Digidesign hosting a drawing to win free Mbox 2 Pro and Mbox 2 Micro

[gold sounds]

Heya slutz,

This is Jon Eccles from Digidesign. I product manage all of our Pro Tools LE hardware, and I wanted to let you all know about a survey/sweepstakes we're hosting this month through our online survey partner, QuestionPro.com. Should take about 5-10 minutes, and once you've completed it you'll be entered into a drawing out of which 2 winners will receive an Mbox 2 Pro and Mbox 2 Micro.

Just hit this link: http://digidesign-april08.questionpro.com/

This survey is more focused on LE and M-Powered users, but everyone's welcome to take it and get a chance to win. Hope some of you have a second to check out the survey and let us know what kind of user you are and how we could better help you out. We take your feedback on these surveys very seriously so if you've got something to tell us, this is a great time and place for it...

You'll actually find me lurking around the gearslutz forums quite often, so if you've got a question, issue, or suggestion about any LE hardware, feel free to post it and I'll try to respond if I've got a moment.

For the overly curious who want to know that those of us working at Digi are real human musicians and audio geeks, here's a little bit about myself: I live in San Francisco and play guitar, bass, sing, and do lots o' other musical things. Besides being a product manager at Digi, I run a small local record label called The Nothing Room, and I play in two bands that regularly gig and record (names are Dubious Ranger and Cartoon if you want to see us play sometime). I run a 003 Factory at my home studio and track full bands at a host of other spaces around the bay area that are less claustrophobic than my smoky mess of an apartment.

Hope lots of you take the survey... see ya around!

-Jon

[terminal3]

Originally Posted by gold sounds

so if you've got a question, issue, or suggestion about any LE hardware, feel free to post it and I'll try to respond if I've got a moment.

boy, you're gonna regret posting that.

[gold sounds]

Heh, yeah maybe I've just opened up a whole can of worms there... But hey, how about this disclaimer:

I'll try to respond to any suggestions or questions you have, but no guarantees, especially if there happen to be, say, 50 suggestions from people in one week. And actually, if it's just a suggestion for new product, there's really not a lot I can say for legal reasons besides "cool idea"

Also, I figure I should mention also that anyone can take the survey, however to be eligible to win the prize you have to be in the USA. I really wish this wasn't the case, but many different countries have different rules about who can host a lottery/sweepstakes and how, and we can't possible account for every country's laws. Still, hope that some of you with feedback take the survey anyway... And hey if you've got a US address and a friend there who can take the survey for you... not to give sneaky ideas or anything

[stagefright13]

I took the survey but hey what is an Mbox? Is it mobile?? I hear about it all the time. And I love protools software but why does LE have no ADC? One less thing I gotta type in. I have enough to do. Takes alot out of the creative flow.

LE is already limited by sample rate vs tracks. ADC would be nice.

But having a giveaway is always cool!

BTW way I am a switchover from logic. I like protools 10x's better. But that is just me. I have my big Logic software box sitting on a shelf collecting dust. $550 tossed... Don't flame me I liked it. And the great graphics but is not PC anymore.

Took me like 1/2 hour to switch to Protools. And I was up again. Not counting the install. And I make edits with it so easily it is almost funny.

[rolo]

What's with the USB 1.0 thing? There are so many competitors that have been on 2.0 for a while now.

[jjharvey]

I have a question for you...

Why is it, that when recently we have seen other DAW's take a massive plunge in price that digi seems to maintain an almost elitist aproach to it?

I occasionaly work for a studio that uses HD3 and the guy bought it because he wanted to 'enhance' his CV. I know this was probably a silly reason to buy it, but apart from that, I honestly can't tell the difference between HD3 and say Apogee's Symphony series, so my question is kind of two pronged...

Why such high prices? (Making it a PITA for younger guys to buy the system and get into)

Considering what I have seen written about the lower end PT stuff, do you guys still stand by the premise that the hardware is worth as much as you charge?

No offence intended mate, just some friendly questioning!

P.S. i'd love to win a PT system of any kind, so if you're desperate to give one away, you know who to email lol!

All the best

J.J.Harvey

[cassiopamusic]

(LE.....cough....Lepoard....cough cough.......)

[zarquon]

Hey Jon,

Thanks for the heads up on the survey/contest. Unfortunatly you seem to have forgotten that there are a lot of people on this board who are outside of the US of A. I'm sure that the exclusion of this group of users was not your doing, but it would have been a nice inclusion in your post.
It might have saved a bunch of us some time.

