Apogee Intros Element Thunderbolt Audio Interfaces, Focus On Sound Quality

Apogee have been teasing a new product announcement... and here it is! new Thunderbolt audio interfaces with Ensemble quality at cheaper prices and a new control ecosystem. Sweet!  

Santa Monica, California, September 27, 2016 - As they celebrate their 30th year of award-winning digital audio recording products, Apogee Electronics is excited to announce The Element Series. This all-new product family includes three premium Thunderbolt audio I/O boxes for Mac - Element 24, Element 46 and Element 88, each with a different number of analog and digital I/O. Element introduces a new control ecosystem that features an advanced blend of software and hardware options. The Element Series delivers Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt recording quality in simple form factors that are available at unprecedented prices. 

Apogee Element 46.

Apogee Element 46.

The Elements of Excellent Audio

Apogee is recognized by the professional audio industry as an innovator that sets the sound-quality standard in digital recording. Symphony I/O Mk II and Ensemble Thunderbolt are Apogee’s most recent flagship products.The essentials of excellent audio recording technology that make Ensemble Thunderbolt superior are embodied in the Element series. From the AD & DA conversion circuitry to the mic preamps and the clocking, each Element is designed to deliver legendary Apogee sound quality. An essential part of bringing this sound quality to and from your Mac is the interface connectivity. The Element series uses Apogee’s rock solid Thunderbolt driver for 1.41ms round-trip latency when using Logic Pro X. As an added element, the series also features Apogee Groove’s headphone output technology. This design dynamically optimizes sound quality for a wide variety of headphones, regardless of their impedance. you have connected.

Apogee Element 24.

Control the Elements

Apogee is also regarded as the company that revolutionized the audio interface user experience. Products like Duet and Ensemble Firewire created new categories in the home studio recording market and have been often imitated by other manufacturers seeking to capitalize on Apogee’s design success. Element evolves Apogee’s user interface approach again by offering broader more customizable options that extend beyond the physical hardware. The highly configurable Element Control software for Mac lets users set up workflows that meet their needs and the Element Control for iOS App lets them control the Elements remotely over wifi. Logic Pro X users can adjust Element I/O settings directly from their Logic Channel strips. And for those wanting more traditional desktop control, there’s the optional Apogee Control hardware, featuring a Duet like form-factor with 8 assignable buttons and a master control knob. Regardless which of these options you prefer, if you are using an Element, everything is under control.

Apogee Element 88.

Apogee Element 88.

“The Element Series delivers incredible performance at outstanding prices,” says Betty Bennett, Co-Founder and CEO of Apogee. “The streamlined physical hardware takes a very direct approach, allowing us to maximize the components that are most important to sound quality. In addition, the Element Control ecosystem takes the audio interface user experience a step forward while giving customers more options. We feel the Element Series is transformative and we know our customers will be amazed by the quality and delighted with the value.”

Highlights:

  • New family of Thunderbolt audio interfaces for Mac

Rounik is the Executive Editor for Ask.Audio & macProVideo. He's built a crack team of professional musicians and writers to create one of the most visited online resources for news, review, tutorials and interviews for modern musician and producer. As an Apple Certified Trainer for Logic Pro Rounik has taught teachers, professional... Read More

Discussion

Koolmeme
Unfortunately these are terminating components on the thunderbolt chain. Like the UAD Apollo Twin.

The UAD Apollo 8/16 series and UAD-2 Satellite series have two thunderbolt ports each to propagate the daisy-chain. Unfortunate as I was looking to supplement my Apogee Quartet with the higher speed interface. However, I have multiple external monitors that terminate the thunderbolt chain so have no place so insert this device.

Hope that the design tradeoff was something other than the price of an additional thunderbolt port.

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