It’s such a popular form of recording that many pro audio brands have specifically designed and engineered audio interfaces for the job. My primary goal - identify if there truly were any noticeable differences in audio quality, specifically with the output converters. * Logic Pro X at 96kHz / 32 buffer setting. As well as the new HypeMic, which should be available almost immediately, Apogee are taking the opportunity at NAMM 2019 to preview several products not due for release for some time. 3. It’s reliable, easy to use, and sounds great.”, Get answers now in the Superior converters I'd imagine. Ensemble’s mic pre, A/D and D/A circuitry are powered by discrete, Apogee-designed power regulators for ultra-low noise not obtainable with off-the-shelf components. Instantly capture your inspirations, keep an audio archive of the session, or record a “crushed room” sound when tracking drums. Symphony Desktop Now Available! The Input Routing tab window determines how Ensemble hardware inputs are routed to audio software inputs. But I often wondered, is the added expense all it's cracked up to be? Ensemble is Apogee's lower-cost offering, but it sounds better than many top-tier products from other manufacturers. Combining design elements from the company's other products, the Ensemble Thunderbolt Audio Interface from Apogee builds upon their reputation for high-gain preamplifier design and improves upon their transparent analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion with the addition of an ultra-low latency 1.1 ms (96 kHz / 32 buffer) 32-bit playback Thunderbolt signal path. Ensemble is designed to be best-in-class in the digital interface category and will compare favorably to any multi-channel box within $1000.00 of its price point in either direction. With a single click, the direct signal from the Ensemble is piped directly through Logic's Software Mixer to the outputs - latency-free. Thanks to Apogee’s unique DualPath DSP-Native technology,  Apogee FX Rack plugins can run both on the hardware DSP in Ensemble Thunderbolt and Element Series interfaces and as native plugins on your Mac. This versatile piece of hardware could easily function as the sole piece of outboard gear in your studio, because it handles not just the functions of an audio interface with eight mic preamps, but also a monitor controller and a high-quality guitar DI and reamping box. Ensemble features premium Apogee AD/DA conversion, 8 Advanced Stepped Gain™ mic preamps, monitor controller functionality including talkback, front panel Guitar I/O, two headphone outputs and digital connectivity for a total of 30 x 34 I/O. At 1.1ms, Ensemble’s Thunderbolt driver offers the lowest round-trip latency performance available. Apogee Announce Clearmountain’s Domain - Bob Clearmountain’s Personalized FX Signal Chain recreated in a simple, powerful plugin. Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt 2 Review by AskAudioMag. This combination of DSP and native versions of these plug-ins means that Apogee dual path monitoring is now a reality. Back in January I decided to put 3 audio interfaces up against my PreSonus Quantum. The DMA engine, running on Ensemble’s hardware logic chip, reads digital audio data directly from your Mac’s memory in a 32-bit format, increasing the driver’s efficiency and providing the highest resolution signal possible to the DAC stage. So I ordered the following: Focusrite Scarlett Solo (Gen 3) ($109.00 USD), Universal Audio Apollo Twin X ($899.00 USD). While the Element 24 is fantastic, it is a bit restrictive. Then toss in Apogee's DualPath FX. Literally every album, film, tv, commercial and video game score I’ve recorded has gone through an Ensemble. The Best Of NAMM 2019 From The Production Expert Team - Day 1, Apogee Preview Apogee FX Rack DualPath Monitoring, Pultec MEQ-5 Plugin And Symphony I/O Mk II Dante Option Card At NAMM 2019, Apogee Announce HypeMiC USB Microphone With Built-in Analog Compressor. Copyright (C) 2020, http://www.pro-tools-expert.com/default-image.jpg, Plug-in Subscription Plans - Free Calculator, Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt - Hardware Product Of 2020 - Chris Vandeviver's Choice, Apogee Symphony Desktop Interface Amongst A Raft Of New Products Announced For NAMM 2020, Clearmountain's Domain - Apogee Release Plug-in Recreation Of Bob Clearmountain's Complex Effects Chain, Experts Pick Of The Best Desktop Audio Interfaces You Can Buy For Your Studio Today, Audio Interfaces Designed Specifically for Electric Guitar Recording - Check Them Out Today. Ensemble’s proprietary Thunderbolt driver has been written from the ground up for Mac OS X Mavericks, resulting in unmatched performance and efficiency. Ensemble includes two Thunderbolt™ 2 ports, allowing you to connect  hard drive arrays, video capture devices, Thunderbolt monitors with up to 4k resolution, a second Ensemble or an Apogee Element. Much to my own surprise, 2020 became the year I decided to make some rather pricey upgrades to my studio. Apogee’s DualPath technology opens up a variety of popular, simplified workflows, always with the lowest latency. Trusted content from independent music and post production experts. But enough for me to notice. Once a technology exclusively reserved for Apogee’s most advanced audio converters, Soft Limit is included in Ensemble and can be enabled in Apogee Control software or from the front panel. Each day our team on the show floor at NAMM 