Written and compiled by Music Tech Magazine’s recording experts

MusicTech Focus: Recording

£8.99

WITH 12 VIDEO TUTORIALS WITH 12 VIDEO TUTORIALSFREE INSIDE

INCLUDING THREE HOURS OF VIDEO TUTORIALS!

RecordingThe in-depth guide for the creative musician

Record

ing The in-depth guide for the creative musician

ww

w.m

usictechmag.co.uk

FEATURING… Recording guitars, drums, vocals, strings and more

Advanced recording tips Recording with your DAW Processing your recordings Mobile recording

EXPERT STUDIO ADVICE

Written and compiled by Music Tech Magazine’s recording experts

9781906

925154

ISBN 978-1-906925-15-4

MusicTech Focus: Recording

£8.99

WITH 12 VIDEO TUTORIALS WITH 12 VIDEO TUTORIALSFREE INSIDE

INCLUDING THREE HOURS OF VIDEO TUTORIALS!

RecordingThe in-depth guide for the creative musician

Record

ing The in-depth guide for the creative musician

ww

w.m

usictechmag.co.uk

FEATURING… Recording guitars, drums, vocals, strings and more

Advanced recording tips Recording with your DAW Processing your recordings Mobile recording

EXPERT STUDIO ADVICEHOW TO MAKE THEBEST RECORDINGSEVERY TIME

EXPERT STUDIO ADVICEHOW TO MAKE THEBEST RECORDINGSEVERY TIMEHOW TO MAKE THE BEST RECORDINGSEVERY TIME

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST RECORDINGSEVERY TIME

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST RECORDINGSEVERY TIME

EXPERT STUDIO ADVICE

FEATURING… Recording guitars, drums, vocals, strings and more

Advanced recording tips Recording with your DAW Processing your recordings Mobile recording

100%RECORDINGKNOW-HOW

ONEManufacturer Apogee 

Price £211

Contact Sonic Distribution 0845 5002500

Web www.apogeedigital.com 

 S o you’re probably thinking ‘Oh no, not another digital audio interface’ and actually you’d be right. This really isn’t just

another digital audio interface. What’s more, anybody who regards the term ‘professional USB music interface’ as oxymoronic may have to think again.

So what’s special about the Apogee ONE? Well for starters Apogee might say that its primary function isn’t really audio interfacing at all. The ONE is

  Key Features●  Internal 

condenser microphone

●  Lots of mic input gain

●  Multi-function encoder knob

●  Very low latency performance

●  Dimensions: 2.25” W x 4.75” L x 1” H

actually a high quality microphone with very high quality digital to analogue converters thrown in plus a microphone preamp with up to 63dB of gain.

If you don’t want to use the on board mic, a ‘break out’ cable is supplied with two audio connections – a quarter inch jack socket for guitars, basses and even mono keyboards plus an XLR for conventional microphones. What about phantom power? That’s no problem either, so long as your Mac computer or USB hub can supply enough juice.

Mac onlyThe ONE is a Mac only product and you’ll need a G5 or an Intel computer running OS X 10.5.7 or greater with 1GB minimum of RAM installed, but preferably 2G. Although the Quick Start Guide only covers Garage Band any Core Audio software designed for Macs is said to be compatible. Apogee include Garage Band, Logic Studio, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Digital Performer, Cubase, Nuendo and Sountrack Pro in their list. Multiple ONEs can also be used simultaneously if you’re recording groups of musicians and you can also combine the ONE with other Apogee products such as the GiO.

The unit itself feels reassuringly solid and optional accessories include a mic stand clip, a tabletop mic stand and a padded carry case. You can also buy a 3m USB cable to replace the absurdly short cable supplied as standard. The on board mic is visible beneath the multifunction silver control knob that selects input and output sources and adjusts levels and volume.

Getting up and running was simple and entirely problem free. Once the Apogee software was installed and the One was connected we were up and running straight away. So we decided to assess the on board connectors first and the ONE’s audio output was plugged into our usual monitoring system.

With the audio output window selected in System Preferences we merely switched between the ONE, the Mac’s on board soundcard and a MOTU 828MkII. We expected the ONE to better the Mac soundcard and we weren’t disappointed in that respect, but we also preferred the Apogee to the MOTU. Bass seemed deeper and more solid, ambient sounds had a greater sense of roominess and the stereo image was slightly better defined.

ConvertedGranted, Apogee is a company that’s renowned for the quality of its

The Apogee ONE is a ‘professional USB music interface’ featuring an on board microphone, quarter inch and XLR analogue inputs and high quality digital converters. Huw Price plugs in.

converters, but what about the microphone? Once again we were extremely impressed because the on board mic sounds ultra clean, there was no discernible noise and, besides a slight lift in the treble, it was remarkably natural and uncoloured.

With the ONE microphone you’re certainly not restricted to sketching out your ideas with a view to re-recording them later.

Next we tried the line input with a passive electric guitar. Achieving a workable level was no problem whatsoever and we had fun loading up various amp and pedal models in Garage Band and Logic. You can monitor the direct signal through the ONE, but even with the processing latency was so low it was unnoticeable. Since only the direct sound from the guitar is recorded, you can even send the signal back through an amplifier later and re-record the part with any sound you like.

The Apogee ONE does all the things that a USB microphone can do, plus it enables you to connect any conventional microphone to your computer via USB. The quality of the monitoring, whether you’re listening through speakers or headphones, is in a completely different league to most USB products. When you take into account the street price the ONE looks like a pretty amazing deal. MTF

 Apogee 

 ONE

  Measuring UpOther products like these 2200USB (£289) provide a high quality USB microphone signal with on board monitoring, or you can use a Mic Port Pro (£149) to connect any conventional microphone via USB and provide monitoring. But when you factor in a high impedance analogue input and a high quality built in microphone, the Apogee ONE is really out there on its own.

MTM Verdict

WHY BUY+ All in one USB recording solution+ Impressive on board mic+  Very impressive converters+  Noise free+  Simple problem free setup+ Easy connectivity 

WALK ON BY-  Mac only-  Mono recording only-  Maximum 48 KHz sample rate-  Short USB cable

A superb product that proves beyond doubt that USB audio is capable of working flawlessly and delivering professional results.

★★★★★★★★★★

MusicTech focus Recording Techniques 115 www.musictechmag.co.uk

Apogee ONE Reviews MTF