Suggestions for Audio Interface for Mac & Logic Pro X needed

[elser]

If I could afford it my choice would be the UAD Apollo. The UAD effects, which are included are outstanding.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ApolloQuadTB/

[johnlewitt]

So I've been looking at the Apollo Twin. I've got the original Apogee Duet, which I'm happy with, but I'm intrigued by the Apollo Twin for multiple reasons.

Has anyone bought this yet? Impressions?

I'm trying to nail down the difference between the Solo and Duo. I realize that it's the processing power of the unit, or the DSP, and that the duo is more powerful. Now I've got enough power in my computer to last me to the next decade, but in watching the product review video on Sweetwater (http://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical- ... mode=model) it appears that when you use the UAD plugins in your DAW, that they are run on the UAD unit itself so my computers power is irrelevant. That doesn't make 100% sense to me, so I've been scouring the internet for more info. Does anybody know for sure?

Here in Canada, Long & McQuade is running a sale this June where if you buy one, you get a $50 credit to use in the future (so it's not really a sale but I can spend on guitar strings alone!).

Thanks,

John

[andygabrys]

So I've been looking at the Apollo Twin. I've got the original Apogee Duet, which I'm happy with, but I'm intrigued by the Apollo Twin for multiple reasons.

Has anyone bought this yet? Impressions?

I'm trying to nail down the difference between the Solo and Duo. I realize that it's the processing power of the unit, or the DSP, and that the duo is more powerful. Now I've got enough power in my computer to last me to the next decade, but in watching the product review video on Sweetwater (http://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical- ... mode=model) it appears that when you use the UAD plugins in your DAW, that they are run on the UAD unit itself so my computers power is irrelevant. That doesn't make 100% sense to me, so I've been scouring the internet for more info. Does anybody know for sure?

Here in Canada, Long & McQuade is running a sale this June where if you buy one, you get a $50 credit to use in the future (so it's not really a sale but I can spend on guitar strings alone!).

Thanks,

John

hey John, I also run the Duet 2 and am looking apollo-wise for future. I also have a UAD Quad PCI card and a bunch of the plugins. So here's my 2 cents.

history: its only recently that CPUs on computers have really gotten powerful enough to run VI heavy and mix plugin heavy sessions without dying. Let's assume we are really talking 2008 and newer, maybe even 2010 as the demarcation line. Before that time, a lot of manufacturers had some kind of DSP "accelerated" processing cards or stand-alone boxes that would host the processing for their particular brand of plugins, taking load off the computers CPU, and allowing you to finish mixing without continual CPU overages.

Waves had a hardware accelerator. UA made the UAD-1 cards. Digidesign had their Accel cards for the TDM system. TC electronic had a box that is still available I think as the system 6000 and they had the now defunkt powercore etc.

Digidesign had an extra wrinkle in that the TDM system not only had hardware accelerated DSP for plugins, but it had a mixer that was hosted on their cards as well, allowing recording into computers with little perceptible latency, which worked to greater or lesser degrees depending on the particular specifics, and certainly worked well enough for Digi to become (debateably) the "defacto standard" for audio recording.

Today: there are still a few hardware accelerated platforms for plugins. UAD-2 including the various Apollos. Avid ProTools HDX for studio and I believe Venue for live applications. Waves Soundgrid which is mostly for live applications. (specialists in these areas please correct any errors I have made).

UAD Specifics: the number of simultaneous plugins that you can run is governed by the number of chips you have on the card. The Duo has 2 chips, quad = 4, octo = 8 etc. The number of instances of plugins that you can run in a session is detailed on the instance chart http://www.uaudio.com/support/uad/compa ... chart.html

the card reserves processing for the plugins that you have in your session including any kind of automation etc that you might need and it takes load off your computer CPU, which is especially keen if you have a slightly older machine, as it can extend the life of your present machine. Of course its up to you to figure out whether a new machine is cheaper than buying a somewhat expensive UAD card or Apollo and the plugins to power it.

Note that some of the newest plugins (like the 1073 preamp / eq) will only run ~1 stereo instance on a solo card, so at some point if you want the latest and greatest, the smaller cards might not cut it.

UAD in general vs. Apollo - if you have a UAD Satellite or a PCI card, the plugins are only usable as mix plugins - you cannot track through the plugins and have the sound committed to audio. Athough you can put the plugins on and later bounce to audio or bounce in place.The UAD plugins also create a lot of latency in your project if you have them active on a record channel while recording (like an eq and a compressor on an acoustic guitar track), so there are things you might need to do as a work around like use Low-latency monitoring in Logic (that's your DAW isn't it?)

With Apollo, the main selling point IMO is that the Apollo has very low latency for recording. So you can have up to 4 UAD plugins on the input channel you are recording through and either print those sounds into the audio, or record dry but through those plugins in real time and then later copy them into the actual session. The front end of the recording stream is handled within another app that runs at the same time as your DAW called the console. There are videos on uaudio.com that detail how this works. As a guitarist, it would be very handy to have the ability to call up a console setting that has a certain guitar amp and compressor in line and print that stuff directly on the recording channel. Your mix would run lighter cause you wouldn't have as many CPU hungry plugins while mixing etc.

The new Apollo Unison technology allows the plugin models of the UA 610 A/B preamps, the 1073 Preamp and the Api 212 to function interactively with the actual preamps in the apollo to give results more like the real hardware - as with the 610 you can change the impedance to have brighter or darker sounds etc. This appeals to me because I actually have a hardware UA 610 Solo Tube preamp and these functions extend the number of tones you can get.

If this is something you are considering (apollo) its probably cheap money to spring at least for the Duo rather than the Solo. And also look at the range of plugins that come bundled with the Apollo Twin (which is a decent number to start) and then look at the amount your might be getting into spending later by buying more UAD plugs. Its not really "cheap" and there are other interfaces such as some of the MOTU stuff and RME which have virtual routing and plugins within that can be used in similar fashion. Maybe not as sexy as UAD as the stuff is not "authorized by the original manufacturers" but its worthwhile to have a look around in general.

Hope that extended personal viewpoint on the UAD stuff helps.

[playagibson]

Apogee all the way !
I have the Duet.
Works like a charm.
The Apollo by UA is a winner too.

[johnlewitt]

Andy,

Thanks for the extremely detailed breakdown and the link to the Instance Counts chart - that's two things you've helped me out on this week. If you're at this years RR I will definitely buy you a drink!

You're right that the difference between the Solo & Duo isn't that much, and from a futurist stand point, it's probably better to invest now.

John

[mojobone]

Early Apollos, (not the Twin or Quad) connected via FW800, IIRC; the T-Bolt card was unavailable when they first appeared on the market.

[jonnybutter]

If I could afford it my choice would be the UAD Apollo. The UAD effects, which are included are outstanding.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ApolloQuadTB/

I will second that. I use a Focusrite and it does the job, but the Apollo is what I'd use if I could. Sounds sweet, and those plugs are awesome, particularly running on their own dedicated DSP