Recording - October 2013 - 29
These preamps are very clean, and
with 85 dB of gain they are perfect for
low-output microphones like the Shure
SM7B and most passive ribbon mics.
Even on quiet sources the preamps’ noise
floor did not start to become apparent
until hitting 60 dB and above. Now you
may be thinking that’s not great when you
still have 25 dB to go, but it’s impressive
when you consider that many high-end
“clean” preamps top out at 65 dB, period, and can be noticeably noisy when
maxed out. Apogee’s preamps are a
major selling point in this system, and in
my opinion they don’t get near the attention they should!
The converters
Moving to the Symphony I/O’s converters, I could just say, “Well, it’s Apogee!”
and move on, but to my ears this is easily
the most honest converter that Apogee has
ever made. Let me explain.
In the folklore of the recording world,
Apogee converters are known for a
solid, rich, almost analog-esque sonic
signature with a silky top end. The
Symphony I/O’s converters keep a hint
of the silky top end, but take significant
steps toward the transparent and less colored end of the spectrum.
On the D/A side, I had a very hard
time in blind comparisons picking
between the Symphony and my Lynx
Aurora (reviewed February 2007), both
were just that clean. On the A/D side is
where some of the Apogee silk and
weight returned, but nowhere near what I
used to hear with the Rosetta series and
the Mini-Me. However, it needs to be
highlighted that all this talk of color, silk
and analog allusions in digital converters
is really, really, really subtle and best spoken of in increments of 5%.
Bottom line, the sound of the Symphony
I/O is clean, three-dimensional and
sweet sounding, and will never get in the
way of the sounds you are capturing.
The whole package
What impresses me the most about
Apogee’s flagship Symphony I/O system is
really the totality of the whole package—its
looks, its ease of use, and of course its
sound... it’s just so darned elegant!
It’s hard to think of a system that combines this much versatility, scalability (up
to 64x64 with multiple units on a single
computer), and sonic quality into a package this intuitive. The only downside—you
really need to be a Mac user to appreciate all it can do!
Price: Symphony 8x8 + 8MP as tested,
$4490; other configurations start at
$2495
More from: Apogee Electronics,
www.apogeedigital.com
RECORDING October 2013
29
http://www.transaudiogroup.com
http://www.ftc.edu
http://www.ftc.edu
http://www.apogeedigital.com
Recording - October 2013
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2013
Recording - October 2013
Fade In.
Contents
Talkback.
Fast Forward.
AEA R88 mk2 Stereo Ribbon Microphone.
Live In The Studio.
The Mixing Workshop: Spectral Balancing.
Apogee Symphony I/O 8x8 + 8 MP and Symphony 64 | ThunderBridge.
Radial Engineering Gold Digger and Cherry Picker.
Echo Digital Audio Echo2.
Gear Shootouts—A Home-Brewed Personal Guide.
Twenty Questions On Mics And Miking: A Chat With Shure’s John Born.
ADAM Audio A77X Powered Monitors.
Plug-In Outlet: Slate Digital Virtual Buss Compressors.
From Room To Studio.
iOS Music Tools: iMusicAlbum Audio Mastering Studio.
Talking Acoustics With Peter D’Antonio.
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 22: Compression—Part 1.
How To Edit.
Readers’ Tapes.
Advertiser Index.
Fade Out.
Recording - October 2013 - Recording - October 2013
Recording - October 2013 - Cover2
Recording - October 2013 - 1
Recording - October 2013 - 2
Recording - October 2013 - 3
Recording - October 2013 - Fade In.
Recording - October 2013 - 5
Recording - October 2013 - Contents
Recording - October 2013 - 7
Recording - October 2013 - Talkback.
Recording - October 2013 - 9
Recording - October 2013 - Fast Forward.
Recording - October 2013 - 11
Recording - October 2013 - 12
Recording - October 2013 - 13
Recording - October 2013 - AEA R88 mk2 Stereo Ribbon Microphone.
Recording - October 2013 - 15
Recording - October 2013 - Live In The Studio.
Recording - October 2013 - 17
Recording - October 2013 - 18
Recording - October 2013 - 19
Recording - October 2013 - 20
Recording - October 2013 - 21
Recording - October 2013 - The Mixing Workshop: Spectral Balancing.
Recording - October 2013 - 23
Recording - October 2013 - 24
Recording - October 2013 - 25
Recording - October 2013 - Apogee Symphony I/O 8x8 + 8 MP and Symphony 64 | ThunderBridge.
Recording - October 2013 - 27
Recording - October 2013 - 28
Recording - October 2013 - 29
Recording - October 2013 - Radial Engineering Gold Digger and Cherry Picker.
Recording - October 2013 - 31
Recording - October 2013 - Echo Digital Audio Echo2.
Recording - October 2013 - 33
Recording - October 2013 - Gear Shootouts—A Home-Brewed Personal Guide.
Recording - October 2013 - 35
Recording - October 2013 - 36
Recording - October 2013 - 37
Recording - October 2013 - 38
Recording - October 2013 - 39
Recording - October 2013 - Twenty Questions On Mics And Miking: A Chat With Shure’s John Born.
Recording - October 2013 - 41
Recording - October 2013 - ADAM Audio A77X Powered Monitors.
Recording - October 2013 - 43
Recording - October 2013 - Plug-In Outlet: Slate Digital Virtual Buss Compressors.
Recording - October 2013 - 45
Recording - October 2013 - From Room To Studio.
Recording - October 2013 - 47
Recording - October 2013 - iOS Music Tools: iMusicAlbum Audio Mastering Studio.
Recording - October 2013 - 49
Recording - October 2013 - Talking Acoustics With Peter D’Antonio.
Recording - October 2013 - 51
Recording - October 2013 - 52
Recording - October 2013 - 53
Recording - October 2013 - 54
Recording - October 2013 - 55
Recording - October 2013 - 56
Recording - October 2013 - 57
Recording - October 2013 - 58
Recording - October 2013 - 59
Recording - October 2013 - 60
Recording - October 2013 - 61
Recording - October 2013 - 62
Recording - October 2013 - 63
Recording - October 2013 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 22: Compression—Part 1.
Recording - October 2013 - 65
Recording - October 2013 - 66
Recording - October 2013 - 67
Recording - October 2013 - How To Edit.
Recording - October 2013 - 69
Recording - October 2013 - 70
Recording - October 2013 - 71
Recording - October 2013 - Readers’ Tapes.
Recording - October 2013 - Advertiser Index.
Recording - October 2013 - 74
Recording - October 2013 - 75
Recording - October 2013 - 76
Recording - October 2013 - 77
Recording - October 2013 - 78
Recording - October 2013 - 79
Recording - October 2013 - Fade Out.
Recording - October 2013 - Cover3
Recording - October 2013 - Cover4
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