Review & Cheap price Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt 2 Audio Interface with Waves Gold Bundle
Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt 2 Audio Interface with Information
GuitarCenter Features & Description
- 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
Includes Waves Gold Bundle โ€“ 35 audio plug-ins
Talkback functionality with built-in mic and control button
2 PurePower headphone outputs
10 separately assignable analog inputs
16 analog outputs of premium Apogee conversion
Core Audio optimized DMA engine frees up Mac CPU for plugins and software instruments
The new Apogee Ensemble is the first Thunderbolt 2 audio interface to offer superior sound quality, the lowest latency performance and the most comprehensive studio functionality all in one box. Ensemble includes 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. Blending acclaimed innovations, groundbreaking new features and an effortless user interface, Ensemble empowers you to capture inspiration when creative lightning strikes.
Launched in 2007, the first Ensemble re-defined the possibilities of the personal studio interface, setting new standards of quality, simplicity and value. Winning that year's TEC Award for Digital Audio Technology, Ensemble went on to become the preferred interface for thousands of hit-making producers, engineers and artists. Now, with 30 years of digital audio expertise and the latest technological innovations, Apogee has re-built Ensemble to introduce the next generation of music creation technology.
The Lowest Latency of any Audio Interface
Ensemble's proprietary Thunderbolt driver has been written from the ground up for Mac OS X Mavericks, resulting in unmatched performance and efficiency. 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. Even when your session's DSP demands require a higher buffer setting, Ensemble's ultra-low latency means no longer having to choose between power and speed. To accommodate different workflow preferences, Ensemble features optional direct hardware monitoring through Apogee's Maestro App with 0.6ms of latency.
* 96kHz/32 buffer setting
Devours Bits, Sips CPU
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. 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. This implementation allows the driver to crunch an enormous amount of data at an amazing speed, while making a very light demand on your Mac CPU. You benefit with lower latency, more plug-in power, and a transparent and encompassing listening experience.
Expanding Your System
Intel's Thunderbolt technology was made for connecting multiple high bandwidth peripherals to your Mac. Ensemble includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports for conveniently connecting hard drive arrays, video capture devices and Thunderbolt monitors with up to 4k resolution from a single port.
Waves Gold Plug-in Bundle Included
Audio professionals and artists have chosen Apogee and Waves products to make countless hit recordings. Now when you buy Apogee Ensemble, you also get the industryโ€s most popular plugin bundle, Waves Gold (an $800 value). These industry standard tools for recording, mixing and mastering audio offer everything you need to complete your project on Mac, no matter what recording software you use.
Waves plugins are incredibly CPU efficient, allowing you to harness the power of your Mac to run more plugins at lower buffer sizes while still maintaining low latency monitoring through Ensemble. Apogeeโ€s measurably superior mic preamps and transparent AD/DA conversion lets you get the best possible quality from your Waves plugins. With an open native platform and recording software like Logic Pro X, you are free to expand your studio capabilities by adding more plugins from any manufacturer.