How Do They Sound? - Merging vs Apogee - Ultimate Audio Interface Shootout

Merging Technologies and Apogee are known the world over for making the best that you can get. For the full experience download the all the multi-track files and mix busses in the link below.
No part of this video was sponsored and none of the gear was provided to us through any kind of partnership.
Download Files:
drive.google.c...
***Wish we could have included more of the worlds best systems but we would have gone bankrupt doing so. If you're looking for the next step up be sure to do some research into all of the multi-track systems considered to be the best in the world:
• Merging Technologies: www.merging.com/
• Apogee: apogeedigital....
• Crookwood: crookwood.com/...
• Burl: www.burlaudio....
• Radar: www.radarrecor...
• Prism: www.prismsound...
• DAD (Digital Audio Denmark): www.digitalaud...
• Antelope: Antelope en.antelopeaud...
• Lynx: www.lynxstudio...
• JoeCo: joeco.co.uk/bl...
• Metric Halo: mhsecure.com/m...
Also make sure to check out the companies that make the absolutely awesome Tube Condenser and Ribbon Mic used in the video:
• Myburgh M1 (Tube Condenser): www.myburgh.eu/
• Extinct Audio Berserker (Ribbon): www.extinctaud...
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Credits:
Original Song "Everybody's Boring" by Casey Brown
Andrew Currie - Audio Engineer & Owner of Mechanizer Studios
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Casey Brown - Original Artist
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Erik Ryde - Videographer & Lighting
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Andrew Grunwald - Videographer & Video Editing
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Louis Mocke - Production Assistant
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℗ 2024 Mechanizer Studios, LLC
© 2024 Mechanizer Studios, LLC
© Casey Brown

[@jordangunit3078]

I work at Sweetwater and have personally tested every great converter company. Merging, Apogee, Avid, Dangerous, SPL, Burl, RME, Lynx and the Merging was clear winner on tracking and playback. This demo echoes that result in my ears. By the way, for the money RME conversion is one of the very best you can get. All of these brands sound excellent and different. SPL was a very strong mastering DAC

[@mechanizerstudios9516]

@@jordangunit3078 Thank you. Appreciate the input. One of the main goals we had with this was to attempt to accurately portray the characteristics of raw running back through the console, that is why the songs plays at once. When we were shopping arriving we were unable to find anything that demonstrated the sound of each box when sent back through the console and it drove us completely insane not being able to find it. We love our API and really wanted to get the most out of it which meant we needed the best converters. Hopefully this video helps engineers in the same position make the best choice for the sound of their own studios.

[@TheChrispablo]

Really apreciate this shootout, thank you Song is also sweet

[@HANGINGOUTWITHAUDIOPHILES]

Most extreme A/B from the ribbon for me. Symphony is a great sound but the merging is significantly more open. Thanks for putting this together. The song is great too :) I’ve noticed that Eric Valentine shoots things out in short loops reason being a lot can change as a song evolves. A 1 bar loop allows the brain to really reflect on the changes. Might be a cool addendum video since you’ve already done the hard work now.

[@mechanizerstudios9516]

Very interesting idea, appreciate the feedback! We did include links to all of the raw files and summed mix buses so if a steady loop is what you’re looking for make sure to download those files and give it a try. I really wanted to make the video that would have made life easier for my studio back when we were trying to choose the best option. My studio runs every mix through our API console so I wanted to be sure to fill the video with fully summed mix busses to show how the cumulative sound came together in both verses and chorus sections. For future videos, would a longer video with single bar loop sections, in addition to console summed full song mix busses be something you would be interested in?

[@arirahimzadeh]

Apogee blows merging away by far ; ) .

