Symphony 32 PCI is not supported with Symphony Release 4.2 or Mac OS Lion (10.7). Symphony 32 is only supported up to Mac OS X 10.6.7 (not 10.6.8). The latest installer for Symphony 32 is available at: http://www.apogeedigital.com/downloads.php#SYM32
Maestro includes an update notification feature that is enabled simply by connecting your Mac to the Internet. Maestro will ping Apogee servers to determine the latest versions of Symphony I/O firmware and software, and notify you if updates are available. If updates are available, the dialog shown below appears.
Click on the link provided in the dialog and download the Symphony I/O firmware and/or software updates.
Before updating:
It's recommended to note critical Maestro settings such as Trim levels before performing an update.
Unplug headphones and power off speakers connected to Symphony I/O.
Unplug all other USB devices and connect Symphony I/O directly to a Mac USB port.
To update firmware:
Connect the Symphony I/O USB port to your Mac using the USB 2.0 cable included with Symphony I/O.
Launch the Firmware Updater application by double-clicking on the Firmware Updater icon.
The Firmware Updater application will determine if a firmware update is required.
If "Press Update to Proceed" is displayed, click Update to install new firmware
To update software:
Unzip the Software Installer
Launch the Software Installer by double-clicking on the icon
In most cases, Symphony I/O ships with the first I/O Module installed. For the infrequent case where no I/O Modules are installed, this section describes both how to install the first I/O Module as well as a second I/O Module.
Symphony I/O Module Installation Video
Symphony I/O Screws
Be careful to keep track of these screws and use them only for their intended purposes
Stand off - This secures the Modules to the chassis when using 2 Modules
Module/Rear Screw - Use these round head screws to secure Modules to the chassis and to secure the rear of the cover to the chassis
Rack Ear Screw - Use these undercut screws to attach the Rack Ears
Case Bottom Screw - Use these undercut screws to attach case on bottom of unit and to secure the center support
Directions
When installing a Mic Pre I/O module, first install an 8x8 or 16 Input I/O Module in the lower slot, then install the Mic Pre I/O Module as described starting with Step 12.
1. Discharge Residual Electricity- IMPORTANT! Even when Symphony I/O is powered off but connected to the AC wall socket, voltages remain active throughout the system. Manipulating circuit boards under these conditions may result in permanent damage.
a. Turn Symphony I/O off, but leave the AC cable connected
b. Ground yourself by touching the front panel of Symphony I/O to discharge static electricity
c. Unplug the AC cable from Symphony I/O
d. Wait for at least 2 minutes to let the power discharge from the circuitry
2. Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the 11 screws holding the cover on.
3. To remove the cover, slide it straight back until the underside clips prevent further movement. Then grasp the cover's side panels and gently bow the cover until the bottom lip is free.
4. Remove the 2 screws holding the center support in place, and lift out the support.
5. Remove both I/O Module blanking panels and set the screws aside for later use.
6. Remove the 9 screws indicated below, and set them aside for later use.
7. Place the first I/O Module into the chassis by inserting the I/O Module rear panel into the Symphony I/O Card 1 opening, then gently dropping the front of the I/O Module into place. Line up the I/O Module's mounting holes with the 9 nuts on the bottom of the chassis.
8. Secure the I/O Module by installing the 9 screws removed in Step 6. If you're installing a second I/O Module, install 9 stand-offs in the place of the 9 screws.
9. Secure the I/O Module rear panel to the chassis rear panel using the two screws from Step 4.
10. If you are only installing a single Module, replace the second slot's blanking panel.
11. Connect the provided ribbon cable between J1 on the Main board and J1 on the I/O Module. Be sure to align the key on each ribbon cable connector to the key slot on each receptacle.
12. When installing a Mic Pre I/O Module, first remove the Input Bridging Jumper from the lower I/O Module, and connect the Mic Pre IO Module's 50-pin ribbon cable to the now-empty socket.
