My New Studio Build (perhaps overly detailed)

[JeroB666]

Apogee has done several tests on my units, including running frequency sweeps through both units as well as each unit individually at 96k for an uninterrupted 10 hours per test. No components tested faulty, no dropouts occurred on their system, and there were no indications of any problems whatsoever. They're sending the units back to me. They've suggested that there might be something in my OS that's not cooperating with the interfaces and think that a good course of action would be to do a ground-up clean install of everything on my machine. Not using any backups except for files, just wiping the machine, reinstalling the OS and manually reinstalling all of the programs. This is doable, albeit time consuming.

I'm going to do some testing when they're back before going to the effort of an OS wipe. I've requested a letter from Apogee to be included with the interfaces when they send them back that states that the interfaces have been into their lab and have passed all tests, and have been given a clean bill of health. Just in case I have to sell the interfaces and then the next owner has the same problem. This might give them some leverage in making an extended warranty claim.

That's good news but a pain to figure out which item in the system is the one causing issue.

To recap, you had bought the Apogee quartet?

 

[beans-on-toast]

The Apple hardware diagnostics may help in testing your computer: How to use Apple Diagnostics on your Mac

You can also boot the computer in a safe mode where no third party drivers are loaded.

Rather than starting with a clean wipe of your internal hard drive, you can create a bootable disk on a drive connected to your USB port (an internet search will provide the procedure). I've used an external solid state drive because they are faster, not sure if an old spinning disk would cause timing issues. The clean OS is loaded from Apple via the internet. You then boot from that drive. This would allow you to test the Apogee with the computer running from that external drive. It's a lot less painful than wiping your internal disk. If that works, then a wipe of your internal drive will remove any offending drivers.

If you have apple support, they can help you with running additional hardware tests. In the past, they sent me software to run that collects diagnostics, they casn also log onto the computer remotely. There may be something specific to audio circuits testing.

One thing to check with Apogee, have they certified their product operating under the new Apple Catalina OS.

Another consideration, I don't recall if you looked into this: when recording, are the dropouts and glitches appearing in the DAW track data or is it just in the monitoring pathway.

 

[silky smoove]

To recap, you had bought the Apogee quartet?

A pair of Element 88s

The Apple hardware diagnostics may help in testing your computer: How to use Apple Diagnostics on your Mac

Already been down this road, as well as another diagnostics reporting tool that Apogee had me run a while back.

One thing to check with Apogee, have they certified their product operating under the new Apple Catalina OS.

They do certify operation under Catalina, and they sent all registered owners an email about it. Regardless, this was occurring under the final version of Mojave so it's not a Catalina issue.

Another consideration, I don't recall if you looked into this: when recording, are the dropouts and glitches appearing in the DAW track data or is it just in the monitoring pathway.

The dropouts occur on both the input and output sides of things. Streamed audio, playback audio from my DAW, etc. would drop out. Audio being input to my DAW would dropout both in the performer's headphone mix and as it went into the DAW, which was confirmed visually by the waveform display.

 

[silky smoove]

Interfaces will be back on Tuesday. Hopefully I’m back up and running soon.

 

[peterpalmieri]

Subwoofer update: The apartment complex where the sub was sent confirmed that the package was delivered. It was then sent to the unit indicated on the address. The tenants of that unit have been out of the country for the last month, and are expected back later this week. The apartment has left a notice on their door that they received a package of mine and that they should bring it down to the office. When they bring it down the apartment will call me and I can go pick it up. If the tenants don't do the right thing and just keep it then Sweetwater has a brand new Sub8 set aside with my name on it ready to ship it out. Looks like the story will have a happy ending, albeit a delayed one.

have Sweetwater send you the one from stock and let the. worry about collecting the one that was delivered to the wrong address.

 

[silky smoove]

have Sweetwater send you the one from stock and let the. worry about collecting the one that was delivered to the wrong address.

I’ve been out of town and the one that was misplaced is about five minutes from my place. I’m happy to try and get that one back even though it wasn’t my fault.

 

[silky smoove]

Random technology update:

Apogee interfaces are scheduled to arrive today. Extensive testing will occur immediately.

ADAM Sub8 is still locked up in my old apartment while the current tenants are out of the country. They've made several attempts to contact the tenants but have been unsuccessful. At this point they've been gone longer than they told the apartment managers originally, so they have no idea how long it will be. I've requested that Sweetwater send me a replacement and if the misplaced one becomes available that I would go pick it up and send it back to Sweetwater on Sweetwater's dime.

I had a session last night recording acoustic guitar using my puny Presonus Studio 24c backup interface, and that little thing performed wonderfully. Excellent monitoring quality. A hardwired loopback test over USB-C through Logic was reporting sub-1ms latency which was astonishing and hardly seems possible. The preamp gain is a little low for my taste which lead to the input control being either on full or maybe backed down to 80%. Usually in consumer-tier products like this you end up with a noticeable noise floor with channel gain that high, but this was whisper quiet. I was very impressed to say the least. Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to have my prosumer-tier Apogee units back for a number of reasons, but that little Presonus unit did a great job.

