Apogee Duet 2 for Macs

Apogee rolls out Duet 2 pro audio interface for Macs and this is the follow up to the original Duet and is designed specifically for Mac users.The new Duet 2 expectedly ditches FireWire in favor of USB and packs some completely redesigned mic preamps and converters…………

Duet 2 builds on the incredible success of its predecessor by incorporating customer feedback, adding advanced new features and delivering even better sound quality than the original.Duet 2 is the best solution for capturing your music to your Mac. With Duet 2, make studio quality recordings of vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, drums and anything musical. And because Duet 2 is portable you can take it anywhere your creativity takes you. When it’s time to mix, Duet 2’s output quality lets you hear your recordings with incredible detail and dimension allowing you to put the finishing touches on your musical project like a pro. Duet 2 sounds so amazing you won’t want to listen to your iTunes library without it.

Using the very latest technology and drawing upon the experience of developing Apogee’s new flagship audio interface, Symphony I/O, Apogee engineers rebuilt Duet to achieve a difference you can hear.From the mic preamps to the AD/DA converters, Duet 2 offers the best of everything Apogee, allowing you to capture your audio with even more clarity and dimension than the original Duet. This is professional sound quality you can take anywhere.The Duet 2 mic preamps feature a new design, all new components and seamless click-free transitions as the gain increases and decreases throughout the incredible range of 0-75dB. This unprecedented feature allows you to dial in the perfect level while delivering ultra-low noise and smooth, crisp detail. Most importantly, the Duet 2 mic preamps are optimized for any sound source, so no matter what you are recording you’ll capture every detail.

Much like the mic preamps, the Duet 2 AD/DA converters are an all-new design and deliver the purest recordings and best listening experience possible. This totally new design takes the personal studio to the next level with state-of-the-art components and next-generation conversion.New to Duet 2 is a full color OLED display. This high resolution screen is the main control center for Duet 2, delivering visual feedback for multiple functions including metering, numeric value for input and output levels, input grouping, and phase, muting, phantom power and Soft Limit indication. With this display you know the status of any input and output at any given moment without having to refer to Maestro or your recording software.Duet 2 also introduces configurable touch pads. The 2 touch pads, located on either side of the encoder knob, allow you to quickly access output functions such as “Mute Outputs”, “Dim Outputs”, “Sum to Mono” or “Toggle Headphone Source”. Each are assignable using a drop-down menu within Apogee’s new Maestro 2. This unique feature allows you to select the function you want and access it directly from Duet 2 without having to look at software.

Duet 2’s new breakout cable is greatly streamlined with 2 combination mic/instrument connectors (XLR and 1/4”) built into a single connector and 2 balanced 1/4” connectors for speakers. The elegant single cable-to-junction design allows for easy cable management and the locking connection to Duet 2 is robust and stylish.Designed exclusively for the Mac and made for GarageBand and Logic, Duet 2 is the perfect centerpiece for any personal, Mac-based studio. Duet 2 is also Core Audio compatible making it ideal for other music creation apps like Pro Tools, Ableton Live and Cubase.Duet 2 not only benefits from Symphony I/O’s sound quality development, it has been integrated into the completely redesigned Maestro 2 as well. This full version update features a new look and familiar single window, multiple tab interface for quick access to all device and system settings.It also includes touch pad assignment, Soft Limit selection, output assignments, dim and mute output selection, sample rate selection and an improved low latency mixer. Now all Duet 2 parameters and functions are packaged into a single window design for the most streamlined and user-friendly experience.

An Apogee technology first introduced in 1992 on Apogee’s AD-500 converter, Soft Limit can be heard on countless platinum selling records around the world. Once a technology exclusively reserved for Apogee’s most advanced audio converters, Soft Limit is now available in Duet.This superior analog design prevents the digital clipping that causes distortion by instantaneously rounding off transient peaks before they hit the analog-to-digital converter. Soft Limit allows several more decibels of apparent level to be recorded while subtly providing an analog-like warmth to the sound.By very popular demand Duet 2 includes 4 analog outputs. Stereo headphones or left & right mono speaker outs can be assigned in pairs to output 1-2 or 3-4 or the low latency mixer and each can be placed in stereo, mono, muted or dimmed modes.It is now possible for a DJ to monitor a separate mix in headphones while sending a house mix to the club, a live performer to send a click track to in-ear monitors while sending a backing track to front-of-house, and a recording engineer to send a headphone mix to the performer while dedicating the main outputs to studio monitors.

Available as a separate accessory for Duet 2 is a solidly built, aluminum breakout box with 2 1/4” instrument inputs, 2 XLR microphone inputs and 2 balanced XLR outputs. The breakout box features studio-quality I/O connectors and includes a 2 meter cable for connection to and from Duet 2.Duet 2 offers balanced outputs for connection to any studio monitor or outboard equipment. There are many benefits to balanced outputs including the ability to run cabling long distances, reduced susceptibility to external noise, as well as simply offering compatibility to a much wider variety of audio equipment over unbalanced connections.Along with its sleek aluminum chassis, the multi-function controller knob is one of the most recognizable features of Duet’s design. This central control feature allows you to quickly and easily toggle thru Duet 2’s inputs and outputs and set levels while looking at Duet 2’s dynamic OLED display.

System Requirements:

Computer: Intel Mac 1.5GHz or faster
Memory: 2 GB RAM minimum, 4 GB recommended
OS: 10.6.4 or greater
Connection and Power: USB, powered by any available USB port on the computer (DC power optional)

Compatible Software:

Compatible with any Core Audio compliant application including:

Logic
GarageBand
MainStage
Soundtrack Pro
Pro Tools 9
Albeton Live
Cubase

In the box:

Duet 2
Breakout Cable with:
- 2 Combination Line/Mic/Instrument Inputs
- 2 Balanced Line Outputs
2 Meter USB Cable
Universal Power Adapter for US, UK and EU
Quick Start Guide
Software download and installation instructions

Features:

USB 2.0 Mac audio interface
2 analog inputs; Combination Line/Mic/Instrument
4 analog outputs
- Balanced line outputs, +20 dBu maximum output level
- 1 Independent 1/4” stereo headphone output
2 Microphone preamps with up to 75dB of gain
A/D and D/A conversion at 24-bit/192kHz
Top panel high resolution OLED display
Multi-function controller knob
Two assignable top panel touch pads:
- Mute speakers, headphones or all outputs
- Assign headphones to outputs 1-2, 3-4 or low latency mixer
- Dim speakers, headphones or all outputs
- Sum to mono speakers, headphones or all outputs
Selectable 48v phantom power, Soft Limit and phase invert