It's a single input, stereo output device, offering 24-bit audio between 44.1 and 48KHz sample rates in a package around the same size (though thicker) than an iPhone. Apogee's putting emphasis on the built-in mic (they even offer a stand so you can treat the whole thing like a handheld mic), though it's got one input for instruments or your own mic. That input is coupled with a preamp, customizable using the ONE's controls.

The ONE is designed to work with Apple's range of audio software, including iTunes, Garage Band, Logic, and Final Cut, though we don't imagine it would have trouble working with non-Apple software as well. It remains to be seen whether the built-in mic is everything Apogee claims; on such a small device, we're skeptical but remain hopeful. It'll be available sometime in "late July" at a pretty reasonable $250. [Apogee]

It should be noted that no Artist Lessons come free with iLife '09. So if you want Sting to teach you the way of the guitar (and I mean, who doesn't?), you'll need to purchase his lesson through the GarageBand Store. That's not actually synonymous with the iTunes Store, as it works completely through GarageBand (which redirects you to the web). iTunes never actually enters the picture.

The downloads are sizable. Sting is 600MB, which shouldn't be so surprising as multiple angles of high resolution video appear in two stitched-together 16x9 frames (32x9). (Unfortunately, there's no angle for Sting's butt.)

And my favorite part about the GarageBand store might be that it's not "Roxanne" that you are downloading. It's "Sting" that you are downloading. I've got you now, Sting!
The basic Artist Lesson comes in three parts: Learn Song, Play Song and Story. With Sting, you get two versions of Roxanne to learn (beginner and advanced levels). Through Learn Song, Sting gives you a brief rundown of each chord. Play Song is just a straight play-through of the song itself. And then the Story is just Sting talking about his inspiration behind the music, as if Sting could ever just talk.
In terms of actual time spent, that's:

Learn Song
Beginner Lesson: 8 minutes
Advanced Lesson: 4 1/2 minutes

Play Song
Beginner Song: 3 minutes
Advanced Song: 3 minutes

Story
The Story: 5 minutes

Glancing at this lesson outline, you see that it's not super long. The whole thing is about 24 minutes in all—if you go through basic and advanced levels. But what Apple did to expand this content is within GarageBand's new Learn to Play interface. Some very well-thought options really stretch the lesson's value beyond Sting's charm.

Whether you want to look at realtime frets on a virtual guitar or just follow along with various notations (simple chords, chord grid, and TAB), you can really get in there and match the lesson to your training preferences.

Then you can do some other neat things to expand the content through integrated Practice Tools, including changing the playback speed so you can take your time with the chords (this option ditches Sting's melodious vocals), work with a metronome, loop passages like the refrain or record your audio straight to the timeline to play back and remind you that, no, you are not Sting.
So is it worth $5? It depends on your perspective. A song runs $1 on iTunes (which most of us consider decent) while a 2-hour movie is $10+. Technically, this is just 24 minutes of content. But given its clean presentation and the real replay value, at your own pace, alongside a celebrity to make it all a little sexier, I'm going with yes.

I was pretty certain the Artist Lessons were just a cheap and trendy Apple gimmick when announced at the Macworld. But there's some real love in GarageBand's Learn to Play interface that is well-suited for celebrities to show up and teach you to jam. Apple hasn't committed to just how many Artist Lessons they will release moving forward, but if they can develop a reasonably sized library of musicians/music, I could see the platform growing into something very, very interesting.

So many people already own the Shure SM57 and SM58 condenser dynamic mics that it made sense for Shure to create the X2u, a $130 adapter that would let people easily use them with their amateur home recording rigs. This isn't about ProTools, which requires its own proprietary I/O. It's for people using GarageBand and other cheapie programs, who just want some way to ease in their vocals and acoustic instruments. It's plug-and-play compatible as an audio input, so it just works. It is bus-powered for easy one-cable connectivity, yet it's got an integrated pre-amp with phantom power, so you won't have to worry about not having enough juice going in. There's a headphone jack on the box, along with a monitor-mix playback dial, for easy latency-free tracking and monitoring.
Supposing you don't have a Shure mic just lying around—Shure built two new microphones—the company's first foray into USB mics—integrating essentially the same circuitry as the X2u. The $200 PG27USB is the multi-purpose mic, with a 20 dB pad for dropping the input level for stuff like drum recording. You can record whatever you want with it, but if you want to focus on voice, the better bet is the $250 PG42USB. It is tuned for singing and voice work, and it has a low-cut switch that drops anything south of 120Hz, meaning any environmental sounds that couldn't possibly come from human vocal chords.

There are a lot of home recording products out there, and a number of USB mics, but to see Shure getting involved, especially aiming product at a lower-price-range amateur-level audience, well, that's pretty damn sweet. Almost makes me want to get the band back together. [Shure]

Shure Unveils New USB Microphones and USB Signal Adapter for Seamless Computer Recording
New Products Connect Personal Recording Enthusiasts With Professional Quality Audio

LAS VEGAS, NV; SAN FRANCISCO, CA; and NILES, IL, January 6, 2009 – At the Consumer Electronics Show and Macworld Conference and Expo, Shure Incorporated extended the Company’s legacy of world class microphones to the digital recording market, unveiling three new products – the PG27USB and PG42USB Side Address Condenser Microphones and the X2u XLR-to-USB Signal Adapter (XLR is the standard electrical connector for microphones). In recent years, consumers have taken recording into their own hands, creating an explosion of user-generated content. Now, the overwhelming number of low cost options for digital media production means that anyone with a computer and a microphone is a potential recording star, and the demand for tools that enable and encourage personal creativity is surging.

