[Hopstretch]

This is out of left field, but is anyone else having system issues after adding a Duet to their Firewire bus? My iMac is suddenly going catatonic every now and then when I try and wake it from sleep and I've KPed twice in the last month, versus probably only once before in six odd years of running OSX.

 

[Jaska]

I've not had that issue, but I've read about it elsewhere. Unless Apogee (or Apple, for that matter) releases some type of update to handle the wake from sleep issue, then it's probably best to disable sleep mode altogether when using the Duet.

I have an add-on USB 2.0 PCI card in my Power Mac, and have to disable sleep on all three of my internal hard drives because of it anyway.

 

[Tarkovsky]

No issues at all on an c2d white imac with tiger.

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif the Mac can choose the sampling rate for iTunes files, so no up-sampling is necessary?

If you don't have a MIDI device connected to your Mac, you can't change the sample rate for Built-in Audio. These extra, configurable settings become available in Audio MIDI Setup when you install and select the Duet within the Audio Devices pane of Audio MIDI Setup.

 

[feverfive]

^^ [knocking furiously on wood] I have not had any such issues yet either...I have my Duet connected to a C2D Macbook Pro running fully updated Leopard. The only annoyance I've run into is when I run my MBP off battery, reconnect the power cord & turn my MBP on, Maestro starts up even though I have it set to NOT start-up...plus it deletes all my settings (which is really only one non-stock--> muting mutes speakers but leaves headphone volume on, & vice versa). I always have to re-set that setting in this scenario, and uncheck the box to have Maestro start when the Duet is detected... Nothing major, but annoying.

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by indysmith /img/forum/go_quote.gif has anyone found a way to set headphone volume and monitor volume differently? It's really annoying when I have Duet volume on full, and then i switch to headphone mode, and it's full volume through my headphones - that can't be good for them!!!

This is something to be very cautious about. Apogee explains in their Duet FAQ that there was no way to keep the cost of the device "reasonable" while completely separating the line and headphone outputs.

My own habits for using the Duet with headphones include:

1. pausing or stopping playback of any audio on my computer while I toggle from line output to headphone output and adjust the volume to a low setting before resuming or starting playback
2. toggling from headphone output to line output before shutting down my computer (if this isn't done, and headphones are left plugged in, the Duet's boot routine will send loud crackles through the headphones--and, I would imagine, powered monitors if they're switched on)
3. never hot-plugging/swapping the Duet

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif Jaska, did you have a special cable made that terminates in RCAs only? Seems like a better solution than all those unnecessary breakout cables hanging off the back like little white plastic dreadlocks. If you did, do you mind saying where and how much?

I did indeed have a special cable made for me by Blue Jeans Cable. It's a 1/4" mono-to-RCA (L&R), and cost in the neighborhood of $30. I still have to use the breakout cable, but I don't mind since all the dreadlocks just dangle behind/under my table.

 

[Hopstretch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaska /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've not had that issue, but I've read about it elsewhere. Unless Apogee (or Apple, for that matter) releases some type of update to handle the wake from sleep issue, then it's probably best to disable sleep mode altogether when using the Duet.

Ah, so it's a known issue. Hopefully there'll be a fix forthcoming. No big deal until then.

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hopstretch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ah, so it's a known issue. Hopefully there'll be a fix forthcoming. No big deal until then.

I don't think all Macs are affected by the sleep issue, but if yours is, then I definitely think that disabling sleep mode is the safest thing to do.

As a side note, one issue that I experience with the Duet on my Power Mac is that I can't use my iSight camera simultaneously even though I've got multiple FireWire ports. The iSight acts like it's going to work, but iChat always fails to make video or audio connection when the Duet is plugged in. This isn't a problem for me since I can use the iSight on my old iBook anyway, but I will probably submit this as a bug report to Apogee at some point.

 

[grawk]

I need to point out that audio midi setup works to set sample rate even if you don't have a midi device. It does require that you are using either optical usb or firewire out for your audio out, however.

 

[Jaska]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grawk /img/forum/go_quote.gif I need to point out that audio midi setup works to set sample rate even if you don't have a midi device. It does require that you are using either optical usb or firewire out for your audio out, however.

Thanks for clarifying. I did mean to say Audio Device (as in something other than Built-in Audio), but I see that my earlier post was inconsistent with wording.

 

[grawk]

I'll also say that if you're buying a duet to listen to low bit rate files, it might leave you wondering why you spent so much. If you get it and are dissatisfied, I suggest you take a real cd that you think sounds particularly good, rip it to lossless, and listen to that. If you're impressed with the duet using mp3s and apple store purchases, then that's great too. Just don't dismiss it if you don't.

 

[Jeremy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tfarney /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just checked - rips from CDs, 128kbps downloads from iTunes, MP3s sent by friends, etc, etc...all 44.1. So the simplest, and probably the best solution woule be to set at that rate and leave it there, yes? Tim

There have been several threads on this issue and no conclusive definitive answer. Benchmark Media suggests setting it to 24/96 and leaving it there, which means iTunes will upsample anything less with very little sound degradation. Others have suggested it is best to set it to 24/44.1 if your library consists purely of 44.1 since this setting requires no upsampling from iTunes and will therefore, theoretically, produce slightly better sound. I have followed the latter advise and it works for me. If you haven't already seen this article you might want to take a look:

OS X Audio Playback - Setup Guide - Benchmark

 

[Dominat0r]

So sad this is only for a MAC...i was thinking about getting a MAC laptop..but im still kinda scared since ive been a PC guy all my life.

If it got jp and tyrion locked on the duet...im going to have to give it a listen at canjam.

 

[Hopstretch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HighLife /img/forum/go_quote.gif So sad this is only for a MAC...i was thinking about getting a MAC laptop..but im still kinda scared since ive been a PC guy all my life.

Most of my friends who make the switch start off by running Windows and OSX side-by-side on their new Macs under Parallels or VMWare Fusion. Then they start spending more and more time in OSX. Then they trash their Vista VMs altogether. Then it's over.