# How is the SSL 2+ with applications like Skype and Discord?



## SimonViklund (Jun 10, 2020)

*Does anybody here have an SSL 2+?

How is it with Skype, Discord and similar "WDM only" applications?

I bought an Apollo Twin Duo USB earlier this spring and had to return it because it was not compatible with WDM applications like Skype or Discord.*

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Here's an excessively detailed description of the problems I had with Apollo Twin Duo, that I'd like _not_ to have with the SSL 2+ if I were to purchase it:

The mic meter on the audio interface itself indicated it was receiving mic signal, and the Windows 10 "sound settings" also indicated it was getting signal. So I installed the audio interface correctly.

The problem I had was that the Apollo Twin USB stops routing audio from the software to the speakers, if that software was I set up to pick up the mic signal from the Apollo Twin USB audio interface. In other words, as soon as I set up any piece of software in Windows 10 to pick up the mic signal coming from the Apollo Twin USB (my Shure SM7B connected to the MIC/LINE 1 input on the audio interface's back panel) the speakers/headphones connected to the Apollo Twin USB went silent with any sound coming from that same piece of software. Other Windows sounds could still come through, but no sound from that same piece of software that I had set up to use the microphone.

This error existed in both Discord (a very popular standalone voice/video chat app in Windows) and Whereby (an online voice/video chat service that operates in your web browser.) I tried using Whereby in both Chrome and Firefox but the error remained in both browsers. This seemingly unsolvable problem eventually forced me to set Discord to use my webcam's microphone (not the best audio quality, and it's pretty far from my mouth) leaving my Shure SM7B unused, which is quite frustrating.

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Here's the Universal Audio customer support's response when I informed them of my problems:

_"I've seen these issues before and unfortunately since we don't support a lot of WDM only applications, there are some limitations and issues to work around.

What I've seen normally work is the following:

1. Connect MON LR outs to your speakers
2. Connect Line Out 3-4 to your computers built in line input
3. Connect the Line out of the computer to 1/4"Line input 2 on the Twin.
4. In the UA Console software, send your mic channel to Line 3-4 in the sends window. Now when you speak it comes through the preamp and any plugins, then is sent to 3-4, enters the line input on the computer and whoever you are talking to should be able to hear it. When they talk back, that will leave the built in line output from the computer and go out to Input 2, then to your speakers so you can hear them. 

If you wanted to use headphones to prevent feedback, open the Cue Outputs window on the far right side of Console and change the HP Source to Mix. Now anything playing out to the MON LR outputs will be mirrored to your headphones.

I understand this is an ugly work around but does seem to work pretty smoothly once set up."_

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Again, I had to return my Apollo Twin Duo because I can't have an audio interface that is designed to only work with DAWs - I use Discord and similar WDM apps on my work computer on a daily basis and my audio interface needs to be able to handle that as well as Reaper and Ableton Live.

The SSL 2+ seems awesome but I need to know that it can handle WDM apps.


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