ensemble

Are my Apogee’s outputs DC Coupled for Control Voltage (CV) use?

Control Voltage is the voltage used to control an analog circuit, like VCA’s, VCO’s all that kind of synthesizer stuff.

Note that DC coupled means there are no capacitors in the audio path of the circuit. Just because a device is DC Coupled does not automatically mean it will pass DC content. This is because there are many active ways of removing DC content. The AD16x and DA16x for instance are entirely DC coupled. But neither of them will pass DC.

The following Apogee products will pass DC to the analog output for Control Voltage:

Symphony I/O MkII – All modules
Original Symphony I/O – All modules

That’s it as of 7/1/2019

Note that the Symphony module cards are DC Coupled AND pass DC for Control Voltage on the analog outputs.

What are the analog and digital in/out numbers in my recording software for Element & Ensemble Thunderbolt?

Element General, Element Series, Software
adat, analog, Channel, digital, Element, elements, ensemble, fx, FX Send, label, mix, mix send, optical, ThunderBolt

Apogee interfaces provide a driver-supplied label for each input and output channel (see this video for an example in Logic: https://apogeedigital.com/blog/apogee-element-tutorial-enable-logics-io-labels)

If your DAW (recording software) does not read this and only shows the channel number, use this guide to match the channel numbers with your Element or Ensemble interface:

Element 24

Element 46

Element 88

Ensemble Thunderbolt (Inputs)

Ensemble Thunderbolt (Outputs)

Connecting Apogee Thunderbolt to Macs with USB-C ports

All Apogee Thunderbolt interfaces can be connected to Mac computers with USB-C Thunderbolt 3 using Apple’s adapter:

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter

Thunderbolt 3 is backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 2 and Thunderbolt 1 devices so any Apogee Thunderbolt device will work through this adapter with no reduction in performance, latency, or sound quality.

Note: Some 3rd-party venders sell a Display Port adapter. Though the plug is the same size and shape as Thunderbolt 2 & 1, these adapters do not support Thunderbolt.

It should be noted that Thunderbolt 3 ports look exactly like USB-C ports and their cables also look similar. This can get a little confusing, so here are a few basic rules to help clear up any questions about connectivity:

USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 have the same-size port and the same-size connector for their cables. Since USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 ports look exactly the same, you will need to make sure your Mac has Thunderbolt 3 capabilities before using it with an Apogee Thunderbolt device and an Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.
A Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports, such as the 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, can use it’s Thunderbolt 3 ports to connect to any Thunderbolt 3 device, USB-C device, and Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt 1 device if you use the Apple Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter.
A Mac with only USB-C ports, such as the 2015 and 2016 12″ MacBook, can NOT connect to any Thunderbolt device, even when using adapters. It can connect to USB-C devices and other types of USB devices, using the proper adapters.

Does Ensemble Thunderbolt have an auto power-on feature?

Question:

Does the Ensemble Thunderbolt have a setting to make it auto power-on when connected to power?

Answer:

No.

Ensemble User’s Guide

Click here for the Ensemble User’s Guide.

Ensemble Thunderbolt QuickStart Guide & User’s Guide

Click here to view the Ensemble Thunderbolt QuickStart Guide.

Click here to view the Ensemble Thunderbolt User’s Guide.

Ensemble Thunderbolt System Requirements

Is it ok to leave my Apogee device plugged in and connected to Mac?

Yes, it is perfectly fine for any of our devices to remain plugged in and connected to your Mac (or iOS device). There is no harm in the device remaining powered up while you’re not using it.

Signal not showing up where it’s supposed to and routing incorrect in Pro Tools

If your signal isn’t showing up correctly in Pro Tools, coming out of Pro Tools to the desired outputs, or if the routing isn’t showing up as expected, there are a few things to check. Look below for the section that applies to the Apogee product you’re using:

JAM, JAM 96k, MiC, MiC 96k, Groove

Confirm that the device you’re using is selected as the ‘Playback Engine’ in Pro Tools by going to the the ‘Setup’ dropdown menu in Pro Tools and selecting ‘Playback Engine’. Make sure your Apogee device is selected in the ‘Playback Engine’ dropdown menu at the top of the window. If you are using JAM or MiC, you will first need to create a ‘Pro Tools Aggregate I/O’ and then you will select ‘Pro Tools Aggregate I/O’ as your ‘Playback Engine’. Click here for setting up JAM for Pro Tools. Click here for setting up MiC for Pro Tools.
You may need to reset the I/O paths in Pro Tools. This is a very common thing. Click on the ‘Setup’ menu in Pro Tools and select ‘I/O’. Once the I/O Setup opens, select all of the channels in the left-hand column and hit ‘Delete’ on your keyboard. After you’ve deleted them, click the ‘Default’ button in the lower part of the screen. Follow the same steps for each tab in I/O Setup. Once you have gone through these steps in each tab, click the ‘OK’ button to confirm changes and exit.

