Symphony Desktop
Flagship Sound Quality. Vintage Preamp Emulation. Hardware DSP with
Premium Native Plugins.
Immersive Touch Screen Interface.
Put the Sound of a Symphony on Your Desk
Symphony Desktop for Mac, iPad Pro and Windows packs the legendary sound quality of Apogee’s rack-mount Symphony I/O Mk II into an elegant and inspiring 10×14 audio interface that sits on your desk and fits in your bag. With Symphony Desktop, musicians and producers are empowered to record, overdub and mix with the music industry’s most respected AD/DA converters and mic preamps.
By combining superior performance, with new features like mic preamp emulation, the Symphony ECS Channel Strip and Clearmountain’s Spaces reverb plugins, ultra low latency recording with hardware DSP and Apogee native FX plugins, Symphony Desktop will amplify your creativity in your studio or on the go and give your recordings the Apogee sound quality Advantage.
Symphony Desktop - Video Overview
Flagship Sound Quality
Cutting-edge Analog and Digital Components Selected by Curious and Critical Ears
Faithfully Capture Every Nuance
A/D CONVERSION – Like Symphony I/O Mk II, Symphony Desktop’s analog-to-digital converter stage features ultra-low distortion, high-slew rate, fully differential analog op-amps plus a cutting edge A/D converter in a performance-enhancing dual-sum configuration. Create with the confidence that every nuance of your analog input is faithfully reproduced in the digital domain.
A Widescreen Window Into Your Mix
D/A CONVERSION – The digital-to-analog stage of Symphony Desktop features brand new technology that provides uncompromising Symphony DAC performance in a portable product, including a robust ultra-low distortion, high-current, fully balanced output driver. Regardless of downstream connections, Symphony Desktop delivers a transparent, widescreen window into the sonic landscape of your mix.
Superior Performance + Vintage Emulations
PREAMPS – At the core of the input stage, are Symphony Desktop’s mic preamps offering up to 75dB of gain. The preamp design features Apogee’s unique Advanced Stepped Gain Architecture which ensures ultra-low noise and distortion regardless of the source, from pounding kick drum to delicate fingerpicking on an acoustic guitar. With variable impedance settings on both mic and instrument inputs, Symphony Desktop optimizes the input stage to better match your specific devices, for deep lows and clear highs. Selectable Apogee Alloy preamp emulations add character, attitude and maybe a bit of grit to your recordings.
Two High Powered Headphone Outputs
Apogee Alloy Preamps
Dial in the Warmth and Tone of Iconic Analog Preamps
Apogee Alloy Preamp emulation combines analog circuitry and DSP processing to create the richest, most authentic preamp modeling available in an audio interface. Critical aspects of the model such as input impedance, transient profile and distortion characteristics are first implemented in the analog domain, followed by precise and accurate refinement in DSP, for a hybrid result that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
British Solid State – Class A Console Sound
American Tube – Lush, 50s Tone
Apogee FX Plugins
Premium Native and Hardware DSP Plugins
Obsessively crafted by the same team that designs all Apogee hardware and software products, Apogee FX and FX Rack plugins offer superior sound quality, and full bandwidth performance (44.1 to 192.kHz) for all DAWs on your Mac. From visually modern interfaces that allow you to precisely shape and contour your sound to meticulously modeled vintage hardware that is so accurate it has been endorsed by the hardware manufacturer, Apogee plugins will quickly find their way into your daily recording tool kit.
Symphony ECS Channel Strip - Tuned by Clearmountain
Tuned by Bob Clearmountain, the Symphony ECS Channel Strip plugin includes EQ, Compression and Saturation controls that let you create the optimal blend of channel FX for tracking vocals or acoustic instruments. You can use the ECS Channel strip with Symphony Desktop hardware DSP for zero latency recording or as a native plugin in your DAW.
Clearmountain's Spaces
Clearmountain’s Spaces reverb plugin reproduces Bob Clearmountain’s personalized workflow for creating the distinctive, rich spaces where his mixes live. With the very same echo chamber profiles and processing he’s used on countless hit records, Clearmountain’s Spaces lets you envelope your tracks in unique and cohesive atmospheres that set your mixes apart.
Other Apogee FX Plugins Made for Symphony Desktop
Clearmountain's Domain
Pultec EQP-1A
Pultec MEQ-5
Opto 3-A
Mod EQ-6
Mod Comp
For a Limited Time buy, Symphony Desktop and get the Apogee FX Bundle for only $100. You Save $399!
