




Moderators: Acoustica Dan, Acoustica Greg, Acoustica Chris, Acoustica Eric
Good point, I didn't notice that Jon. It's interesting that on the front panel it shows a button, above which reads "+48V". How is that remotely possible if a USB 2 port AFAIK only supplies 5 volts. And yes, I have one condenser that I prefer to use over my dynamics.JonInc wrote: As far as the MBox 3 interface -- it's a bus-powered unit (No A/C). If you're going to use the onboard pres with a condenser microphone, I strongly recommend getting a unit that is A/C powered, as the USB bus just can't provide the same optimal phantom power levels. If, however, you have a dynamic mic, or none at all, then it really doesn't matter.
Yes, I have phantom power on my mixer, but I was wondering how a USB bus powered unit could supply power to a condenser. I checked last night and according to Audio Technica my AT2010 requires the full 48 volts. And according to another site the mics that do work may have less headroom. Not a good design imo. Avid should have made the mbox 3 full AC powered. Oh well, I'll have to expand my search.Rolling Estonian wrote:You need phantom power to power a condenser mic. Pretty much every I/O has a button for Phantom power and some interfaces you'll need to plug in to get power.
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They did... with the MBox 3 PRO model.Thomas wrote:... Avid should have made the mbox 3 full AC powered...
True... I saw that but had to pass because it's Firewire.JonInc wrote:They did... with the MBox 3 PRO model.Thomas wrote:... Avid should have made the mbox 3 full AC powered...
You can step up voltage pretty easily actually. The "problem" lies in the rule of electrical circuits. Ohms law basically describes how if you change one of the three basic elements of power/current/load, another is proportionally effected.but I was wondering how a USB bus powered unit could supply power to a condenser.
There's certainly a lot to digest there MarkMark Bliss wrote:Well, I might as well complicate matter further...….![]()
(As well as annoy those who hate when it gets all technical!)
The question is vague by design because I don't know for sure for instance, how many I/Os I need. I'm just starting out, but I can tell you I picked up a basic Midi keyboard, so I would like to include that(keyboard has one USB and one midi out port). I can also tell you that my needs are not likely to grow too significantly as this is just a hobby. So 2 or 4 I/Os would probably suffice. As far as budget goes, I should really limit it to under $200 to be safe.mixyguy2 wrote:The question was kind of vague; what's your budget? How many I/Os do you need? What about MIDI? etc
Thanks for the suggestion Greg. These seem to be very popular and have lots of bids on the auction sites. I notice that in order to get one with an AC power supply, one needs to move up to the 6i6 or higher model. And since the bug is now in my ear regarding AC power vs USB, the FUD factor is now in play (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt)Acoustica Greg wrote:With the Focusrite interfaces, look for 2nd gen. models and avoid 1st gen. models.