Looking for all the world like a high-end audiophile stereo radio receiver as much as pro audio equipment, the shiny, new Symphony I/O has arrived from Apogee. It’s a top-of-the-range audio interface designed for low latency, high-quality digital-to-analog conversion, and quality clocking, as well as flexible input and output, coming from a company known in the category. With Pro Tools HD support, it’s also a rival to Avid’s own audio interfaces, while also working with all major Mac DAWs – even Ableton Live. You’re talking an investment of a few grand here, depending on configuration, so this isn’t likely to appeal to every bedroom producer. But pricing, starting at US$3690 with the I/O modules, also isn’t astronomical.

Another big highlight: Ethernet and USB releases planned for later in the fall mean the Symphony I/O is a viable alternative for mobile, laptop-based users, not just PCI as on Avid’s Pro Tools HD interfaces. That makes the Symphony interesting as a solution for the road. (The Symphony also works as a standalone converter, not just as an interface.)

Your best bet – check out the full specs from Apogee.
Symphony I/O

I’m mostly ignorant of high-end audio boxes; I can speculate about them a bit as I would pro baseball. I can, say, however, that the trend in converter quality has absolutely been to greater quality for dramatically lower price. It’s also notable that configuring and using converters is much easier than it used to be. The Symphony I/O makes it easy to switch DAWs (though sadly only on Mac, not other OSes), and even plans 64-bit kernel support on Mac OS later this fall. It’s a far cry from the days in the 90s when you’d spend a couple of days mucking about with Mac classic drivers and expansion chassis just to get a Power Mac to do any audio recording at all. (I’m unfortunately more knowledgeable about that than I care to be; I’d like to leave that in the 90s with memories of the Lewinsky scandal.)

What I can offer is the first-hand thoughts of a very biased – but also very interesting – source. Kevin Vanwulpen is one of the engineers at Apogee, responsible for firmware, software, and digital engineering. He was excited enough about his baby that he wrote me an extended explanation of why it’s cool and why it matters. Note that this is not an official PR line (I’m sure PR’s not going to be terribly happy to see it – blame me, not Kevin, guys). And it should be taken with a grain of salt; this device is basically family to Kevin. But taken as such, I do enjoy hearing engineers talk about their creations, so here’s what Kevin has to say.

Executive summary of the highlights from Kevin:

• The converters sound a lot better.
• “Modes” for working with a variety of DAWs makes switching Logic, Live, and Pro Tools far easier. (That’s not news for your basic audio interface, but it’s new to interfaces of this class.)
• Analog fans, this is DC capable. Route control voltage to your heart’s content.

the proverbial cat is out of the bag: SymphonyI/O is online. As usual, I won’t bore you with the stuff you might as well read on our website …but I do want to highlight some other points about the product you may find of interest, which is one of the things I love about your blog.

Also note this was not written by marketing but by myself and thus there is some of my bias/opinion/whatever in there.
Ok here it goes, in random order:

a. The sound….yes I am sure marketing covers that, but I am sure it will take a little while before people ‘get it’.
I do not have ‘golden ears’ (but some who do agree)…I truly can not tell doing a blind test whether I am listening to the analog source or AD-DA. Don’t get me wrong the previous generation was great…but well this is truly a major step up, which I am excited about (I am not in the business of designing the same thing in a new jacket…and neither are some others here, including Lucas our analog wizard)

b. I am excited about the Modes (marketing called it Audio Interface Mode). I personally compare it to multi-booting a computer (such as bootcamp and many others)
In the past Apogee’s products often got complicated very fast, because they are used in very different contexts and we had a hard time squeezing features and trying to make them make sense to everyone. In the end of the day if you’re using Logic you don’t care about ProTools HD specific features and vice versa for example.
Symphony I/O can be restarted in a mode of the users choice and allowed us to keep the box make total sense and easy to use…for the context it’s living in at that moment. Rather than all contexts all at once

I personally will use it with Symphony64 at home…but it’s nice to (down the road) hook it USB to a laptop as that’s plenty in most cases (for me at least) when on the go, which I am not all that often anyhow.

c. As you know I am personally an Analog-synth and modular (eurorack) geek…until now us poor CV-needy souls had to more or less pick between the DC-capable MOTU with it’s crappy sound (for some reason with modulars that is sooo obvious) or better sound quality. I am talking about use with Expert Sleepers’ Silent Way (which I use) or MOTU’s Volta.

Well this thing’s DA’s are DC capable…yay.

