then you don't need 12 inputs or anything crazy like that. However, if you may want to record a full band or something then maybe you will want more inputs than just two. Also, if names and software doesn't matter much to you then you may find that you could spend half of that on a new interface, and invest the rest in a better mic, or preamp.
 
xbxrxixtx said:
I have an MBox 2 Mini with ProTools LE and its worked well for me. I would assume the MBox 3 would be just as good. I doubt you would have too many complaints if you purchased that bundle.

If you didn't want to spend that much you can probably find something much cheaper that will do everything you want at a fraction of the price. I've talked to people that have trouble learning ProTools. Or there are a lot of people that have spent the cash on ProTools and don't use any of the features that makes it what it is. If you just want a software that can cut and paste you can do that with any software. It's like buying a top of the line sports car, but only driving the speed limit.

Really I think it comes down to how much you want to spend, and what you plan on doing with it. If you are only recording a guitar and vocals then you don't need 12 inputs or anything crazy like that. However, if you may want to record a full band or something then maybe you will want more inputs than just two. Also, if names and software doesn't matter much to you then you may find that you could spend half of that on a new interface, and invest the rest in a better mic, or preamp.
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I just purchased the sm57 mic, as I found that it records many things such as vocals, guitar, ect, pretty well. I had been stuck with a horrible bundle from Avid including fast track, an m-audio mic, and PTSE. PTSE turned out to be a complete failure, so I'm really skeptical on what to purchase next. I very well may need to return the fast track, as I already returned the m-audio mic. This is why I am in need of new software and now, gear. I was going to try to save up for PT10, as you know it’s like $600. My problem is exactly what you are saying. Half of the effects on that software, I may not even use or know how to use.

To cut to the chase, I am a professional musician who writes lyrics with a company in Nashville. This isn’t some random hobby, it’s my life. I really want to record with something that isn’t a piece of garbage. I’d rather invest in a great product, rather than save money on a crappy one that I’ll end up having to upgrade in the future. Granted, I have a lot to learn about recording software and the gear that comes with it. But I am willing to learn.

I will mainly be recording my vocals, electric, and acoustic guitars.

I have a $100 gift card for Best Buy, so I’d have to purchase the software/gear there. With everything being said, what would you recommend?
Thank you!
 
guitargirl7 said:
I just purchased the sm57 mic, as I found that it records many things such as vocals, guitar, ect, pretty well. I had been stuck with a horrible bundle from Avid including fast track, an m-audio mic, and PTSE. PTSE turned out to be a complete failure, so I'm really skeptical on what to purchase next. I very well may need to return the fast track, as I already returned the m-audio mic. This is why I am in need of new software and now, gear. I was going to try to save up for PT10, as you know it’s like $600. My problem is exactly what you are saying. Half of the effects on that software, I may not even use or know how to use.

To cut to the chase, I am a professional musician who writes lyrics with a company in Nashville. This isn’t some random hobby, it’s my life. I really want to record with something that isn’t a piece of garbage. I’d rather invest in a great product, rather than save money on a crappy one that I’ll end up having to upgrade in the future. Granted, I have a lot to learn about recording software and the gear that comes with it. But I am willing to learn.

I will mainly be recording my vocals, electric, and acoustic guitars.

I have a $100 gift card for Best Buy, so I’d have to purchase the software/gear there. With everything being said, what would you recommend?
Thank you!
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For hardware and software that would be a good purchase for you.

My concern would be your mic. While the SM57 is a great mic in general, it's not really the best at everything. I think when you are recording your vocals and acoustic you'd be better served with a condenser. The 57 will work, but for quality I think you'd be a lot better off with something like a Rode NT1a or something like that.
 
xbxrxixtx said:
For hardware and software that would be a good purchase for you.

My concern would be your mic. While the SM57 is a great mic in general, it's not really the best at everything. I think when you are recording your vocals and acoustic you'd be better served with a condenser. The 57 will work, but for quality I think you'd be a lot better off with something like a Rode NT1a or something like that.
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Down the road, I'd like to save up for a nice condenser mic. With my budget right now, I can only afford to purchase the sm57. But I'll end up using it for a long time with multiple things, so it's nice to have one anyway. If I were to purchase this bundle from best buy, would my sm57 xlr cable fit into the mbox 3? I can't really tell. Also, have you ever used or heard of anyone using PTLE? I'm sort of nervous about that software.

Thanks for the advice!
 
guitargirl7 said:
Down the road, I'd like to save up for a nice condenser mic. With my budget right now, I can only afford to purchase the sm57. But I'll end up using it for a long time with multiple things, so it's nice to have one anyway. If I were to purchase this bundle from best buy, would my sm57 xlr cable fit into the mbox 3? I can't really tell. Also, have you ever used or heard of anyone using PTLE? I'm sort of nervous about that software.

Thanks for the advice!
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The link to best buys site didn't really have any specs as far as the ins and outs but it should be a standard XLR connection, and probably even 1/4". XLR is pretty much standard unless its fairly old. I think there may be random other configurations, but most gear like an interface will take the standard 3-pin.

There are A LOT of people (including myself) that use ProTools LE. There are a lot of books and dvds about it, as well as forums like this for any questions about the program. There's not a lot to be nervous about. It can be complex, but its fairly easy to learn the basics just like any other software. Then you can dive in deeper as you start getting more familiar with it.
 
m-audio has some good products but not really worth the price. they can be a real pain just to setup as well. I personally would stay away from any kind of bundle because they aren't giving you what you need necessarily, but what they think you need. Protools is cool but way too overrated and more complex than it needs to be, plus just to use protools you have to use their hardware which means your limiting your upgrade options.
 
MG Eddie said:
m-audio has some good products but not really worth the price. they can be a real pain just to setup as well. I personally would stay away from any kind of bundle because they aren't giving you what you need necessarily, but what they think you need. Protools is cool but way too overrated and more complex than it needs to be, plus just to use protools you have to use their hardware which means your limiting your upgrade options.
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This is a good point. Protools sucks in the fact that upgrading is a pain. You can buy a bigger interface if you want, but it has to be one of their interfaces. You can't just find one that has the amount of inputs or whatever you want and then run it with protools. I have a small mbox, but I needed more inputs. I got an 896hd but I can't run protools with it. So now if I want to use protools i have to track in audiodesk and then send the files to protools to mix. More than likely I'll end up just ignoring protools and doing everything within audiodesk to save time. I can make it work, but it would be a lot nicer if I didn't have to do all of that.

I personally haven't really had issues with set-up and all of that, but I've heard of those who have. I think with what you're planning on doing you should be alright, but if you see yourself wanting to upgrade, you could be hurting yourself in the future. Having protools wont make your music "better" than using another software but it can probably help when you get into some of its deeper abilities. Sometimes its not worth the hefty price.
 
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