[@Truth565]

Would agree, appreciate you’ve gone to great and meticulously lengths to make a great video, so thanks for that. In my view you can hear the differences, but definitely a simple 4 bar loop, back to back between the two interfaces of different sections of the song would make it easier to compare. That way your brain can account for the musical changes and separate them from what two interfaces are doing. It would however, make a more boring video 😢. All that said and done, I prefer the Horus. Also a closer match sonically, would have been the Lynx Aurora n and the Horus. They are closer in sound.

[@polyspace]

@@mechanizerstudios9516i'd also recommend if you do more AB tests like this to include a part where you null one against the other with a phase invert. i'm gonna try it out when i'm at my daw next. i think it's helpful to hear exactly what the differences are rather than trying to distinguish between actual sonic differences and psychoacoustic differences regardless this is a great video and resource to have! i wish there was testing like this on every preamp/interface/converter out there especially the budget ones. thanks for putting in the time

[@ramonfelizjr]

It will be good for Latin percussion and Trompeta’s and Saxophone. Thx great. Video

[@leandrolehart8847]

This is video is very well done and helpful. I had apogee for up to 10 years, and last year i ve bought the horus. Its night and day. The horus is the best converter in the world, no comparison. The difference is huge between the both, the horus system is a bit complicated, but is worth it.

[@kevinbatchelor9566]

I went with the Apogee for my studio. I was curious about the Burl but I needed 32x32 and the price was prohibitive. I wanted something that didn’t feel like it was limiting my 5088 console. Everything gets installed next month so I haven’t had a chance to hear them yet, but I appreciate this video because it gives me a sense of how things will sound as we seem to have pretty similar setups. Thanks for making the this.

[@mechanizerstudios9516]

The Apogee 32x32 and the 5088 are going to be an excellent combination 👍🏻👍🏻.

[@bubz75]

Great Performance/Great Recording⭐️👌🏾

[@marctomasi1758]

merging is more centred and allows the music to express itself naturally Symphony has more stereo and lows and highs which doesn't help to focus on the music but more on the sound. very interesting .

[@manvince]

For me Apogee Symphony is the clear winner because of the clarity in the higher registers and openness of the stereo field,

[@jeffthompson6162]

I love apogee conversion and have made dozens of records on rosetta, duet, ad16x and symphony. I gotta say though, that merging converter really sounds like it gets out of the way. Wow. Well done. And great song!

[@Victoravd]

What is your opinion? Which interface better ?) thanks!

[@wakesfield]

Merging more engaging musical sound, Apogee analitical steril sound. I like Merging more

[@Victoravd]

@@wakesfieldthanks! Which your opinion about UAD Apollo interfaces ?

[@wakesfield]

@@Victoravd I like your acoustic guitar sound through the Arrow. I think that a good performance in recording is more important than the interface. Antelope audio owner here

[@Victoravd]

@@wakesfield thanks a lot!

[@DarkTrapStudio]

@@Victoravd The SSL at 200 has better conversion and headphones preamps, Appollo one knob is highly cumbersome for the workflow and it sometimes has a strange dark pretty quiet noise in the preamp that happens without knowing why. Ive seen that on multiple youtube videos, one pointing out the problem, one comparing the Apollo to another interface. Tho It's quiet but youll need gain staging and the mic preamps are good.

[@davidpodosek9485]

Thanks for the shoot-out. I probably attended too many concerts in my youth, but I don't hear much difference. They both sound great. Although I did hear some preamp hiss which I don't really care for. Lovely song as well. Thank you for sharing.

[@natewoodmusic]

Great video! Also had a Symphony, and how am all Merging. This highlights the differences very well. Mainly that Apogee has that sort of appealing grain that you can never get rid of, and it just compounds on itself the more tracks you add. Merging is the 1st converter that doesn't have that in any way shape or form, and it took a while to get used to. The good news is you can add it back in with post processing VERY easily if you want, but never the other way around. Once I got used to the sound I bailed on external pres as well, the internal ones give so much flexibility with post processing. The other thing that is so amazing is the expandability of network. I started with an Anubis, added a Hapi and just added a Neumann MT48. They can all be wired up 100s of feet away with just a network cable, no patchbays or snakes needed. And the Anubis and MT48 don't even need power cables! (powered by the network switch). I'm guessing you went with the ADA8S cards?

