The category of pro-end all-in-one sound cards counts not many systems which, with different configurations, offer the user state-of-the-art components for both operational possibilities and audio characteristics. The new Thunderbolt Ensemble is the evolution of one of the first models in this category.
In 2006 Apogee Digital produces the Ensemble, their first digitally controlled all-in-one sound card. The Ensemble is designed and built specifically for computers Apple and in particular for Logic Pro, recently upgraded to the version 8. Specifically, the Ensemble represents the moment of definitive abandonment of the systems Windows based by Apogee, which starts a partner ship with Apple that is still very solid today and which, in some respects, is also determining some peculiarities of the Logic Pro itself. So much so that, in previous versions of the DAW, from the main menu it was even possible to recall and use theMaestro interface (Pic.1), which is the software that controls all the Apogee cards. At the end of 2014, Apogee renewed its flagship All-in-One model by presenting the Thunderbolt Ensemble which, as the name suggests, bases its connection to Macs on version 2 of the Thunderbolt interface (from now on hereafter referred to simply as TB2).
APOGEE ENSEMBLE
Connecting the Ensemble to the Mac and installing the drivers is a matter of minutes. At the end of the installation, the system must be rebooted. Then the product registration will be requested and, if dated, the update of both the Firmware and the FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array: in this specific case, the circuit on which the latency reduction process is processed. Ed). In this case, during the update phase, you will be asked to disconnect and reconnect the TB2 socket. Placing the Ensemble on the table, and having a personal TB cable of about 50cm (the product does not have any supplied), proceeding with the connection was a bit uncomfortable and on the first attempt, hitting the neighboring socket, it happened to me even accidentally turning off the machine.
From a software point of view, the TB2 guarantees a data transfer that reaches 20 Gbps, or 20 Gigabits per second, about 5 times more powerful than the already very fast USB-3. In practice, this lightning bolt of audio means that at 96KHz and 32 samples of buffer the I / O Latency, also called technically "roundtrip", stands at 1,1ms, while the Output only stops at 0.6ms (yes, you have read it right!), making the Ensembe one of the so-called Near Zero Latency cards in its own right. The following sheet shows the data detected by Logic Pro X (from now on, simply LPX) at different sampling rates.
LATENCY CARD
Ensemble, thanks to the double TB2 port, and also thanks to the OSX Core Audio, allows you to connect and add a second sound card that has both a TB port and a Firewire. I have experienced connecting with both the mixer Beringher X32 both with my old woman MOTU Ultralite, both with Firewire port. With the X32, using the appropriate FW to TB2 adapter, and creating from OSX a special "combined" system that also included the built-in / out of the iMac, Logic Pro X recognized 62 In and 66 Out. connecting my old but still functional MOTU Ultralite to the double port of the Ensemble and moving the X32 to the second TB port of the iMAC, the connections available with the Combined Core Audio have increased to 74 In and 80 Out. even when the Ensemble was turned off, the MOTU Ultralite, connected with a Firewire / TB2 adapter, continued to work without problems: this, in case it was needed, to confirm the full stability of the double TB port present on the Ensemble.
PANEL AND CONNECTIONS
Therefore, having established that, from the point of view of the stability and effectiveness of the drivers, the Ensemble is unrivaled, let's move on to the analysis of the panels and audio connections, knowing that in total, up to 30 inputs are allowed between analog and digital. and 34 outputs.
Front panel
From left to right we find:
G1 and G2: Double In / Out for stringed instruments that need Hi-Z (high impedance) connections. The Out allows the card to Re-Amp the same input signal. In other words, the guitar can be recorded dry, while the signal is routed to the output to be sent to an amp, head or external FX. If you also want to record this second signal, you may connect a microphone to one of the eight Pre and the DAW will find, on two separate tracks, both the clean signal and the one coming from the Amp, leaving any editing decision to post-production. sound. It is clear that, if we wanted to, we could at this point also turn the dry sound to the virtual FX, experimenting with new solutions and very personal sounds.
Input Select Buttons: soft to the touch, they allow direct selection of the 8 Pre and the 2 inputs G1 and G2. Holding the button down a little longer will enter channel editing.
Input knob: Normally, pressing it allows channel switching, while rotation adjusts the Gain value. If you enter the Edit mode, the rotation allows you to pass from one parameter to another, while pressing it to switch the values alternately.
OLED display: very clear even in unfavorable light situations, it mainly displays the input and output levels of the signals in transit in two well-defined sections. For the input channels, small icons / writings, above the level LEDs, describe the status of the selected channel, while the numeric level and the output Mute, the sampling frequency in use, are shown in the Output area. , any internal / external Clock Sync. Finally, a specific icon indicates whether the board is connected to TB2 or is working in stand-alone mode.
Output knob: By rotating it, it affects the output volume; pressing it activates Mute.
