Apollo Twin or Apogee Duet and maybe a ID14?

[SLGB]

I have looked around on the forum to post this question and this was the only place i could find that could be a home for such a post. If it is in the wrong place i apologise.

I currently make/practice producing and mixing Grime and Urban Trap (not edm trap) This is a hobby and i want to progress but until now i don't have a audio interface I know i know - Sorry.

Anyway i was dazzled by the Apollo Twin and i like the idea of buying something that will be a good investment for me whilst trying to learn the art of mixing.

The price is quite steep for me at the moment so before i take out the 0% finance (buy now pay in 12 months) i wanted to ask you all a serious question.

Is it only worth buying an apollo twin if i plan on spending money on their plugins as well? I currently own (paid for) waves gold package and a few others and i have a subscription to slate everything bundle along with Soundtoys5 and plugin alliance bits some i am in no rush to go out and buy new tape emulations or 1176 comps.

with that being said it made sense to ask advice here with regards to which audio interface? Would i be just as well getting a Duet or ID14?

I only use virtual instruments and have no interest in how many real instruments i can connect to an audio interface so my only concern is "sound quality" which as i understand comes down to the audio convertors.

Please help/Recommend or advise on what route you think i should from your experience purchase or look into.


Thanks in advance.

[rod_zero]

Personally I would go for an RME Babyface Pro in that price range, the MIDI in/outs will come handy, and you never know when you could need the expansión vía ADAT.

Also the RME runs in windows too and RME has better reputation for their drivers than either Apogee or UAD.

The Apogee and UAD do offer something different in their preamps when recording from mics, the RME is very clean.

I wouldnt worry about difference in Digital to Analog conversion.

[Armadillo]

I just bought a measly UR12 which retails at £60.
I did consider ID14 which is still relatively cheap but at 3 x price I couldn't justify it when it's going to be used 98% of the time for virtual instruments.
If you don't record at all, I think Apollo twin and Apogee Duet is overkill.
But if you were to spend that amount RME Babyface pro as Rod zero suggested would probably be the best choice.
I haven't tried ID14 but on Gearslutz it's people think very highly of it. Likewise pretty much any review you can find on the net. For the price, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[SLGB]

Thanks for the Info guys. I will take a look at both the BabyFace Pro (cosmetically ugly but thats not what is important) and the ID14 (i like the control wheel feature) So am i right in thinking that the DA Convertors are not important but latency is..

Thanks again

[saturdaysaint]

There's a lot to be said for RME - they're the best drivers you can buy and they will support their devices forever - but NOTHING is going to make a difference in sound quality if you're mixing in the box. The biggest advantage you'd get with the Babyface Pro (which is often my top prosumer recommendation) is that you'll be able to play instruments at lower latencies than with any other interface. Technically, you're probably fine with a $99 Steinberg/Focusrite interface, but there's a lot to be said for starting off with something that could meet your needs 20 years from now.

[GrabtharsHammer]

I just made the switch from Apogee Duet to RME Babyface last week. I had unsolvable audio dropouts and grounding noise issues with the Duet. So far with the Babayface all my problems are solved, and on top of that it has less latency than the Duet. I certainly don't regret the decision and can highly recommend the Babyface Pro. Get it.