Introduced at the Summer NAMM Show in 2000, with commercial availability announced for September that year, the Apogee Trak2 represented a new approach to integrating analogue microphone preamplification and high-resolution digital conversion. Rather than treating these functions as separate pieces of studio equipment, Apogee combined them into a single 1U rackmount processor with comprehensive signal routing, configurable digital interfaces and software-controlled analogue circuitry.
The Apogee Trak2 was developed during a period when professional studios were increasingly adopting 24-bit recording and higher sampling rates. Although digital audio workstations and modular digital multitrack recorders were becoming commonplace, the quality of the analogue input stage and conversion circuitry remained important considerations. Apogee designed the Trak2 to address both requirements within a single unit, providing a high-performance microphone preamplifier followed directly by the company’s 24-bit A/D conversion technology.
At the front of the signal path are two digitally controlled, solid-state microphone preamplifiers. Each channel provides a wide gain adjustment range of -90dB to +90dB, with a selectable 20dB input pad and independent 48V phantom power. The preamplifier circuitry accommodates microphones, balanced and unbalanced line-level signals, and high-impedance instruments, allowing the Apogee Trak2 to be used with a variety of recording sources.
Two combination XLR and 6.35mm jack sockets on the front panel provide convenient microphone and instrument connections. The jack connections automatically select the high-impedance instrument input configuration, making it possible to connect electric guitars, bass guitars and other instruments directly. Additional rear-panel XLR connections provide dedicated microphone and line-level inputs, with the latter supporting both professional +4dBu and consumer -10dBV operating levels.
The analogue input stages incorporate selectable high-pass filters operating at either 40Hz or 90Hz, with an 18dB-per-octave slope. These filters can be used to reduce unwanted low-frequency energy before conversion, while independent polarity inversion allows the relationship between microphone signals to be adjusted when recording multiple sources.
Apogee also incorporated analogue insert facilities into the Apogee Trak2’s signal path. These allow external processors to be connected between the microphone preamplifiers and the A/D converters, enabling the use of external equalisers, compressors or other analogue processing equipment before digital conversion. Alternatively, the insert send connections can function as analogue outputs, allowing the Apogee Trak2’s microphone preamplifiers to be used independently of the digital conversion section.
The microphone preamplifiers were designed to provide substantial headroom and low distortion. Published specifications include a maximum microphone input level of +24dBu, an analogue output level of +28dBu and total harmonic distortion plus noise of -109dB at 1kHz. The preamplifier section has an A-weighted dynamic range of 118dB and a bandwidth extending from 10Hz to 300kHz within ±1dB.
Following the analogue preamplification stage, the signal passes to the Apogee Trak2’s two-channel, 24-bit A/D converter. This section supports sampling rates of 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96kHz, providing compatibility with conventional digital recording systems and the emerging generation of high-resolution digital audio workstations.
The A/D converter was specified with an A-weighted dynamic range of 119dB and exceptionally low distortion, with THD+N measured at -112dB at -0.1dBFS. Its frequency response remained within ±0.025dB between 10Hz and 20kHz, while channel crosstalk was specified at -120dB or better at 1kHz.
One of the Apogee Trak2’s distinguishing features was the inclusion of Apogee’s proprietary Soft Limit and Soft Saturate processing technologies. These could be selected independently for each channel, allowing the engineer to apply different processing arrangements to the two recording paths.
Soft Limit was designed to maximise the usable recording level while reducing the risk of digital overload. By controlling signal peaks approaching full scale, the system allowed recordings to be made at higher average levels without the abrupt clipping associated with conventional digital conversion.
Soft Saturate provided an alternative form of processing inspired by the compression characteristics of analogue magnetic tape. Originally introduced in Apogee’s AD-500 converter, the technology was developed to reproduce aspects of the progressive saturation associated with tape recording. Within the Apogee Trak2, Soft Saturate allowed engineers to introduce this behaviour during the recording process without requiring an external analogue tape machine.
Both processing functions were positioned before the A/D conversion stage, allowing the analogue signal to be treated before entering the digital domain. Their operation could be configured through the front-panel interface, providing flexibility for different recording applications.
The Apogee Trak2 also incorporated UV22HR, the high-resolution version of Apogee’s established UV22 word-length reduction system. This technology allowed 24-bit digital audio to be converted to 20-bit or 16-bit formats while preserving low-level detail during the reduction process.
UV22HR was particularly relevant for CD mastering and digital delivery formats requiring lower word lengths than those used during recording. The Apogee Trak2 provided selectable Normal and Low multipass processing modes, with the latter intended for applications involving successive processing passes.
Digital connectivity was another important aspect of the Apogee Trak2’s design. The standard unit incorporated a built-in digital output configurable for AES/EBU or S/PDIF operation, allowing immediate connection to compatible recording equipment without additional interface cards.
For expanded interfacing, Apogee provided two AMBus expansion slots. These accepted optional interface cards supporting a range of professional digital audio formats, including Pro Tools, ADAT optical, TDIF, SDIF-II and SSL HiWay.
The AMBus architecture allowed the Apogee Trak2 to communicate with different digital recording systems and perform digital format conversion between installed interfaces. Signals entering the unit could be distributed to multiple destinations through an eight-channel digital routing matrix, allowing simultaneous recording, monitoring and digital signal distribution.