ONE (every model), GiO, Duet (every model), Quartet, Ensemble (every model)

Confirm that you are using the correct inputs/outputs on your device. Click here for instructions on how to setup ONE. Click here for instructions on how to setup Duet. Click here for instructions on how to setup Quartet.
Confirm that the device you’re using is selected as the ‘Playback Engine’ in Pro Tools by going to the the ‘Setup’ dropdown menu in Pro Tools and selecting ‘Playback Engine’. Make sure your Apogee device is selected in the ‘Playback Engine’ dropdown menu at the top of the window.
Launch ‘Apogee Maestro’ and click the ‘Reset Routing’ button in both the ‘Input Routing’ and ‘Output Routing’ tabs. If you’re using an Avid Duet or Avid Quartet, you will use ‘Pro Tools I/O Control’ app instead of Maestro. Click here if you need to download the Pro Tools I/O Control app for Avid Duet or Quartet.
You may need to reset the I/O paths in Pro Tools. This is a very common thing. Click on the ‘Setup’ menu in Pro Tools and select ‘I/O’. Once the I/O Setup opens, select all of the channels in the left-hand column and hit ‘Delete’ on your keyboard. After you’ve deleted them, click the ‘Default’ button in the lower part of the screen. Follow the same steps for each tab in I/O Setup. Once you have gone through these steps in each tab, click the ‘OK’ button to confirm changes and exit.

Symphony I/O, Symphony I/O MkII, AD16x, DA16x, Rosetta 200, Rosetta 800

If you are using Symphony I/O, Symphony I/O MkII, or Legacy gear with an X-HD card (AD16x, DA16x, Rosetta) in Pro Tools HD with an HD Core/Accel/Process, HD Native, or HDX card, you will need to make sure the ‘Playback Engine’ is set for whatever HD card you’re using. If the HD card isn’t showing up in the ‘Playback Engine’, you need to double-check the HD license on your ilok and confirm that you have installed the applicable HD driver (usually a separate install from the main Pro Tools software). Click here for setup of Symphony I/O with Pro Tools HD. Click here for setup of Symphony I/O MkII with Pro Tools HD.
You may need to reset the I/O paths in Pro Tools. This is a very common thing. Click on the ‘Setup’ menu in Pro Tools and select ‘I/O’. Once the I/O Setup opens, select all of the channels in the left-hand column and hit ‘Delete’ on your keyboard. After you’ve deleted them, click the ‘Default’ button in the lower part of the screen and confirm that the “Compensate for delays…” checkbox is checked. Follow the same steps for the input, output, bus, and insert tabs in I/O Setup. Once you have gone through these steps in each tab, click the ‘OK’ button to confirm changes and exit.
There are a couple of routing scenarios to be aware of when using Symphony I/O (MkI or MkII) with Pro Tools HD: Click here if using 2 Symphony I/Os with HD Native. Click here for routing of 2×6 module in Pro Tools HD. Note- using a 2×6 module in the primary slot of a unit with two modules installed is not supported.
If you are using an AD16x, DA16x, or Rosetta (200 or 800) with an X-HD card in Pro Tools HD, there are a couple of routing scenarios to be aware of: Click here to see the expected routing for each version of X-HD firmware. Click here is you’re experiencing an intermittent issue with incorrect routing.

What is the ‘A button’ (device ID) in Maestro for?

Most Apogee products that use the Apogee Maestro 2 control application will include a ‘Device ID’ button that can be found in multiple Maestro tabs under a graphical icon for the connected Apogee device. You will usually see this button as an ‘A’.

Here is an example of what it looks like when you have a Symphony I/O connected:

The purpose of this button is to quickly identify which Apogee device you’re adjusting parameters in Maestro for. When you click on the button, it will light up the front-panel of the corresponding Apogee device so you can see which device you are adjusting parameters in Maestro for. Click the button again and the device will no longer be identified.

Since multiple Apogee devices can be connected and appear in Maestro at the same time, it can sometimes be confusing to know which device you’re adjusting parameters for. Having more than one Duet or Quartet connected to a Mac may not be as common as having multiple Symphony I/Os or Ensembles connected, but the ‘Device ID’ buttons are there for each product, just in case.

A typical use-case:

You have 2 Symphony I/Os connected to one Mac and both are showing up in Apogee Maestro. You can go to the ‘Device Settings’ tab in Maestro and change the peripheral prefix of the 2nd Symphony I/O to ‘B’ (or any other letter you want). Now, when you click the ‘B’ button (Device ID) in Maestro, the 2nd Symphony I/O will become identified. If you click the ‘A’ button, the 1st Symphony I/O will become identified.