Apogee Element Series User’s Guide 1, December 2016

 

Apogee Element Series

​ User’s Guide

 

Element 24 Panel Tour 

 

Element 46 Panel Tour 

 

 

Element 88 Panel Tour 

 

 

 

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Apogee Element Series

​ User’s Guide

 

Setup 

System Requirements 

●

Mac OS X 10.10 or greater 

●

Thunderbolt™-equipped Mac 

●

4GB minimum RAM, 8GB Recommended 

 

Download and Install Element Software package 

Before Element will work with the computer, special software must be installed. Always get the latest version of the software 

from the apogee website: 

www.apogeedigital.com/support/element

 

 

 

The download comes in the form of a .dmg file. Open it to view the contents. 

Inside you will find three items: 

 

●

Element Release Notes.pdf 

●

Element Uninstaller.app 

●

Element Installer.pkg 

 

 

 

 

 

Double-click to launch the 

​Element Installer.pkg​. A dialog box will appear with a series of steps to proceed. Follow the 

prompts to complete the installation. You will be required to restart your computer. 

 

As a result of the software install: 

●

Element Control software is placed in the Mac’s Applications folder 

●

When connected, the Element Thunderbolt interface appears as an audio input/output device in Mac System 

Preferences > Sound 

●

Element Firmware Updater.app is placed in the Mac’s Applications > Utilities folder. 

 

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Apogee Element Series

​ User’s Guide

 

Connect Element to Your Computer 

 

1.

Connect the Power Supply to Element. 

 

2.

Connect Element to your Mac using a Thunderbolt cable. 

 

 

If connecting a Second Element 

1.

Connect the Power Supply to Element 

2.

Connect Element to a second Thunderbolt port on your Mac. 

3.

Connect optical cables from the Optical Out of one Element, to the Optical In of the second Element. 

●

If second unit is Element 24 & 46 - Two optical cables required 

●

If connecting two Element 88 units - Four optical cables required 

 

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Apogee Element Series

​ User’s Guide

 

Update Element’s Firmware 

When first connecting Element to your computer, you may be prompted to update the Firmware: 

 

 

1.

Click Update, or manually open the Element 

Firmware Updater.app from your computer’s 

Applications > Utilities folder. 

 

 

 

 

2.

Make sure only one Element is connected to the 

Mac. Then click Start Update. 

 

3.

Follow any prompts that may appear. 

 

4.

When it says Element is up to date, you can quit 

the updater. 

 

 

 

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Apogee Element Series

​ User’s Guide

 

 

Element Control 

Control of your Apogee Element Thunderbolt interface is available through a Mac software app, an iOS control app, or the 

Remote control surface. Each provides it’s own unique set of controls and features. 

Element Control Mac Software 

When Element Control for Mac software is opened, you are presented with a Snapshot Template chooser. 

 

 

 

Each Snapshot Template is a starting point that provides the most common feature set needed for various workflows. These 

default Snapshot Templates and examples of their use are explained further on 

​

page 24

​

. A snapshot can be customized to 

your specific needs and saved as a user-snapshot. Here is an explanation of all the features and components of Element 

Control Software: 

 

Element Control consists of four windows: 

1.

Essentials 

2.

Primary 

3.

Hover Help 

4.

Remote 

 

 

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Apogee Element Series

​ User’s Guide

 

Essentials Window 

This window provides simple and compact controls for Input Channels and Outputs. It’s orientation can be changed between 

vertical and horizontal so that it can be placed to the side or end of your recording software. 

  

 

 

1.

Orientation Button

​ - Switches the Essentials window between horizontal and vertical view. 

2.

Analog Input Channels

​ - Provides settings for the analog inputs. 

●

The buttons at the bottom correspond to the Input Channel Settings: Phantom Power (48V), Group (G), Soft 

Limit (SL), and Polarity Invert (⌀) 

3.

Outputs

​ - Headphones and speaker outputs settings are provided. 

●

The buttons at the bottom correspond to the Output controls: Mute (M), Dimminish (D), Sum-to-Mono (Σ) 

4.

Clear Meters

​ - Clear the Peak or Hold indicators from the level meters. 

5.

Talkback 

​- Engages talkback to communicate with artists wearing headphones. Set the Talkback source and 

destination in the System Sidebar. 

6.

Mute All

​ - Mutes Headphones and Speakers outputs of the Element Thunderbolt interface. To unmute, click the 

individual headphone or speaker mute buttons. 

Primary Window 

All features and settings of the Element Thunderbolt interface can be controlled from the Primary window. It is broken down 

into several sections: 

 

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