13. To install a second Module, insert the I/O Module rear panel into the Symphony I/O Card 2 opening, then gently dropping the front of the I/O Module into place. Line up the second I/O Module's mounting holes with the tops of the 9 stand-offs, and install 9 module screws.
14. If you are installing a Mic Pre I/O Module, connect the Mic Pre IO Module's 50-pin ribbon cable to the Mic Pre IO Module
15. Connect the provided ribbon cable between J2 on the Main board and J1 on the second I/O Module. Make sure that the lower Module ribbon cable is nested into the upper Module ribbon cable as shown below.
Do not tuck the Primary I/O ribbon cable underneath the second Module or it could become frayed.
16. Reconnect the center support bar.
17. Reversing the steps to remove the cover, slide it back into place and secure with the 11 screws removed in Step 2. Use 6 undercut screws to secure the cover bottom and 5 round head screws to secure the cover's rear tab.
Once your microphone or instrument is connected, your audio software is configured and youʼve created a new recording track, just how do you set the input gain for a proper recording level in your audio software? Thereʼs no simple answer, but with a few guidelines and a bit of experience, you can master setting a proper level.
Ideally, the input gain should be set so that when the input signal is at its loudest, the level in audio software (or in Maestro) is just below maximum without lighting the Over indicator. In reality, itʼs unlikely that youʼll be able to guess just the right gain setting to accomplish this - when your gain is too low, the signal never gets close to maximum and when your gain is too high, a digital Over may occur.
Now, with a 24-bit system (such as Symphony I/O), the noise floor is so low that thereʼs no real penalty for undershooting the gain setting and recording at a lower level. There IS a penalty for overshooting the gain setting - a digital Over that results in significantly increased distortion. Thus, itʼs better to work with a recording level thatʼs a bit too low than a level thatʼs a bit too high.
Just how much to undershoot the gain setting is determined by the nature of the sound being recorded. As a general rule, instruments such as bass and organ have a more consistent level than percussive instruments, such as a tambourine, and may be recorded at a higher level. Also, the performerʼs skill and playing style can dictate more or less caution when setting levels. As you gain experience, youʼll be able to more accurately set a good recording level while avoiding digital overs.
How do I set the input level of my powered speakers?
Most powered speakers offer an input volume control, often labelled as input sensitivity. Rather than describe an overly complicated method for setting this control, the easiest way to determine the right setting is to note where you generally set Symphony I/Oʼs output level. If you find yourself rarely turning the output past a very low output level (say, -35 dB), decrease the input sensitivity on the speaker. If, on the other hand, you find yourself setting Symphony I/Oʼs level for full output and the speakers arenʼt loud enough, increase the input sensitivity. Ideally, Symphony I/O’s Speaker output should be at 0 dB (i.e no attenuation) when you’re listening at your absolute maximum desired volume.
Level meters on Symphony I/O’s front panel and throughout Maestro display audio levels in the range of 0 to -48 dB full scale (fs).
An Over indicator at the top of each meter lights when three or more consecutive full scale samples have occurred. Though three consecutive full scale samples is most likely inaudible, the Over indicator serves as an “early warning” that the level should be reduced.
Peak and Over Hold
The amount of time that Peak and over indicators are held may be selected with the Peak Hold and Over Hold drop down menus, found in Maestro's System Setup tab window.
Both Peak and Over Hold may be set to the following times:
Off - Peaks and Overs are indicated but not held.
2 seconds - Peaks and Overs are held for 2 seconds, then cleared.
Infinite - Peaks and Overs are held infinitely (or, more accurately, a really long time) until cleared by the user by pressing Clear Meters in Maestro or clicking the front panel lefthand encoder.
Clear the Front Panel and Software Level Meters by clicking the Front Panel Left Hand Encoder or the Maestro Toolbar Clear Meters button. The message "Meters Cleared" will appear on the front panel OLED Display.
Front Panel Meters
Symphony I/O includes 2 banks of 8 level meters on the front panel. Select the audio signals to be displayed on each bank using the Meters buttons in the Device Settings tab window.
