Members John Bartus Posted April 28, 2014 Members Share Posted April 28, 2014 I recently had my old audio interface/control surface (Alesis MasterControl) die. needless to say, it's time for new gear. Do any of you have recommendations as to the gear that works best with Logic on the Mac? I've heard horror stories about virtually all the USB/FW interfaces out there, and I'm looking for some good real world hands-on advice. Thank you in advance for your replies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 28, 2014 Share Posted April 28, 2014 Hi John... can you please tell us a bit more about what you need in an interface as far as features? Especially the input / output channel counts you need. At the moment, I am unaware of anyone who makes a combo interface and control surface in one like the old Alesis MasterControl or Tascam FW-1884. In fact, control surfaces in general seem to not be getting a lot of attention from manufacturers lately. Behringer has a new line of controllers due to come out soon (early this summer?), but beyond that, not much seems to be going on. You may have to go for two separate units - an interface and a controller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Bartus Posted April 29, 2014 Author Members Share Posted April 29, 2014 Phil, Thanks for the response. I've already figured I'm going to have to get two different units (unless I want to spend $5K on that nifty new SSL gadget). Audio: 4-8 preamps, ADAT in, ability to control multiple monitor pairs, decent headphone amp(s), etc. I've been looking hard at the Apogee Quartet (made for Mac, high quality everything) and the Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 & Liquid 56 (or maybe one of the Scarlett USB models). I've heard glowing things about the Apogee, and mixed reviews of the Focusrite stuff (as they relate to Mac/Logic). Control: sure looks like the Mackie Control is the surface of choice, especially when it comes to Logic. Anyway, I appreciate the response, and look forward to everyone's opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted April 29, 2014 Members Share Posted April 29, 2014 A Digital Mixer may do both. You may want to check the Presonus stuff. They intergrade with the DAW software, but I'mnot sure they will intergrade with Logic, or if they only work with their own software that works best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 I've got a couple of interfaces either here or on their way here for review at the moment - a UA Apollo Twin, and one from Focusrite. I'll try to let you know what I think once I get a chance to use them a bit. I will definitely be using my MacBook Pro for the majority of the testing. The Apollo Twin is currently Mac-only, so I have no choice there. It doesn't have as many mic preamps as you said you needed John, but maybe the rack version of the Apollo would suit your needs? It sounds like it has all the features you're looking for. I'm not sure how well it does with Logic - I haven't really used Logic since they said so long to the PC users many years ago - but it's definitely an interface that I'd recommend considering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 30, 2014 Share Posted April 30, 2014 By the way, which model / year Mac are you using? Does it have Thunderbolt? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gdoubleyou Posted May 2, 2014 Members Share Posted May 2, 2014 In general USB and Firewire work well on Macs. I have an Apollo Duo, running over FW800, currently using Logic Pro X, and the Logic Remote app for iPad as a control surface. Need more info on your system, and do you have a treated space for your studio? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Bartus Posted May 6, 2014 Author Members Share Posted May 6, 2014 Phil, the Mac I have is an iMac w/ FW800 -- no Thunderbolt. 21.5", Core 2 Duo, 3.06 GHz. I started looking at Logic Remote for iPad, and it seems to turn the iPad into a pretty cool remote control surface. I wonder if anyone here has experience with that... The search for the audio interface continues. I will be waiting to read your reviews, and thanks for the responses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John Bartus Posted May 6, 2014 Author Members Share Posted May 6, 2014 GDub, thanks for the Logic Remote suggestion! I responded to Phil before I read your response! (DOH!) Does Logic Remote work well for a mixdown surface? And yes, I have a treated space. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gdoubleyou Posted May 8, 2014 Members Share Posted May 8, 2014 I mostly use the key command buttons when composing and recording. I use it to record automation, it can also display smart controls for automating synth an effects settings. It's multi-touch, so you can control more than one fader. The integrated users manual is a killer feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members genesisfan Posted May 14, 2014 Members Share Posted May 14, 2014 I ordered an Apogee Duet 2the D/A convertors are hi-res with up to 24/196 sample rateexcellent used as standalone for my iTunesawesome interface for soft synths, VST plugins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CME Posted May 19, 2014 Members Share Posted May 19, 2014 Look at metric halo. Seriously great interfaces with great support. Their original 2882 is still supported and being produced. Almost 14 years later. Not many companies can claim that. And on top of that they have previewed an upgrade that will work with all of their interfaces. It's a new USB card that will replace the current FireWire card, add more DSP, ethernet interconnectivity, and be USB class compliant. So it will work with osx, windows, Linux, and ios. Yes I will be upgrading my 2882 as soon as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members James Parker Posted December 16, 2016 Members Share Posted December 16, 2016 I've been using the Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 and the Focusrite Scarlett 18i6 as an aggregated device for around the past 5 years and its always served me well. USB and Firewire have always worked well with my mac. Never any issues! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Welcome to Harmony Central James! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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