Quicklinks

Howard Heckers

F.O.H. Engineer

Recent Projects:
Roger Hodgson

"I've started using an Apogee Big Ben clocking a Yamaha PM5D-RH console for Roger Hodgson's live solo show where you can hear every detail and the music is very fragile - and I was blown away by the difference. When I switch off the Big Ben it sounds like someone has covered the PA with a thick cloth. Everything sounds more clear and my stereo field is so much more open when I use the Big Ben. I will never go on tour without my own Apogee Big Ben again."

Kevin "Tater" McCarthy

Monitor Engineer

Recent Projects:
Linkin Park, Judas Priest Godsmack, Kid Rock

"I love the Big Ben and I would tell anyone with a digital console to get one. When beginning this tour with Linkin Park, I connected the unit to my PM5D and the improvement was unbelievable. It seems like a small investment for big returns in audio quality."

Ken "Pooch" Van Druten

F.O.H. Engineer

Recent Projects:
Linkin Park, Smashing Pumpkins, Kid Rock, Beastie Boys, Korn

"After recommendations from a few highly respectable live sound engineers, I decided to check out the Apogee Big Ben for my front of house setup. The first time the unit was added to my equation, Big Ben significantly improved the sound of my mix, simply by changing the word clock of my console and digital devices."

Ariel Borujow

Engineer

Recent Projects:
P. Diddy, T.I., Mims, Black Eyed Peas

"I have been using Apogee products for many years, and 2 years ago I decided to purchase the Rosetta 200. Since then all my mixes combined with my Summing Box have given me the warmth on the low end as well as a smooth high end I have been searching for. In addition I added the Big Ben clock to the equation and the stereo field is more open. This is the way my mixes should sound!"

Anibal Kerpel

Multi-Grammy and Oscar winning Producer and Engineer

Recent Projects:
Juanes, Gustavo Santaolalla, Cafe Tacuba, Baja Fondo, "Brokeback Mountain", "Babel"

"I have been using Apogees for many years. I am always updating computers, software, new microphones, preamps and the only consistent gear in my studio are my AD/DA 16x's and Big Ben. You can't beat the openness and size that you get in your recordings and now that I've got my summing box, I can enjoy their sound even more... just plain great."

El Rey Theater

Brian Haught, F.O.H. Engineer

Recent Projects:
Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow and LCD Soundsystem

"We rely on the digital console to facilitate the many scenarios we find here at the El Rey. What Big Ben has been doing is making the console smoother and more present so it doesn't sound as digital. I do festivals that have the digital console by itself but clarity has always been an issue. Once we installed Big Ben at the El Rey, I noticed the change in clarity was dramatic, especially in large mixes."

  

Andy Meyer

F.O.H. Engineer

Recent Projects:
Motley Crue, Justin Timberlake, Sevendust, Janet Jackson, Rage Against The Machine

"I've been utilizing Big Ben on multiple tours going on for quite a few years. From rock bands like Sevendust to Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Motley Crue and Rage Against The Machine i've employed this piece of gear and it's been wonderful."

  

Peter Schmidt

Mix-Engineer, Producer, Owner of "Ballsaal-Studios"

Recent Projects:
Peter Maffay, Rosenstolz, Reamonn, Klee, Fotos, Paula, Bap, Philipp Boa, Virginia Jetzt, Beatsteaks, Wallis Bird, Ohrbooten

"I have loads of your converters, 4 x DA-16Xs, 1 x AD-8000 and 2 x PSX-100s including 96k option all sync'd to a Big Ben. For film-work I need the X-Video Card. I'm a long term fan of Apogee, starting with the AD/DA 500 many years ago remembering that I was blown away by the clarity and punchiness of sound. The Soft Limiting function opened another door to the sonic universe, so do the DA-16Xs now. For this kind of Pop Music I'm working with, there is no alternative. The combination of Apogees DA-16Xs and my Tonelux summing console (built by Paul Wolff) is unbeatable. "

Mark Linett

Recording/mixing engineer, Grammy Nominee

Recent Projects:
"Smile" Brian Wilson, "Ashgrove" Dave Alvin, "Beautiful Dreamer the Story of Smile"

"The Apogee Big Ben with the Rosetta 800 made it possible for Brian [Wilson] and me to get the sounds that we wanted on the recording of "Smile". The first thing you should do after you get a DAW is to buy a Big Ben clock. You would not believe the difference it makes in the sound stage. It is incredible!"

Don Bartley

Benchmark Mastering

Recent Projects:
Thirsty Merc, The Beautiful Girls, Christine Anu, Social Interiors, Young Divas, The Vines, INXS, Tim Finn

"In addition to the Rosetta convertors we use the Big Ben to distribute our clock source for the majority of our digital devices. It provides a stable and transparent representation of our analog signals and is a great asset in our arsenal of world class equipment."

Jay Baumgardner

Producer, Engineer, Mixer

Recent Projects:
Mixing Evanescence's "Bring me to life" on "Fallen"

"I was really shocked by the difference that the Big Ben made in the sound. It truly enhances the definition and clarity in a mix. I plan to put a Big Ben in every studio here at NRG."

Steve Krause

Engineer, Producer, Mixing Engineer

Recent Projects:
"The Cooler", "Cold Creek Manor", "Life as a House"

"The coolest thing about the Big Ben is what it does to your sound, lining everything up. I have six interfaces in my ProTools rig and having one clock go to each one they are spot on and when I am mixing I am using the converters to go in and out to analog gear, eq's, compressors, so when the conversion is that spot on and I am summing to a mix with at least 48 ins and outs, when the clock is that good the mix is just so much better."