Ask your Apogee Dealer for Details
Flexible Recording Workflows
Work the way you want to with Symphony Desktop and Apogee FX Plugins
DualPath Link FX Monitoring
Monitor and control input features and plugin settings directly from your DAW
The most powerful and streamlined Symphony Desktop workflow option is Monitor FX with DualPath Link™. Simply open the Apogee Channel FX plugin on the track you’re recording to and link to the corresponding Symphony Desktop input to control all settings directly from your DAW, no other software required. DualPath Link technology sends your audio through the plugin on the hardware DSP in Symphony Desktop while you are recording and seamlessly switches to run the plugin in the DAW on your computer when you are playing your track back. The result is the most flexible, efficient and inspiring plugin recording workflow available.
DualPath Link - Video Overview
Virtually Zero Latency
Single-window Operation from your DAW
Maximum CPU potential
Print FX
Monitor with Zero Latency and Print with Plugins while you Record
With Print FX active you can record Apogee FX Plugins directly from the hardware DSP in Symphony Desktop to the corresponding channel in your DAW with zero latency while tracking.
Pultec EQP-1A plugin sold separately
Monitor FX
Monitor with Zero Latency While you Record
and Print Plugins Later
With Monitor FX active, you have ultimate flexibility with Apogee FX plugins. You can monitor with zero latency and dial in an inspiring sound when you are tracking without printing FX
Complete Control from Device to DAW
Intuitive and Powerful Touch Screen and Desktop Control Applications
Touch Screen Control
Access every critical setting from the intuitive and immersive touch screen
Symphony Desktop’s Touch Screen Control application gives you complete access to all essential hardware and software features. From mic pre gain to mixer, to monitor output volume and plugins you can dial it in without touching your mouse. Touch Screen Control also gives Symphony Desktop more independence and stability across all platforms – macOS, iPad OS and Windows 10.
Beta release version available soon
Desktop Control Software
The complete control console for dialing it in from your computer
Desktop Control is the comprehensive console application for all Symphony Desktop hardware and software functions. From preamp selection to input and output routing to workflow setup, monitor control and more, Desktop Control provides a flexible and intuitive interface for setting up you sessions and staying in your creative groove.
Features & Specs
Features
- Most affordable Symphony series interface ever
- Cutting edge components and circuit design deliver flagship sound quality
- 2 Advanced Stepped Gain mic preamps
- FET instrument input with electric guitar tube amp characteristics
- Apogee Alloy Mic Preamp emulation (Analog processing + DSP modeling)
- Built-in hardware DSP processing of Apogee FX plugins
- Flexible, zero latency plugin workflows: Print, Monitor and DualPath Link workflows
- Dynamic touch screen display for comprehensive hardware control
- 2 fully balanced 1/4″ outputs
- 2 assignable headphone outputs: 1 x 1/4″, 1 x 1/8”
- 10 IN x 14 OUT simultaneous channels of audio
- MIDI over USB
- Digital I/O: 2 x Optical Toslink (ADAT,S/PDIF)
- USB 2.0 over USB Type C connector
Compatibility
- macOS: 10.13 High Sierra or later
- iOS/iPad pro: iOS 13
- PC: Windows 10 Anniversary update or later
Included Plugins
- Clearmountain's Spaces - macOS, Windows 10 - Native only
- Symphony ECS Channel Strip - macOS, Windows 10 - Native and Hardware DSP
Included Preamp Emulations
- AP-66 - British Solid State
- AP=57 - 50s American Tube
A/D Conversion
- Max input level (+4dBu ref/Mic): +20dBu
- Max input level (-10dBV ref): +6dBV
- Input impedance: 4KOhm
- Freq resp 10 Hz -20Khz: > +/-0.2dB (@44.1Khz)
- Rel. THD + N: -113dB
- Dyn. Range: 123dB (A-weighted)
Preamps
- Gain: Up to 75 dB and advanced stepped gain circuit design
- Selectable 48v phantom power, Soft Limit and polarity invert
- EIN: 129dB (un-weighted) @ 60dB, 150 Ohm input
- Max input level: +20dBu
- Input impedance: 150 – 4K Ohm (default)
- Max Hi-Z input level: 14dBu
- Hi-Z input impedance: 220k/470k/>20M Ohm
D/A Conversion
- Max output level (+4dBu ref): +20dBu
- Max output level (-10dBV ref): +6dBV
- Line output impedance: 50 Ohm
- Freq resp 10Hz -20 Khz: > +/- 0.05dB (@44.1Khz)
- Rel. THD+N : -114dB
- Dyn Range: 129dB (A-weighted)
- Headphone Max output level:— 520mW into 30 Ohm — 90mW into 600 Ohm
- Headphone Rel THD+N: -111 dB with 600 Ohm load
- Headphone Dyn Range: 128dB (A-weighted)