Soft Limit is Apogeeʼs proprietary analog process for taming transients before A/D conversion. By gently rounding transients in a transparent manner, itʼs possible to maximize level BEFORE the A/D conversion stage.
Soft Limit Settings
Soft Limit may be engaged on each analog input in Maestroʼs Input tab window. The following settings are available:
-2 dBfs - Soft Limit begins to attenuate transient peaks at a level of -2 dBfs. This is the most transparent Soft Limit setting.
-4 dBfs - Soft Limit begins to attenuate transient peaks at a level of -4 dBfs. This is the threshold of previous implementations of Soft Limit.
Soft Saturate - a lower threshold, plus asymmetrical clipping in a manner similar to tube circuits.
Soft Crush - The most extreme setting, where audible distortion and dirty mojo are required. Take that, drums!
When to use Soft Limit
Soft Limit is an analog process that instantaneously rounds transient peaks; for all intents and purposes attack and release times may be considered instantaneous. As with any peak reduction device working at such fast time constants, Soft Limit is most effective with signals whose peak information is much greater than its average (or RMS) information, such as drums, percussion and plucked instruments. Soft Limit may not be the appropriate choice for limiting signals whose crest factor (peak to RMS ratio) is low, such as bass or organ.
The two more radical settings, Soft Saturate and Soft Crush, are intended to be used as creative effects rather than subtle control of digital overs. Throw caution to the wind, set Soft Limit to Soft Crush, Input Analog Level to Variable, and push up the slider until your signal is warm and crunchy!
Between the front panel encoders, level controls in Maestro, and Mac hardware and software level controls, there are several ways to control speaker and headphone output levels.
Front Panel Encoders
By default, the front panel OLED Display presents the necessary controls to select an output and set its audio level.
Once Symphony I/O has completed its power-up sequence, turn the left hand encoder to select the speaker outputs, headphone output 1 or headphone output 2.
Turn the right hand encoder to set the audio level. The audio level is expressed in dBs of attenuation from full level, i.e “-20 dB”.
Mute the speaker and headphone outputs simultaneously by pressing the right hand encoder.
Maestro Level Controls
Speaker and headphone output level controls of each peripheral may be controlled from knobs in the Output tab window.
Speaker and headphone output knobs found in the Toolbar offer immediate access to the level controls of a selected peripheral, regardless of the Devices sidebar or tab selections. By selecting the peripheral to which your speakers are connected, you can quickly adjust output levels without the need to display that peripheral's Output tab window.
Mac Keyboard
Follow these steps to use your Macʼs keyboard volume and mute keys to control Symphony I/O output levels.
1. In OS Xʼs System Preferences > Sound, select Symphony 64 as the device for sound output.
2. In Maestro's System Setup Tab window select the Symphony I/O to be controlled in the Keyboard Volume Control > Peripheral drop down menu.
3. Select the specific output in the Audio Output drop down menu.
As an example, consider a system consisting of two Symphony I/Os, A and B. To control Symphony I/O A's Headphone 2 output from your Mac keyboard volume controls, set Keyboard Volume Control > Peripheral to A Symphony I/O and set Keyboard Volume Control > Audio Output to Headphone 2.
The following instructions describe the use of Symphony I/O with Pro Tools HDX, HD Core/Accel and HD Native PCI cards. Note that with Release 4.2 and greater, Symphony I/O (in Pro Tools HD audio interface mode) emulates an Avid HD I/O interface. With Release 4.1 and lower, Symphony I/O emulates an Avid 192 interface.
When working with Pro Tools software and Symphony I/O, it may be helpful to keep in mind the following principles of operation.
Each installed I/O Module is detected in Pro Tools' Hardware Setup as an Avid HD I/O interface, and transmits and receives 16 channels of audio with the Pro Tools HD PCI card.
When 1 I/O Module is installed (or 1 I/O Module plus a Mic Pre Module), Symphony I/O is detected as 1 HD I/O, providing 16 bi-directional audio channels.
