Product: Apogee Duet
Price Paid: USD 495.00
Submitted
04/28/2008
at
10:55am
by
todd
Email: modulor25<at>comcast dot net
General
:
8
The apogee duet is a portable digital recording interface. the unit has volume level/clip indicator LEDs on the top of the surface for each input channel.
the case is a sturdy metal case. the knob on top is also a button. tap it and it changes what the knob controls. it comes with its own software but it's pretty discrete and integrates very well with garageband or logic
Connectivity
:
No Opinion
firewire. cant really leave a rating for that. i like firewire more than usb since its a negotiated connection, not a master/slave relationship. just my preference.
I/O
:
10
the preamps on this thing are very clean and quiet. i was previously using an maudio fast track pro and there is a noticable upgrade in sound quality. on a lot of other interfaces i have used no matter what your settings are--line and instrument, pad or no pad--there seemed like there was only a tiny sweet spot between 9 and 10 on the gain knob. anything below was inaudible. anything above is clipped. the gain settings on this are very precise and controlable.
the unit will only accept 2 inputs at once, any combination of 2 available midi, xlr or 1/4" instrument on its breakout cable. the breakout cable also has 2 1/4" monitor outs. the unit itself has a 1/4" headphone jack for monitoring too.
Power
:
10
bus powered. also provides +48v phantom power to each of the XLR inputs should you need to use condensors.
Technical specs
:
8
24-bit/96khz
compatible with any core-audio device
mac only--but seriously, who would want a PC?
allows direct monitoring--you dont need to software monitor and you can reduce your latency.
Other
:
8
it doesnt choke you with some b/s software like other interface. i run logic and garageband, so bundling a DAC with protools LE isnt a selling point for me. thats one reason i love this device.
the software it does come with is a light (6mb) set of drivers and control software. the GREAT thing about this software is it allows you to save all your settings. since all of the settings are software based and not knobs on the device itself you can keep coming back to it over and over again. with other devices ive used id get it set up, use it, then throw it in the bag when i was done. the buttons get knocked around and id have to spend 10 minutes setting it up again next time. not anymore.
Overall
:
9
the device works great and i would recommend it to anyone mac user in need of a high quality interface. the design is pretty damn sexy too.
if it was destroyed or stolen it'd be painful but yeah, id have to replace it.
i wish it had more channels, but i guess if they made a 4 channel device it'd have to cost $1000 so they could justify selling the big 8 channel ensemble for $2k. :o)
but the device is great for mobile recording. i plan on using it to bootleg concerts and home demo-ing in addition to recording rehearsals, which im already doing.
like i said before, the quality is a lot clearer and cleaner than my experience with maudio products. but if money's tight ask yourself if you really need the extra clarity. a similar $130 maudio device may be fine with you if you just need a way to get your stuff into the computer and plan on recording finish work in the studio. but if you plan on using your 2 track recordings for commercial use i wouldn't hesitate using this device for a second
