MBox2 micro for my new Macbook - how?

March 5, 2011 6:29 PM

How to get Pro Tools LE, using an MBox 2 micro, to work with a MacBook running Mac OS X 10.6.6?

My beloved bought me a new MacBook at Xmas, but apparently on this OS I can't use my MBox2 Micro which runs with Pro Tools 7.3 LE but need to get some sort of upgrade/new version of Pro Tools which will be compatible with the OS. What do I need to buy? I want to continue to use the MBox2 Micro for editing on my laptop on the move. If this is impossible, is there a new cheap and laptop-friendly incarnation of Pro Tools which will work? I don't want anything larger than a dongle to carry with the lap top. Thanks!

posted by Flitcraft to Computers & Internet (2 answers total)

If nobody answers your question to your satisfaction here, you might try DUC. I've used Pro Tools along with an MBox over a few versions of OS X, but I kindof gave up on it a few years ago, so I'm not up on everything.

But, having said that, it looks like PTLE8 is compatible with 10.6.6. It looks like PT9 is too... and if I'm reading the 9 docs correctly, it looks like Avid is going to be unifying the software line that version (no more separate LE/M-powered line) and that it will no longer require any Avid/Digi hardware in order to run -- including your Micro. If that's the case, it might well be worth paying the extra upgrade fee to go with 9.

Personal note, on why I gave up on Pro Tools, if you're interested: it was pretty much king of the hill 10 years ago as far as DAWs go, and I could see why people wanted to use it instead of the competition, particularly if you were doing professional work. But over the last 10 years, some of the other DAWs out there have gotten very competitive and capable, and meanwhile, I got very tired of two things: the compatibility requirements for Pro Tools always seemed fussier than most competitors, and there was always this ridiculous requirement of having to be tethered to Avid/Digi hardware in order to even do so much as mix down on a laptop (while the MBox2 Micro is much more convenient than some of its siblings, the need for it was actually kind of an indictment of the platform IMHO).

Eventually, I just decided that history strongly suggested that I'd worry less about the issues behind your question if I started using other options. This has been more or less true.

But, then again, maybe 9 represents a new leaf for Avid, and it can be convenient to have PT for the sake of exchange with studios and other pros if you do that kind of thing. YMMV.
posted by weston at 11:32 PM on March 5, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks! I have registered on DUC and asked my question. I'd like Pro Tools 9 and it sounds fab, but money is a bit tight at the moment. I'm looking at the cheaper crossgrade to Pro Tools 9 which I can afford but find the ilok thing a bit of a worry, as it has to be purchased separately and I'm not sure from their site that I totally understand how they work. I have one that came with (purchased in error) Pro Tools M powered 8 and am wondering if it would do the trick but that is probably too specialised a question. I dont want to buy the crossgrade and then find I cant install it because of the ilok thing.
posted by Flitcraft at 7:55 AM on March 6, 2011