MIC for Talkback: very sensitive, must be adjusted via software. In order not to unpair the subsequent digital channels, it is permanently assigned to channels 9 and 10 of the system.
Assignable Buttons: 4, of the same quality as the previous ones. Various functions can be assigned to it via software. By default, they allow: A, the activation of Talkback; B, the reset of the meters; C, the management of inputs G1 and G2 via DAW; D, the simultaneous Mute of all active outputs, including headphones.
Headphone 1 and 2: double headphone output with dedicated potentiometer. Pressing the latter allows the signal output On / Off.
Power button: even if, trying to turn on the card with the monitors on, we did not find any obvious bumps, Apogee rightly recommends keeping the monitors off both when turning on and off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgf1zGiSTfU&feature=youtu.be
BACK PANEL
always from left to right we find:
4 analog Combo inputs: they accept microphone, Hi-Z instrumental and line signals at + 4 / -10dB. The first two channels are also equipped with Send / Return connections for the use of any external FX.
4 analog XLR inputs: accept microphone and line signals at + 4 / -10dB, but not Hi-Z instrumental signals.
2 monitor outputs: with TRS connectors, therefore balanced.
D-Sub connector 25: balanced, for outputs from 3 to 10, thus allowing the management of a possible 5.1 surround or of the 3 Speaker sets, or the 3 separate monitors, which can be programmed via software and recalled using the 4 assignable buttons. Furthermore, as for the previous monito outputs, again via software, the signal can be set at + 4 / -10 dB.
Double optical connection: accepts both ADAT signals, being able to manage up to 16 I / O with SR up to 48KHz / 24bit, and S / MUX, halving the I / O channels, but with SR up to 96KHz / 24bit. The same ports can also work in S / PDIF mode from 44,1 to 96KHz.
Coaxial RCA connection: stereo, digital type, not analog, accepts SR up to 192KHz / 24bit.
WC BNC connections: standard connection for Word Clock I / O;
Double TB2: also acts as thru for other cards (see previous paragraph “Apogee Ensemble”).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIts4G-VFOM
THE MASTER INTERFACE
Without prejudice to the fact that the entire programming of the Ensemble's inputs can be carried out on the board itself, with a logic that did not require reading the manual (in fact, just hold down the button of the channel you want to modify and then act on the dedicated knob , both in pressure and in rotation. ed), it is obvious that most will find it much more convenient to intervene via the interface Teacher, the software that manages the entire system, and which allows, of course, complete control of the board. The interface, well organized, provides in the upper part of the fixed areas, both information and operational (such as the Clear Meters on the left), while in the center there are 7 operating windows dedicated to:
Input: in addition to the obvious controls of the preamp channels (including the activation of + 48v, the phase inversion and the HP filter at 80Hz with a slope of 12 dB / oct) and those dedicated to the guitars, here we can monitor all the levels of input, including those of digital channels (S / PDIF and ADAT). A separate channel is dedicated to Talkback, knowing that channels 9 and 10 are managed simultaneously. As regards the specifications of the input channels, I refer you to what has already been said above for the rear panel. Here, I add only that on the microphone channels you can activate the Soft Limits, as well as you can associate all the input channels up to 5 different Groups. Each Group allows you to proportionally control the gains of all channels assigned to it. With Groups, the stereophonic management of adjacent channels also becomes easy.
output: displays all analog and digital outputs, as well as direct controls for the master out and headphone outputs. This is where the Stereo Master can be switched to 3 Speaker Sets or 5.1 Surround mode. It should be noted that each analogue output has its own personal Trimmer which allows to attenuate the output level down to -12dB.
Device System: groups the general functions of the connected board (s). Up to 4 ensembles can be bridged, quadrupling all audio potential. The 4 freely assignable buttons, the Talkback I / O, the optical format can also be controlled from here.
Input and Output Routing: arranged on two sides (personally, I would have preferred the management on a single window), they redirect all the signals of the audio connections to and from the DAW.
Mixer: Here, up to 4 mixes can be adjusted for equally separate outputs. The assignment is defined on the Output Routing page.
System Setup: in the latter side, we can adjust the sampling frequency in stand-alone mode (when the Ensemble is connected to LPX, the SR is set from the DAW. ed), the display duration of the meters peaks, the '' possible management of the computer keyboard output level when the Ensemble is configured as a system board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mzyyXMaREQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxNQDa8f9EQ
LOGIC PRO X AND THE ENSEMBLE
Before describing the subjective impressions of the card, I think it is necessary to say a few words about the Apple-Apogee partner ship or, even better, between LPX and the Apogee cards.
First of all, at the system level, as it happens for the adjustment of the output level of the Mac, also the adjustment of the input Gain and the outputs of the Ensemble is displayed in transparency on the screen.
