Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface
Duet from Apogee is a FireWire interface for Mac OS X and features two microphone inputs, each with phantom power and up to 75dB of gain. This allows the user to record a vocal track while playing guitar or keyboard, record an acoustic track in stereo, or even capture a live concert. Duet also features dual, 1/4" high impedance inputs that are ideal for any combination of two instrumentalists - guitar and bass, bass and keyboard, guitar and guitar, etc.
Although somewhat limited in I/O, the main strength of the unit is the prized Apogee conversion. And its multi-function controller knob, combined with the included Maestro Control software is capable of performing a broad range of functions - from assigning the operating levels of the inputs, to controlling the levels of the inputs and outputs, selecting sample rates, and defining the four virtual MIDI controllers.
Duet's studio reference-quality sound combined with simple and powerful control features make it an ideal choice for creating music, creating podcasts, or simply delivering the ultimate iTunes listening experience. The system works with any Core Audio-compatible application, but provides especially close integration with Apple's OS X, GarageBand, Logic and Soundtrack Pro.
- FireWire interface with two channels of professional-quality 24-bit/96kHz audio input and output
- Bus powered for the ultimate in portability
- Two balanced XLR inputs, with selectable 48V phantom power on each input
- Two unbalanced, high-impedance instrument inputs
- One high-level stereo headphone output
- Two unbalanced -10dBV line-outputs for powered speakers
- Multi-function controller knob for volume and input gain control and assignable MIDI control
- Maestro Control software provides internal MIDI functionality via four virtual MIDI controllers
- Multi-segment LED meters to display input or output levels
- FireWire 400, compatible with Mac OS X Core Audio
- Integration and control with Apple's GarageBand, Logic Pro, Logic Express and Final Cut Studio (Soundtrack Pro)
- Compatible with any Core Audio-compliant audio application
- includes Apogee's Maestro software for advanced control and low latency mixing
| Converters | 24-bit |
| Sample Rates | 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96kHz |
| Analog Input |
2 x XLR Microphone (on breakout cable) 2 x 1/4" TS phone Instrument (on breakout cable) |
| Analog Output |
2 x 1/4" TS phone Monitor (on breakout cable) 1 x 1/4" TRS phone Headphone |
| Digital Input | No |
| Digital Output | No |
| MIDI In/Out |
No
1
Please Note:Maestro software includes 4 virtual MIDI controllers that can send SPP location or perform CC operation close |
| Sync In/Out | No |
| Headphone Output | Yes |
| THD + N | Not specified by manufacturer |
| Dynamic Range | Not specified by manufacturer |
| Frequency Response | Not specified by manufacturer |
| System Requirements |
G4 1GHz or faster, G5 or Intel CPU OS X 10.4.10 or greater 1GB RAM minimum, 2GB recommended FireWire 400 port |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 4 x 6 x 0.5" (102 x 152 x 13mm) |
| Weight | 1 lb (0.45kg) |
| Specialties | Two microphone inputs, each with phantom power, provide up to 75dB of gain |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 14 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
100%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Good audio (14)
- Easy to use (13)
- Compact (12)
- Versatile (11)
- Lightweight (9)
Cons
Best Uses
- Home studio (11)
- Professional recording (11)
- Amateur recording (8)
- Outdoor events / games (4)
- Performances (3)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Experienced (7), Professional musician (6)
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 14 customers
Sort by
Displaying reviews 1-14
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
- Lightweight
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Events
- Home Studio
- Performances
- Professional Recording
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
A great interface.. simple and smooth.. buy one.
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
Use this for mostly vocals and works great!
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Home Studio
- Professional Recording
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
Maybe it's a waste of time to add another 5 Star review, but this thing is awesome.
I used to use an M-Audio FireWire Solo and I had to crank the input level all the way up to get a decent signal. As a result, my recordings were full of hiss and room tone.
The Duet gives me a clean signal and works perfectly with GarageBand and Soundtrack Pro.
I use it to record voiceover for film projects, but my friend borrows it all the time to record music. She can stack multiple harmonies without adding unnecessary hiss.
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
- Lightweight
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Home Studio
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
Excellent audio quality, very sleek, enjoy controlling the audio volume with the big knob! I'm using it with my iMac i7 plugged into a daisy chain of 4 external firewire 800 G-Tech drives (the Duet comes with a firewire 800 to 400 cable). Replaces my Roland FA-101 firewire interface that failed after only 4 years of use.
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Home Studio
- Professional Recording
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
This thing is compact and yet has plenty of input/output options. Sounds great too. No noise in preamps and outputs are clean. The single volume knob is a nice aesthetic feature and looks great on the console. Being able to switch from speakers/headphones to just headphones is a nice plus. Software was easy to configure. Basically just plug and play. Love this thing!
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Easy To Use
- Versatile
Cons
- No on-off switch
Best Uses
- Audiophile listening
- Home Studio
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
Use primarily as a DAC with headphones. Beautiful sound quality and powerful HP amp. The volume control has nice feel. Use ADC to rip vinyl to digital. Gain allows to use without phono preamp and with software RIAA filter.
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Home Studio
- Professional Recording
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
This is going to be your best friend! Great for overdubbing at a location of your choice without sacrificing on the pre's and the converters. HIGHLY recommended.