But not only that they have an amazing sense of zero (forgot what Lucas calls it, he calls it true-zero or something)…but in short the zero offset is not comparable to the other stuff out there. The legs are veeery symmetrical which does mean you absolutely without worry can use it to get double the voltage swing (and thus octave range)

Second it’s extreeeemely temperature stable, which is clearly important in that situation. I have not ‘measured’ it versus a MOTU but in my experience once tuned I have not had issues (which i do with MOTU as my rig happens to be near the AC airflow in my relatively small appartment where there are physical constraints where I cna put my modular)
I actually last week got an Expert Sleepers ES-1 with DB25 to use with this puppy. I pre-ordered my personal SymphonyIO. I like my Ensemble and all I use right now, but well this is a good notch up.

Obviously it can go out quite hot (+24dBu) so you get a nice large range to play.

d. We do see this not just as a product but more so as a project or platform or whatever you call it.
That does imply we decided to not ship it all at once….yes it doesn’t do everything under the sun today and for those people they can hold of. Likewise for many it is everything they wished for.
Likewise the box is very modular in design in many aspects which will allow us to adapt and allow people to invest in this without the stuff that is valuable obsoleting as fast as technology in general does.
Personally I like the Hasselblad analogy where they had an impossible time selling such expensive digital cameras…untill they figured out to make the digital part a slide-in part that gets updated whenever new stuff comes out and evolves with digital camera technology…but the body/optics and all that stay.

Don’t get me wrong there are many great aspects to this box, but well I know you know how to read and can go through our website and all that…the above is sort of my own input and highlight of less obvious stuff that I find cool about it.

If you’re an Apogee user or in the market for this kind of device, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this offering and how it stacks up to the competition. And what do you think of the staggered release schedule as far as features, which starts now but extends through 2010?

Echo are the maker of quite affordable, nice audio interfaces; they’re perhaps best known for their ultra-compact PC Card (CardBus) interfaces and, before that, PCI-based interfaces. They’ve gotten into FireWire, but initially in the 10×10 and 12×12 configurations, where there’s plenty of competition. There are far fewer FireWire interfaces that are smaller and less expensive, which is why Echo’s latest could catch some additional attention.

The new interfaces are:

1. AudioFire2: 2 x 2 ¼” balanced analog inputs/outputs, an independent stereo headphone output with volume knob, a removable dongle for S/PDIF and MIDI i/o, an 8 foot 6-pin FireWire cable, a 3 foot 6-pin to 4-pin FireWire adapter cable, and an external 12VDC power supply. US$199
2. AudioFire4: 2 auto-sensing universal inputs with mic preamps, phantom power and trim knobs, 2 balanced ¼” analog inputs, 4 balanced ¼” analog outputs, a stereo headphone output with volume knob, S/PDIF and MIDI i/o, an 8’ 6-pin FireWire cable, and an external 12VDC power supply. $299.

AudioFire2 [Echo Audio Product Page]
AudioFire4 [Echo Audio Product Page]

Hmm … lots of I/O, same high-quality innards as their higher-end models, and all the extra widgets and cables and whatnot actually included in the box? I wish this were a lot more common. Better still, both are FireWire bus-powered and promise low-latency drivers. (Bus power won’t help most PC laptop users, however: for reasons I don’t understand, most PCs still ship with 4-pin FireWire jacks, unlike the Mac.)

Bundled in the box is Tracktion 1 — dated, but no matter, given these otherwise seem worth a look.

Echo Vista Compatibility Update

As I write this, Echo happens to have just announced Vista drivers for their full line of current products. That means all FireWire devices (AudioFire 2, AudioFire4, AudioFire 8 & AudioFire 12), Layla3G & Gina3G, the PC Cards (Indigo, Indigo io, Indigo dj), and Layla24, Mona, Gina24, Mia, MiaMIDI. Check the driver download page for details.

For more compatibility information, check our Vista Compatibility Roundup:
Vista Launch Day: What’s Compatible for Musicians?

And stop your snickering, Mac users. We’re still waiting for Universal Binary compatibility for a lot of software, and now Leopard is about to hit. The developer updates never end.

Now, some readers here have been skeptical of the performance improvements of PCIe (though, compatibility-wise, many computers make it a necessity). But Universal says the new cards deliver a quantifiable improvement over PCI and PCI-X. Joe Bryan, VP of technology, says PCIe provides lower system overhead, more reliable low-latency operation, and more tracks (up to 254 per card). That’s consistent with what we’ve heard from other vendors like Digidesign. (Of course, the advantage of Universal is, unlike the Pro Tools platform, you can add Universal’s plug-ins to any Mac or Windows DAW you like.)

