MBox Mini just up and quit... any ideas?

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VanderBoegh
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MBox Mini just up and quit... any ideas?

Post by VanderBoegh » Sun Jan 25, 2015 7:47 pm

Hey guys, strange problem today... I was working on music, then took a break to take my dog on a walk, and when I came back to the studio my MBox Mini was no longer working. I swear I didn't touch or do anything... The damn thing just up and quit on me. I've scoured the web and it seems like I'm not the only person to encounter this problem, but I haven't yet run on to a solution.

I'm gonna call Avid first thing in the morning and see if I can get it figured out. But any guesses from you tech savvy folks?

I'm running ProTools 11 on a new iMac. Tried switching USB cables. Tried switching USB slots. Updated the drivers for the MBox and ProTools. Reset the P-RAM. And..... nothing.... The MBox has power (all of the led lights are on), but the computer isn't recognizing it. As a result, playing any audio sends the sound to the internal computer speakers, even when it's routed to the MBox in system preferences.

As you can see on my screenshot, it says "Hardware Not Connected" in the bottom left corner. WTF?!?! Last time I go take the dog on a walk in the middle of a session...

Oh, one more thing, after numerous restarts, I've noticed that the unit gets surges of power, causing the green and red LED lights to pulse. I can even hear it (it sounds like the ticking of a clock for about 10 seconds).

Any ideas?
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Len911
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Re: MBox Mini just up and quit... any ideas?

Post by Len911 » Sun Jan 25, 2015 9:31 pm

release date
1.3 Dec 16, 2014

Supports Mac OS X 10.8.5, 10.9.5, 10.10, 10.10.1

Mac OS X 10.9.5 and higher not yet supported by Pro Tools software (details)
https://soundcloud.com/huck-sawyer-finn
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eeoo
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Re: MBox Mini just up and quit... any ideas?

Post by eeoo » Mon Jan 26, 2015 12:08 pm

Hey Matt - In PT under Setup and hardware you have your mbox selected? And under Setup then Playback Engine you have mbox selected? Just making sure because I've had these randomly deselected before.

Good luck!

eo

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Re: MBox Mini just up and quit... any ideas?

Post by andygabrys » Mon Jan 26, 2015 1:05 pm

put the mbox down and move away slowly………..












JK. sorry to hear about the troubles Matt. between Len and EO I am sure they nailed the issues.

In the distance, I hear the UA Apollo twin Duo calling your name.

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Re: MBox Mini just up and quit... any ideas?

Post by VanderBoegh » Mon Jan 26, 2015 1:27 pm

Thanks guys. What's so weird is that it was working just fine, and then all of a sudden quit for no apparent reason. Ethan, I've got the right hardware selected (there's only one option for me in ProTools). Good idea though, as I had that happen before on my old system.

I just posted this is the Avid support forums. We'll see what happens. Seems like I'm not the only person who's dealt with this problem. And from what I've found, nobody has gotten a fix (or at least they haven't posted it). I tried calling Avid, but those dudes want $20-$80 for a single-instance phone support call.

I'll let you all know what shakes out. Someone may stumble onto this thread with a similar problem and may want to know how it was (or wasn't) resolved.

P.S. Andy - that's Apollo is a good interface! A little beyond my means right now though. We'll see if I can limp along on this MBox Mini for a while longer before I have to shell out mass cash for something bigger & better.

~~Matt

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Re: MBox Mini just up and quit... any ideas?

Post by VanderBoegh » Wed Jan 28, 2015 9:00 pm

Well, after spending waaaay too much time searching the web for an answer that doesn't seem to exist, I've came to the same conclusion that many other MBox Mini users have also come to... The MBox Mini is a buggy unit, prone to randomly self-destructing.

My advice for anyone looking for a rather inexpensive interface - steer very clear from this model! If you have stumbled upon this thread by searching something like "MBox Mini lights up but says Hardware Not Connected", then I feel your pain. Save the time and energy trying to fix it, and just realize that you're probably dealing with a dead piece of hardware that looks like it's alive.

I just picked up a Steinberg UR22 from Guitar Center. At only $150, it gets me through in a pinch until I can afford the UA Apollo Twin Duo!

Now back to work.

~~Matt

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