[@JimboJones99]

Did you have the Apogee Symphony MkII SE converters ? …. Or the older non-SE ?

[@jacksp8de]

This is great thanks for doing this. Merging has more clarity for sure. The Symphony sounds more pleasing, I really like the color. I do pop and hip hop and I think it works better for that. Overall I would choose the Symphony. I can't afford either of these lol but I just did a comparison of 4 top Desktop interfaces on my channel if you care to check it out.

[@ErikRyde]

Mmmm interfaces

[@jonathanfurtado7611]

The symphony is nauseating. Merging for the win

[@nicolasstrawberry4148]

hhhmm both interfaces sound great for sure...cant say either would be a bad choice at all...I can hear a little more hi end with Merging, but the Apogee sounds more natural especially for the song you guys recorded...sounds like it has more warmth and depth...not that the Merging lacks warmth but I feel like Apogee just nailed it spot on for recording acoustic instruments. The end result sounds great for both but tbh...for me to really get a real gauge would be to hear them inside the room you're actually mixing in and see how true the mix transferred from what I'm hearing in the room to what Im hearing from where I am now. if that makes sense to anyone.

[@JimboJones99]

Is this the Special Edition (SE) Apogee Symphony mkII ? ... Or is it the non-SE version (the old mkII converters)

[@ericmontgomery5241]

Not a fan of the ribbon mic. I have Apogee Symphony. But the comparison shows that the Horus has a more open top and the bottom is not nearly as muddled. You've made me a believer. I'll have to visit the studio one day. Great song and video too!

[@АлексейВискалов-и6х]

Apogee Symphony = BEST !!! Thank you very much for such an important test! (and 96 kHz) !!!

[@noiseconnector]

Okay, what's the clock you used in comparison? Also have you tried to clock Horus with Symphony and the other way around?

[@mikepol1889]

How does the symphony mkii compare to the converters on the Anubis pro?

[@Tacet137]

Merging easily the winner for me

[@waltervenicio4790]

Why there is more high end "hiss" on the Merging?

[@EricLumiereMusic]

I'm preferring the merging here, though I have an MT48 (Anubis) and I find it has an unnatural extension in the highs that wasn't there before...esp audible on loopback. And bass impact is degraded. Wonder how diff the Horus and Anubis are.

[@Biffinnbridge]

Time to get serious with the Greek statue hairdo

[@mechanizerstudios9516]

What if I told you that with in a week it becomes Abe Lincoln Big Foot?

[@andrewwhitehouse1878]

See you’ve got a pair of Tesla EVs 🤘🏻respect!

[@mechanizerstudios9516]

I’m a huge fan of the Tesla EVs. Got an amazing deal on them way back in the day from a guy who making lunch boxes from their old console. I found the EQs and Preamps were most useful recording folk, bluegrass, and Americana. Do you also have some EVs? Always interested to hear what other peoples experiences have been.

[@andrewwhitehouse1878]

@@mechanizerstudios9516 we probably got them from the same source! I started with a 2 channel lunch box and now I’ve also got bank of 10 modules with faders cut down from the bigger console. They definitely sound great, huge on drums or just about anything really, as good as API or Neve in my opinion ✌️

[@jefftum4177]

The symphony seems louder and noisier in every comparison. I’m going to guess there was something in the setup of the test that was adding noise and not the conversion. The louder part is just not volume matching.

[@mechanizerstudios9516]

Every channel sent back to the console for summing was measured to match the same output peak and RMS down to the decimal point and used the same cables in transmission of the signal. It was grueling. . Try downloading the stems and see if you hear the same thing with the lossless files 👍🏻.

