Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt 2 Audio Interface

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.

Guitar I/O

Directly connect your guitars and other instruments to Ensemble using the two front panel ¼” inputs. The inputs’ Class A JFET circuits reproduce the feel and tone of a vintage tube amp for more realistic modeling and add harmonic character to keyboards and other electronic instruments. A “bootstrapping” circuit design provides an ultra-high impedance load to the connected instrument to preserve its tone and high frequency response.

Connect your amp to either ¼” output for effortless re-amping. Dual mode switching allows you to easily record your direct guitar signal while listening through your amp, then play the recorded signal back through your amp to refine amp settings and mic placement.

You can also use the Guitar I/O inputs & outputs to insert stomp boxes into your session as an alternative to software plugins. Impedance or level mismatches are not a concern – these connections were made for any guitar gear.

Analog Inputs

Ensemble features 4 Combo inputs (XLR or ¼”) and 4 XLR inputs for connecting up to 8 microphones or a combination of instruments, external mic preamps, and other analog audio devices.Ensemble’s analog inputs now include a line level bypass relay for the purest unity gain signal path to the analog-to-digital converter when the input source is set to line level.

Analog Outputs

Ensemble includes 2 balanced monitor outputs on ¼” TRS connectors and 8 balanced line outputs on 1 D-Sub 25-pin connector. These outputs can be configured for a wide variety of workflows, whether you’re integrating Ensemble with an external console, mixing in the box, or any hybrid of the two.

Headphone Outputs

With the kind of discrete transistor output stage found on power amps, Ensemble’s two independently controlled front panel headphone outputs offer more pristine power than ever before. Drive high impedance headphones louder than you’ll ever need while maintaining ultra low distortion throughout the level range.

Built-in Microphone

Ensemble features the same high quality built-in mic capsule found in Apogee’s ONE for iPad & Mac. 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.

Analog Inserts

Analog inputs 1 and 2 feature the ability to add a hardware insert between Ensemble’s built-in mic preamp and analog-to-digital converter stage. 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

As the centerpiece of your creative setup, Ensemble provides 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. Thanks to Thunderbolt’s high bandwidth, all of Ensemble’s analog and digital I/O are available in your DAW simultaneously.

Word Clock

Ensemble provides Word Clock IN and OUT for syncing with other digital audio gear. Use Ensemble as the master clock to take advantage of Apogee’s superior built-in clocking technology.

Hybrid Of Software And Hardware

Apogee pioneered a simplified user interface that has inspired countless other competitors. This is a hybrid approach – essential hardware control complemented by comprehensive software control. Ensemble’s front panel represents the next level of refinement, offering the perfect balance of dedicated control and flexibility.

Dual, High-Resolution Displays Show All Input And Output Details
Two high-resolution OLED displays deliver all the visual feedback critical for recording and monitoring. Without looking at your computer, Ensemble lets you see metering, levels, grouping and polarity, muting, phantom power and Soft Limit for all inputs and outputs.

Input Control With Selection Buttons And Controller Knob
Ensemble makes it easy to access all important recording and monitoring functions. Simply press an input selection button on Ensemble’s front panel to select a desired input and easily adjust your level with the input controller knob. All input selection buttons feature an LED highlight ring. The highlight ring of the selected input is brighter so you can see at a glance which channel is in focus. Press and hold the input select button to select and adjust different parameters for each channel such as input type, +48v phantom power, Soft Limit, grouping, polarity invert and hi-pass filter.

Assignable Buttons

Four configurable buttons (labeled A, B, C, D) allow you to quickly access functions such as “Engage Talkback”, “Mute Outputs”, “Dim Outputs”, “Sum to Mono”, “Clear Meters” or “Engage Speaker Set”. Each function can be assigned to a button using a drop-down menu in the Apogee Control software.

Talkback

When asked to identify his favorite microphone, one savvy producer answered “the talkback mic!” Effortless communication enhances the flow of your session, so Ensemble includes flexible and convenient talkback functionality. Use either Ensemble’s Built-in microphone, an external mic connected to one of Ensemble’s inputs, or your Mac’s built-in mic to communicate directly with the recording performers through both headphone and line outputs. Engage talkback from Apogee Control or from the front panel Assignable buttons. No other audio interface offers such a comprehensive talkback system.

2 Independently Controlled Front Panel Headphone Outputs And Controls

With the kind of discrete transistor output stage found on power amps, Ensemble’s two independently controlled front panel headphone outputs offer more pristine power than ever before. Drive high impedance headphones louder than you’ll ever need while maintaining ultra low distortion throughout the level range.

Speaker Set Selection

Ensemble’s assignable buttons can be configured in Apogee Control software to switch between up to 3 pairs of speakers, allowing you to use Ensemble just like a standard monitor controller. Simply connect one, two, or three pairs of studio monitors and press the corresponding assignable button to select which pair you would like to listen to.

Flexible. Powerful. Essential.

Apogee Control has been built from the ground up and replaces Apogee’s Maestro software for Ensemble Thunderbolt. Apogee Control delivers all the functionality of Maestro in a new, highly customizable user interface along with innovative features like the simplified “Essentials” control window and an FX Send mixer feature. Apogee Control brings together Ensemble Thunderbolt and Element Series interfaces allowing them to work together giving you more premium sound quality and a seamless and powerful user experience.