 

[silky smoove]

Interfaces have arrived at my house. Sub will be here on Friday.

 

[Stevorebob]

Interfaces have arrived at my house. Sub will be here on Friday.

Ima have a beer to celebrate. Cheers.

 

[silky smoove]

Ima have a beer to celebrate. Cheers.

[raises glass to cheers]

 

[silky smoove]

Setup one of the two Element 88s. Let the testing commence!

I switched out the Presonus and immediately noticed how much more full range the DA was with Apogee. Wow. I did not expect such a difference after only having heard this room with the Apogee units. Makes me feel good about my purchase even if I'm trying to remain cautious and not optimistic given my recent problems.

 

[silky smoove]

Lots of testing (continuous output from streaming source, continuous output from Logic, audio input into Logic, MIDI input into Logic, etc.) with just one of the two units is yielding zero issues. Nothing was done by Apogee and nothing has changed on my system, so either the problem has magically resolved itself or the issue only occurs when running two of the units at the same time. I wanted to try with just one tonight. Tomorrow I'll add in the second unit and repeat my testing protocols to see how it goes.

 

[beans-on-toast]

When you returned the units to Apogee, did you include the power supplies? If you did, they may have used their own when testing. If a supply is throwing off noise or has some other fault, it could affect the performance of the unit.

 

[silky smoove]

When you returned the units to Apogee, did you include the power supplies? If you did, they may have used their own when testing. If a supply is throwing off noiseor has some other fault, it could affect the performance of the unit.

Everything was returned. Power supplies, cables, remote... everything.

 

[silky smoove]

Sub is en route... and now the apartment has located the misplaced one

I’m going to pick it up on Friday and get it back to Sweetwater after confirming that the replacement also arriving on Friday works just fine.

 

[mrface2112]

I’m going to pick it up on Friday and get it back to Sweetwater after confirming that the replacement also arriving on Friday works just fine.

I would probably demo both of them and return the one that I didn't like as much. Yeah, they should be identical, buuuuuuuuuuutttttttttttttt.................

Although, really, I'd probably just return the "repaired" one.

 

[silky smoove]

I would probably demo both of them and return the one that I didn't like as much. Yeah, they should be identical, buuuuuuuuuuutttttttttttttt.................

Although, really, I'd probably just return the "repaired" one.

There is no repaired one. Both are new in-box replacements for the original one that they couldn’t repair successfully.

 

[mrface2112]

There is no repaired one. Both are new in-box replacements for the original one that they couldn’t repair successfully.

I totally missed that! Good on Sweetwater for doing that.

 

[silky smoove]

The subwoofer plot thickens... or gets way more confusing, haha. I ran over to the apartment where the misplaced sub was found this morning. When I spoke to them on Wednesday (a guy named Vinny) I told them that I would stop by on Friday and pick it up. Vinny said that was fine and that it would be waiting for me. Today I stop in and Vinny isn’t there, but one of his associates is. She can’t find the package anywhere and when I describe it to her she says that the carrier picked up that package for return yesterday. I asked if they were returning it to the sender and she said that she didn’t know. I asked if she knew if it was FedEx or UPS and she said she didn’t know. At this point I was wondering what, if anything, she did know, and how she knew that a package was picked up by a carrier that she couldn’t recall to be sent somewhere she couldn’t recall.

My replacement sub is on a FedEx truck in Seattle and is scheduled for delivery today. Assuming nothing goes wrong with that delivery all should be well, but I’d really like to help make Sweetwater whole on this deal even though it was their mistake in the first place. Regardless, the misplaced sub might be on its way back to them now for all I know. Very odd.

 

[Carl Hillman]

The subwoofer plot thickens... or gets way more confusing, haha. I ran over to the apartment where the misplaced sub was found this morning. When I spoke to them on Wednesday (a guy named Vinny) I told them that I would stop by on Friday and pick it up. Vinny said that was fine and that it would be waiting for me. Today I stop in and Vinny isn’t there, but one of his associates is. She can’t find the package anywhere and when I describe it to her she says that the carrier picked up that package for return yesterday. I asked if they were returning it to the sender and she said that she didn’t know. I asked if she knew if it was FedEx or UPS and she said she didn’t know. At this point I was wondering what, if anything, she did know, and how she knew that a package was picked up by a carrier that she couldn’t recall to be sent somewhere she couldn’t recall.

My replacement sub is on a FedEx truck in Seattle and is scheduled for delivery today. Assuming nothing goes wrong with that delivery all should be well, but I’d really like to help make Sweetwater whole on this deal even though it was their mistake in the first place. Regardless, the misplaced sub might be on its way back to them now for all I know. Very odd.

A guy named "Vinny", with "associates", hunh....?

Sounds like he wears a track suit.