Apogee Duet FireWire Audio Interface (Mac)
Inspiration is a gift that can come to you anywhere and at anytime. As an artist you need to be prepared. And, you need a collaborator to help you capture it with ease and without compromise... Meet Duet. Duet is a portable audio interface that features the amazing sound quality that made Apogee Electronics famous. With control functions built directly into Apple’s Logic Pro, Soundtrack Pro and GarageBand software, Duet empowers you to create professional recordings effortlessly. With Duet, you can plug in guitars, keyboards and microphones and record your music, or simply experience how much better your favorite tracks in iTunes sound. Duet is compact and powered by FireWire, so you can pack up your studio and go anywhere your music takes you.
What can you do with Duet?
Record
Duet features two superb microphone inputs, each with phantom power and up to 75dB of gain. With Duet, you can record a pristine vocal track while playing your guitar or keyboard, stereo mic your acoustic or even capture a live concert.
Play
Duet’s dual, 1/4” high impedance inputs are ideal for any combination of two instrumentalists: guitar and bass, bass and keyboard, guitar and guitar, etc. Simply plug into the breakout cable inputs labeled with the corresponding instrument icons and jam or record using your favorite Core Audio-compatible application.
Listen
Whether it’s through the 1/4” outputs to your powered speakers or via the headphone jack, Duet delivers the amazing sound quality Apogee is known for. With Duet’s multi-function controller knob, you can easily toggle back and forth between your monitors and headphones, control the volume and mute playback. Duet’s studio reference-quality sound combined with simple and powerful control features make it an ideal choice for creating music or simply delivering the ultimate iTunes listening experience.
Record and Podcast
Along with exceptional sound quality and powerful control features Duet also offers incredible ease-of-use for recording. With software integration into Apple’s OS X, GarageBand, Logic and Soundtrack Pro, Duet empowers you with an interface designed exclusively for the Mac, making the technology of recording easy and elegant so you can focus on creating great music. And, with its unique GarageBand integration, Duet makes creating high-quality audio for Podcasting easy.
Duet is directly integrated into GarageBand , Logic Pro and Soundtrack Pro.
Mastering Duet: Take Control with Maestro
Duet is the first two-channel audio interface with control functions built directly into Apple’s Logic Pro, Soundtrack Pro and GarageBand... But what if you want to use Duet with another audio application on your Mac? Enter Apogee's Maestro software. With Maestro, you can control all of Duet’s capabilities and settings and use Duet with any Core Audio-compatible application. Everything Duet is capable of and more is easily controlled and configured within Maestro.
Additionally, Maestro lets you assign MIDI function controls such as level adjustment, panning and song position to Duet’s controller knob. You can also configure the controller knob to mute your headphones or monitors with a simple click. No matter what software you use with Duet, Maestro will give you the control you need.
Maestro's settings, controls and functions:
- Input source selection
- Input level control
- Input source grouping
- Output level and type
- Output muting
- Mic/instrument gain mode
- Assigning meter display
- Over hold parameters
- Assignable MIDI device control
- Song position access
- Low latency mixing
Dialing in Duet: The Multi-function Controller Knob
Ensemble introduced advanced software control with Maestro and its dual, multi-purpose control knobs, and Duet refines and expands the control knob feature. With the assignable MIDI and selective muting options in Maestro, Duet’s control knob becomes a one-touch manager of all your I/O functions while totally simplifying the process of recording and listening.
Break Out: Duet’s Input and Output Connection Cable
The I/O breakout cable that comes with Duet makes connecting microphones, instruments and speakers easy and elegant. Each high-quality connector is clearly labeled with the corresponding icon and the speaker connectors are distinguished by a unique purple slider.
The separation of the connectors allows you to direct and group your inputs and outputs anyway you want to, while providing a natural strain relief between Duet and the items connected. The breakout cable also greatly reduces Duet’s footprint on your desktop and makes its sleek, low profile design, ergonomic and comfortable to use.
On the Level: Input and Output LED Metering
You wouldn’t expect it on a box this small, but Duet has it; Input and output LED meters. With a simple setting in Maestro, Duet lets you monitor your instrument and mic input levels or the output level going to your powered speakers and headphones.
Fired Up: Bus Powered FireWire Let’s you Take Duet Anywhere
Duet is the first bus powered FireWire interface in the Apogee family. Which means your computer powers Duet, liberating you from a wall socket. So with Duet, a laptop and a little gear, you can roam to wherever your creativity takes you and make incredible sounding recordings in an inspired space.
- Two channels of professional-quality 24-bit/96kHz audio input and output
- 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 -10 dBV line outputs for powered speakers
- Multi-function controller knob for volume and input gain control and assignable MIDI control
- Multi-segment LED meters to display input or output levels
- FireWire 400, compatible with Mac OS X Core Audio
- Control functions built directly into Apple’s Logic Pro, Soundtrack Pro and GarageBand
- Compatible with any Core Audio-compliant audio application
- Apogee’s Maestro software for advanced control and low latency mixing
System Requirements
- Computer: Mac G4 1GHz or faster, G5 or Intel CPU
- Memory: 1 GB RAM minimum, 2 GB recommended
- OS: 10.4.10 or greater
- Connection: FireWire 400 port
Package Contents
- Duet
- Breakout Cable
- FireWire Cable
- Apogee Software CD
- User’s Guide