Regarding LPX, one of the prerogatives of the version 10.1 had been the addition of being able to control sound cards directly from the DAW. Well: it seems that this function, particularly useful if you have the card not quite at hand or if you don't want to open the proprietary interface because the monitor is already full of plug.ins, has been specially developed with 4 hands with Apogee itself. This deduction starts from the fact that the Ensemble is fully recognized by LPX and from the latter you can change the type of input of the card (Mic, Instrument, +4, -10), activate the Phantom, the Phase or the Pass filter High. Furthermore, by activating the Groups from the Maestro interface (read the previous chapter), trying to lower the Gain of a channel from LPX, the others adapt proportionally, in full compliance with the assignments already set. This also happens with the Logic Remote from iPad, with the obvious possibility of managing the system remotely in an even more convenient way.
It should be noted that this prerogative is obtained only if the Ensemble is the only card enabled; in “Combined” mode, this possibility is lost. Probably due to the very fact that LPX is unable to determine which channels are managed by the Ensemble, which ones belonging to other sound cards.
TESTS puedo modificarlo
We tested the Ensemble with the other cards we have in the studio on a 27 ”, 3,5GHz, i7 iMac with 8GB of RAM. The listening was carried out with the classics Yamaha NS10M and JBL LSR308. Microphones used Neuman U89, AKG C414, SeElectronics 4400a.
We approached the test, knowing that the Apogee brand is synonymous with high performance and that the Ensemble certainly would not have evaded these requirements. Although biased in waiting for the results, therefore, I can express myself with the following observations:
- DRIVER. We literally tortured the LPX Ensemble all the time, with sudden changes in sample rates, single situations of single interface (read only one card at a time) rather than in Combined mode (as described in the previous paragraphs). The Ensemble has always responded quickly with the correct synchronous between DAW and connections;
- PRE: The impact of connecting the PREs to the Ensemble is that of a transparent sound, almost not colored at all and with a wide dynamic. The digitally controlled 75dB of gain leaves ample room for control over any starting audio source. With these results, I believe that the Ensemble's Pre lend themselves a lot to real acoustic sounds (orchestral instruments, first of all, including voices. Ed.) Perhaps a little less for those looking for colorful rock-like sounds. Even the outputs, including headphones, which are affected by the same electronics, return a powerful, transparent and dynamic sound;
- CONVERTERS: I personally consider them the real spearhead of the system. We tested them with Heritage Audio 73jr (emulators of the Neve 1073 in API500 format) and the microphones described in the introduction. Result: spacious, musical, dynamic and in some ways fascinating sound. With a Taylor acoustic, and the use of the U89, the guitarist, hearing the recording, expressed himself in the following way: <... we do not touch anything, the sound is already excellent!>>;
Moral: the card is now part of the PlayMusic Studio equipment where the test was carried out.
WAVES PROMOTION
Since last April 4, with the purchase of the Ensemble, or other lower-end product, Apogee, after registering the product on its website, offers discount coupons and vouchers for the purchase of Waves branded plug.ins. Specifically, in summary, the offer includes:
• 35% discount on all Waves plug-in bundles, including those on special offer.
• 25% discount on all single Waves plug-ins, including those on special offer.
• an additional $ 100 discount coupon, to be spent on the next Waves plug-in purchase. The $ 100 voucher can be used to cover up to 50% of the cost of any plug-in bundle or upgrade, or up to 25% of the cost of individual plug-ins.
Considering that Apogee, unlike other brands, does not currently develop proprietary FX, and considering the high quality of the Waves branded ones, this offer must be seriously evaluated by those looking for a HW and FW solution in line with the times. our.
VIDEO
At the following link you will find a whole series of videos made by Apogge itself, for the configuration of the major DAWs and on some features of the Ensemble, including those on how to make the guitar Re-Ampig or how to best use the Soft-Limit in actions of Mastering.
while, the following ones were made at the PlayMusic studio and take into account only the use of the Ensemble preamplifier with the different microphones (it is not possible to publish the comparison with the other resident cards, due to lack of the necessary authorizations. ed).
DRUM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nSh7nAxPfc
GUITAR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFGMC4kYeL8
VOICE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v1VR1L0_68
*Audio Converters;
*Thunderbolt 2 driver and thru;
*Pre-transparent, ideal for acoustic sounds of orchestral instruments;
*Up to 3 Speaker sets;
*2 Re-Amping channels.
*At the moment no proprietary plug-in compared to other brands;
*There is no Thunderbolt cable in the package.
USEFUL NEWS
Recommended retail price €2.699,00
Italian distributor: www.soundwave.it
Official website: www.apogeedigital.com
Nota: while wanting to be fully objective, this test is in any case based on the direct experience of the writer, so all evaluations and indications must then be mediated by the skills and knowledge acquired by the end user.
