Recording - December 2013 - 10

Reviews by Paul Vnuk Jr. and Mike Metlay

It's that time of year again! We're always on the lookout for pro
audio and music items that we think would make cool gifts for our
readers, and this Gift Guide gives us a chance to share our findings
with you. Remember that every recommendation you'll find in
these pages is based on an actual review, so you can purchase
with confidence. Happy holidays, and here come the goodies!-MM

Apogee ONE for iPad and MAC
& Duet for iPad and Mac
$349 and $649; www.apogeedigital.com

The first two products for our Gift Guide are from the wizards at
Apogee. The Apogee ONE and Duet have both received significant
upgrades and both now sport the product tagline of "for iPad and Mac"!
Editor Mike Metlay gave us our first look at the ONE back in our
December 2010 Gift Guide. The original model is still in production and is a 1-in/2-out USB interface that captures 24-bit audio at
sample rates of 44.1 or 48 kHz. It is handheld device about the
size of an average cell phone, made of high density plastic and
dressed in black. It features a large multifunction silver dial on its
face for control as well as LED input metering and source selection.
Recording is handled by a choice of an onboard wide cardioid
capsule microphone nestled in its front that uses Apogee's Tuned
Aperture Technology, or (with a breakout cable) with a choice of
1
/4" instrument input or a female XLR jack complete with phantom
power for use with your favorite microphone. Its stereo output was
handled by a mini jack and it connected to a computer (Mac only!)
for both its sound and power via a mini USB cable.
10

RECORDING December 2013

While Mike liked most everything about the ONE, he did
have a wish list that included higher resolution audio capability and to be able to use a mic and the instrument input at the
same time. He also mentioned an optional mic-stand clip
accessory which he called "too handy not to have." Well, the
new ONE for iPad and Mac (I suppose calling it the "ONE 2"
would have been weird) is a whole new beast that holds to the
spirit of the original but adds multiple features and improvements, many of which were on that wish list.
The new model is slightly larger, this time the size of a TV
remote and made of die-cast aluminum. It retains its multifunction silver dial and LED metering, while adding a second
LED input row; the new version is a 2-input device where you
can record with one of the microphones and the instrument
input at the same time.
Further new features include a completely redesigned mic
capsule, upgraded converters with support for sample rates
up to 96 kHz, USB 2.0 compatibility (the original was only
1.1), and in addition to bus power the new model can also
be powered by two AA batteries or with an included DC wall
wart. This new power scheme is important, since the ONE's
biggest new feature, as its name suggests, is that it is also
compatible with iPads, iPods and iPhones (including iOS 7),
and its power can charge them as they work. With that in
mind, the ONE for iPad and Mac includes both the old-school
30-pin iPad/iPhone docking cable as well as a Lightning
cable for newer models (no USB Camera Connection Kit
needed). It now also comes stock with the mic stand cradle!
Moving on to the ONE's bigger brother, Apogee has also
revamped the Duet 2 as the Duet for iPad and Mac (although
maybe this should have been the Duet 3). Reviewer Nick Casares
took us through the original Firewire Duet back in August 2008,
and in February of 2012 Mike Metlay introduced the new
revamped USB 2.0 Duet 2. So what's new in the newest Duet?
The Duet for iPad and Mac is a desktop interface about the size
of a small portable hard drive. Functionwise it also makes use of
Apogee's single silver knob and two touch surface buttons. Rather
than LED indicators it uses a full-color OLED display. The Duet for
iPad and Mac is a 2-input/4-output device, with mic/instrument/line inputs and line outputs on a breakout cable and a frontedge 1/4" headphone jack for Outputs 3 and 4. The headphone
jack can also be assigned to mirror Outputs 1 and 2.
The changes between the older Duet 2 and the new model are
not as numerous as with the ONE, but it does offer two significant
upgrades. First and foremost, like its smaller sibling, it is now fully

http://www.apogeedigital.com

Recording - December 2013

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