Bryan also mentions the ExpressCard bus included on recent PC laptops and Apple’s MacBook Pro, which I hope means Universal is considering a mobile-ready product.

The Universal cards themselves are impressive as always. They start at just US$500 for the DSP card, plus $100 off your choice of plug-ins (Express), or $1000 for the card and $750 off plug-ins (Expert). Existing users can crossgrade from the PCI UAD-1 at a discount, and you can mix-and-match PCI and PCIe versions of the card if you want. As for the geeky parts behind the scenes: think a single, unpartitioned vector processor for more complex DSP processing (other cards use multiple DSP chips), and high-res, floating point processing with high-speed memory. The market for these products certainly isn’t huge, but every Universal user I’ve met was really in love with the platform. If you’re one of those people, like Gareth Jones, for instance, do say hi and let us know how your UAD-1 is treating you.

UAD-1e and PCIe Demo Videos
Express Pak, Expert Pak UAD-1e’s
Via Digital Music Mag

Interface with Benefits

There are plenty of fine boxes to get audio in and out of your computer, so now it’s a matter of finding that key element that sells you one device instead of another. The major selling point of TC Electronic’s new Konnekt D audio interface is integrated effects that run on the interface itself, via built-in DSP hardware. That in itself is nothing new, but TC hasn’t just tossed in a reverb and called it done: instead, they’ve added their top-class reverb and channel strip (for dynamics processing). You can access the Fabrik R reverb and Fabrik C channel strip from your computer software, or even use the effects when the interface is in standalone mode.

I looked at the new Fabrik software user interface last month. It’s a fascinating idea for making it easier to change multiple parameters at once while focusing on sound results, and should appeal to sound newcomers and pros alike, even if I still think it looks like a screen from a Klingon Bird of Pray. (Not necessarily a bad thing, though it makes me hungry for a nice plate of Gagh.)

There are plenty of other features on the Konnekt to like. It’s FireWire bus-powered with the ability to combine more interfaces for more I/O, now or in the future, with a twist: hook up two Konnekts, and you can direct-monitor signal from either one. There’s also plenty of I/O included balanced ins and outs and MIDI, Hi-Z inputs for connecting guitars and other instruments with pickups without the need for a separate direct box, S/PDIF and ADAT, 24-bit / 192 kHz operation, and pretty much everything you could want. If it performs up to the standards set by other TC stuff, I think it’s fair to set expectations high. No pricing available, but stay tuned, as this is right at the top of my list.

More Hardware Treats

GC also introduced other hardware at Messe a few weeks ago:

The Vintage Tube Primer simulates a tube amp with optional overdrive. It could be just the thing if you don’t like the idea of performing onstage with a laptop, or don’t need quite that many options. It also continues TC’s preference for vague labels for its sound voodoo, like the “body” switch.

TC has other effects hardware out, too: the M350 multi-effects and C300 dynamics units. So who said hardware effects were dead? These units are rack-mountable, and the M350 is editable via software plug-in, so it’s not hard to imagine someone integrating them into a computer setup, even those performing with laptops. (You could process your voice or guitar with these, for isntance, and leave your computer to deal with soft synths and accompaniment.)

PowerCore for PCIe

Lastly, our PCI Express watch continues: those of you with new Macs and PCs who want to add hardware-accelerated audio processing will be glad to know that PowerCore is now available for the new PCI format. We’ve heard the odd complaint about PCIe and whether it offers any real benefits, but at least the good news is you don’t have to give up on the idea of adding cards for more sound-processing power.

Discuss

Maybe people are cleaning out their studios in the spring, but for whatever reason, we’ve been talking about picking audio interfaces and effects on the CDM forums. Latest discussion: which reverbs everyone likes (and this new Konnekt + Fabrik R could be a strong candidate). Drop by and let us know what’s on your mind.

This year is all about more bandwidth for audio production, and one of the buzzwords you’re likely to hear a lot more of is PCI Express (PCIe). We’re only just now seeing cards that use the cutting-edge bus, but over the coming months they should become more commonplace. Granted, if you’re like me and focused on at-home music making, you probably spend most of your time using six or eight channels at a time, or, let’s face it, often just two! But for those who need 24 or 48 channels, even at high-resolution, more PCI performance is very good news. (Yes, this requires a breakout box, as pictured here — unless you had REALLY tiny audio jacks on the PCI card. Not really practical.)

Instead of stacking multiple cards, a single PCIe card can do everything you need, freeing up slots and reducing headaches. The bus is standard on Apple’s Power Mac G5 line and growing in popularity on desktop PCs.

