Apogee Quartet USB Audio Interface for Mac and PC

I love Apogee converters and the Quartet doesn’t disappoint. It’s a big step in connectivity from the Duet with 4 inputs as well as adat. It’s a shame it doesn’t have adat out or spdif but the back it pretty crammed as it is. I love the big dial / button, so convenient and fast to mute, control etc. The clock is great, I use it as master to a second interface and there is a noticeable difference. Soft limit is also great for muppets like me who occasionally balls up the mic gain.

Recently upgraded from my Duet 2, and let me say I am very happy with the results I am getting with the Quartet. To top it of it came with the WAVES Gold Bundle plug-ins that I use in Logic Pro X.... can't go wrong with that! Although my Duet 2 had great D/A converts too, the quartet sounds even more 'warm' and 'analog' when it comes to tracking guitar and/or vocals. I just love how much head room the pre-amps gives me when it comes to compressing and mixing my audio files. As very as features and button/switches layouts I can say those are very easy to figure out. I have 2 sets of studio monitors connected on my outputs and I am able to switch back and forth between them when I am referencing mixes... or I can use all 4 monitors all at once. Apogee has great software that comes with it's interfaces as well, leaving you total control as far as assigning input/outputs, adjusting levels, and assigning buttons A,B, and C for different tasks. Overall I'm very impressed... I've been producing and recording music for 10 years and this is the best interface I have owned. It has made my workflow so much better. Works perfect in my home studio.

Several times I have had to restart logic or maestro o initialize the core audio on a project to make it sop clicking or making a weird noise. I feel for the price, it should just work easily. So I still seek the holy grail of computer-based recording, this is pretty good, but it should be better.

At this time, Apogee is one of two brands of audio interfaces that the Apple website sells. With that in mind, you can assume the quality, appearance and integration must match Apple products' standards. There is no disappointment. Most reviews have noted, sometimes somewhat dismissively, that this is a good looking product. Guilty as charged. This is completely, 100% unimportant in the act of creating music, BUT almost ever music creator who has seen my music station has commented on it, admiringly. It matches the appearance of my iMac and looks like it naturally belongs next to my iPad. Again, this is NOT important. Don't spend $1,500 because some visiting guitarist is going to give you a nodding approval at your good looking gadget. But I am human and it has been pleasing to me all the same. The layout and organization of the buttons and functions is VERY Apple: efficient and minimal. It doesn't need an instructional manual. And like Apple, it doesn't offer a huge amount of options for customization. The three function buttons have one of six abilities to choose from, most of which I myself found pretty useless. Off the top of my head, I can't think of what I would have those buttons alternatively do, but it would be neat if those sharp minds found more than an audio dimmer and sum-to-mono function to offer. But just as with the appearance of the Quartet, this isn't hugely important. The main functions of an audio interface are very easy to access and control. I might even go so far to say that it is pleasing, in the way any well designed, well made car is pleasing to drive though they all go from Point A to Point B the same. I use the Quartet both on my iMac and my iPad. I upgraded from an M-Audio ProFire 2626, giving up the eight tracks for four so that I would have the option to record on my iPad. That ability is the main reason I was interested in a new audio interface. Is this the right interface for just a desktop or laptop? I don't know. But for the iPad, it is probably the best you are going to get. Having to access a power source is a tiny bit limiting, but it's great that it charges the iPad as it's plugged in and you have the option to plug a USB MIDI controller into the Quartet and use that simultaneously as audio recording. The ProFire was an excellent device that I used on many recordings and was about as profession as a novice like me would actually want. So I was surprised that the audio sounded better from the Quartet. Great tone and clarity. Thus far I have mostly used it for recording interviews for a podcast, and my partner in that endeavor says the switch has been like night and day. I don't note THAT big of a difference, but am very pleased in the clean sound that is so essential for recordings of just the human voice. Also, the in-device soft compression has been extremely helpful for upping the volume without worrying about the dynamic range the human voice can have. No more clipping out when soft speakers break out laughing, for example. I also use the Quartet into my iMac with Logic Pro and it works as expected. Not quite plug-and-play, as you have to use the separate application of a Maestro for your first set up. It is frustrating that you have to go into that separate application to switch an input from a mic (XLR) to a instrument (1/4"). I've never had an interface that didn't know which was which without. It's strange you have to tell The Quartet via some separate application. The Maestro application, and all that it entails, is a slight ding against The Quartet, but it is very minor. It is the reason why I gave four stars instead of five. Simply put, this device is the best I could hope for. It was worth the cost for someone who takes their non-professional recording projects very seriously and I doubt that there is any better interface for the iPad.

I had a problem with the package in the first time, and there was some missing cables. Then I asked Amazon to replace my Quartet, because I tought it could be some already returned unity. After receiving the new Quartet I can only say that this is an AMAZING equipment! Just Amazing! Everything works perfectly from the hardware through the software and its integration with Logic Pro X. The sound quality is incredible!

I bought this product to install into my home studio as the main audio interface. However when I got it, all I got was the device wrapped in thin bubble wrap - no box, no cables, no instructions, nothing. I paid so much money for this and all I got was the unit, which is completely useless without anything else. I ended up returning it and bought it from Sweetwater instead, which is a much better decision if you plan on purchasing it. Don't get me wrong, the product is amazing - I love Apogee and this is the perfect audio interface for my home setup since it's both a professional interface and monitor controller with iOS and Mac compatibility. I just wish Apogee products also supported Windows but I knew that coming into the purchase..