Key Features:
ONE USB Music Interface
The Apogee ONE USB Interface is a pocket-sized music input
device featuring the award winning sound quality that made Apogee Electronics
famous. Designed to work easily with Apple's GarageBand, Logic, Final Cut, or
any Core Audio compliant application, Apogee ONE helps you create
professional recordings anywhere.
With Apogee ONE, you can record a
single channel of audio using the specially tuned enclosure microphone, an
instrument input for guitar, bass, or keyboard, or a world-class microphone
preamp input. Listening with ONE is an entirely new experience as well. Hear
your recordings and your iTunes library with incredible dimension and clarity
through ONE's studio-quality stereo output.
It's an Apogee:
Legendary Sound Quality at an Incredible Price
If you've been in a
commercial recording studio, you've probably seen Apogee gear. If you haven't,
you've heard it. Apogee products are preferred by recording pros around the
world and have set the industry standard in professional recording for over two
decades. ONE makes the legendary quality of Apogee available in a portable form
factor and at the lowest price ever for a premium computer recording
interface.
Take ONE Anywhere
ONE is powered by a USB
connection to your Mac and offers 24 bit audio at sample rates of 44.1 kHz or 48
kHz for pristine sound quality. With a footprint slightly larger than an iPhone,
ONE's compact size is travel friendly, allowing you to record and perform
professionally any place your music takes you.
There's a Mic
Inside: Tuned Aperture Microphone Technology
Unlike any interface in
its category, ONE features an internal reference condenser microphone that has
been fine-tuned by professional recording engineers to create Apogee's Tuned
Aperture Microphone technology. ONE with its tuned aperture microphone and
fitted with the optional custom mic mount is the ultimate portable recording
solution for
quickly capturing musical ideas, recording high quality demos,
rehearsals, podcasts, lectures, interviews, voice-overs and
more.
Choose your Mic: World-Class Mic Pre input
For
those who prefer the sound of their favorite microphone, ONE features a
worldclass microphone preamp with phantom power and a gain range of +10 to 63
dB. Based on the award winning mic preamps in Apogee's Ensemble and Duet, ONE's
preamp is digitally controlled by the encoder knob. Level can also be set from
within Apogee's Maestro, or your Mac's Sound and Audio MIDI Setup control
panels.
Guitar, Bass and Keyboards: Instrument
Inputs
Plug-in and play is made easy with ONE's instrument input.
Perfect for guitar, bass, and keyboard, ONE's instrument input has extremely low
noise and a transparent signal path making it the ideal solution for recording
or performing live with your Mac.
Headphones or Speakers: Studio
Quality Stereo Output
Hear your recordings in their truest form and
rediscover your iTunes library with ONE's studio quality stereo output.
Controlled by the encoder knob, the output of ONE is supplied by the 1/8" jack
on the front allowing connection to either headphones or powered
speakers.
ONE Touch Control: The multifunction encoder
knob
All of ONE's features are selectable and adjustable with just a
click and a turn. ONE's single encoder knob provides direct access to the tuned
enclosure microphone, external microphone, instrument and output functions for
input level and volume adjustment.
Features and Specifications:
-
Single channel input using one of the following three
options:
-
Internal reference condenser microphone
-
Balanced XLR microphone preamp input with +10 to 63 dB
of gain
-
Unbalanced 1/4” high impedance instrument input with 0
to 45 dB of gain
-
Software selectable 48V phantom power
-
Line-level, 1/8” stereo output for headphones or
unbalanced powered monitors
-
A/D and D/A conversion @ 44.1/48kHz, 24-bit
-
Multi-function encoder knob for input gain control and
output level control
-
4 encoder function LED indicators - internal
microphone, microphone input, instrument input, and output
-
3 segment LED input and output metering
-
Apogee's Maestro software for advanced control and low
latency mixing
-
Compatible with any Core Audio compliant audio
application
System Requirements:
-
Computer: Mac, with an Intel or PowerPC G5
processor
-
Memory: 1 GB minimum of installed RAM, 2 GB
recommended
-
OS: 10.5.7 or greater
-
Connection and Power: USB, powered by any available USB
port on the computer
In the Box:
Optional Accessories:
-
ONE Carrying Case
-
ONE Mic Mount
| Review at a Glance |
| What is it? |
One-in/two-out USB audio interface.
|
| What does it do? |
Connect one XLR or ¼” input to a computer and monitor in
stereo. |
Who would use it?
|
Songwriters, guitarists, podcasters.
|
How does it sound?
|
Great. |
| What is so great about it? |
Great Apogee sound quality at an entry level price. |
| What is not so great about it? |
Nothing.
|
| Review summary? |
Professional quality from a single input
device.
|
Apogee has been releasing some really great audio interfaces for the Mac over
the last few years. The Ensemble, the Duet and now…The One. Apogee has realized
a need for a high quality audio interface for users only needing to record input
at a time. Until now, the only single input audio interfaces were fairly low
quality affairs. Now users can get audiophile-quality I/O for only
$249!
Even for those with professional systems, the One offers us a great
mobile solution, especially considering the quality of the built-in condenser
microphone. Check out the video of Ozomatli recording with the One on the Apogee
website.
http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/one.php
I used One with Logic Studio. I had been using an M-Audio Firewire 410, so I
was excited to hear the difference between these two interfaces. Since the One
only offers a 1/8” stereo output, it was necessary to get an 1/8"stereo to dual
1/4" adapter cable. I stared by listening to some tracks in iTunes that I knew
well using the Firewire 410. Then I listened to the same tracks using the One.
The difference was night and day. Everything was better defined. The vocals that
were previously muddy were clear and up front. I was really impressed.
Next I tried recording some acoustic guitar tracks. I used both a dynamic and
a condenser mic with both the Firewire 410 and the One. I also used the internal
condenser mic on the One as well. Not only did both mics sound better on the
One, but the internal mic track sounded excellent! I wish I’d had the mic stand
mount for the One so I in order to optimize its placement when using the
internal mic (the mic mount is only $19.95). It’s a good idea to mount the One
on a small desktop mic stand to keep it safe and your desktop free of clutter.
There's also a padded case available to protect your investment for $24.95. As
you’re likely to be using the One on the go, it’s a good idea.
Apogee also includes a software application called Maestro. By making a few
simple assignments in Maestro, you can use the control knob to set the input and
output levels as well as mute the output. This worked great and was very
convenient. Maestro also lets users save and name all of these settings as
Maestro files. The ability to recall your mic pre level is invaluable when you
need to do overdubs on vocals. Additionally, the Maestro software is actually
built in to Apple Logic, Garage Band and Mainstage. This means that Maestro
settings are automatically saved when using these apps. Just save your session
settings and your Maestro settings with all other Core Audio applications.
Maestro also includes a near-zero latency monitor mixer. However I had no
problems with monitoring latency when using Logic, so I didn’t need it.
The One is a great sounding product. If you work on a Mac and only need to
record single track at a time, should pick “One” up!