PC/Mac audio interface maker MOTU today announced they’re shipping the PCIe-424, bringing their long-popular line of audio interfaces to the bus. Thankfully, they’re not stranding their existing customers: you’ll still be able to buy PCI-X cards if you have an older machine, or you can upgrade your old interface to PCIe if you’re ready to make the jump.

MOTU does an unusually good job of explaining what the new technology means without too much ad jargon. (Thanks for keeping the hype relatively low and the technical details clear, MOTU PR!)

MOTU isn’t alone, either; Digidesign announced PCIe versions of Pro Tools hardware in December. One key difference, however: you can mix and match a new PCIe MOTU card with your existing MOTU hardware “core system,” whereas Digi’s older HD hardware isn’t compatible with PCIe. There’s another caveat: Digidesign hasn’t yet qualified Windows PCs with PCIe because of the “lack of systems” with three slots. I expect this will change soon as new motherboards become more popular, but it’s worth noting. Like MOTU, Digidesign has trade-in / upgrade pricing to try to convince you to make the leap.

I’ll admit, I haven’t dealt with configuring PCI expansion systems since the days of the Power Mac G3. (Getting those expansion chassis from Digi to work back then was a real bear then, which I think has changed.) If this is your area, I’d love to hear your experiences. In the meantime, I subscribe as always to the “more is more” theory of bandwidth. In the long view, it does tend to bear fruit.

CDM Exclusive: Reflexaudio tells us that they’ll be manufacturing the HardSID Quattro PCI card, a PCI card featuring authentic vintage SID chips as used in the original Commodore 64. (European readers may be aware the HardSID product has been available over there for a while, but Reflex will bring manufacturing and broader North American distribution.) Pop this into your Windows or Mac desktop computer, and you can run four of these mean analog-style synth chips simultaneously with full MIDI control. Why? Aside from being able to make C64-style game music with incredible accuracy (if you’re into that sort of thing), you’ll find the SID is a very capable synth instrument for all sorts of music — something you might not guess from middling software emulations.

Compatibility: Windows / Mac OS X; PCI slot
Availability: June 30 (estimated / unconfirmed)
Cost: Estimated at US$250 starting retail (with one installed Commodore SID)

History and — why do I want to do this again? Did you say C64?! Click ‘read more’ for a look at the history behind the Commodore 64′s synth, and how and why this ancient digital chip wound up on a PCI card for modern computers.

A little bit of history

It’s January 1982, at the Winter CES show. Most computers (like the Apple II and IBM’s new PC 5150) can produce only a single, awful beep. The brand-new Commodore 64 is different: C64 architect Bob Yannes’ “synthesizer on a chip,” the original MOS 6581, is a complete analog-style synth, with three great-sounding voices and an integrated filter bank; it can even synthesize speech. The C64, designed from chips originally intended for the gaming market (the SID chip itself was intended as an all-in-one sound chip for gaming), is also a fraction of the price of the IBM PC. Contrary to popular belief, it’s the C64, not the Apple II or IBM PC, that will go on to become the best-selling computer in history. History links:

commodore.ca’s extensive C64 history
History of sidplayer, popular C64 music software, including a SID timeline

What’s this C64 doing in my modern [xx] PC?

The “why” aside, the “how” is simple: enough C64s were sold that there are still a fair number of these now-discontinued chips floating about. The cult following around the SID’s distinctive sound has led to plenty of DIY hardware projects (see CDM’s roundup) and even the boutique commercial product Sidstation (see MusicThing) The original MOS 6581 chip is in short supply, but there are more of the 8580 chip used in the C64′s revision, the C64c; Reflexaudio tells us that, while they were skeptical at first, the later chip is actually an improvement.

So, long story short, Reflexaudio isn’t just building a new card: they’re using the actual chips from the C64. This ain’t no emulation. The 8580s and a handful of 6581s are available unused, and the HardSID card even includes extra jumpers and capacitors so you can rip one out of a garage-sale C64 (provided you can find one with a sound chip that works).

Why would you want to do this? The SID’s cult following may be that it is something of an oddity: one of the first musical antiques from the digital age. It’s not only a good instrument for chiptune folks, but is capable of producing some great bass sounds and rich, fat bleepin’ analog sounds. When these chips are gone, it’ll just be you with your C64 synth in your — boy, this sounds strange — dual-Pentium or G5 tower. Stay tuned to CDM for an official availability announcement from Reflex and final pricing and ship dates.