“What exactly is Apogee Control V3?”

Control V3 is a new mixer application that controls Apogee interfaces. The new “hit feature” is that V3 finally allows for running multiple DSP based plugins in real-time, for tracking through plugins with near-zero latency! Where V2 had a single channel strip plugin (the old 3-band ECS channel), V3 will unlock a whole new eco-system of Apogee and 3rd party plugins that can run on the interfaces. Think guitar and bass amps, mixing console emulations, vocal pitch correction etc., the possibilities are endless as the iMX.8 arm-core chips are offering way more DSP power than current traditional DSP chips.

“Will current Symphony Studio interfaces receive the new DSP features?

Yes, the new V3 software will unlock the full potential of the iMX.8 ARM-CORE chips that are already embedded in all existing Symphony Studio interfaces! So any user who will update to V3 will benefit from the new features, regardless of when they purchased their Symphony Studio interfaces.

Control V3 preview

“Is Apogee entering the DSP plugin ecosystem similar to UAD, AVID or others?”

Yes, but our goal is to create a new, very modern platform around our Symphony line of interfaces with cutting-edge, powerful Arm-Core technology. Some of our interfaces (like the Symphony Studio series) already have Arm-Core chips on board and will be able to process plugins in real-time on the hardware, others like Symphony I/O MKII will still benefit from the new mixer application, but won’t offer real-time DSP-based plugins operating on dedicated Arm-Core processors. However, we are looking into the possibility of enabling real-time Native(!) plugin processing via the Thunderbolt bus. If we can realize it technically, we will! And so far our early tests look promising!

Will Symphony I/O MK II or even older APOGEE interfaces also benefit from the new Control V3 mixer software?”

Some of our interfaces (like the Symphony Studio series) already have Arm-Core chips on board and will be able to process plugins in real-time on the hardware, others like Symphony I/O MKII will still benefit from the new mixer application, but won’t offer real-time DSP-based plugins operating on dedicated Arm-Core processors. However, we are looking into the possibility of enabling real-time Native(!) plugin processing via the Thunderbolt bus. If we can realize it technically, we will! And so far our early tests look promising!

Older interfaces like the Ensemble series or DUET will not be able to support newer DSP development as they run a different processing architecture. We intend to offer fair upgrade offers to existing users and to keep current interfaces relevant with updated drivers for as long as it’s technically and financially feasible.

“What does ‘analog meets digital’ actually mean in practice?”

APOGEE is now part of the Rockforce Tech group, which also owns MANLEY. We have plans of building APOGEE interfaces that have some analog MANLEY components in the front-end, for example some microphone preamp transformers, which MANLEY is as known for as for their tube-sound. APOGEE’s advanced Arm-Core technology will also allow for real-time DSP emulations of MANLEY analog circuits of the highest quality. Those can soon run on any input or output channel of your Symphony Studio interfaces!

“Why did Apogee bring Matt Fudge onto the team?”

Matt Fudge actually reached out to Apogee and offered a collaboration regarding the “product vision” just before Dirk Ulrich and Rockforce came onboard. Dirk & Matt met a few times to discuss mutual visions and “hit it off”, so the idea was born to team up and integrate Matt closely into the Rockforce Tech eco-system. Matt and Dirk both have fantastic track records of developing forward-thinking pro audio products, so we believe having these two industry visionaries team up will be a great thing for Apogee, Manley and the pro audio community going forward.

“Will there be new hardware products coming soon?

Yes, APOGEE is actively preparing the launch of Symphony NOVA, our new 4-in / 12-out desktop interface. Just like the existing Symphony Studio interfaces, NOVA will feature the same iMX.8 Arm-Core chips, so it will be able to handle the same real-time plugins!

“What is Dirk Ulrich’s long-term vision for Apogee?”

Dirk’s vision is to create a modern eco-system around the APOGEE and MANLEY brands, whereas APOGEE owns the digital domain around our fantastic sounding AD and DA converters and our powerful Arm-Core hip technology, and MANLEY brings the analog authority into the mix that has made the brand iconic. Both brands offer 40 years of pro audio experience (each!). Under the new mutual ownership and with our current iteration of the mutual product teams which consist of analog and digital experts who have worked at both companies for decades plus some fresh blood and new perspective, we believe that APOGEE is on track for future innovation.