Digidesign Mbox2 Mini

Built out of steel and aluminium, the Mbox2 Mini was always designed for the rigours of the road and the fact that it uses a USB connection to power itself off your laptop further emphasises its travelling credentials – you won’t be searching around for a suitable power supply. All you’ll need to carry around for some midnight mixing is your laptop, the Mbox2 Mini and its USB. If you’re coming to the Mbox2 Mini for the first time, you’ll be pleased to know that along with the industry standard Pro Tools LE software bundle, you’ll be getting Digi’s Method One step-bystep tutorial DVD – so you can’t go far wrong. With a 2 in / 2 out (unbalanced) audio functionality, the main input (line 1), carries both an XLR connection and a 20db pad, and a separate jack for line DI signals. The second input (line 2) offers a straightforward line/DI jack also with a pad.

The twin monitor outs to the right of the back panel tie in with the front panel level and mixing. There is also a Kensington lock port for security and the USB port. To the front panel along with the headphone output jack and the monitor mute button, there are four knobs. The first of these controls the overall output level, while the second blends the input signal with the main output, giving latency-free monitoring when overdubbing. The third and fourth knobs adjust the gain on both input 1 and input 2.

Easy to use and a cinch to transfer sessions between the different software versions – that is from the road to the studio – the MBox2 Mini has already become the travelling companion of many a seasoned musician. But there have always been a couple of things that have bugged me about this magic little box: why isn’t there a digital or MIDI connection? Perhaps it’s just a case of how much can you get on to an interface with a box this size. For more go to www.digidesign.com