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Description
The Symphony I/O 2x6 empowers all that is Apogee, from legendary quality, to ultra-low latency and maximum performance. Apogee Symphony I/O is a modular multi-channel audio interface featuring premium AD/DA conversion and world-class microphone preamps. Designed to deliver professional sound quality for audio recording, mixing and mastering on a Mac, Symphony I/O is the ultimate music production centerpiece for any modern studio.
Legendary Sound Quality
Symphony I/O is the culmination of 25 years of Apogee's award-winning design experience. Using the most advanced components available, Apogee engineers created an extremely efficient circuit and power design resulting in a significant improvement in audio clarity and transparency over any previous Apogee product.
Input and Output FlexibilityThe Symphony I/O 2x6 features 2 balanced inputs, 6 balanced outputs, as well as stereo AES I/O and 8x8 optical I/O. Plenty of I/O to handle any environment from home to professional studios. The Symphony I/O 2x6 is also extremely versatile with multiple connectivity options to fit your needs.
Complete Compatibility
Connect Symphony I/O to any Apple workstation; MacBook, iMac or Mac Pro via USB, Pro Tools HD, Symphony PCI or Thunderbolt. Symphony I/O is simple to set up and easy to use.
Videos
Apogee Electronics
Apogee Symphony I/O with Dave Tozer
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Apogee Symphony I/O.
Features and functionality
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The Dante interface offers future-proofing but may lack native low-latency monitoring; users must route audio through DAW, affecting latency.
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Apogee Control 2 software's double-layer saving system for Monitor Workflows and Snapshots can lead to confusion, as settings aren't intuitively saved together.
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Software and compatibility
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The Thunderbolt option is limited to Mac, while the Dante option works with Windows, but Macs might need an expansion chassis for compatibility.
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Users experience smoother operation on silicon Macs by adding Symphony to Pro Tools aggregate I/O, avoiding playback engine errors seen on Intel Macs.
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A permissions setup is required for MK1 Symphony on silicon Macs, detailed in a document on Apogee’s website, ensuring stable operation.
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A bug in the current Apogee Control 2 software causes delay calibration settings to reset, resolved by using an older software version provided by support.
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Use cases and applications
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The Symphony I/O MkII with Dante is suitable for electronic ambient music, offering nuanced control for subtle changes in attack and parameter envelopes.
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Symphony Studio is seen as suitable for home mix-only rigs needing 12x analog outs and a talkback mic but may not meet professional installation expectations.
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User experience
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The Symphony I/O MkII's Thunderbolt cards are reportedly compatible with M1 and M2 Macs, but users should verify with Apogee for assurance.
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Users who frequently replay tracks with subtle expressive changes might need to explore project management strategies like track freezing to optimize CPU performance.
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Users report that the Symphony Studio converters don't match the high quality of Apogee's previous products, like the Symphony MkII or Apollo interfaces.
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Setup and maintenance
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Reinstalling the Symphony Release 5.5 DMG resolved work-halting errors for some users, highlighting the importance of keeping software up to date.
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Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 4 Reviews and 17 Ratings
266
The best and fastest converter with exceptional sound quality
The best & fastest converter. Calibrated 16 in + 16 out for all the gear i am using. Can't believe how good it sounds!
One of the Super Interfaces. But an Apogee Quatret is pretty Portable to this beast!
One of the Super Interfaces. But an Apogee Quatret is pretty Portable to this beast!
198
A OK
Never had an issue with this thing. Fan noise is sometimes a bit loud, even though my A/C is fully on and cold.
Artist usage
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The Symphony I/O is Young Guru's audio interface of choice. In an interview with Apogee, when asked what features of it he likes he responds "Obviously that you can use it for Logic and Pro Tools. Someone should have thought of that a long time ago, to run Pro Tools HD and Logic, or anything native, on the same system, to be able to switch between HD Pro Tools and another native system is incredible... I loaded up some of my past sessions that I had used with another system, and it sounds 100% better coming out of the Symphony I/O converter."
The "Pro Tools Rig" at Trevor Horn's Sarm West Coast LA studio includes: Mac Pro, Digidesign 192, Apogee Symphony, Apogee AD8000 SE, Digidesign Sync I/O, Pro Tools 10 HD2, Logic Pro X
In an Instagram post captioned "Christmas in the studio!!!!," Sebjak showcases the Apogee Symphony I/O, highlighting its use in his recording setup.
In this interview Kurstin states that he recorded Sia voice on Chandelier into the Apogee Symphony I/O.
Working on a new API 1608 console with Logic 8, an Apogee Symphony interface and a UAD-2 card (an early version sent to the band by Universal Audio), Price found that the relatively stripped-down setup was a blessing in disguise.
Used for the drum tracks on "Beggin", as described by Alessandro Marcantoni in this October 2021 Sound on Sound interview.
Working from memory, old gear lists and photos, and the track names in his mix session for ‘Beggin’, Marcantoni retraces his steps, both for the recordings and the mixing. “For the kick I would have used a Shure Beta 52A on the inside, a Neumann U47 [FET] on the outside, and a Royer Labs R‑122 placed close to the kick drum pointing to the snare, for a mono drum kit track. On the snare I used a Shure SM57 at the top, and a Shure Beta 57 at the bottom. I duplicated the top snare track to create another effect setting for the rimshots.
“In addition I had one Neumann KM‑184 for hi‑hat and another KM‑184 for the ride cymbal, a couple of AKG C414 XLII mics as overheads, and two Neumann U87s for ambience. The toms had Beyerdynamic Opus 87 mics. I would have avoided the Yamaha desk for the recording chains, so the mics would have gone through external mic pres. I most likely would have used API 512C’s for the kick and the snare, and Focusrite ISA 828/430 for the other drum tracks. They would have gone into the Apogee Symphony MkI, and the Avid HD I/O.
Album Usage
The Apogee Symphony I/O has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Apogee Symphony I/O, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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Apogee engineers have made it their passion to improve every new flagship product by using the latest in electrical components and designing optimized circuitry that often exceeds the expectations of the component manufacturer. This is the Apogee Advantage. Symphony I/O Mk II is the culmination of this 30 year commitment and raises the bar on all Apogee products before it with even better audio clarity and sonic transparency. In fact, when equipped with either the new 8×8 or 16×16 Mk II I/O modules, Symphony I/O Mk II outperforms all other multi-channel audio interfaces available for Pro Tools HD or Thunderbolt based systems, making it the flagship audio interface for the entire professional audio industry and the obvious choice for countless GRAMMY winning artists, producers, songwriters and engineers.
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