Apogee Quartet User manual

Apogee Quartet
QuickStart Guide
V1, September, 2012

Contents
Overview!3
Introduction!3
Package contents!4
Quartet panel tour!5
Display and touchpad tour!7
Connecting to your Mac!8
Adjusting Input & Output Levels!10
Configuring the Input!13
Software Setup!14
Using Quartet with Logic!14
Using Quartet with GarageBand!18
Using Quartet with Avid Pro Tools (9 or greater)!19
Using Quartet with Ableton Live!20
Using Quartet with Apple Final Cut Pro!21
Using Quartet with Steinberg Nuendo!22

Overview
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing Quartet. This QuickStart guide describes how to set up Quartet with your
Mac, connect speakers or headphones to play back music and connect mics and instruments to record
your own creations with Apple’s Logic Pro or Avid’s Pro Tools.
Quartet
Professional audio interface and studio control center for Mac
For over 25 years, Apogee has been an award-winning industry leader in digital recording. Quartet
expands upon this award-winning legacy with next generation sound quality and groundbreaking
new features that will raise the bar for the personal recording studio. With Quartet, you have a
powerful studio tool that’s easy to use and designed to deliver a difference you can hear.
Quartet features the very latest in Apogee conversion and mic preamp technology. Compact and
simple to use, Quartet lets you capture your best take anywhere with ease and without compromise.
What you can do with Quartet:
•Record up to 4 analog inputs simultaneously (microphone, line-level or instrument)
•Connect up to 8 additional inputs digitally via ADAT/SMUX optical for a total of 12 inputs
•Connect and power any compatible MIDI USB device
•Connect up to 3 sets of powered monitors
•Mix and monitor in 5.1 surround
•Record with any popular audio software on a Mac; Logic Pro, Final Cut, GarageBand, Pro Tools,
Ableton Live, or any Core Audio compatible application
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Package contents
The following items are included in the Quartet box:
•Quartet
•QuickStart Guide
•Power Supply
•USB 2.0 Cable
USB 2.0 CableQuickStart Guide Power Supply
Software, firmware and the Quartet User’s guide are available online only.
Please download the latest installer here:
http://www.apogeedigital.com/downloads
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Quartet panel tour
Top panel
Input Meters Output Meters
User Assignable
Touchpads
Controller Knob
Durable Cast
Aluminum Body
Input Selection Touchpads
Output Selection Touchpads
Quartet panel tour
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Rear panel
Analog OutputsAnalog Inputs
DC Power
Word Clock OUT
USB 2.0
Digital Inputs
MIDI (USB)
Side panel
Headphone Output
(on right side)
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Display and touchpad tour
Input display and touchpads
Output display and touchpads
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Connecting to your Mac
System Requirements
•Intel Mac 1.5 GHz or faster
•Mac OS X 10.6.8, 10.7.4 or greater
•2 GB minimum RAM, 4 GB recommended
Install Quartet Software
1. Remove the protective film from the front panel, otherwise the Touchpads will not work.
2. Connect Quartet’s Power Supply to the DC power input on the rear panel of Quartet and the
appropriate IEC cable to a wall outlet.
3. Connect Quartet’s USB port to a USB port on your Mac using the supplied USB 2.0 cable.
4. Go to http://www.apogeedigital.com/downloads
5. Locate and download the latest Quartet Installer package.
6. Once you have downloaded the package, double-click the open box icon to run the installer.
7. You will be required to restart your computer after the install is complete.
Quartet is powered through the external power supply but must also be connected to your Mac via
USB in order to power on. Once both connections are made, Quartet’s OLEDs and Touchpads will
illuminate, indicating that it is powered on.
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Choosing Quartet for Mac Sound I/O
After connecting Quartet to your Mac, a dialog box will prompt you to choose Quartet for Mac sound
input and output. Click Yes.
Connect to Headphones or Speakers
Connect headphones to the headphone output on the right side of Quartet.
Connect Quartet’s 1/4” speaker outputs 1-2 to the inputs (balanced or
unbalanced) of your active (powered) studio monitors or amplifier.
Check Audio Playback in iTunes
To verify Quartet’s output, open iTunes (found in your Mac’s Applications folder), choose a song, and
click Play.
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Adjusting Input & Output Levels
!
Input level
To change Quartet’s input level (i.e the preamp gain of microphones and instruments):