Z.

[terminal3]

have a look here as well Jon, some good ideas in the article and in the comments!

ProToolerBlog → Post » The Pro Tools wish list

[big country]

cool, I love doing peoples jobs for them for a very small chance of winning a nominal prize

see I figure Ill go on to your site give you all the cool Ideas to make a neat-o daw
your boss will say "Jon you are the best" and give you a raise

and me well Im saving up my money to buy tapes from an infomercial to teach me how
to buy and sell property and make up to 30,000 grand within my first month

[big country]

being proprietary must suck some times

[gold sounds]

Wow, that's quite a bit of response-- not just in this thread but on the survey-- thanks everyone!

Let's see if I can address some of the points you've mentioned (btw I'm mostly a hardware guy at Digi so I can't always speak to SW issues):

Stagefright: That's awesome that the switch to PT was so easy for you. The lack of ADC in LE certainly is an issue we've heard about from lots of users, but there also are many LE users who aren't bothered by it... not that that doesn't make it a problem. More importantly, getting ADC in LE is a lot more than turning on a switch (there would be substantial engine changes required). While the current workaround might be frustrating at times, there are other issues that everyone would like to see fixed in the future and have no workaround. It's all a balancing act, but I understand it can be frustrating at times...

jjharvey: Part of pricing is just limited to what we can do with our resources and business. Apple can cut Logic's price in half because what they care about most is selling desktops and laptops, and in the grand scheme of things Logic making them half of what it used to still represents only a very small portion of their overall revenue. They just want to be sure we're all using Macs to do whatever we're doing.

rolo: When Mbox 2 came out in 2005, there were many users still on older computers with no USB2.0, and we wanted to guarantee that this product would work for everyone. We've developed that Mbox core into a very stable and well-tested system, which is why we also used parts of it for Mini and Micro (one reason that those products were also USB1.1). If you're looking for something with higher sample rates and lower latency, then we do currently have Mbox 2 Pro, which is firewire... question for you though because it seems like there are lots of facts vs. misconceptions being thrown around on this issue: what do you think about Firewire vs. USB2.0. Same speed? Same reliability? Just wondering how much the user perception aligns with the reality. Thanks for the feedback!

cass: I know, this one kills me too. Leopard compato is coming, it's just been a very complex transition and we're working to establish maximum stability on the platform before we finally hand it out. Check the DUC (duc.digidesign.com) for more details on this...

zarquon: Yeah, really sorry about that. I posted that first follow-up to address the issue. As said before, we can't say that anyone in the world can win the prize because there are very different sweepstakes laws in every country. It's tough enough as it is navigating all the different laws that exist between the 50 states we have here ... I think all we have to be sure of is that we send the prize to an American address whether you're in the US or you've just tricked us, so let that be your legal counsel...

Terminal: thanks man, it's nice to see that everything on that list is also stuff that I myself am complaining about as a user, appreciate the link.

Big Country: Umm... thanks for the feedback? I don't see any need why this thread has to be a launching pad for personal attacks against me, and I don't even see a need to defend myself if you're going to flame me like that without good reason. I understand that you're pretty bitter about some things, but I don't think it helps anyone here to bring that bitterness to this thread.

Otherwise, thanks everyone, keep 'em coming if you've got 'em... unless of course what you've got are personal insults, in which case I might not answer because I'll be too busy eating Chunky Monkey ice cream while softly crying myself to sleep

[tubeman]

not having time code in LE, especially when going back and forth b/t HD and LE is a HUGE headache. I could pony up for Toolkit, but it's very expensive!

Also some people who have M-Powered also have digitranslator and timecode capabilities with the package (not sure if that's been discontinued). having that with LE would be great!

[jeremycox]

I still feel the preamps are the weakest link in Digi gear. I used to travel with an MBox Pro (sometimes w/ a pre in a carryon bag). Now I travel with a Duet because it sounds better. Sometimes i prefer using PT to Logic but sounding better is more important to me. (maybe this is conversion as well... obviously hard to isolate in a consolidated unit).