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
- Great integration
- Great software
- Lightweight
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Home Studio
- Professional Recording
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
I had heard great things about the Duet but was hesitant to buy it. I knew that it was designed to work with Garageband and Logic. I use Reason and Record and I thought it would be a nightmare to get all the pieces working together. Finally after talking to a bunch of friends and a lot of hand-holding from a sales person I took the plunge. And it could not have been simpler. It fired up the first time with virtually no issues at all. It automatically mapped everything. Just a few quick settings in record and off to the races. The whole install took 15 minutes. I am so happy with the sound quality. The AD/DA's are as good as people say. The single controller takes a little getting used to. It is like the audio version of BMW's I Drive controller without the bugs. Really it works very well as long as you watch the on screen icons to see what you are adjusting. As an additional benefit, Itunes really cranks with this baby as a sound card. I have a home studio for voice overs and so I really have no need for more than two in or two out. If you are sure that will work for you the Duet is a great solution. If you need room to expand then you probably have to look elsewhere. I can only speak to my experience but I would definitely buy this again.
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
- Lightweight
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Professional Recording
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
I bought the Duet as an interface to record professional boundary mics for a film project that is more akin to a theater performance. I'm running the duet via GarageBand and have absolutely no problems. I only wish the breakout box came with it for the price. One of the reasons I chose the duet is that I won't have a need for it after this project and these seem to hold their resale value very well.
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
- Lightweight
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Events
- Home Studio
- Mobile DJ
- Performances
- Professional Recording
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
Very Easy Installation. Crisp Sound. Knocks The Mbox 2 Out of the water. I feel in love with this duet. Its a small package that packs a BIG punch.
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
- Lightweight
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Events
- Home Studio
- Mobile DJ
- Performances
- Professional Recording
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
I have used the Duet for every application I have been able to figure out so far, and it's a lot of fun to use. I love the glorified Volume Knob (Encoder) and the LED Level lights. The Maestro software is intuitive and the Manual is written clearly and simply. But, most importantly, the machine works and sounds great, just what I needed.
Pros
- 96khz24 bit
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
- Lightweight
- Versatile
Cons
- none
Best Uses
- Home Studio
- Professional Recording
- Video editing
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
I'm a professional Video Producer/Editor and previously was a Recording Engineer. I use the Duet with a Mac Book Pro in my home studio for side jobs and personal projects. I use it for editing in Final Cut Pro. Authoring DVD's (EMI Records) with DVD Studio Pro. Editing and mastering audio with Bias Peak. AND for fun with Garage Band and my Fender Telecaster. It integrates perfectly with each. The user interface is simple but powerful. The fact that the Duet supports 24 bit/ 96 Khz made it the best choice for all of these uses, but especially mastering. (I also do a lot of Field recording at 24/96).
The only limitation I have found in Final Cut Studio is I can't preview audio when capturing from tape during "Log and Capture" with an Canopus ADVC 300 FireWIre video interface. I assume that Final Cut can't "play through" audio between two Firewire devices on the same FIrewire buss (besides, that is not playing through). Not a big deal for me as I normally shoot digital (DVCPro HD or AVCHD) and FCP's "Log and Transfer" works fine with the Duet.
The headphone amp can really kick.
I also use it to transfer vinyl to digital. I have a Pro-Ject audiophile turntable and preamp. Like all turntables it took a little while to figure out the grounding to get the best transfers, because of the unbalanced I/O. It turns out my office light has a cheap built-in dimmer. Now with the dimmer off and the correct gain-staging I get fantastic transfers of my old (and new) vinyl.
The software mixer (Apogee Maestro) works as advertised and is easy to use, but I wish they would take it to the next level and add more features. Like being able to switch presets with one keystroke (like an F-Key). I use pre-sets for each application I have; playing guitar [Garage Band], editing video [FCP], etc. Activating different inputs, muting unused inputs and changing gain for the cleanest possible sound.
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Compact
- Easy To Use
- Lightweight
- Versatile
Cons
Best Uses
- Home Studio
- Professional Recording
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
I use the Duet to record Voice Overs into a Mac and it works great. Very good quality, easy to set-up, lots of options in a very elegant interface.
Pros
- Clear Sound
- Easy To Use
- Powerful
- Professional Functions
Cons
Best Uses
- Amateur Recording
- Events
- Music Videos
- Professional Recording
- Soundtracks
Comments about Apogee Electronics Duet - FireWire Audio Interface:
the duet is a dream, expect no complications coming from it. I've been using two tracks for film dialogue, which the duet gives me crisp and clean audio, and I've used for "direct in" recording. In either case the duet DOES color your sound (most interfaces do) in an apogee fashion, and many engineers don't like that, but it's a great and professional sound that couldn't be considered bad. It has the same converters/preamps as the apogee Rosetta, which is one of the best possible interfaces/converters in the world. Buy with confidence!
Displaying reviews 1-14
Cables
-
- Original: $14.95
- Save: $1.49
- Price: $13.46
Headphones
- Price: $109.95
Monitors
- Price: $299.00
Midi Controllers
- Price: $82.68
Midi Interfaces
- Price: $36.99
Data Storage Devices
- Price: $189.99
Microphones
- Price: $101.85
Software
- Price: $414.00
- Price: $519.00
Plug-Ins
-
- Original: $120.00
- Save: $16.00
- Price: $104.00
This item must be downloaded from the manufacturer's website. An authorization code will be emailed to you within 48 hours after purchase.
Virtual Instruments
- Price: $119.00
This item must be downloaded from the manufacturer's website. An authorization code will be emailed to you within 48 hours after purchase.
What's in the Box
- 1 m FireWire Cable
- Breakout Cable
- Software CD
- One (1) Year Warranty
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