Apogee Comes to Palm Recording Studio

Well I sold some older gear on eBay and have decided to upgrade my Laptop Rig and Live rig to an Apogee Duet. Its so nice and small will take less room than the MOTU Ultra Light and I can use this as my live set up for gutiar. I will be using this with Logic Pro 8, Garage Band, Sound Track, and I will also be using the Native Instruments Guitar Rig 2&3. That will be my live set up no more gear to carry around. Hear are some specks:
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.

Price: $495

Pro Audio Review's "PAR Excellence 2007"

Audio Media's "Gear of the Year 2007"

Sing
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.

Visit the Apple sites:
GarageBand>
Logic Pro>
Soundtrack Pro>

Duet's GarageBand control panel

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 control panels
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 simple and clear. 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.

Duet's Break out cable is flexible and easy to use with input and output icons for your instruments, microphones and powered speakers.

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 Lets 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.