Jeremy

[sevendaysoff]

hello!

good to see someone from digi on here.

i understand ADC in LE is much more than 'switching on' process, but this feature alone is something that thousands upon thousands of users would pay your '$495' for alone, over all of the other suggested bundles in packages in your survey.

now with that knowledge, i'm willing to bet a PT|LE upgrade that would increase the track count to 64, add ADC & multi track beat detective ... would easily sell for <=$1,000

please take the ADC option into consideration. I know there are a lot of other issues on hand with LE , but this is a seriouslly crippling feature (and the 'work-around' gets quite un-work-aroundable when you start processing tracks differently. not to mention time-based-fx bussing.

[sevendaysoff]

Originally Posted by jeremycox

I still feel the preamps are the weakest link in Digi gear. I used to travel with an MBox Pro (sometimes w/ a pre in a carryon bag). Now I travel with a Duet because it sounds better. Sometimes i prefer using PT to Logic but sounding better is more important to me. (maybe this is conversion as well... obviously hard to isolate in a consolidated unit).

Jeremy

i believe its more the conversion.

[jeremycox]

Originally Posted by sevendaysoff

hello!

good to see someone from digi on here.

i understand ADC in LE is much more than 'switching on' process, but this feature alone is something that thousands upon thousands of users would pay your '$495' for alone, over all of the other suggested bundles in packages in your survey.

now with that knowledge, i'm willing to bet a PT|LE upgrade that would increase the track count to 64, add ADC & multi track beat detective ... would easily sell for <=$1,000

please take the ADC option into consideration. I know there are a lot of other issues on hand with LE , but this is a seriouslly crippling feature (and the 'work-around' gets quite un-work-aroundable when you start processing tracks differently. not to mention time-based-fx bussing.

This doesn't make much sense to me. You can buy logic for 500, you already have hardware that will interface, and you get all those features. Then you can use logic's bounce all tracks to disk feature and re-import into LE if you need to share the session with a PT user. Plus, you get way better built in plugs in Logic and you have far more routing options.

Not to talk shit at all about PT but its not a cost effective way to get all those features. I do think its awesome at multi-track recording though....

[terminal3]

and one(ish) more point.

yes, we're all pretty sure that a lot of these features are being held back so as not to cannibalise HD sales.

well - for the record - I will NEVER buy HD as long as it's priced as high as it is.

so if you want more out of my wallet, give me a great native solution!

there are many other DAW programs out there that are looking pretty sweet from a feature standpoint... I will admit that Logic is not there yet from a stability standpoint - but you could -destroy- Logic with a great PT solution which has the features of HD but relies on native processing power. charge me for it - charge me £400, I'll pay that, just for the software.

I'm also willing to pay for your hardware if it's quality. take some cues from the BLA boys. but don't cripple the software just because you think you might sell me a TDM system. you will not. ever. I promise.

oh, and at the risk of sounding like a badly broken LP -

AUDIOSUITE HANDLES!

(sorry, I posted that on the protoolerblog article comments, but I really really really really really really desperately want it!!!)

[macrae11]

OMF support standard without having to buy the digitranslator, or DV Toolkit.

This Open Media Framework is supposed to unite different platforms to make transferring projects simple. Almost every other DAW supports this format except PT. I don't need .MXF or .AAFsupport(at least not yet), or all the TL tools, or noise reduction.

Just include OMF standard like everyone else. This will not cause people to not buy PT systems, on the contrary it will allow more people to integrate with PT which will increase PT sales.

[big country]

Big Country: Umm... thanks for the feedback? I don't see any need why this thread has to be a launching pad for personal attacks against me, and I don't even see a need to defend myself if you're going to flame me like that without good reason. I understand that you're pretty bitter about some things, but I don't think it helps anyone here to bring that bitterness to this thread.

not attacking any one

having a laugh and making a point at the same time

just bugs me how what is supposed to be industry standard
isn't compatible

lets see

they standardized the XLR for a reason
imagine if every mic and mic pre company made their own connection

there are many standards in this field
it sucks when someone goes and un standardizes something for profit

if any thing digi is the one who attacked the industry
by making their DAW proprietary

[celticrogues]

