Apogee Ensemble 30In x 34Out Thunderbolt 2 Audio Interface for Mac Overview:

Superior Sound Quality. Powerful Plugin Performance. Lowest Latency.
Ensemble Thunderbolt is the best sounding all-in-one audio recording interface for Mac. 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. 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.

Ensemble Thunderbolt Highlights

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

Blending the best of Apogee’s acclaimed innovations with groundbreaking new features and the power of Thunderbolt technology, the completely redesigned Ensemble sets a new standard for personal studio interfaces.

Great-sounding plugins for Ensemble
that work the way you want to
Apogee FX Rack Plugins are made with the same quest for quality and obsessive attention to detail as Apogee hardware products. 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. Apogee’s DualPath technology opens up a variety of popular, simplified workflows, always with the lowest latency. No other system offers this level of flexibility and sound quality.

Inputs & Outputs
Ensemble-Thunderbolt-Close-Up-Guitar-Inputs

Guitar I/O
Directly connect your guitars & other instruments to Ensemble using the 2 front panel ¼” inputs.

8 Analog Inputs
Connect up to 8 microphones or a combination of instruments, external mic preamps, and other analog audio devices.
Ensemble-Thunderbolt-Close-Up-Analog-Out

10 Analog Outputs
2 balanced monitor outputs on ¼” TRS connectors & 8 balanced line outputs on 1 D-Sub 25-pin connector.

2 headphone outputs
Drive 2 sets of high impedance headphones louder than you’ll ever need.

Built-in Microphone + Talkback
Instantly capture your inspirations, keep an audio archive of the session, or record a “crushed room” sound when tracking drums. Most importantly, the built-in mic may be used for talkback.

2 Analog Inserts
Easily integrate your favorite analog compressor or EQ, in mono or as a stereo pair, into your recording chain with separate ¼” balanced send and return connector for each channel.

Digital I/O
Up to 18 channels of digital I/O, in ADAT, SMUX, S/PDIF optical and S/PDIF coaxial formats, to easily integrate expanders, hardware synths and digital effects.

Word Clock
Use Ensemble as the master clock to take advantage of Apogee’s superior built-in clocking technology.

Specifications:
System Requirements
Mac OS:
Computer: Thunderbolt-equipped Mac (iMac, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, Mac Pro)
Memory: 4 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB recommended
OS: 10.9.3 or greater
Connection: Any available Thunderbolt port on a Mac

Compatible Software:
Any Mac Core Audio compatible application
Recommended apps: Logic Pro, Pro Tools, GarageBand, MainStage, Final Cut, Ableton Live, Digital Performer, Studio One, Cubase, and Nuendo

In the box:

• Ensemble
• 3-pin IEC power cable
• Rubber feet
• Quick Start Guide
• Warranty Booklet

Features:

• Thunderbolt 2 Mac audio interface
• Analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) for recording up to 24-bit/192kHz
• Proprietary Thunderbolt audio driver and ESS Sabre32 DAC offer full 32-bit playback
• Groundbreaking low latency performance
• Core Audio-optimized hardware engine frees your Mac CPU
• 2 high-resolution OLED displays show levels and settings
• Input select buttons and controller knob for convenient selection of parameters and settings
• 4 assignable buttons to control:
• Talkback mic (built-in or external)
• Output settings such as speaker set selection, mute, dim, sum to mono Complete input/output control with Apogee Control software
• Works with Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton and any Core Audio compliant app on Mac
• Designed in California – Assembled in the U.S.A.

General Info:

• Dimensions: 19” X 12.125” X 1.73”
• Weight: 11.15 lbs.
• AC IN 100-240V, 50-60 HZ, 65W MAX

Analog Inputs:

• 4 Combi mic/line/instrument inputs
• 2 1/4″ balanced analog inserts
• 4 XLR mic/line inputs
• 2 1/4″ hi-z guitar/instrument inputs with Class-A JFET input stage

Digital Inputs:

• Optical IN: Supports ADAT, SMUX & S/PDIF
• ADAT: 16 channels 44.1-48 kHz on 2 Toslink connectors
• SMUX: 8 channels 88.2-96 kHz on 2 Toslink connectors
• S/PDIF: 4 channels, up to 96 kHz on 2 Toslink connectors
• Coax IN: 2 channels of S/PDIF, up to 192 kHz on 1 RCA connector
• Word clock input on BNC connector

Built-in Microphone:
Mono omnidirectional condensor capsule on front panel

Mic Preamps:

• 8 Mic preamps
• Gain: Up to 75 dB and advanced stepped gain circuit design
• Selectable 48v phantom power, hi-pass filter, Soft Limit ̈ and polarity invert
• EIN: 129dB (un-weighted) @ 60dB, 150Ohm input
• Max input level: +20dBu
• Input impedance: 3K Ohm

Hi-Z:

• Max input level 14 dBu
• Input impedance: >2MOhm

Analog Outputs:

• 2 1/4″ balanced monitor outputs
• 8 balanced outputs on 1 DSUB 25-pin connector
• 2 independent 1/4″ stereo headphone outputs
• 2 1/4″ dual-mode guitar/instrument outputs

Digital Outputs:

• Optical OUT: Supports ADAT, SMUX & S/PDIF
• ADAT: 16 channels 44.1-48 kHz on 2 Toslink connectors
• SMUX: 8 channels 88.2-96 kHz on 2 Toslink connectors
• S/PDIF: 4 channels, up to 96 kHz on 2 Toslink connectors
• Coax OUT: 2 channels of S/PDIF, up to 192 kHz on 1 RCA connector
• Word clock output on BNC connector

A/D conversion:

• Max input level (+4dBu ref/Mic): +20dBu
• Max input level (-10dBV ref): +6dBV
• Input impedance: 5KOhm
• Freq resp 10 Hz -20Khz: > +/-0.2dB (@44.1Khz)
• Rel. THD + N: -110dB (@ 96Khz)
• Dyn. Range: 119dB (A-weighted)

D/A conversion:

• Max output level (+4dBu ref): +20dBu
• Max output level (-10dBV ref): +6dBV
• Line output impedance: 90 Ohm
• Freq resp 10Hz -20 Khz: > +/- 0.05dB (@44.1Khz)
• Rel. THD+N : -114dB (@96Khz)
• Dyn Range: 123dB (A-weighted)
• Front panel Guitar Output: impedance balanced/max level 14 dBu
• Headphone Max output level: 19dBu
• Headphone Rel THD + N into 600 Ohm: -109dB
• Headphone Dyn Range: 120dB (A-weighted)