Apogee Trak2 (2000)
Two mic preamps and a 24/96 converter in a single rackspace - the front end that made a lot of project studios sound suddenly expensive.
Overview
The Trak2 goes after the two problems most home and project studios actually have: a mic preamp that doesn't embarrass the source, and an analog-to-digital converter that doesn't smear the result. Apogee Electronics introduced it at the summer NAMM show in Nashville in 2000. EQ (September 2000, p.22) covered the launch as a First Look, describing a two-channel microphone preamp and digital conversion system intended for digital multitrack tape recorders as well as computer-based workstations. Apogee's own advertising around the period billed it as a "dual mic pre-amp & A/D" - a box full of solutions, in the company's phrasing, where the superb mic pre is only one of them.
The front end is the strong part. Each channel is a discrete, solid-state mic preamp with a fully balanced audio path and a maximum gain of 90 dB, selectable in user-definable steps. There's a 20 dB pad, +48 volt phantom power, polarity reverse, and a high-pass filter with 40 or 90 Hz corner frequency. The input list is generous for a two-channel unit. Front-panel Neutrik Combo connectors configure themselves automatically for mic-level or high-impedance instrument-level signals. Rear-panel XLR jacks take mic level, and a second set of rear XLRs accepts balanced or unbalanced line-level audio at +4 dBu or -10 dBv. Apogee's literature quotes a -109 dB THD+N figure and a +24 dBu maximum input level. The phantom power disengages itself when you change mics, and clip LEDs monitor the preamp stage independently of the main metering. Different gain-control elements kick in at different gain settings, so the noise floor, distortion, and headroom stay optimized across the range. The two channels can be ganged for stereo level-setting, and a Gain Ride Mode lets the main knob track level the way you'd ride a fader.
Then the conversion. Audio is sampled at 24-bit word length with a dynamic range exceeding 117 dB, at output sample rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2, and 96 kHz. Two of Apogee's proprietary processes come along. Soft Limit lets you push recording level harder without overs (Apogee claims up to 6 dB more level), and Soft Saturate simulates analog tape compression. Both are independently switchable per channel. For word-length reduction there's UV22HR, Apogee's high-resolution bit-reduction processing, which translates 24-bit signals down to 20 or 16 bits. EQ (February 2002, p.98) walked through the same three processing blocks in its review, noting that two are analog and the third is the UV22HR stage.
The digital I/O goes deep. The unit outputs both AES and S/PDIF, sharing a single jack and supporting high sample rates. Two Apogee Multimedia Bus (AMBus) slots on the rear panel let it interface with Digidesign Pro Tools, ADAT, TDIF, SDIF-II, and SSL's HiWay, among other protocols. The AMBus cards accommodate eight-channel operation, so the Trak2 can serve as a multichannel digital format converter. Some AMBus cards support bit-splitting, so a 44.1 or 48 kHz / 16-bit multitrack recorder can store up to 24-bit/96 kHz data. A third expansion slot accepts optional two- or eight-channel digital-to-analog cards. The rest of the list: Apogee's Ultra-Low Jitter Clock, word clock I/O from 44.1 to 96 kHz, sync via AMBus card or NTSC/PAL video sync, MIDI in/out/thru, a digital oscillator, a 96 kHz headphone D/A converter with a 40-watt output amplifier, and an RS232 port for remote operation. A software controller runs on Macintosh and Windows machines for remote access via MIDI.
The analog side is cleverer than it first looks. A pair of balanced XLR "send" outputs can drive balanced or unbalanced inputs with up to +28 dBu of gain. The send is always active, and the line input sits before the A/D converter. So you can patch the send out to a compressor and return the compressor output to the line input, which turns the line input into an insert return. EQ's First Look (September 2000, p.22) flagged exactly this trick.
The front panel is dense. It has a small LCD that crams in a lot of data, four cursor buttons, a data wheel, two rows of status LEDs for clip, phantom, polarity, inserts, and aux inputs, plus two assignable Quick Keys that jump straight to a frequently used parameter or page. An Active Status Display gives an overview of the whole signal topology. I/O routing presets can be saved and recalled. Mix (October 2001, p.148) field-tested the unit and noted that once preamp parameters - gain/pad, phantom, polarity, HP filter, routing, DSP options - are set, operation is mostly set-and-forget, with remote control handled by a free Trak2 Remote Control application.
Suggested retail was $3,995, with shipping beginning September 2000. That's real money for a two-channel front end, and the contemporary press didn't pretend otherwise. EQ's product roundup (2001) called it an "ultra-cool, if pricey, guitar DI box" on the strength of those front-panel high-Z instrument inputs. You're paying for the converter and the preamp in one chassis, and the instrument input is a bonus. For anyone running a MOTU-based desktop rig or a Pro Tools setup with an ADAT bridge, the AMBus architecture was the hook, and Apogee marketed the Trak2 directly at MOTU users as the front end that dropped straight into that ecosystem.
Anyone chasing one today should expect the usual caveats for a 2000-vintage digital box. The AMBus card ecosystem is the whole point, and a Trak2 without the right card is a very nice two-channel preamp and converter but not the format-swiss-army-knife it was sold as. The LCD is small, and the menu system is deep enough that the Quick Keys exist for a reason. The 90 dB gain range, 117 dB dynamic range, and switchable Soft Limit and Soft Saturate are all still there.
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