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Upgrading Audio Interface (Apollo Twin)

Hunter123

Hunter123

Active Member
I've had some of the cheapest audio interfaces for the longest time and I've decided to finally upgrade to something reliable like the UA apollo twin. I've had the focusrite scarlett 2i2 as well as the roland quad capture which actually did the job when they were actually working properly! I've had problems with both of these interfaces cutting in and out and even crashing my computer on both my macbook and my MacPro cylinder. I have no idea why the kept crapping out on me as I have made sure that the drivers were always updated with my operating system and that the buffer/sample rate were the same as my daw projects.

I guess I'm looking for some advice on other owners of the apollo- what precautions should I take to make sure it functions smoothly with my setup? It seems weird that my old interfaces would have so many problems even if they were cheaper. Any help would be much appreciated!
Click to read more...
 
Last year I upgraded from a 2i2 (1st Gen) to the Twin X Quad with Thunderbolt 3
Overall I love the interface but my one regret (its not really a reqret, but in hindsight I would have approached differently) is I dove in too deep on the UAD plugins. I have a mix of unison preamps, eqs, reverb etc and I like them all, but I also like some of the regular vst plugins too so I don't offload as much processing on UAD as I could. But that could also be a "Me" thing as I'm still learning a lot of this and just enjoying the process

I'm currently on a Macbook Pro (2018 & 2019) and the one pretty consistent problem I can get is the UAD console app goes to not responding if I disconnect the TB3 cable while the computer is sleeping. I typically work in "Clamshell" mode with an external monitor so whenever I need to change rooms and I unplug the cables from the MBP, there is a pretty good chance when I come back and plug in the UAD again it will not connect like it should.

My quick fix to this to kill the
  1. UA Mixer Engine process
  2. Turn off the Twin X
  3. Open UAD Console
  4. Turn on the Twin X
That will usually get everything going again and since I don't have to move the MBP very often it hasn't been too much of an annoyance.

The other problem I had was using the UAD with work apps like MS Teams, Siri, etc. Even when the system input is set to UAD it wouldn't pick up the microphone. My solution for that was to use Loopback from Rogue Amoeba. I wanted that app anyway for other reasons and it was quick to create a virtual device for MS Teams and others and connect the UAD inputs through that. I think you could also just create an aggregate device in Audio Midi to do the same thing, but I already had Loopback.

But overall I'm really really happy I invested in the Twin X.
 
I've owned Apollo for years (on Mac) and have never had a single issue, apart from my power supply falling once and UA mailing me a free replacement within 2 days.

About to upgrade my Twin MK2 to an x6.
 
I've heard a lot of stories about Focusrite AI. They are okay and not expensive, but you cannot rely on them at a pro-level.

I've been using an Apollo x6 with a quad sat for 7 months now (on PC) and it's rock-solid.
I would suggest you get two TB cables - one for your trashcan, the other for the MacBook. (those are quite fragile and the more static they stay, the better)
 
It might be of interest to know that UAD released the Apollo Solo yesterday. There's both a USB and Thunderbolt versions. $499 retail.

It appears to just be a rebranded Arrow though.
www.uaudio.com

Apollo Solo | Desktop Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface | Universal Audio

Apollo Solo Thunderbolt 3-powered desktop audio interface for Mac and Windows gives you the classic sound of analog with powerful Realtime UAD-2 SOLO Processing, two Unison mic preamps, and best-in-class audio conversion.
www.uaudio.com www.uaudio.com
 
ALittleNightMusic said:
I've owned Apollo for years (on Mac) and have never had a single issue, apart from my power supply falling once and UA mailing me a free replacement within 2 days.

About to upgrade my Twin MK2 to an x6.
Click to expand...
Did you get the x6? Wondering your thoughts on how it compares sonically to the Apollo silver faced FireWire version.

when I inevitably upgrade my 2012 Mac mini, I’ll need to update to thunderbolt with the card or get an x6. Any input here is appreciated.
 
brandowalk said:
Did you get the x6? Wondering your thoughts on how it compares sonically to the Apollo silver faced FireWire version.

when I inevitably upgrade my 2012 Mac mini, I’ll need to update to thunderbolt with the card or get an x6. Any input here is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Yup I did. It’s great. Sonically, if you can hear the difference between converters, congrats - you’re 1 in a million. It will matter 0.001% to the end product and your audience. Same goes for the preamps (also it’ll be masked anyway if you use the unison emulations). Lot of other reasons to upgrade though :)
 
Good to know. Thanks for the update.

It's crazy to spend $800 CAD to put in a Thunderbolt upgrade card into a 7 or 8-year-old firewire audio interface. Is it crazier to pay $3k+ to upgrade to the x6 given the new features? Or are the upgrades really worth it? Overall, I'm happy enough with the performance of the old interface. Surround monitoring could be nice, however.

Maybe there is another route, but I'm rather hooked on the UAD plugin format.
 
brandowalk said:
Good to know. Thanks for the update.

It's crazy to spend $800 CAD to put in a Thunderbolt upgrade card into a 7 or 8-year-old firewire audio interface. Is it crazier to pay $3k+ to upgrade to the x6 given the new features? Or are the upgrades really worth it? Overall, I'm happy enough with the performance of the old interface. Surround monitoring could be nice, however.

Maybe there is another route, but I'm rather hooked on the UAD plugin format.
Click to expand...

Only you can answer that. Plenty of songs were made on the silverfaces so if it works for you, ask yourself why you’re itching for an upgrade. If you need a thunderbolt interface due to computer upgrades, then the new Apollos can’t be beat.
 
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