User manual

and sound very focused, producing outstanding results even
with dynamic microphones. Soft Limit is a nice touch, too, as
it helps avoid unpleasant-sounding overloads while lending
a slight analogue character to sounds as they approach the
maximum level the converters can handle. With this switched
on, it is very difficult to overcook the signal level.
I found the touch interface so intuitive that I hardly noticed
that there’s only one knob to adjust everything. Integration
with the Maestro software is smooth and seamless, and using
it to activate phantom power, polarity-invert switches and
suchlike is actually less of a chore than bending down to find
the physical switches on a conventional interface that might
be stuck in a rack an arm’s reach away.
I checked out the ADAT side of the unit using an external
eight-channel RME unit, and this locked to the Quartet with
no fuss. Its inputs showed up as numbers 5 to 12 in the system
and I was in business.
Impressions
We live in a world where the top professional studios use
pretty much the same computer/software systems as those
of us further down the food chain. The main area in which
pro studios are better specified than project studios is in
terms of what’s hooked up to the front and back ends of the
computer, and the audio interface is a very big part of that.
Yes, you can buy an audio interface with twice the I/O at half
the price of the Quartet, but the converters and mic preamps
will probably not sound nearly as good. On many of them,
you can hear digital crosstalk and interference from the USB
connection grumbling away in the background if you need to
run the mic amps at a high gain setting, as you might when
using a ribbon mic. I tested for this on the Quartet. Recording
ambient room noise with a passive ribbon mic at very high
gain settings, and then normalising the result, showed up only
room sound and a little honest electronic hiss. There have
been occasions when trying this test with lesser interfaces
has produced a result reminiscent of a fax machine being fed
through a coffee grinder.
When judging the value of something like the Quartet,
you have to factor in what it might cost you to add decent
mic preamps to a more mundane interface, and also the cost
of a separate monitor controller. You also have to consider
logistics: where is everything going to fit? The Quartet
provides a compact solution capable of true ‘big boys’
performance, and the minuscule quality difference between
it and those truly
esoteric devices
costing 10 times
as much really is in
the realm of ‘But
will it affect record
sales?’
Intel Mac with 1.5GHz processor or faster, 2GB RAM •
minimum, 4GB recommended, OS 10.6.8 or higher.
The Quartet works with any Core Audio compatible •
application including Logic, GarageBand, MainStage,
Final Cut, Pro Tools, Live, Digital Performer, Studio One,
Cubase and Nuendo.
System Requirements
£1258.80 including VAT. £
Sonic Distribution T
[phone].
[e-mail]
E
www.sonic-distribution.com W
www.apogeedigital.com W
www.soundonsound.com / November 2012
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