2019 are on the look out for products that catch their eye and in this Best Of NAMM 2019 roundup James Ivey, Julian Rodgers and Eli Krantzberg share their top 3 from day 1. When you factor in the vaunted Apogee sound quality, super low latency, Thunderbolt bandwidth, and the flexible and generous I/O, it starts to look like one heck of a deal.". Karin Park is a singer, songwriter, and producer based in Leksand, Sweden, and has a particular intrigue with Apogee Ensemble. Apogee's Ensemble features 36 channels of simultaneous audio that includes 8 channels of Apogee's legendary A/D and D/A conversion, 4 transparent, digitally controlled 75db mic preamps, 8 channels of ADAT I/O, 2 channels of S/PDIF coax and optical I/O and FireWire connectivity to and from the computer. Read More → Availability: In Stock Whether recording powerful drums, dynamic vocals or delicate strings, your recordings retain the full impact, intricate detail and lifelike dimension of the original performance. Apogee is an award-winning industry leader in digital recording technology with over 25 years of experience. Chris remains fervently entrenched in the Apple ecosystem. Apogee FX is living inside the DAW's mixer, but utilizing the hardware's DSP resources. Other than my Pearlman TM-1, this is the best studio investment I have made thus far. For example, is the Apogee Ensemble, which clocks at $2495 USD, really that much better than a PreSonus Quantum (which was my interface earlier this year), which retails a hair below $1000 USD? Apogee have announced native versions of these plug-ins in AAX, VST and AU formats for macOS only. However, this is far from being the only change to the new Ensemble. Apogee are showing their Apogee FX Rack DualPath Monitoring Feature, their Pultec Series of plug-ins for Apogee FX Rack - two classic vintage Pultec plug-ins and a Symphony Mk II Dante Software Preview. They only have a USB-C port. We’ve shortlisted several popular audio interfaces you can buy today, all of which share a couple of common threads being that these products provide a minimum of 8 microphone preamps and are housed within 1U chassis. Apogee FX Rack Plugins are made with the same quest for quality and obsessive attention to detail as Apogee hardware products. Drive 2 sets of high impedance headphones louder than you’ll ever need. Impressive in every way - particularly sound quality and integration with Apple H/W and S/W. Learn more>, Connect up to 8 microphones or a combination of instruments, external mic preamps, and other analog audio devices. The Apogee Ensemble is a great option for anyone looking for an extensive feature set in a 1U chassis. © Copyright - Apogee Electronics Corp. All Rights Reserved. They integrate with Mac systems wonderfully. Apogee's preamps and converters sound great and, even playing MP3's using iTunes, the Ensemble made an immediate improvement in the sound over my old Focusrite interface. The mic pres are excellent, balanced inserts are icing on the cake. Vintage Preamp Emulation. An Apogee technology first introduced in 1992 on Apogee’s AD-500 converter, Soft Limit can be heard on countless platinum selling records around the world. Specifically, the Direct Monitoring function. Now that is not something we have heard before. Related: apogee symphony mkii apogee ensemble apogee symphony module avid apogee quartet apogee symphony 8x8 apogee symphony 16 apogee duet apogee symphony 16x16 apogee symphony 2x6 apogee symphony desktop lynx aurora. The Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt is the centrepiece of my studio. Routing and phone outputs sound clean with loads of headroom. 2 balanced monitor outputs on ¼” TRS connectors & 8 balanced line outputs on 1 D-Sub 25-pin connector. Directly connect your guitars & other instruments to Ensemble using the 2 front panel ¼” inputs. The Ensemble was designed with Logic in … It appears Apogee is about the only developer to take advantage of Logic's built-in Audio Device Controls. With ultra-low latency performance, comprehensive studio functionality and legendary Apogee quality, Ensemble is the ideal choice to meet the diverse demands of the professional home or commercial studio. No other system offers this level of flexibility and sound quality. In other words, you won't be disappointed with Ensemble's sound, given its price point and capability. From the mic preamps to the AD/DA converters and the clocking, Ensemble is best-in-class and cutting-edge Apogee technology. Hardware Inputs Columns – The hardware analog and digital inputs of the Ensemble are displayed in these columns. Ensemble is built solidly on this reputation. The flagship new feature is of course the replacement of the old FireWire interface with the newer, faster Thunderbolt interface. LEARN MORE ABOUT APOGEE Defining the Art of Digital Audio Since 1985 ABOUT APOGEE Defining the Art of Digital Audio Since 1985 Since 1985, Apogee has produced innovative, award-winning technology that powers many of the […] Studio work ranges from producing to commercial composing. With components carefully selected in critical listening tests and a highly efficient circuit design, Ensemble was built by Apogee engineers to make a difference you can hear. $195.00. ... 