1) Press the Touchpad corresponding to the desired input.
The ring around the selected icon will be brighter than the others after you select it.
Input Display - Home view
2) Turn the Controller Knob until the desired recording level is obtained.
Input Display - Detail view
The controller knob operates in parallel with Maestro’s input controls.
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Speaker Output level
To change Quartet’s speaker output level (i.e the listening level of connected speakers):
1) Press the speaker output Touchpad.
The ring around the selected icon will be brighter than the others after you select it.
2) Turn the controller knob to the desired listening level.
The controller knob operates in parallel with any software output controls on the Mac.
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Headphone Output level
To change Quartet’s headphone output level (i.e the listening level of connected headphones):
1) Press the headphone output Touchpad.
2) Turn the controller knob to the desired listening level.
The controller knob operates in parallel with Maestro’s headphone control.
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Configuring the Input
Connect a microphone or instrument to one of the combo jacks on the rear panel
Open Apogee Maestro 2 software and select the Input tab.
Select the Analog Level setting that corresponds to the
device you have connected to Quartet’s input(s). For
example, if you have a microphone connected to the
XLR input of channel 1, select “Mic” from the Analog
Level menu on channel 1
Note: If you are using a condenser
microphone that requires phantom
power, select the 48V box on the Input
tab of the appropriate channel in
Maestro 2. Phantom power is
indicated on Quartet’s display by a red
dot above the microphone icon.
48V Phantom power
button in Maestro
48V Phantom power
indicator on OLED Display
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Software Setup
Using Quartet with Logic
IMPORTANT NOTE!
The Apogee Control Panel within Logic is not compatible with Quartet.
Go to the Logic Pro or Logic Express menu and choose Preferences > Audio.
In the Core Audio pane of the Device tab, select Quartet for Output Device and Input Device.
Set the I/O Buffer Size to 64. Click Apply
Changes at the bottom of the Preferences
window.
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Using Quartet with Logic (continued)
By selecting Quartet input and output labels in Logic, the labels you see in Logic’s Channel Strip input
and output slots correspond exactly to Quartet’s hardware inputs and outputs, making I/O assignment
much easier.
1. In Logic, choose Options > Audio > I/O Labels.
2. Select the labels in the Provided by Driver column.
3. Close the I/O Labels window.
Now Input 1
has the label
A Inst 1
Select these labels so Logic’s Channel Strip input and output slots correspond exactly with Quartet’s
hardware inputs and outputs.
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Using Quartet with Logic (continued)
Now close the Logic Pro Preferences window and select
New > Empty Project > from the File Menu.
If you are recording a single microphone or instrument, make the following selections in the New
Tracks dialog box:
Number: 1
Type: Audio
Format: Mono
Input: Input 1
Output: 1-2
Check the Input Monitoring checkbox
Check the Record Enable checkbox
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Using Quartet with Logic (continued)
Logic will now ask you to name the project and save in on your hard drive.
Click the Record button in the transport control at the bottom of the Logic window.
You’re now recording with Quartet!
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Using Quartet with GarageBand
!
IMPORTANT NOTE!
The Apogee Control Panel within GarageBand is not compatible with Quartet.
If you don’t have Quartet connected when you launch GarageBand, when you connect the device, the
following message will appear.
If you have Quartet
connected when you
launch GarageBand:
1. Choose GarageBand >
Preferences.
2. Choose Quartet USB for
Audio Output and Audio
Input
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Using Quartet with Avid Pro Tools
(9 or greater)
Choose Setup menu > Playback Engine.
Choose Quartet for Current Engine.
Set the Buffer Size to 64. Click OK.
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Using Quartet with Ableton Live
Choose Live > Preferences
Click on the Audio tab. Select CoreAudio in the Driver Type menu. Select Quartet in both the Audio
Input Device and Audio Output Device menus. Set Buffer Size to 128. Close the Preferences window
after making settings.
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