Hank Linderman

Engineer, Producer, Musician

Recent Projects:
Robert Lamm's "subtlety&passion"

"It was fairly dramatic when I hooked it [BIG BEN] up. It was very, very obvious. There were essentially three differences that I noticed. First, the coherency of the sound and the dimensionality all that improved dramatically. Secondly, there was extension at the frequency extremes mostly in the high end and a bit in the low end. And finally, the smudge in the mid range was diminished. And I am very sensitive to mid range"


  

Leo Leoni

Musician, Producer

Recent Projects:
Gotthard

"I'm so glad that I was advised to purchase a Big Ben. It radically changed the consistency and the definition of our sound. It was an amazing improvement, with so much more punch and beat clarity. Since it was such an incredible buy for us, I have to strongly advise it to anyone that owns a recording studio. "

Jonothan Grossman

Composer, Songwriter

Recent Projects:
"She Spies" TV show (NBC), "Joan of Arcadia" TV show (CBS)

"I have to say that I am ASTOUNDED at the difference that the Big Ben makes. The clarity and zing of the top end and tightness of the bottom are especially apparent with [an] acoustic guitar, I was always wondering what mic/pre/guitar combination would clear things up. I use Neve reams, Soundeluxe mics and Gibson and Taylor guitars. But no matter what I did, it was not truly clear sounding. I did not know how to get rid of the "fur". Well, now I know! The Big Ben has officially taken all the "furriness" out of digital recording. WOW!!! WOW!!! WOW!!!"

Juan Hidalgo

Mastering Engineer

Recent Projects:
La Tana, Jorge Drexler, Marlango

"In the world of professional audio it is very rare to find a piece of equipment that makes your whole setup sound better and the Big Ben achieves this. If we talk about mastering this is the equivalent to improving the sound of a setup to the highest level. If on top of that you combine it with the Rosetta 200 the over all sound has a greater depth, with an analog like quality, and is warmer and more defined. The "SRC" respects the signal and that is essential in mastering."

Stephen Lovstrand

Engineer, Swedish Radio & TV

Recent Projects:
Various Jazz recordings for "Altara Records" and "Four Leaf Clover Records"

"When I first bought my Rosetta800, all the people I was working with had to upgrade their converters as well, since the difference was so apparant in comparison to what they had and what I had beforehand. In the last recording I did, I used 1x Rosetta800, 1x AD16x, and 1x DA16x all mixed on a Noetek console. The sound was unquestionably better than what I was used to. There weren't the same needs for EQing and tweaking like before. The right sound was just there from the start. Or, as one of my colleagues put it, "Now it sounds like it did 25 years ago!" I have been very satisfied with the products from Apogee, the only problem is that I want more units. Iam really keen on trying out BigBen!"

Jarl Aanestad

Producer, Songwriter

Recent Projects:
"Morten Abel, Our Love is Deep", "Lilyjets, untitled album", "Christian Stenseng, Going Crazy", "Kristian Valen, Living the Dream"

"In my studio I use a Sony DMX R100 digital mixer which is known for having a decent clock. I am sceptical by nature and am not easily duped by marketing and hype, but I agreed to try out the Apogee Big Ben. It completely opened up the stereo and depth perspective in ways I almost could not believe, and Big Ben has not left my studio since. A "must try" unit!"

Tony Shepperd

Engineer, Mixer, Producer

Recent Projects:
Michelle Williams, Kenny Loggins, Whitney Houston

"The Big Ben is hands down the best clocking source I have ever used! Since I mix entirely in the box my clocking source is extremely important. I recently upgraded my system to a Digidesign Pro Tools HD 3 accel system. The Cherri on top of that luscious Sundae was The Apogee Big Ben. Instantly my imaging improved and I could actually hear the tails of my reverb trails. It is now the clocking source for my entire studio."

John Powell

Film Composer

Recent Projects:
"X-Men, The Last Stand", "United 93", "Ice Age: The Meltdown", "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", "The Bourne Supremacy", "The Italian Job"

"I have loads of your converters [4 x DA 16X, 1 x AD 16X, 1 x Rosetta 800] and I clock everything on my writing rigs and all Pro Tools systems to Big Bens exclusively.They definitely keep the imaging wider and clearer in 5.1."

Joey Raia

Mixer

Recent Projects:
The Mars Volta, Hot Hot Heat, Head Automatica and ELP

"Apogee is the heart of my setup at several different levels. First, my entire system is clocked by a Big Ben. My studio simply cannot run without it.When I added the Big Ben to my setup, it was almost like a veil was lifted from my ears, the high end got a lot clearer and the low end tightened up. I think one of the most important features of the Big Ben, besides the fact that it provides the best clock around, is that it gives you multiple, parallel outputs of that clock, and makes them available in every format you could want. Since I integrated my Big Ben into my studio, which was a couple of years ago, I have not had one single clocking error or digital click. And, I print all of my mixes using the Trak2 AD converter. The output of the Dangerous 2 Bus feeds the Trak2 line inputs and I record the Trak2 digital output back into Pro Tools. Besides being a great pre-amp, and DI box, the AD converters on the Trak2 are great, I really love the control you have over the Soft Limit and Soft Saturate features. It provides that last finishing touch of a mix."