1 product rating - Apogee CONTROL Element Symphony MKII Desktop Interface USB Hardware Remote Mac. Do Apogee’s Thunderbolt products (Element 24, Element 46, Element 88, Ensemble Thunderbolt, Symphony I/O MkII Thunderbolt, and Symphony 64 Thunderbridge) work with the 2015 and 2016 12″ MacBook? Which would you buy? Ensemble Thunderbolt™ is the best sounding all-in-one audio recording interface for Mac. Chris Vandeviver is a mix engineer and content creator based out of Rochester, NY. Learn more>, Use Ensemble as the master clock to take advantage of Apogee’s superior built-in clocking technology. The Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt is the successor to the very popular Apogee Ensemble audio interface. With ultra-low latency performance, comprehensive studio functionality and legendary Apogee quality, Ensemble is the ideal choice to meet the diverse demands of the professional home or commercial studio. What Are The Best 1U Audio Interfaces With A Minimum Of 8 Analog Inputs You Can Buy Today? Ensemble Thunderbolt™ is the best sounding all-in-one audio recording interface for Mac. 2. Level-matching each unit against the Quantum, I A/B’ed through a separate monitor controller as I test-drove a variety of reference tracks. I could go on and on about Apogee's Ensemble. Ensemble features the same high quality built-in mic capsule found in Apogee’s ONE for iPad & Mac. The symphony Desktop has that option. Apogee says this on their site: The last version of OS X we tested with the Ensemble Firewire or Duet Firewire was 10.10 Yosemite. At NAMM 2019 Apogee have announced the HypeMiC, which they describe as their ‘next-generation’ studio-quality USB condenser microphone with built-in analog compressor. Up until now, I've always chosen the budget end of studio gear. Use Ensemble as the master clock to take advantage of Apogee’s superior built-in clocking technology. Connect a second Ensemble Thunderbolt or an Element Series interface to your Ensemble Thunderbolt and expand your studio. But different/improved enough that I was genuinely surprised. Learn more>, 2 balanced monitor outputs on ¼” TRS connectors & 8 balanced line outputs on 1 D-Sub 25-pin connector. Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt Audio Interface With 8 mic preamps, front-panel guitar inputs with inserts, built-in talkback, monitor control and much more, the Ensemble is the heart of … But one better - you never actually have to leave your DAW to enable Apogee's FX. I took the plunge for a real convertor and bought an Apogee Ensemble. “A couple of years ago I was looking to overhaul my music studio setup and trying to decide between an iZ Radar system or the new Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt. In fact, if you have a Mac that has a built-in microphone, you can use it as a Talkback mic via the Apogee Control software! Then there's Apogee's ingenious systems for eradicating any recording latency. 8 Mic preamps with up to 75 dB of gain and Advanced Stepped Gain circuit, Thunderbolt connectivity for ultra-low latency (1.1ms round trip with Logic Pro X), Front panel Guitar I/O with Class A JFET inputs, dual mode re-amp outputs, Talkback functionality with built-in mic and control button, 16 analog outputs of premium Apogee conversion, Core Audio optimized DMA engine frees up Mac CPU for plugins and software instruments, Apogee Control software offers highly customizable workflow and Essentials Control Strip window, Compatible with Apogee Control hardware remote studio controller, Connect two Ensembles to your Mac and double your analog inputs and outputs, Connect any Apogee Element series interface to Ensemble for additional Ensemble quality inputs and outputs, Featuring DualPath monitoring, available exclusively. Ensemble’s custom driver includes two innovative features to maximize the performance of the software-hardware interface: a full 32-bit signal path from the output of your DAW straight to the high-performance ESS DAC, and a revolutionary Direct Memory Access (DMA) engine to more efficiently read and write data directly to Mac memory independent of the Mac CPU. Latency has been reduced to an astounding 1.1ms round-trip*, allowing you to monitor through your DAW, plug-ins included, simplifying your workflow and leveraging the power of your Mac. But it turned out, the results of my comparisons surprised me. Again, those differences were small. Butasmanyofyouknowbynow,Iamnotfondof Apogee's form-over … Answer: No. Hardware DSP with Premium Native Plugins. Additionally, Apogee offers an iOS app for its software mixer. Flagship Sound Quality. We’re spoilt for choice! Though we no longer test or update our software for newer versions of OS X, our customers tell us it will install and work for them in most cases. Ensemble features 36 channels of simultaneous audio, including 8 channels of Apogee’s legendary A/D and D/A conversion, 4 transparent, digitally controlled 75db mic preamps, 8 channels of ADAT I/O, 2 channels of S/PDIF coax and optical I/O, and FireWire connectivity to and from the computer. Preferred by recording pros around the world, Apogee products like Duet, Quartet, the original Ensemble and Symphony I/O have been instrumental in creating countless GRAMMY® and OSCAR® winning recordings and have set the industry standard in professional recording for over two decades. , shown here, do not include a Thunderbolt port, being more transparent encompassing! Convertor and bought an Apogee Ensemble for the job always with the Ensemble, on the.... Its Price point and capability Logic 's built-in audio Device controls it Apogee... 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