[@jefftum4177]

@@mechanizerstudios9516I Did take a look at the individual tracks. I think you have noise sneaking in somewhere. Dirty Power, Bad grounding, something funky in the patch bay idk can't say for sure but youre getting a good amount of hum and hiss in everything. I've chased this stuff myself and its not fun.

[@LuizCarlosJesusdosSantos]

Apogee is more 3D

[@hepphepps8356]

DAD should be in the comparison. It handsomely beats the Symphony, but I am less sure about the Merging. I think it is maybe slightly better than the Merging.

[@dajuantinsley5970]

Symphony sounds cleaner, the other lower end pops more.

[@jaykons1985]

There’s no question that Merging as a converter beats the Symphony every day all night long🤣 But the pre side I would use something else for different tasks. Its known for the conversion - not for the pres😘

[@arirahimzadeh]

APOGEE has done true magic for Sound .It can not be matched ; ) . This company is dedicated since the 1980s . But nice try swiss : )

[@zxcvbnmmification]

Prism is above symphony.. weird that you didn’t compare that at all, not a gripe just a weird thing to leave out

[@Jafithagreat]

Certainly not over that SE card

[@dronbana]

No Prism :(

[@mechanizerstudios9516]

With the channel count I need a Prism set up would cost me as much as the console. Would love to do a video with Prism, Radar, DAD, and the rest. Some day.

[@RainnyBooBi]

​@@mechanizerstudios9516add jcf ad8, cranesong interstellar and lavry savitr please, would be greatly appreciated!

[@hugolosker]

Maybe a null test just for fun? 🙂

[@SallyT.]

Merging wins big time. No need more than 30 sec of sound demo. Why not to Rec in high sample rates like DXD or DSD and use way BETTER daw like Pyramix... I'm sure you'll learn a lot than this example.

[@77advanced]

Symphony sounds like it has some phase issues..

[@americatunedright1211]

The Horus sucks compared to symphony, most of you don’t produce songs or bands. Horus actually great for actual symphony lol but not so much for practical production. If I had both my application would be Horus for sound design, one instrument one vocalist setup, and maybe give it some mastering trials because the extra information could be useful and not distracting. Symphony everything else probably. Great video by the way. Thanks.

[@mechanizerstudios9516]

Pretty spot on with the sound design call out. If we have a long session doing sound design for drum machines or Prophet 6 patches the Merging is 100% my go to because of the accuracy. Similarly, like you said, tracking classical sounds amazing with the Merging preamps. However 👀 bands are our bread and butter, which is why we track through the API console pres to the line in on the Merging - get the transient response of the API with the accuracy of Merging and it’s a knockout. That being said, I would prefer the Apogee for recording Indi and Alt Rock, and some hard rock bands. For old school classic rock, Americana, pop, funk, and death metal I’ll go Merging.

[@bonzology322]

Whenever I see a so called audio engineer sitting in a high backed chair it immediately indicates incompetence, if I have to explain why? You are beyond clueless, good luck

[@puredyne]

96 kHz is too low a sampling rate... switching power supply is a disgrace and digital disaster in both machines. maybe the opamps are different between the two machines... did they use the specific opam for maximum definition sampling developed by TI? the last stage in front of the balanced input of the ADC chip should be an opam with 180 MHz... had it been installed or not? did it cost too much? Both machines have exactly the same ADC chips (in this case too underused) for a more coherent impulse response you should record at 32 bit 384 kHz and multiples. Furthermore, the DAWs always have pre-listening playback quality. for a state-of-the-art analog master the DAW should be exported into a multi-channel file and converted to 1 bit native (DSD) with SRC/DSP settings that are extremely more severe than those performed in real time by the firmware inside the DAC chip. The machine performing the playback must be extremely low noise for minimal stream corruption. Minimal Operating System for liquid playback with Real Time Linux Kernel.

[@hansianoberberg3365]

And in the end 98% of the people hear it as MP3 on some shity Airpods 😮