- The Avid Mbox 2 driver does not work in El Capitan and the device is not recognized by the Mac / Garage Band. DO NOT UPGRADE FROM YOSEMITE to EL CAPITAN. The device might light up, but it won't be recognized. If you watch the Mac console app and plug in your M-Box 2, you'll see errors like this.
- The Mbox 2 Driver software ensures that your system has all the software components required by the Mbox 2 device to connect to the software component of your digital audio workstation (DAW).
Power Mac G4 — Mbox 2 Requirements
Digidesign Mbox 2 Drivers Windows 10 Digidesign Hardware Drivers for Mac OS X, for use with Pro Tools software or as standalone drivers: Digidesign CoreAudio Driver for Tiger (10.4) Digidesign CoreAudio Driver for Panther (10.3) Digidesign CoreAudio Driver for Jaguar (10.2) Avid Free DV for Mac OS X. Avid Free DV 1.6.1 Download and Information.
With Pro Tools LE 6.8.1 for Mac OS X
Note: The best performance with Mac OS X and Mbox 2 is achieved by using fast dual processor Macs. Slower single processor Macs will work with Mbox 2, but at a reduced track and/or plug-in count.
Supported Power Mac G4 Computers:
Dual G4 Processor Models |
Dual 867 MHz Power Mac G4 MDD |
Dual 1 GHz Power Mac G4 QS |
Dual 1 GHz Power Mac G4 MDD |
Dual 1.25 GHz Power Mac G4 MDD |
Dual 1.25 GHz Power Mac G4 FW800 |
Dual 1.42 GHz Power Mac G4 FW800 |
Single G4 Processor Models |
933 MHz Power Mac G4 QS |
1 GHz Power Mac G4 FW800 |
1.25 GHz Power Mac G4 MDD |
Legend:
QS = 'Quicksilver' models from 2001-2002
MDD = 'Mirrored Drive Doors' models from 2002
FW800 = FireWire 800 models from 2003
Not Tested or Recommended:
- Single 867 MHz Power Mac G4 and lower
- Dual 800 MHz Power Mac G4 and lower
Specifications
- For more information on Apple computer models and specifications, see the AppleSpec page on Apple's website
- Other resources: www.everymac.com and www.mactracker.ca
Additional Requirements & Known Issues

System Software
- Pro Tools LE 6.8.1 is officially supported on Mac OS 10.3.8 & 10.3.9 (Panther) and Mac OS 10.4.2 (Tiger)
iLok Authorized Plug-Ins
Although not required with Pro Tools installation, an iLok USB Hardware Key may be required for installation of some plug-ins and optional software applications.
Control Surfaces & MIDI Interfaces
Dual Monitor AGP Graphics Cards
All single or dual monitor cards which ship as standard equipment with qualified Apple Power Mac G4 models at the top of this page are supported with Pro Tools 6.9.
Hard Drives — Audio Storage Requirements
Although limited recording and playback of audio tracks may be possible using the internal startup drive, a separate dedicated audio hard drive is highly recommended for maximum performance and track count.
Audio Storage Requirements for Record and Playback:
Firewire Hard Drives
- For best results, follow the guidelines on the FireWire Drive Requirements
Digidesign Mbox 2 Pro Driver Mac Sierra
SCSI HBA Card for SCSI Drives (optional)
Maximum Performance Guidelines
- Recording to the system startup drive is not recommended or supported
- A separate internal or external dedicated audio drive is highly recommended for maximum performance and track count
Pro Tools Does Not Support Sleep Mode
In the Macintosh System Preferences, launch Energy Saver, click the Sleep tab, and disable all Sleep features. Set 'Put the computer to sleep when it is inactive' to Never. Do not manually put your computer to sleep when running Pro Tools.
