Tascam FIREONE Firewire Audio Interface Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I recently upgraded to a MacBookPro with Logic 7 on it. I needed a control surface that was Firewire based and would allow good functionality and portability. This audio interface/control surface provides a nice touch. I went from an Ozone Midi controller to this because this one was Firewire-based AND I never was into using the keyboard. For my purposes, plugging a mic, guitar, bass and electronic drums this was a great option. It took a little bit of fiddling to work with a MacBookPro (with Tiger and Leopard) and involved a rollback of Firewire drivers/firmware which is available on the Tascam website.
Without the rollback, the control surface will not work (or will work unpredictably). This is a Mac/Logic 7 issue. Anyway, I'm pleased. It looks great, works great (after Fix for Mac OS X 10.4.10 FireWire) and seems very durable.
Time will tell.

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2-Channel FireWire Audio Interface. Large weighted backlit Jog Wheel. Programmable Function Keys. MIDI I/O. Includes recording software

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Logic Studio Retail Review

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(More customer reviews)I use to use Logic Pro back in the day of Atari Falcon and STE1080. then i went to PC and used Logic 4.7. Though i never used the audio with it back then due to the instability of the product. It was easier to use a Mackie HDR 24/96 with midi clock to sync.
Before obtaining Logic Studio i was using Ableton Live versions 5,6,7 and now 8. The reason i bring this up is that i am now back to Logic Studio Pro on a MacPro 8 Core. The major reason for this change back to Logic was for 3 main reasons that blow away Ableton 8:
* Midi control for external and internal instruments
* Clean, Tight, Dynamic Headroom, clarity of sound. Audio Engine is far better then Ableton even at 44.1 (though i use 96k)
* for the price and what you get, this software is incredible!
The new features of Logic Studio 9 is the Flex and Guitar suite. Though i have not been impressed with the flex (perhaps because i am not sure how to use it correctly yet) the Guitar suite is AMAZING. I have owned a Line 6 pro and a Line 6 bass pro and this Guitar Suite is amazing if you run it under 96k.
The Logic Pedal board has a great slew of guitar stomp pedals that sound amazing and better then most other emulations i have heard. the distortions are warm and tube like, unlike more software emulations i have heard. it rips just right even with a guitar straight into the A/D and processed by Logic. They have a Tape Delay that emulates the Roland 201 tape echo or EHX Memory Man Deluxe and it sounds sweet and mixes very well.
The automation features are tight and crisp as well. Though it takes a bit more time to get setup on Logic for controller setup then Ableton, it is tight once you get it there.
User friendliness is not as good as Ableton but then you are getting a more PRO engine then Ableton has thus been able to deliver. In Ableton it seems the 'warp marker' technology seems to 'fuzzy' then audio in such a degree that the clarity is not tight. the dynamic headroom and stereo separation is not there. I was wondering if i was loosing my mind, but it is not the A/D Presonus firepod it was the engine of the Ableton 8. Once on Logic Studio 9, the clarity and tightness of the mix returned. This proving this engine is far superior to Ableton for a studio mix.
NOTE: if you can handle the disk space and processing power required to run 96k, do it. It will tighten your mixes amazingly.
Should you buy this? here is my suggestion:
If you run a Mac it is worth the cost. for what you get for such a pro engine and features and plug-ins this blows away the competition. At now version 9.0.2, the system on Snow Leopard is stable. very stable. It runs cleaner and crisp on snow leopard with the 64bit processing. It utilizes all the cores effectively as well. With the new imac @ 4 cores, it really could be a mini pro monster for recording.
If you own a PC, you can't use Logic, so you have to consider Sonar, Cubase, Ableton, ProTools.
I have not tried protools due to the cost of upgrades and truly to use it as tight as the industry standard, it takes a year for upgrades to happen after a new OS and the cost is outrageous compared to Logic.
I have not tried Sonar. I have used Cubase. the engine is clean though cumbersome to use.
Hope this is helpful.

