dbkt5 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I currently use the Apogee Duet USB, love it so far. I'm looking for an 8 channel interface for when I do drum recording. Seeing how firewire is on it's way out or perhaps already out, would picking up an Ensemble be a smart move, and is it stable over thunderbolt? I think I'm biased to apogee products but maybe the Ensemble is out of my league as a small projects musician; but my theory is to buy something that I won't need to upgrade rather than buying two or three different products along the way. Also, I am looking at upgrading from an 09 iMac to a retina 15" Macbook Pro for portability so that's why I ask about thunderbolt. I already know all about the quality of the Ensemble so my question is aimed at if it's worth picking up seeing where the market is going. Any help is appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 The Apogee Ensemble is discontinued and Thunderbolt is only available for the Symphony I/O, which costs a fortune. You might consider the Motu 828x, which is thunderbolt and much more affordable and sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbkt5 Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 I realize the Ensemble is discontinued but there are still a few at third party sellers in my area which is why I was thinking of snatching one up before they disappear for good. I will have to give the Motu a look, heard good things about their products.. might have to sell the duet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I realize the Ensemble is discontinued but there are still a few at third party sellers in my area which is why I was thinking of snatching one up before they disappear for good. Thing is, if I'm not mistaken, the firewire driver for the ensemble still has to go thru thunderbolt and be recognized, so if it's discontinued, it might not even work. Motu interfaces are rock solid. You might also consider the Motu 8 pre, if you want 8 mic pres for drums. The 828 comes with 2 mic pres and 8 line inputs, plus adat optical. If you use additional external mic pres, then it should be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denitronik Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 The Ensemble has a Firewire interface only so you need to have a computer with a Firewire interface. There are some thunderbolt to firewire cables but I don't know how well they would work for a multi track audio interface. Also there are only four mic pre-amps in the ensemble not eight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Cardenas Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I would say no, it is not worth it! It has been one of Apogee's most troublesome interfaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nord Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 For whatever it is worth, Apogee are historically really good at keeping their old legacy products alive by supporting drivers. Hooking up the Ensemble via the Firewire/Thunderbolt adapter and using the current driver should work fine. I'm basing this statement on a call I made to Apogee about a very similar question a few months ago. Due to financials I ended up connecting a Focusrite Octopre to an Apogee Quartet for additional pres/inputs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephar77 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I have an iMac 5k Yosemite working fine with Apogee Ensemble firewire using the Apple firewire-thunderbolt adapter; but, you have to start the iMac first, and when you hear the chime, turn on the ensemble firewire. Everything works fine, but sometimes you have to reinstall the Maestro Software to get things working again. I would like to upgrade to El Capitan. Does anyone have the Ensemble Firewire working on an iMac using the thunderbolt to firewire adapter and El Capitan? . I have read in two places that this will work, as long as you use the Apple adapter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephar77 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I redid the post and reply… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zephar77 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Oh, and yes, this sounds superb, and way better than the MBox Pro 3 I had been using. I tried several other audio interfaces, but the Apogee was much better in sound quality. I have used Protools and Logic Pro, but now always Logic Pro. I managed to find a new unit in a box last July, and was utterly amazed that Apogee dropped support; and, will not create their own driver for the many firewire users still out there. Most all the other audio face manufacturers just update their drivers in a reasonable amount of time; but, Apogee won’t even talk to you on their website chat any longer. They just send you a prepared statement, and sign off. So unlike the Apogee that everyone talks about for so long. However, I think we can get our gear working, working together, and sharing advise. Best, Seth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.