Hardware Review: Apogee One

A few months ago, I wrote up an article about a few guitar-oriented audio interfaces, including units by IK Multimedia and Behringer. For some upcoming software reviews, I needed an interface with a bit more functionality, and I was also hoping to update my mobile monitoring situation - and maybe even replace my not-so-trustworthy Blue USB Microphone.

I finally got around to surfing for some options and ran across a unit that checked all the boxes for me: the Apogee One for Mac. It’s a small, USB-powered interface that includes both Hi-Z (guitar) and microphone inputs, a built-in ⅛” headphone jack and sports a satisfyingly large volume control on its face. It fits nicely alongside my Mac, and it features Apogee’s exceptional converters, so the sound is pretty stellar.

Using it is quite easy. There is an application (Maestro 2) you can download for detailed control, but most of the functionality is directly exposed to the Mac OS. It can be used as a system audio device, so it can be your input and output device for every application. But one of the secret tricks of the Apogee One is the built-in omnidirectional microphone. This cool add-on is a bright condenser that is super-useful for testing Max patches, quickly recording acoustic guitar or vocal lines or even recording that birdsong in the back yard. Having a higher-quality mic on-hand at all times is a great way to get surprise location recording, and really adds to the value of this interface.

Alas, the included USB cable is tragically long (but easily replaced with a mini-USB cable alternative), and the body is rather light, so your headphone cable can sort of drag it around your desktop. There is also no easy way to record stereo content; the two cabled inputs are separate connections for a microphone and a Hi-Z instrument (guitar or bass), so getting a gain match between them is not easy to accomplish. I also had a bit of spurious noise when I first used the instrument, but swapping out the USB cable seems to have solved the problem in every case except volume changes with the front-panel knob.

Other than those few complaints, I have nothing but praise for the Apogee One. It has become my new backpack-able interface, and it literally goes with me everywhere that my computer goes. Having it available to do triple-duty as my guitar interface, podcasting microphone and high-quality listening interface makes is a home run in my book.