I’ve been recording my own music for nearly a decade now, and I’ve gone through a huge amount of hardware, and an even larger amount of software. From Cubase to Nuendo to Pro Tools and now to Logic Pro. I’ve generally liked them all, but as I’ve matured as an engineer, I begin looking for different things in a DAW, and some satisfy more than others. But in a nutshell, I’ve had my hands on a bit of gear over the years.
I switched to Logic Pro fairly recently and was excited to no longer be tied to using my Mbox2, which I used with Pro Tools. I was never very happy with the Mbox2. I’ve always felt the preamps sound crummy, and the A/D converters left a lot to be desired. In fact, I felt that way about all the Digidesign gear I owned, including my 003 console. It bothered me, particularly because the hardware is so expensive.. but so it goes–I dealt with it. Until Now. Fast forward to last week.
ONE
Before I had entirely decided to replace my Mbox2 (after all, it still worked with Logic, although still sounded crummy), I was looking for a portable interface to use with my MacBook Pro while I was on the go. I really only needed one input, and USB would be just fine. I came across Apogee’s ONE, which is a fairly new USB single input interface from a company known world-wide for their very high end digital audio gear. Having lusted over the Duet for a year or so now, I figured at $250, I couldn’t go wrong with the ONE. I thought I knew what I was going to get out of it, but boy was I mistaken!
First, the ONE is a very compact device–smaller than your average cell phone. It has one large knob on it, just like it’s older sibling, and comes with a small breakout cable with an instrument input, and an XLR input. After installing the software and plugging it in, the first thing I noticed was how crisp and clean everything sounded. Through my Ultrasone headphones, I heard things in my music I had never heard before–it was truly stunning. At this point, I realized Apogee did the D/A converter right. Secondly, the ONE has a built-in condenser microphone in the front of the unit. Built-in mics usually sound hokie, but this one sounds amazing, and arguably better than some $250 microphones out there. Not only did the built-in mic sound great, but everything I threw at it sounded awesome too–lightyears better than my Mbox2. In fact, I was so satisfied with the ONE, I decided the next day to go out and replace my Mbox2 with a Duet.
DUET
But before I spent all those pennies, I decided to read a few reviews to make sure I wasn’t hyping it up to much. There are literally nothing but positive reviews about the Duet online, and I feel a little foolish writing yet another one to add to the pile. That said, I cannot help it–I need to vent (in a good way!). I went ahead and bought the Duet, and got it running with Logic Pro on my iMac in under 10 minutes. It’s an incredibly easy to use interface with excellent software and it makes setup a breeze. (Sorry Windows people, Apogee interfaces are Mac only!). I immediately noticed everything I noticed with the ONE. Cleaner sounds, awesome preamps, tons of headroom, and amazing converters.
So, do I have any gripes? Well, I’m not a huge fan of breakout cables. But then again, I’m not a huge fan of having 8 connectors on the back either. I believe I will grow to like it more. I have all my connectors for my Duet securely zip tied as to not add any strain and prematurely wear out the breakout cable. I will not be traveling with the Duet, so a solid permanent installation is fine. The ONE is for traveling! Other than that though, I’m 100% satisfied and cannot recommend these devices enough. These products are in the consumer-level price range but don’t be fooled–this is serious audio gear. Throw away your M-Audio or your Mbox2. Buy Apogee, I swear it will change your life.