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With over 200 new features and enhancements, the new Logic Studio delivers everything musicians need to write, record, produce, and perform on a Mac. The center of Logic Studio is Logic Pro 9, which makes it easier than ever to create your own compositions. Produce and play nearly any sound imaginable with a huge collection of effects, instruments, and loops, including the new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins. Use MainStage 2 to perform live with the instruments, amps, effects, and sounds you used to make your tracks. Logic Studio also comes with applications and utilities that expand your creative options into audio post-production and mastering, including Soundtrack Pro 3, WaveBurner 1.6, and more.

Logic Studio. A studio on your Mac as big as your ambitions.

Top Features New Pedalboard with an assortment of 30 virtual stompbox pedals inspired by the classics.

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Gio Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Decided to add a GiO to my (Apogee Ensemble-based) system for controlling guitar effects in Logic Studio. It works perfectly, and as a guitar player I love having a pedalboard that integrates seamlessly with my new virtual amp and stompbox rigs! The color-coded LEDs are a nice touch, and I've really come to rely on them for at-a-glance operation while writing and recording. Clever design. I've also run the GiO as a primary interface using the guitar input and headphone output - which is absolutely great - perfect for a portable setup on a MacBook Pro. How they pull off all of that low-noise, high-res audio I/O running off USB power is amazing. You simply can't go wrong with this latest Apogee stuff - the folks in Santa Monica are certainly "using the old noodle" and coming up with some innovative and well-executed products - well done!

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The Apogee GiO is the complete guitar interface for Apple's Logic Studio 9, MainStage 2 and GarageBand '09. Combining effects control, recording functions and amazing sound quality, the GiO delivers total access to incredible sounding guitar amps and effects in a single foot controller and audio interface.Designed to work with the Apple Logic Studio 9 and MainStage 2, GiO allows guitar players to control recording functions, preset changes and plug-ins like Amp Designer and Pedalboard, along with Playback and Loopback features in MainStage. With GarageBand '09, Apogee GiO is truly plug-and-play pedal and lets users quickly connect their guitar, select and control built-in amps and stompboxes, and record.Stomp on it. Effects control without the mouse.Find your sound without going back and forth from your guitar to your Mac. With GiO, you can audition effects presets in GarageBand, Logic, and MainStage, and turn effects on and off while playing or recording . . . all without touching your keyboard.Hands-free recording. Apogee GiO frees you from key-command recording allowing you to concentrate on your performance and not the space bar. The five transport buttons on GiO let you record, play, stop and quickly navigate through your track without taking your hands off the neck of your guitar."Next" preset please. Previous and Next preset select buttons let you quickly audition and toggle between guitar amps and effects presets in Logic and GarageBand and the patch lists in MainStage.Instrument inputGiO's ¼" instrument input features Apogee's world-class instrument preamp and converters. Hear and record your guitar's true tone straight into Apple's GarageBand, Logic and MainStage without compromise. The Apogee GiO is optimized for all pickup configurations from the most basic single coil to sophisticated active electronics setups.MIDI Expression pedal inputGiO's Expression control pedal input allows access to traditional effects like wah-wah, and volume. Also, contr

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Apogee ONE USB Interface with Microphone Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm a new MacPro owner and bought the Apogee One so that I could plug in my guitar and use Garageband. I did a bunch of research on the different interfaces and picked the "One" because of the reviews and the price. I'm certainly not disappointed.This thing works way better than I expected. It is sleek, low profile, simple to hook up and sounds great. I was kind of worried that I read USB connections had more issues with latency than Firewire. That is certainly not the case here. I can detect ZERO latency. I plugged my Bose computer speakers into the One's headphone jack and my guitar sounds great. And it works great with the Mac and Garageband.
Anyway, I could ramble on but need to get back to practice.Excellent product. Thank you Apogee!

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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 TechnologyUnlike any interface in its class, 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 inputFor 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 65 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 InputsPlug-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 OutputHear 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 knobAll...

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