I believe he is saying that just a firmware upgrade would not allow Duet(any interface) to charge or talk to Maestro (iOS in general). That it had to be a hardware upgrade.

He states that "We have a few reasons we didn't just do a firmware upgrade..." and "Other audio interfaces without this technology, including Apogee products can be adapted to connect via Camera kit to iOS devices but they do not offer the same professional performance and features customers should expect from a pro interface. Like iPad charging and software control.."

They wanted those profesionals features so they decided not go the firmware route, but it seems some functionality could have been provided just by firmware update.

Without creating a back and forth here, since I hate when threads get away from the point. If I were you I would just get on the phone with Apogee and ask. From my understanding, despite the wording, you "can" connect a duet via a powered hub and a camera connection kit although even a firmware update would not allow it to communicate with Maestro.

Just give them a call, I am sure they would by happy to give you an answer or.. maybe they will post again and clarify.

The UCX

Well RME are more boutique. It's a very small company. And Apogee are more mass market orientated making podcasting mics for the iPad etc.

I am also very interested in the answer to this question. What are the reasons the 30-pin adapter is required, and will it be discontinued at some point in favor of a Lightning-only solution? Without an answer to this question, it is unlikely I'll purchase the new Duet.

There are more Dock connectors than Lightning connectors out there, thus more of a market towards iDevices with Dock connectors. Simple as that.

This will change. So, the question remains, and I suspect the answer is slightly more complex.

Yes, we will. Should be shipping 2nd quarter 2013.

Cheers,

Lucas van der Mee

Apogee Electronics

Then you'll be getting my money.

I'm excited for the Midi connectivity... I don't have an iPad (just macbook pro) but maybe some day? Thunderbolt connectivity will be awesome to, I look forward to trying this out!

...time to save up $600

Why did Apogee choose mini USB on the quartet?

Is the reason so that Apogee can sell more cables?

If a normal USB connector was implemented I could've connected my iPhone with the standard cables that come with every IOS device and start making music.

Why Apogee Why? This blows

Why so quick to judge without knowing the background information?

First of, the cable provided with your iOS device cannot work for the configuration we use it in. It puts the iOS device in "device" mode. We are interfacing with the iOS device in "host mode" and therefore need a different way of communicating.

Second, the connector on Duet is a custom dual-connect version of a mini-USB. It will host ANY regular mini-USB to USB A connector for Macintosh connectivity. So you can buy a new one anywhere if you've lost the FREE cable provided with the unit. The other function of the Duet multi-connect mini-USB is to connect an iOS device in a mandatory (by Apple) proprietary way. So the other FREE cable provided with the Duet is a custom multi-pin version (looking like a mini-USB) connector to 30 pin, to connect the Duet with your iOS device. Later this year we'll also have cables with a Lightning connector.

So, bottom line. When you buy the new Duet, (or Quartet, or new One) you CAN start making music instantly...

I was frustrated. Had a bad day already (btw It came with the wrong power cable but that was fixed easily)

When will the cables be shipping for those that bought Quartets before the IOS update?

And can you explain why its taking so long for the ThunderBridge to come out?

Will any generation (if there are more than one) of the Apogee Quartet work with iPad in the same manner described in this thread about the latest Duet?

As far as I know there is only one version. (those that bought it months ago just dont have the special cable yet)

This is what you have to do to get it to work: Quartet Firmware and Software Update for iOS devices - YouTube

No cables this month? How about next month?

Still nothing about the Thunderbridge either?

Come on Apogee please give us an explanation why its taken so long.

I'm not buying any Symphony's until the Thunderbridge is released.

Are they putting out a thunnderbolt cable for duet?

If I want to use an external mic pre with the Duet (or Quartet - can't decide), can I use an XLR connector, or does it have to be TRS? I thought I remember seeing somewhere (old Duet manual maybe) that it has to be TRS, that XLR is only for connecting a mic, but didn't see it noted in either of the new manuals.

Stu

So does this mean that the breakout box will go through a revamp with new inputs and out?

I take it there is no MIDI in on the One?

Built In DSP/FX would have made a lot of sense for this upgrade. Switching between apps with iPad/iphone or itouch will be a pain doing a show without having them mapped/linked with the new Duet.

So this new version of the Duet will work with an iPad 2? I've read through this thread and product page, but I'm still not 100% clear.

Yes it will. These are the supported devices for the new Duet, One & Quartet:
iPod Touch 4, iPod touch 5
iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPhone 5
iPad1, iPad2, iPad3, iPad4, iPad Mini

Got the Apogee cable finally here. (bought a 30pin>lighting adaptor for newer ios devices) Next week I'll test the Quartet on the iPhone4, iPhone5, iPad2 & iPad3. I'll let you know how it goes.

The new One has one extra input, higher A/D conversion and a battery option but no MIDI on board unfortunately.

The new Duet has a USB 2.0 connection. Did you mean a USB > Lightning cable?
If so then as of this point no.

You get a Apogee USB > 30pin cable so you'll have to buy a Apple 30pin > Lightning Adaptor if your iOS device has a Lightning connection. This will of course change over time but as of now most people have a 30pin iOS device so by getting the USB > 30pin cable you have 2 options in stead of just one.

Guys, I'm confused; are you telling me that you can only plug in an I-Pad or Mac but not at the same time?

That's correct. Just about any interface on the market can only communicate with one computer at a time.

Can ONE, Duet or Quartet route audio from an iPad directly into a Mac?

I'm currently a Duet 2 user. Has the new Duet for Ipad addressed / resolved the many driver issues current Duet 2 owners have? I have to restart my system very frequently just to get the Duet to be recognized. Please address this ASAP so I can make an informed decision on whether to upgrade.

thanks.

I purchased this device and I must say, it has been an unpleasant experience using it with an iPad. I struggle with two problems constantly. The most annoying is that the output signal is delayed, significantly. If you fiddle with it you might get it to work properly, but out of the box, one cannot use it to add tracks that sync to existing audio. This video shows how out of sync the meters are. I am using MultiTrack DAW, but one can reproduce it with GarageBand.

Another issue has to do with switching sampling rates, which it doesn't do very well either. In this video you can see how easy it is to make a sine wave sound horrible.

Not much luck with Apogee support so far. For those of you who feel let down by Apogee releasing this device so quickly after the Duet 2, FWIW, I would say you're not missing much. It doesn't seem to be quite ready.