When 2 I/O Modules are installed, a single Symphony I/O is detected as 2 HD I/Os, providing 32 bi-directional audio channels (as shown below).
Symphony I/O's clock source is set from Pro Tools software; Symphony I/O's sample rate is set by the Pro Tools session.
Any other Pro Tools hardware commands (mosty in the Hardware Setup window) are ignored by Symphony I/O.
Other Symphony I/O settings, such as levels and formats, are made in Apogee Maestro software, which communicates with Symphony I/O via the USB connection. Symphony I/O is detected in Apogee Maestro as a USB device.
Pro Tools' Hardware Setup window is used to configure Avid HD I/O hardware settings - since most of the settings aren't relevant to a Symphony I/O, they have no effect on Apogee hardware. Symphony I/O's hardware settings should be made in Maestro 2. The only exception to this rule is Clock Source, found in Pro Tools' Hardware Setup and Session Setup windows.
To ensure that Pro Tools' Delay Compensation works properly with Symphony I/O, make the following settings in the Hardware Setup window.
1. Choose Setup > Hardware.
2. In the Peripherals pane, check that each Symphony I/O Module is detected as an HD I/O. Choose the first HD I/O in the Peripherals list.
3. Click the Main tab, then click Set To Default. For each I/O Module type, see the diagrams below.
4. Under Digital Format, click the S/PDIF radio button.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for each HD I/O in the Peripherals list.
The following diagrams show the correspondence between 1) Hardware Setup Clock Source settings and Symphony I/O clock inputs 2) displayed HD I/O audio inputs and outputs and actual Symphony IO Module inputs and outputs.
8 Analog I/O + 8 AES I/O
8 Analog I/O + 8 Optical I/O
Note that Optical inputs and outputs (including the Opt In 1 ADAT clock setting) are not available at 176.4-192k sampling rates.
16 Analog In + 16 Analog Out
16 Analog In + 16 Optical Out
Note that IO Module Optical Out paths are shown as Analog paths in Pro Tools. Though this does not affect the transmission of digital audio, Delay Compensation values added by Pro Tools to channels using these outputs won't be accurate.
16 Optical In + 16 Analog Out
Note that IO Module Optical In paths are shown as Analog paths in Pro Tools. Though this does not affect the transmission of digital audio, Delay Compensation values added by Pro Tools to channels using these inputs won't be accurate.
I/O Setup
Pro Tools' I/O Setup window is used to route 16 channels of hardware I/O per interface to Pro Tools software channel I/O.
Choose Setup > I/O and click the Input tab.
Delete all paths by Option-clicking the audio paths column on the left side of the window, then click Default.
Click the Output and Insert tabs and repeat step 2.
Once you've grasped audio routing between Symphony I/O and Pro Tools software using the I/O Setup default labels, it's suggested to modify the labels to more closely correspond with the actual inputs and outputs on connected Symphony I/Os. For example, if an 8 Analog + 8 Optical and an 8 Analog + 8 AES module were installed in a Symphony I/O, the labels in the I/O Setup window should be modified as shown below.
1. In GarageBand, choose GarageBand > Preferences.
2. In the Preferences pane, click Audio/MIDI.
3. Select Symphony64 in the Audio Output and Audio Input drop down menus.

4. Show the Track Info pane by double-clicking the track icon, then click Real Instrument.
5. At the bottom of the pane, set the Input Source to the desired Symphony I/O input (or input pair).
6. Set Monitor to On.
The following steps describe how to configure Symphony I/O with Apple Logic Pro.
1. Open Logic Pro 9 and choose Logic Pro > Preferences > Audio.
2. In the Preferences window, select the Devices tab, then the CoreAudio tab.
3. Select Symphony 64 in the Device drop down menu.
4. Set I/O Buffer Size to 32 for the lowest latency, or to 64 for more DSP resources in Logic (inputs, outputs, plug-ins).
