Newbie General Studio setup question

[jonslaten]

What's up fellas. First of all I am running Protools 8 with an Mbox2. It has 2 DI inputs and 2 XLR inputs in the back so I am limited in that aspect. What I have as far as equipment is a roland drum set, 2 amps, a few vocal racks and some other things. So when it's time to record some of these things I get tired of unplugging and then having to plug in what I need to record. I know nothing about mixers, but was thinking that I could get one with 8-12 inputs and run all of my mik and guitar cables into that and run two cables out and plug them into my Mbox2 inputs. Can I do that and just activate, or deactivate any of these channels/inputs on the mixer when I need to record something? Hope I was clear with my question. I am still learning the terminology and what not. Here's my setup.

Macbook Pro 2.4 gHz OSX 10.5.8
4 GB RAM
Protools 8.03
MBOX2
Lacie 1 TB HD

 

[RawDepth]

Yes indeed you can. There are a few things to consider.

Your Mbox2 has mic pre-amps built in which boosts the weak mic signal up to a usable level. The Input knob should be turned up only as much as needed. Most mixers also have that same feature built in and is controlled by a knob at the top of each channel called Gain or Trim. My point is that you don't need to use both preamps. When using the mixer with the Mbox2, always leave the Input knob on the Mbox turned all the way down and only use the Gain boost on the mixer. All volume faders on the mixer should be kept wide open or unity. If you see peak lights on the Mbox then turn down the mixer Gain.

Also, since the signal level will already be strong when it arrives at the Mbox, you should use the Line (TRS) jack instead of the mic jack. You may need a cable with the suitable plugs on either end.

Some mixers have mute buttons to turn off each channel. For others you may need to simply turn down the volume faders.

Hope this helps.