Product: Apogee Mini-Me
Price Paid: USD 600.00 USED
Submitted
04/04/2009
at
08:42am
by
MC
General
:
9
The mini-me is small form factor, 2-channel microphone preamp and AD converter with selectable sample rates and several settings for soft-limiting and mild cmpression. Apogee claims it to be a high-end, professional quality preamp with Apogee's world-class converters and useful limiting to prevent overs while tracking. Though the product is now discontinued, I find it (as the brits say) a "brilliant piece of kit" that's well worth seeking out on the used market.
Connectivity
:
9
Two XLR/TRS connectors; SPDIF & optical; headphone out (1/8 stereo mini); USB and Firewire cards were available, possibly still found from Apogee parts.
I/O
:
10
Fairly simple in the in/out department. Plug a mic or two in (with switchable phantom power). Connect the digital out to your DAW. If you have the USB or Firewire option, record straight into your computer. (I use mine as a front end for ProTools, into an M-Audio Firewire 410).
The preamps: fantastic. Quiet, extremely detailed and crystal clear. Not much coloration, but this unit's intended to be very clean & accurate. Recording with one of the stronger compression settings gives a very nice edge to acoustic guitars and vocals.
The converters: Hey, they're Apogee - if you're used to the pres and converters in your M-Audio or Digi gear, prepare to feel as if your ears were just cleaned. Stellar sound.
Power
:
No Opinion
Wall-wart power, but a nice sturdy one with fat cable. Battery unit available for remote recording, film work, etc. - this is designed to be portable if that's your gig. True +48 Phantom power.
Technical specs
:
10
Full range of sample rates, up to 96k. Direct monitoring is through the headphone jack (with a dedicated volume knob).
Other
:
8
Adjustable line-level - you can bypass the preamp section entirely. Four different compression curves, from transparent "soft limiting" to prevent overs (I leave it on all the time) to progressively more aggressive settings.
(I would like a wider gain range in the line level adjustments, or a "consumer level" switch).
Overall
:
10
In my long career as a musician (gigging and recording for over 35 years) I've learned the value of good instruments and mics. As a home-recordist, I'd say the order you should shop is:
A good computer;
A decent DAW;
Good monitor speakers and basic room treatment;
At least one professional-qaulity mic preamp;
One or two good mics; (because a great pre can get fabulous sounds from a Sure 57... but a crappy pre can make a Nuemann useless - get the pre first);
Better converters.
The Apogee Mini-Me listed at $1400 when new; that's about the starting range you should expect to find a pro-level, dual mic pre. (I got mine on eBay for $600). Your first pro-level mic pre is really one of those holy-grail experiences, and most people advise you to start with a model that doesn't radially color the sound - go for clarity and cleanliness. The Apogee fills that bill, and the addition of pro-studio quality converters is icing on the cake.
Why else should you seek a Mini-Me out if you're using the existing pres and converters on your DAW? Beyond the absolutely stellar clarity and detail you'll get (from your mics and also anything with a line out), you also get VERY USEFUL set-and-forget compression and limiting; and it's designed to prevent overs, not color the sound. For those of us recording by ourselves, this is a godsend. You can concentrate on your performance and not keep staring at the dang meters. There's no knobs to mess with - just several selectable curves (well-explained in the manual) but at the very least, the "soft-limiting" function keeps levels down TRANSPARENTLY - you can go in the red, but it's hard if you take some basic gain staging steps.
For more coloration, I've had great results bypassing the preamp section (just turn the knobs all the way down until they click off) and plugging a Joe Meek british Channel or an ART Tube Pre (upgraded with a JJ 12Ax7) to take advantage of the Apogee converters - there are trim pots on the front panel that let you adjust the input level. Really handy, but the line-in seems to expect a very hot (pro-studio) signal, so if your gear is switchable, play with that until you get a good level.
I have a dream of someday taking a laptop and an old guitar on vacation to some real music cities - Detroit, Nashville, etc. - to do some writing. The little Mini-Me would be a great traveling companion, and would also shine on a film set.
IF you can find one of these, take a good look... after room treatment, pro pres and converters are the most audible upgrade there is.