Depending upon the installed interface cards, the Apogee Trak2 also supported Apogee Bit-Splitting technology. This allowed 20-bit or 24-bit digital audio to be recorded across multiple tracks of conventional 16-bit digital multitrack machines. The technology could also accommodate high-resolution 96kHz signals using compatible Bit-Splitting arrangements, extending the recording capabilities of existing ADAT and TDIF systems.
The Apogee Trak2 was also designed to support optional D/A conversion. A dedicated expansion slot accommodated either a two-channel or eight-channel D/A converter card, allowing the unit to provide analogue monitoring and playback alongside its existing A/D conversion functions.
The optional 24-bit D/A converter used delta-sigma conversion technology, supporting sampling rates from 32kHz to 106kHz. Published specifications included an A-weighted dynamic range of 116dB, channel crosstalk of -125dB or better and a maximum analogue output level of +28dBu.
An integrated stereo headphone monitoring facility allowed selected signals to be checked directly from the front panel. Combined with the optional D/A expansion and digital routing system, this provided a flexible monitoring arrangement for recording and production applications.
Clocking was handled by Apogee’s ultra-low-jitter clock technology, using a phase-locked loop to synchronise the converter to internal or external digital clock references. The system was designed to reduce jitter components present in incoming synchronisation signals, helping maintain stable conversion timing.
Word clock input and output connections were provided through rear-panel BNC connectors. An optional video synchronisation card allowed the Apogee Trak2 to lock to PAL, NTSC and monochrome video references, with sample-rate pull-up and pull-down options for audio post-production applications.
The Apogee Trak2’s front-panel interface differed considerably from Apogee’s earlier converters. A large backlit graphical LCD, described as the Active Status Display, provided a visual representation of the unit’s signal flow and operating configuration. Rather than relying on extensive combinations of switches and indicator lights, the display allowed recording engineers to view and adjust the internal routing and processing directly.
Four cursor buttons provided navigation through the display, while a large rotary data wheel enabled parameter values to be adjusted. Pressing the wheel confirmed selections, allowing relatively complex settings to be managed without external software.
The interface provided access to gain structure, high-pass filtering, Soft Limit, Soft Saturate, UV22HR, digital routing, clock configuration and calibration functions. Up to 64 user presets could be stored and recalled, allowing complete configurations to be retained for different recording sessions or studio setups.
Two programmable Quick Keys offered immediate access to frequently used functions, with each key capable of storing two assignments. This reduced the need to navigate through menus during recording or monitoring.
The front panel also incorporated a pair of high-resolution LED bargraph meters derived from the design used in Apogee’s AD-8000 converter. These provided selectable peak, average and simultaneous peak/average metering, together with peak hold and digital overload indication.
Overload detection could be configured to respond to between one and four consecutive full-scale digital samples, while a calibration mode provided measurement accuracy within ±0.1dB. The display could also log overload events, allowing engineers to review clipping occurrences during recording.
Additional status indicators identified phantom power, polarity inversion, analogue insert selection and auxiliary input operation. Separate microphone preamplifier clipping indicators provided information about overloads occurring before the A/D conversion stage.
The Apogee Trak2 was built around a compact, single-rack-unit chassis with the company’s distinctive purple front panel. Its combination of silver controls, graphical display and LED metering provided direct access to a considerably more extensive set of functions than was typical of conventional standalone microphone preamplifiers.
Internally, the unit employed a linear power supply built around a custom toroidal transformer, with regulation and filtering circuitry intended to minimise interference between the power supply and the analogue and digital audio sections. A substantial exposed heat sink provided additional thermal management.
The Apogee Trak2 also incorporated a communications interface for transferring firmware updates and supporting external control functions. This reflected Apogee’s approach to developing expandable digital studio equipment whose capabilities could be updated and extended beyond the original hardware configuration.
At its introduction, the Apogee Trak2 occupied a distinctive position in the professional recording market. It combined facilities that would otherwise require several separate devices, including a two-channel microphone preamplifier, high-resolution A/D converter, analogue processing stage, digital router and configurable digital interface system.
Its modular architecture also allowed the unit to evolve with changing studio requirements. The ability to add digital interfaces and D/A conversion made it suitable for facilities operating different recording formats or transitioning between modular digital multitrack recorders and computer-based digital audio workstations.
The Apogee Trak2 remains representative of an important period in professional recording technology, when manufacturers were increasingly integrating analogue signal conditioning, digital conversion, signal processing and flexible interfacing into compact studio systems. Its combination of digitally controlled microphone preamplification, 24-bit/96kHz conversion and expandable routing architecture reflected the growing demands of professional digital recording at the beginning of the 2000s.
Features
- Two digitally controlled, solid-state microphone preamplifiers with up to +90dB gain and selectable 20dB input pads
- Two-channel 24-bit A/D conversion supporting 44.1, 48, 88.2 and 96kHz sampling rates
- Selectable Apogee Soft Limit and Soft Saturate analogue processing for each channel
- Apogee UV22HR word-length reduction for 24-bit to 20-bit or 16-bit conversion
- Front-panel combination microphone and high-impedance instrument inputs, with independent phantom power and polarity reversal
- Switchable 40Hz or 90Hz high-pass filters and analogue insert connections
- Two AMBus expansion slots supporting optional Pro Tools, ADAT, TDIF, SDIF-II and SSL HiWay interfaces
- Eight-channel digital routing matrix with digital format conversion and optional Apogee Bit-Splitting
- Large graphical LCD, rotary data wheel, programmable Quick Keys and 64 user presets
- Apogee ultra-low-jitter clocking, advanced LED metering and optional two-channel or eight-channel D/A conversion