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vides a level fader, metering, and a routing

selection drop down menu for controlling the

stereo output of the mixer. The Main output

drop down menu selects the hardware output

to which the Main Output is routed.

| IN USE

The system that I reviewed consisted of a

Macintosh dual 3-GHz Mac Pro with a beau-

tiful 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display, a

Symphony PCI Express card, two Apogee

AD16X interfaces, two DA16X interfaces, the

Maestro software package (included with

the Symphony card) and Logic Pro 7.2.

On the rear of the X-Symphony card are two

self-latching multi-pin connectors labeled

"Main" and "Through." Communication

between the converter and the Symphony card

is completed via Apogee's proprietary PC32

digital cable. The AD-16Xs and DA-16Xs have

to be placed in the correct sequence for the rig

to operate properly: first an AD-16X then a DA-

16X, then the second AD-16X, then the second

DA-16X, and so on. A PC32 cable runs from the

Symphony card to the AD-16X's Main port and

then from that unit's Through port into the

Main port of the next unit, and so on.

I connected and configured the system

(which took one call to tech support due to

operator error), then launched Apple's

Audio/MIDI Setup and set the default sys-

tem I/O to the Symphony card, so all appli-

cations that use audio (including QuickTime

and iTunes) played through the Symphony

engine.

Now it was time to dig into Maestro. I

knew the software was powerful, but if it

weren't intuitive and easy to use it wouldn't

translate well into the real world. I was

impressed; the software was easy to navigate

and manipulate.

I loaded in a multi-track work in progress

and was ready to record my first Symphony

System track. But first I went to the "Audio

Hardware and Drivers" page and unchecking

the "Software Monitoring," configuring Logic

Pro so that my overdub track would mute

when Record was engaged, yet would play

back when Record was disengaged (even

though the track was record-enabled). This

would take full advantage of Symphony's low

latency performance, and make the software

behave like an analog tape-machine in auto-

input.

I used the same configuration in a full

tracking situation (22 tracks) and had flaw-

less operation. Working on native systems in

the past has always reminded me of taking

pictures with a cheap camera. It seems like

every time you try to take a picture there is a

lag before anything happens. This is not the

case with the Symphony System. It responds

to any command instantly, making punching

in or out or any quick adjustments a breeze.

This is the first time ever I have found

myself working on a native-based system

that provides the same quality of perfor-

mance that I've only been able to attain with

Pro Tools.

I went on to route a single mic to all 32

inputs, just to see if I would have any prob-

lems recording long audio files: 32 tracks, 96

kHz and 180 minutes and I didn't have a sin-

| SYMPHONY MOBILE: AN ON-THE-

GO OPTION

Apogee Symphony Mobile, based on a

new PCI ExpressCard, is built for on-the-go

engineers using an Apple MacBookPro. The

large number of MacBookPro laptops now

used by professionals in the audio industry

make this product a serious contender. It's

192 kHz capable and offers 32 channels of

simultaneous I/O with nearly non-existent

latencies at 96 kHz — a mobile symphony,

indeed.

"The challenge was to make it easier for

these professionals to get around and work

at the same level that they could

in a traditional environment,"

said Apogee Director of

Sales Max Gutnik. "We

believe Symphony

Mobile

this

e x c e e d i n g l y

well, making it

the ultimate solution for the

professional on the go."

If the desktop review is any indication,

engineers who can't sit still may find some

extra grease for the wheels in the

Symphony Mobile system — stay tuned.

— Strother Bullins

gle problem.

I don't care how powerful or reasonably

priced a recording system is, if it doesn't

sound good, it's just not worth attention. I've

been using the AD-16X and the DA-16X in

various Nashville studios for years and I've

always been a fan of their sound. When

equipped with the X-HD Card instead of the

X-Symphony card they act as seamless

replacement for the Digidesign 192 within a

Pro Tools rig (but they sound much better). If

a studio has Apogee converters I'm confi-

dent enough to leave my DAW at home. This

said, my assumption was that I would be

pleased with the sonic performance of the

Symphony System and I was right. In every

instance the Symphony System sounded

wonderful. The filters are focused, punchy

and transparent, and they have a wonderful

clarity.

I compared the clock in the AD-16X to my

Lucid GENx96 Clock and I wasn't able to

hear any difference. Wow, an internal clock

that sounds as good as a stand-alone model.

There's nothing wrong with that! I had great

results using not only Logic Pro, but also

Bias Peak, Nuendo, Garageband and

Ableton Live with the Symphony System.

| SUMMARY

I'm a long time Pro Tools user and, quite

frankly, I haven't considered switching plat-

forms...until now. Logic Pro 7.2 coupled

with the Symphony System is reasonably

priced for any audio professional and it has

no major faults that I can find.

Apple's Final Cut Pro has literally swiped

Avid's golden crown of film and video edit-

ing over the last few years, and now it

appears that Logic Pro teamed with the

meets

Apogee Symphony System could make it a

challenge

double play. The Symphony System paired

with with Logic (or Cubase, or Digital

Performer, etc.) matches the performance

and surpasses the audio quality of Pro

Tools|HD, while cutting the price virtually

in half. Anyone in the market for a high-end

DAW should give the Symphony System top

consideration.

Russ Long has done 5.1 DVD mixes for

Allison Moorer and Mercy Me and is an in-

demand engineer for live sound recordings.

Reprinted from Pro Audio Review