It’s been over 7 years since the Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt was first introduced. In a world where technology moves at a pace, how has Apogee managed not only to keep this interface relevant but in the opinion of some make it the best low-latency tracking interface on the market. Find out more.

In this video test Ross Rothero-Bourge of Cube Recording puts the Apogee Ensemble through its paces using the Dual Path workflow. Using this premium interface with the Apogee Dual Path plugins with Logic Pro he provides a near zero latency tracking experience while tracking with singer songwriter Daisy Clark.

Apogee Ensemble At A Glance

The Apogee Ensemble is a premium 1U 30x34 IO Thunderbolt 2 interface with 8 mic preamps boasting an impressive 75dB of gain, 2 instrument inputs and 2 headphone outputs. There are a lot of similarly equipped interfaces out here but the things which set the Ensemble apart from most of the alternatives are the pristine audio quality, flexible complement of IO and the powerful onboard DSP which offers latency-free tracking and flexible mixing courtesy of Apogee’s Dual Path workflow and deep integration with Logic Pro.

Ensemble Thunderbolt Highlights

• 8 Mic preamps with up to 75 dB of gain and Advanced Stepped Gain circuit

• Apogee AD/DA conversion

• 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

• 2 PurePower headphone outputs

• 10 separately assignable analog inputs

• 16 analog outputs of premium Apogee conversion

• Core Audio optimised DMA engine frees up Mac CPU for plugins and software instruments

• Apogee Control software offers highly customisable 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

DualPath Plugins

Apogee offer a range of FX Rack DualPath plugins. This DualPath technology allows users of compatible Apogee interfaces, such as the Ensemble, to access a near-zero latency workflow when working with these plugins. As these DualPath plugins are also available as native plugins this system is transparent in use with the plugins still available even when the Apogee DSP interface isn’t connected. A seamless experience.

Watch the video to see how simple the DualPath workflow is when using Logic and how a simple, latency-free tracking experience puts the artist at ease. A comfortable artist means better recordings, which means better music..

Conclusion

The workflow is a winner. When tracking, quick and simple is always the best option and DualPath is both of those. The other features Ross particularly liked were:

• Tight integration between Logic Pro X and DualPath using the Direct buttons in the Logic UI

• Exemplary sound quality, Lots of clean gain from excellent sounding mic preamps and equally pristine conversion.

• Instrument outputs on the front panel as well as the instrument inputs. These can be used to capture a DI performance while passing the signal along to an amplifier. No need for a DI box and always useful if you want to re-amp later or complement your amp recording with an amp sim.

• The assignable buttons on the front panel. These four user-definable keys are set by default to output mutes and talkback but can be set up to the user’s preference.

Rather than make an interface that becomes obsolete as technology changes, Apogee has rewarded its users with several updates to add iOS support, DSP, and dual path. This kind of attitude to future proofing is to be commended.

To find out more about the Apogee Ensemble and FX Rack plugins go to the Apogee website.

The Apogee Ensemble costs $2495, the DualPath FX plugins are available either to buy or using a rent to own program. For details go to the Apogee website.