A Quick Question for Apogee Ensemble Users?

[Hybrid88]

Hi Guys.

Just wondering if anyone that has used the Apogee Ensemble can answer a quick question for me.

Can the Ensemble mix the line inputs to a master stereo out without a computer plugged in?

I know some brands have this feature but it's not really easy to tell which ones unless you've tried/used them before.

Cheers.

[Hybrid88]

Anybody?, I find it hard to believe no one here knows the answer to this.

[Thirteen]

The Ensemble has a "standalone mode" with later OS versions, but I haven't tried it yet with mine. You set it up in Maestro while connected to a computer and it remembers those settings while not connected. From Apogee's website:

StandAlone Mode at a Glance:
Maestro mixer and routing settings, now located in Ensemble’s non-volatile memory, enable storage of settings in Ensemble.
Allows the use of Ensemble as a converter from analog to optical, coax and optical, or coax to analog, as well as other possible configurations.
Changes to routing or settings in Maestro still require connectivity to a Macintosh computer.

[Hybrid88]

Cheers Steve, that was exactly what I was after.

By the way, how do you rate the Ensemble compared to other brands like RME, Metric Halo and Avid 003 etc?

[Thirteen]

I've never put it side by side with other units and done a hardcore test. I find that it sounds like an Apogee converter, the spectral balance of which is great for the type of material that I record, so I am happy. I have long given up on the endless discussion and worrying of the "gearslutz" variety about things that don't matter ;-)

[Hybrid88]

Yeah sure, I know what you mean.

Just I've never had a decent interface before and want to know if it will be suitable for my needs, because I want it to last a good long while.

I gotta say though it is a little bit of a scary prospect getting an interface of this price point, knowing it's only going to go down in value drastically - not quite like vintage synth prices these days

Guess that was what it was like for people getting Akai S series samplers just before decent soft samplers came out...

[Thirteen]

The Ensemble has been a current item for years now, they work great, and their sound is pretty archetypal for rock and pop. A purist would say that they are not "perfectly flat", but personally I find Apogee converters to sound good to my ear, and that's all that matters to me. At this price level pretty much all converters sound fine, you can't really go wrong with any of the big name brands these days, RME and Metric Halo make nice stuff too.

you may hear a difference between them in a blind A/B test, but it is likely to be pretty subtle indeed. Functionality and interfacing and I/O features would play a bigger part than sound in choosing between those brands for me.

[Hybrid88]

Hey Steve, I have a few more questions if that's ok - just wondering with the Maestro software if you can have say a master output that is a mix of both the software output (so the DAW master out) and the hardware inputs on the Ensemble (the synths plugged into it)?

And is it possible to route that master out to more than one physical output on the Ensemble?

Cheers

[chribble]

Gents, was going to pull the trigger on this interface, but noticed no midi in/out?
How do you solve this, I'm looking to not use another USB port.

[jkhuri44]

i think this has alternative inputs to midi:

http://www.motu.com/products/midi/mtpav_usb/body.html

could be wrong.