New Pro Tools Mbox Unveiled

We all saw it coming after the launch of Avid’s brand new line of audio interfaces for Pro Tools HD a few weeks back. The new wave of Pro Tools hardware is coming in full force, piece by piece, and adds a new chapter this week with the unveiling of the redesigned Mbox line of portable audio interfaces. Much like a new generation of video game consoles emerges every 5 years or so with completely updated power and capabilities, we are witnessing the newest incarnation of Pro Tools interfaces from Avid.

So What’s New?

The first thing you’ll notice with either of the 3 new Mboxes is the completely redesigned exterior. Made out of metal (as opposed to the old plastic) and sporting a sleek new black look (shedding the blue of yesteryear), the new Mbox is clearly a statement from Avid that things are different from the ground up.

The Mbox has been updated with DSP for cue mixing and effects, a built in guitar tuner, a soft-limit feature (much like those of the new HD interfaces), dedicated monitor section with Dim and Mute switches, and now runs on USB 2.0. The Mbox Pro now adds to all of that with features like 8 ins 8 outs, 4 built in mic pres (doubling that of the previous generation), LED metering on the front panel, Firewire connection, and Word clock connection. The Mbox Mini has pretty much the same feature set.

However the big, big thing with all three of these boxes is the major update to the mic pres and converters. Avid seems to have used the exact same team who designed the new HD interfaces to build the Mbox line and they have spared no expense relating to signal path quality. This is a great thing as Pro Tools hardware continues to improve and take advantage of technology enhancements in audio quality.

The Shape Of Things To Come

It is becoming increasingly clear to me that Avid knows what it’s doing regarding the future of Pro Tools. Part of the beauty of buying a Pro Tools rig is that it comes with software and hardware, 

which play perfectly with each other. The recent refresh of their HD and now the beginning of their LE line interfaces should encourage users that their audio quality is only going to improve when they plug into one of these boxes. Match this with the amazing power and musicality of Pro Tools software and you continue to have one easy to use and powerful studio setup.

My thoughts regarding the future? Expect to see the new 004 line (if they call it that) to launch early next year and more than likely a major update to the Pro Tools software in the spring or fall of 2011. All in all it’s a good time to be a Pro Tools user.