5. Click on Apply Changes.
* The I/O Buffer Size, found in the Logic Pro preference window described above, and the Performance Tuning setting, found in the Apogee Maestro software, are the two settings that determine the audio latency through your Symphony system. When using Symphony 64 and a Mac Pro, verify that Performance Tuning is set to High Performance. The I/O Buffer Size should be set as low as possible without causing digital audio artifacts such as clicks and pops.
By selecting Symphony I/O input and output labels in Logic, the labels you see in Logic’s Channel Strip input and output slots correspond exactly to Symphony I/O’s hardware inputs and outputs, making I/O assignment much easier.
1. In Logic, choose Options > Audio > I/O Labels.
2. Select the labels in the Provided by Driver column.
3. Close the IO Labels window.
Click on the link provided in the dialog and download the Symphony I/O firmware and/or software updates.
Before updating:
3. To remove the cover, slide it straight back until the underside clips prevent further movement. Then grasp the cover's side panels and gently bow the cover until the bottom lip is free.
4. Remove the 2 screws holding the center support in place, and lift out the support.
5. Remove both I/O Module blanking panels and set the screws aside for later use.
6. Remove the 9 screws indicated below, and set them aside for later use.
7. Place the first I/O Module into the chassis by inserting the I/O Module rear panel into the Symphony I/O Card 1 opening, then gently dropping the front of the I/O Module into place. Line up the I/O Module's mounting holes with the 9 nuts on the bottom of the chassis.
8. Secure the I/O Module by installing the 9 screws removed in Step 6. If you're installing a second I/O Module, install 9 stand-offs in the place of the 9 screws.
9. Secure the I/O Module rear panel to the chassis rear panel using the two screws from Step 4.
10. If you are only installing a single Module, replace the second slot's blanking panel.
11. Connect the provided ribbon cable between J1 on the Main board and J1 on the I/O Module. Be sure to align the key on each ribbon cable connector to the key slot on each receptacle.
12. When installing a Mic Pre I/O Module, first remove the Input Bridging Jumper from the lower I/O Module, and connect the Mic Pre IO Module's 50-pin ribbon cable to the now-empty socket.
13. To install a second Module, insert the I/O Module rear panel into the Symphony I/O Card 2 opening, then gently dropping the front of the I/O Module into place. Line up the second I/O Module's mounting holes with the tops of the 9 stand-offs, and install 9 module screws.
14. If you are installing a Mic Pre I/O Module, connect the Mic Pre IO Module's 50-pin ribbon cable to the Mic Pre IO Module
15. Connect the provided ribbon cable between J2 on the Main board and J1 on the second I/O Module. Make sure that the lower Module ribbon cable is nested into the upper Module ribbon cable as shown below.
Do not tuck the Primary I/O ribbon cable underneath the second Module or it could become frayed.
Speaker and headphone output knobs found in the Toolbar offer immediate access to the level controls of a selected peripheral, regardless of the Devices sidebar or tab selections. By selecting the peripheral to which your speakers are connected, you can quickly adjust output levels without the need to display that peripheral's Output tab window.

4. Show the Track Info pane by double-clicking the track icon, then click Real Instrument.
5. At the bottom of the pane, set the Input Source to the desired Symphony I/O input (or input pair).
6. Set Monitor to On.
* The I/O Buffer Size, found in the Logic Pro preference window described above, and the Performance Tuning setting, found in the Apogee Maestro software, are the two settings that determine the audio latency through your Symphony system. When using Symphony 64 and a Mac Pro, verify that Performance Tuning is set to High Performance. The I/O Buffer Size should be set as low as possible without causing digital audio artifacts such as clicks and pops.
By selecting Symphony I/O input and output labels in Logic, the labels you see in Logic’s Channel Strip input and output slots correspond exactly to Symphony I/O’s hardware inputs and outputs, making I/O assignment much easier.
1. In Logic, choose Options > Audio > I/O Labels.
2. Select the labels in the Provided by Driver column.
3. Close the IO Labels window.
