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440 Forums _ Digidesign Mbox, Mbox2, 001, 002 etc. _ Mbox 2 Speaker Problem

Posted by: footballdude2009 Thu 25 Oct 2007, 02:56

Hey I have recently started using the Mbox 2 however I keep having a problem with the speakers. Originally i just hooked up a set of surround sound speakers but whenever I tried to play something I had recorded out of them there was a lot of static. Later I tried to play the sound back through a guitar amp, and it sounds fine until the amp has "warmed up" and then the static shows up again. The static is not, however, on the recorded track because when burned to a CD the audio is good. I was thinking of investing in some decent studio grade speakers, but can anybody help me as to why I am having this problem? Thanks

Posted by: mortalengines Thu 25 Oct 2007, 05:18

I assume you are using the 1/4" balanced outputs of the M-box 2. I only have the original M-box and that is all it has. It may be just a cable issue. I had a similar issue when I used unbalanced RCA cables (crappy unshielded ones at that) with 1/4" adapters. You may want to get some "balanced" TRS cables. I don't know what your surround speakers use for cabling however if you look around you may be able to find some shielded cables for the speakers you have. They cost bucks but, things like Monster cables are shielded to resist RF noise (what I suspect your are experiencing). Also, you want to try to use monitors when you work. If you use home speakers, they tend to be "hyped" in certain frequencies and won't translate very well to other systems and you will find yourself doing the same job twice (hard enough to do once). You don't have to spend a ton on them either. Just check a couple of different pairs at the local music store and find a pair that sounds good to you. You can even bring one of your favorite CDs to figure out which ones work best for your price range.

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Posted by: footballdude2009 Thu 25 Oct 2007, 12:12

Yea, the surround sound speakers needed an adapter because it wasn't designed for a1/4 " jack, so you are probably right that it's just my cabling and I'm sure the amp is producing static because it's well, an amp. I just wanted some feedback before I spent some money on studio monitors, thanks a ton this really helped!