Known Incompatibilities & Issues
- The Movie Offset feature affects both the QT Movie output to DV and the Onscreen movie
- If users want to use Japanese fonts in their sessions, they will not be able to use HFS (standard) drives – only HFS+ formatted drives
- Sometimes when opening a session that was based on a PT 3.2 format session, the following error may occur when Restoring IO paths: Time type mismatch occurred in 'Time_Typed.cpp' line 370. A reboot may be necessary if this occurs
- System instabilities and performance issues can occur when using MIDI control surfaces in conjunction with Pro Tools 6 and 3rd party MIDI interfaces. For best multiport MIDI performance, we recommend using Digidesign's MIDI I/O.
- Pro Tools LE core systems cannot be combined, and multiple units are not supported. For instance:
- A Digi 002 and Mbox 2 cannot be used together on the same computer at the same time.
- 2 Mbox 2 units cannot be used on the same computer.
- Digi 002 faders cannot be used with any other system.
- Pro Tools 6 does not work in the OS 9 'Classic Mode'. You must choose Mac OS X as your Startup Disk.
Additional Information
Following on from our announcement about updated drivers for the Eleven Rack for Pro Tools, Avid have now updated their drivers for their Mbox 3, Mbox Mini (3rd Generation) and Mbox Pro (3rd Generation) interfaces and have included Windows 10 and Pro Tools 12 support.
Avid Mbox 3 Drivers 1.2.9 Notes For Mac OS
- Fixed: AAE error -6101 while record and playback on low buffer sizes
- Supports Mac OS X 10.8.5, 10.9.5, 10.10-10.10.5, 10.11.1-10.11.3
- Tested with Avid-qualified Apple computers
- Check the Pro Tools Operating System Compatibility Chart to see qualified OS versions for Pro Tools
- Core 2 Duo Mac users read this
Avid Mbox 3 Drivers 1.1.0 Notes For Windows OS
Note that Avid have not changed the release date but have amended the notes to include Windows 10 and Pro Tools 12 support.
- Fixed: The 'Updates' button in MBox control panel referred to outdated page
- Supports Windows 7, 8, 8.1 & Windows 10
- Supports Pro Tools 11.0.x - 12.5
Avid Mbox Pro (3rd Generation) Drivers 1.3.2 Notes For Mac OS
Note that Avid have not changed the release date but have amended the notes to include El Capitan and Pro Tools 12 support.
- Supports Mac OS X 10.8.5, 10.9.5, 10.10.5 & 10.11-10.11.3
- Supports Pro Tools 10, 11, 12
- Updates Mbox Pro Firmware to v1.0.4
- Tested with Avid-qualified Apple computers
- Core 2 Duo Mac users read this
Avid Mbox Pro (3rd Generation) Drivers 1.1.0 Notes For Windows OS
Note that Avid have not changed the release date but have amended the notes to include Windows 10 support. Note there is no mention of Pro Tools 12 support in the notes.
- Fixed: Tuner & DSP Effects stop working after updating firmware (note that if Tuner & DSP Effects are not restored, the unit may require a repair)
- Updates Mbox Pro Firmware to v1.0.4
- Windows 7, 8, 8.1 & Windows 10
Avid Mbox Mini (3rd Generation) Drivers 1.3.1 Notes For Mac OS
Note that Avid have not changed the release date but have amended the notes to include El Capitan but check the compatibility notes before updating.
- Supports Mac OS X 10.8.5, 10.9.5, 10.10.5, 10.11.1-10.11.3
- Check the Pro Tools Operating System Compatibility Chart to see qualified OS versions for Pro Tools
- Tested with Avid-qualified Apple computers
- Core 2 Duo Mac users read this
Avid Mbox Mini (3rd Generation) Drivers 1.1.8 Notes For Windows OS

Digidesign Mbox 2 Driver Download
Note that Avid have not changed the release date but have amended the notes to include Windows 10 and Pro Tools 12 support.
- Fixed: Crash with Windows Driver Verifier enabled
- Windows 7, 8, 8.1 & Windows 10
- Supports Pro Tools 10.3 – Pro Tools 12.5