“Shure has catered to the high-fidelity audio cravings of consumers since the introduction of its first stereo phonograph cartridge 50 years ago,” said Mark Karnes, Shure’s Executive Director of Global Marketing. “Back then, we were just listening to music. Today, most of us are not only taking our music with us, we’re also actively involved in creating and recording sound.”

“Given the broad appeal of our new digital recording products, we chose the biggest consumer electronics stages in the country – the Consumer Electronics Show and Macworld – to introduce our highly anticipated answer to the question ‘How can I replicate professional quality audio recording with my computer?’ Our new digital recording microphones and adapter connect seamlessly for personal recording and produce rock star-caliber sound worthy of bearing the Shure name,” continued Karnes.

Shure’s iconic microphones have been used by everyone from Elvis Presley to FDR, and they are still the equipment of choice when high quality sound can’t be sacrificed – such as in Grammy-winning performances and professional broadcasting arenas. Today, Shure is for the first time bringing its legendary microphones to every level of performer and recording enthusiast, including the new breed of aspiring audio enthusiasts that’s proliferating as digital recording takes hold. These content creators need three key factors to produce accurate and high-quality recordings: superior equipment to translate sound; the ability to hear themselves (monitoring); and the ability to accurately adjust monitoring mix. Shure delivers all three capabilities with the new PG27USB and PG42USB microphones and X2u Adapter.

PG27USB and PG42USB Side Address Condenser Microphones

The PG27USB and PG42USB microphones connect professional-caliber Shure microphones to any USB computer port with “Plug and Play” performance. Excellent tools for multi-track recording, the cardioid condenser microphones feature built-in headphone monitoring with zero latency and monitor mix control, enabling users to instantly hear what they’re recording through headphones and make adjustments on-the-go. Both microphones are durable enough for everyday use and practice, but sophisticated enough for advanced recording by the most discerning artists.

The key difference between the PG27USB and PG42USB microphones is the application for which they were designed:

• The PG27USB features a flat, neutral frequency response for natural reproduction of a wide variety of instrument and vocal sound sources.
• The PG42USB was specifically engineered to reproduce the subtle nuances of lead vocals. The large diaphragm allows for higher sensitivity to clearly reproduce refined performances. The low-cut filter and external shock-mount further optimize performance for vocals.

Other unique features of the PG27USB and PG42USB include:

• Large diaphragm capsule: Provides wider dynamic range, clear highs, and strong lows.
• USB “Plug and Play” Connectivity: Allows the convenience of digital recording, anywhere your computer goes.
• Integrated pre-amp with Microphone Gain Control: Allows control of input signal strength.
• Zero Latency Monitoring: For real-time playback and multi-tracking without disorientation.
• Headphone Jack: For monitoring with 1/8” connectivity.
• Monitor Mix Control: For blending microphone and playback audio.

X2u XLR-to-USB Signal Adapter

The Shure X2u Adapter is a modular accessory that connects any XLR microphone to a computer to create better-than-CD quality recordings. As home recording flourishes, the X2u redefines what amateur musicians and podcasters can do in their homes and on the go. The X2u mimics the sleek, beautiful design of Shure’s iconic SM57 and SM58 microphones and can be used unobtrusively for live and in-studio recording. The X2u’s unique features include:

• USB “Plug and Play” Connectivity: Allows the convenience of digital recording, anywhere your computer can go (compatible with Windows Vista, XP, 2000, and Mac OS X 10.1 or later).
• Integrated pre-amp with Microphone Gain Control: Allows control of input signal strength.
• Zero Latency Monitoring: Enables real-time playback and facilitates multi-tracking without disorientation.
• Headphone Jack: For monitoring with standard 1/8” connectivity.
• Monitor Mix Control: For blending microphone and playback audio.
• Phantom Power: For use with condenser microphones.

Pricing and Availability

• X2u Adapter: $129.00 retail [$154.00 MSRP]
• PG27USB: $199.00 retail [$238.00 MSRP]
• PG42USB: $249.00 retail [$298.00 MSRP]

Shure’s PG27USB and PG42USB Side Address Condenser Microphones and X2u Signal Adapter will be available to consumers in spring 2009 and will carry a two-year limited warranty. The products can be purchased at select retail partners and the X2u will also be available at www.shure.com. Check www.shure.com for a complete list of Authorized Dealers.

1. Start a crappy band.
2. Meet twice a week to argue whether you are going for a sound reminiscent of the Beatles pre or post Sgt. Pepper.
3. Lose your lead singer who is starting a solo career.
4. Say "fuck vocals, it's all about jamming anyway."
5. Hire a random Hooters waitress for the part in a moment of weakness when you'd had too many to drink and wondered why you were starting a band at age 37.
6. Regret signing tone-deaf Hooters waitress.
7. Fire waitress.
8. Get hummer in back seat.
9. Realize that waitress isn't such a bad singer after all.
10. Record your song in Garageband.
11. Set up a cycle region that covers the area you wish to use in the GarageBand song.
12. Once the cycle area has been set, choose Share > Send Ringtone to iTunes.
13. Find out that the drummer's been "hitting that shit, too."
14. Refuse to pay for the baby—there's no proof it's yours.
15. It's totally yours.
16. Break up with band/waitress.
17. Move to Alaska.
18. Get a call from a special someone you hadn't thought about in some time...a ringer you hadn't heard in ages.
19. Decide to get the band, and relationship, back together.
20. Find out the drummer is "still hitting that shit."

[apple] Thanks Jerrod!

Making loop based music is simple with their 2 GB library of loops, and hooking up a MIDI keyboard to play a wide variety of instruments and effects makes you a true one-man band.

Comes free when you buy a Fast Trak USB for $100. – Jason Chen

Product Page [M-Audio]