Pro Tools and Apogee Duet
 

I am planning on buying either the Apogee Duet One or Apogee Duet 2 to run Pro Tools 9. I am concerned about Apogee Duet 2’s USB 2.0 connection (As opposed to FireWire in Duet One). The latency on the spec suggests Duet 2 to be better. My question is, since I work with projects that have 50+ tracks will Duet 2 be a better buy? Or should I go with the Duet One and the FieWire connection? Thanks for any input regarding this.

Duet One: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/One/

Duet 2: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Duet2/

Re: Pro Tools and Apogee Duet
 

The fact that you are working with 50+ tracks has nothing to do with your audio interface, or USB vs. Firewire. The Duet series is only capable of a few simultaneous tracks in and out- and both USB 2.0 and Firewire have plenty of bandwidth to accomplish this. I would go with the Duet 2- because it's current, and has the best chance of being supported by Apogee long into the future (drivers, etc...) There are some other advantages to the Duet 2 like higher sample rate, etc... the advantages to the ONE is the built in mic (if you need that)- the Duet 2 has 2 built-in pre's though...

http://imsproav.com/main/APOGEEDUET2.html

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this...

Re: Pro Tools and Apogee Duet
 

Not true. It will affect how well how well his computer performs. If you purchase the original Duet you won't be able to run below a buffer of 256 without getting DAE errors. So even though it's firewire it won't be a good choice.

I have no idea whether this will get better with the new Duet.

I would look into something from RME personally.

Carl

Re: Pro Tools and Apogee Duet
 

@Carl- it does not have to do with how well the 'computer performs' in this case, because the Duet series is only capable of a couple of ins and outs, and both Firewire and USB have plenty enough bandwidth to handle this amount of audio I/O in a modern computing environment.

How well his computer performs is all about his computer, mainly his processor and the speed of his recording drives.

For more information on buffer sizes, etc.. check out Appendix 'A' in the Pro Tools FAQ and Troubleshooting guide. This is a pretty good explanation of what buffer sizes mean for host-based audio recording and processing.

Re: Pro Tools and Apogee Duet
 

Not all devices are equal and the Duet craps out at a buffer under 256. It's just not as stable as other devices. We're not talking about his computer but his computer's perfomance with ProTools.

If he needs to go below a buffer of 256 the Duet is not the answer.

It's not just the interface but the driver for it that affects PT performance. It's common knowledge that some devices work better than others with regards to PT (regardless of how many I/O thay have). To tell some otherwise is not right.

Carl

Re: Pro Tools and Apogee Duet
 

Thanks guys for the feedback. I am in the process of upgrading my system. So when it is all said and done it will be running on a Mac Pro 2.4 GHz 8 Core with 8 GB RAM.

Re: Pro Tools and Apogee Duet
 

You might consider looking at interfaces that have more I/O. Maybe you don't need them today but at some point you might. If you're investing in a MacPro, then you are probably looking for an expandible system and more I/O is a good investment. Often people who get a 2 input interface run ou of inputs as soon as they try to track drums or a small band. The interface may cost more in total but actually cost less per channel of input.

If your decision is between the One and Duet 2, I would go with the Duet 2, as the connectors are all on the breakout cable as opposed to the One, where the mini jack on the front is for stereo output, plus a breakout cable for the inputs. It makes for a cleaner desk with the Duet 2.

Sound wise, I believe the Duet has 75db in the preamps as opposed to 65db with the One. Conversion quality on both would be high.

I have the original Duet and quite like the sound quality. It's amazing what a difference it made over my older Presonus Firebox.

I would also consider the RME products as well.

Re: Pro Tools and Apogee Duet
 

You've missed Carl's point, which is entirely valid. Simultaneous I/O is not the issue he raised.

Re: Pro Tools and Apogee Duet
 

I haven't kept up with discussions regarding the original Duet and PT9, but I routinely track my guitar at a 64 or 128 buffer with the original Duet in PT9. Is this a common issue - not being able to go below 256 with the Duet?
I'm using OSX 10.6.4 on a Core i3 iMac with 12 gigs of ram.