Re: [ARSCLIST] Multitrack editors for Mac

[andy kolovos <akolovos@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Of course, my question is why do you need 5 Mboxes? If you are recording
> 2 inputs at a time, you would only need one Mbox. Also, I'm not sure how
> you would hook all the mboxes up (5) if you did need more than 2 inputs?
>

Herein lies the ProTools Problem. If one wants to use any flavor of 
ProTools, one needs to have Digidesign hardware hooked up to the PC. 
The cheapest currently produced option in a ProTools LE/Digidesign 
hardware combo is the Mbox2.  No Mbox2, no ProTools LE.  So the 
micpre/digital audio input functions of the Mbox2 have little to do with 
why we would need the units--they are simply the key that turns on 
ProTools LE.

Since we'll be running a program with 5+ students, and each will 
supplied with their own laptop and trained to do their own editing, then 
we need an Mbox2 for each laptop on which we plan to run ProTools.

And for the record, ProTools free only runs on Mac OS9/Windows 98SE and 
earlier, and ProTools M-Powered (the M-Audio hardware adapted version of 
ProTools) costs around $250 for the software plus the cost of a (most 
likely blindingly mediocre) M-Audio interface.  If one wants to use 
ProTools on a budget, one is better off spending $450 to get the Mbox2 
and ProTools LE, rather than spending $430 or so on ProTools M-Powered 
and the stunningly lame M-Audio MobilePre USB--in my opinon at least.


--

Andy Kolovos
Archivist/Folklorist
Vermont Folklife Center
3 Court Street ; P.O. Box 442
Middlebury, VT 05753
(802) 388-4964
akolovos @ vermontfolklifecenter.org
http://www.vermontfolklifecenter.org