The biggest thing for me is the total lack of timecode support in Pro Tools M-Powered. Even having this as an option for purchase (like LE) would be acceptable, but I cannot understand why something so basic, that is included with just about every other DAW software, is not even an option for this version of Pro Tools.
I use M-Powered as opposed to LE because the range of M-Audio interfaces fits the work I do much better than the limited range of LE interfaces. I have a Firewire 1814 as my main interface, which has almost the same functionality as the DIGI002/003 but is considerably smaller, important to me as I do a lot of remote recording. I also have a Transit as a mobile editing device, which offers compatibility with sample rates up to 96KHz, something that Pro Tools LE's smallest device, the micro, does not offer. I also own an M-Audio Ozone, which functions as an interface and MIDI keyboard all in one, making it perfect for my mobile composing rig, and offering an interface option that LE simply does not have.
I got into Pro Tools M-Powered with version 7.3 Academic, which had timecode features built in. Since Academic support was dropped from version 7.4, however, these features have been stripped out and there is now absolutely no way for me to get timecode with my rig, paid upgrade or not. It baffles my mind that something this basic would be left completely out with no option to get it back.
Thanks for listening to our complaints!
-Mike

[gold sounds]

Hey everyone,

So some of you may have noticed the survey link was down for the last 20 hours or so... looks like our survey host's server crashed and left quite a few of you in the dark. Sorry about that trouble, but everything's up and running again.

Thanks again for all the feedback, keep it coming! Everything on this thread and the plethora of comments and suggestions within the survey are of great help to us at Digi and I really appreciate everyone taking the time to chime in.

And Big Country, thanks for clearing things up, guess I misread your tone in that first post but no worries. Believe me, we hear about the proprietary issue quite a lot (especially on Gearslutz!) but my take on things is that integrated and coordinated software-hardware solutions are a much larger trend in computing that goes far outside of Digi. Look at Apple: their business model dictates that revenue should come from hardware purchases, therefore they are fine giving certain flexibility to users but will not budge if there's a risk that you don't buy their hardware. IPod-Itunes as a proprietary format? OSX and a Mac as a proprietary format? Last I checked, you could only run Logic on a Mac... We want to give our users flexibility and power, but there's a trade-off that must be made to be sure that a) all our products work properly with each other and help the user achieve greater stability on their rig, and b) we can be a company that provides a great service and professional tools to our users, but with a stable business model that doesn't cause us to tank because of the current pressures that the computer and audio markets are trending towards.

Hope that helps, and thanks again everyone.

[T_R_S]

Originally Posted by big country

being proprietary must suck some times

OTOH
Driver issues never come into play especially on updates.

[T_R_S]

Originally Posted by stagefright13

I took the survey but hey what is an Mbox? Is it mobile?? I hear about it all the time. And I love protools software but why does LE have no ADC? One less thing I gotta type in. I have enough to do. Takes alot out of the creative flow.

LE is already limited by sample rate vs tracks. ADC would be nice.

But having a giveaway is always cool!

BTW way I am a switchover from logic. I like protools 10x's better. But that is just me. I have my big Logic software box sitting on a shelf collecting dust. $550 tossed... Don't flame me I liked it. And the great graphics but is not PC anymore.

Took me like 1/2 hour to switch to Protools. And I was up again. Not counting the install. And I make edits with it so easily it is almost funny.

Do the survey there is a spot at the end for any suggestions.

[Fidelis]

"2. ELIGIBILITY: Entries must be received by 12:00 A.M. (PST) on May 1, 2008. Open to legal residents of the United States..."

Just for USA residents? Why is that?

[big country]

Originally Posted by gold sounds

Hey everyone,



And Big Country, thanks for clearing things up, guess I misread your tone in that first post but no worries. Believe me, we hear about the proprietary issue quite a lot (especially on Gearslutz!) but my take on things is that integrated and coordinated software-hardware solutions are a much larger trend in computing that goes far outside of Digi. Look at Apple: their business model dictates that revenue should come from hardware purchases, therefore they are fine giving certain flexibility to users but will not budge if there's a risk that you don't buy their hardware. IPod-Itunes as a proprietary format? OSX and a Mac as a proprietary format? Last I checked, you could only run Logic on a Mac... We want to give our users flexibility and power, but there's a trade-off that must be made to be sure that a) all our products work properly with each other and help the user achieve greater stability on their rig, and b) we can be a company that provides a great service and professional tools to our users, but with a stable business model that doesn't cause us to tank because of the current pressures that the computer and audio markets are trending towards.

Hope that helps, and thanks again everyone.

in a monkey see, monkey do, world I guess thats supper

but I like standards , and well, so do some of the other chaps here on gear slutz.

always pleasure,