Apogee Mini-Me Owner's Manual page 12

The New Compact Vision
The smooth lines of the Mini•Me front panel begin to tell the story. Left and right input level controls fea-
ture a click stop at the far left that activates a preset line/cal level, set with multi-turn trimmers. Accurate LED
indicators between the input level controls give a clear display of available headroom.
Mic/Instrument Preamps
The mic preamps are a high-quality design by the team that created our award-winning and widely praised
Trak2 preamps. And, like the Trak2, the Mini•Me accepts mic, line and instrument-level inputs. Phantom power
is of course provided, and universal XLR/TRS connectors select the instrument input automatically when you
plug in a TRS jack.
Compressor/Limiter
Apogee has long been famed for our Soft Limit process, designed to maximize digital level without overs –
but with the Mini•Me, there's a major new twist: we've added Push-IT – a unique new three-curve stereo com-
pressor/ limiter circuit. It's ideal when you need extra punch, or require a safety net for the unexpected when
making live recordings. This powerful new circuitry takes Apogee's dynamics control to a whole new level – from
the people who invented soft limiting for digital conversion.
44.1–96 kHz Sample Rates
A single control selects the sample rate and word length. The Mini•Me's converters output a full 24-bit sig-
nal at any of the standard rates: 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96 kHz sampling. In addition, select 16- or 20-bit outputs at
44.1 or 48 kHz using Apogee's industry standard UV22 HR system for word-length reduction.
Apogee UV22HR
If you are producing recording for 16-bit CD – or 20-bits for many DVD-Video projects – then you need a
method of reducing the high resolution 24-bit output of a modern conversion system to 16 or 20 bits. Apogee
UV22HR Encoding – the latest and most powerful development of Apogee's original UV22 process – is an
entirely different approach to word-length reduction. UV22HR does its job without sonic compromise, and with-
out adding a sound of its own, preserving the sound stage and tonal balance of the original high-resolution
source. The effects are even audible on original 16-bit recordings.
UV22HR Encoding adds an inaudible, algorithmically-generated concentration of energy around 22 kHz.
Technically, it's known as "Sub-Nyquist-band dither". Much as the bias on an analog tape recorder smooths out
magnetic tape recording non-linearities, UV22HR silently captures resolution beyond 20 bits on a standard, 16-
bit CD. In addition, this inaudible carrier smooths the rough edges of even the most inexpensive CD player or
external converter. UV22HR makes your recordings sound better on all listening systems.
The truly unique statistical properties of UV22HR guarantee a constant white noise floor, very similar in char-
acter to analog tape noise, no matter what the input source. If you listen to a UV22HR encoded recording, you
can hear a stable, accurate sound stage and faithful tonal balance more than 24dB into the noise – just as you
do on analog tape.
Yet the UV22HR's low audible noise floor sits at the theoretical limit for a 16-bit or 20-bit system. Nothing is
lost – but a great deal is gained. In listening test after listening test, engineers and reviewers alike choose UV22
over all other systems. Many thousands of CD titles have already been mastered using Apogee UV22 and
UV22HR processors. Apogee's process is today in use in the vast majority of US mastering houses, and it is
estimated that as many as 80% of the hit records mastered in the United States today utilize the system. And
while others have tried to imitate UV22HR, none have succeeded in delivering its superior performance.
Plug and play with Optional USB Card
The Mini•Me's USB interface carries two channels of audio at up to 24-bits and 48 kHz sampling, from the
Mini•Me to the computer and back again for monitoring. Using an operating system that supports USB Audio
Devices (including Windows 98SE, Me, 2000 and XP, and Macintosh OS 9.x and 10.x), simply select the option
in your recording application's preferences. ASIO drivers are also supplied for reduced latency.
Even if you get the sample rates mismatched between the Mini•Me and your computer, the unit will convert
sample rates automatically. And if you select, for example, 24-bit on the unit and 16-bit on the computer,
UV22HR will automatically be applied to the signal sent to the USB port (44.1/48 kHz sampling only).
Mini•Me User's Guide
Page 12