# Trying to get a decent Guitar sound with UA Apollo Twin X and Unity Preamps



## jononotbono (Sep 6, 2020)

Howdy,

I'm trying to get a decent Guitar sound from my UA Apollo Twin X and using the amp models with the Unity Preamps. Clean Guitar seems to be a lot easier to dial in.

I guess an issue I'm having with overdriven and distorted tones is that there's just so much amp noise and when I use a Noise gate (either using the gate built into the Amp Heads or loading up an API Vision Plugin on the Insert) I can hear it kicking in. 

When I typically record Guitar back in England, I go through a Guitar head (a real one), and I use a noise suppressor guitar pedal before the Guitar goes into the head. So I'm just wondering if I should buy another one as I can't seem to stop the sound of the Gate kicking in. Sometimes I used Scuffham Amps and used Guitar pedals before going into my interface (Motu not Apollo) but now I have an Apollo I want to utilise it properly.

Has anyone got any tips and tricks for using the Guitar amps with UAD? I'm tempted to buy some Overdrive and distortion pedals like I have in England and run them before going into the Apollo but I thought half the joy of using the unity Preamps was to use everything in the box.

If anyone knows of any videos on getting the best out of this gear, it would be greatly appreciated!

Jono


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## jononotbono (Sep 6, 2020)

I've been watching a few You Tube videos and I have a feeling I know what I've been doing wrong. Perhaps.

I've been loading the Amps into the Unity Preamp and not into the insert. So I've just tried an Acid Vision strip to mainly use the Gate and then an amp in the insert below and now I have a pretty glorious Guitar sound whereby I can now not hear hideous gate sounds despite how I adjust them.

This kind of threw me because I figured the amp would be on the unity preamp to simulate me plugging directly into an amp.






Would still love to hear from anyone using this stuff as it just sounds so good!


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## wst3 (Sep 7, 2020)

That is odd! I've had exactly the opposite results, the UA Amplifier plugins seem to work better when they are in the Unity slots. For me. My tastes, and obviously that may not work for you.

I have not had any problems with noise, but I have found that I need to be really careful with gain staging. My "standard" (as if) configuration is an amplifier plugin in the unison slot, followed by customary signal processing.

Sometimes that's a channel strip, my current favorites are the API and the Neve. But I don;t use the compressors in those strips, never quite got the hang of them, so I usually follow the channel strip with an 1176.

Sometimes it is just a preamplifier and equalizer. Current favorites (always subject to change) would be the 1073 and the Helios, but the Telefunken is getting more use lately, as is the 610.

When they first released a Unison guitar amplifier I assumed that each amplifier would pair with a specific preamplifier - that has not been the case. In reality that should not have surprised me!

I would mention that for me it is way too easy to overdo the compressor such that it brings up the noise floor.

The other gotcha, again for me, and specifically for recording electric guitar, is the effects - several of them very accurately model the noise contribution, so gain staging becomes even more important if you are using a couple of effects.

Disclaimer - I LOVE the Fender and Marshall plugins. I'm astounded by how well they behave. I am also growing to love the Fuchs, Suhr, and Friedman plugins. But as much as I love these plugins, I still end up sticking a microphone or two in front of an amplifier or two - makes no sense, the plugins are so much faster! And yet...


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