Universal Audio’s Apollo range of audio interfaces can be found topping many a producer’s studio wish list, combining as they do high-quality audio performance and on-board UAD plug-in processing, all benefiting from Apple’s high-speed Thunderbolt connectivity standard. Clearly intent on staying ahead of the game, Universal Audio have now announced a new generation of Apollos, designed for Thunderbolt 2 and equipped with upgraded A-D/D-A converters. The new line-up also includes a Apollo with, for the first time, eight mic preamps on board, all of them offering Universal Audio’s Unison vintage mic preamp emulation.
Found on the latest MacBook Pro laptops and the futuristic Mac Pro desktop, Thunderbolt 2 replaces the original standard’s pair of 10GBps bi-directional data channels with a single 20GBps bi-directional channel. While the total amount of data a single Thunderbolt 2 port can carry has not increased, crucially for audio and video applications this means that the throughput of data has doubled. But the new Apollos are about much more than just a new connection standard.
The new Apollo range will feature three models, all of them 1U rackmounts — there’s no update to the desktop Apollo Twin as yet — and all sporting attractive black aluminium styling perhaps intended to complement the none-more-black Mac Pro. Universal Audio have included new A-D/D-A converters that promise to improve on the already excellent capabilities of the current Apollo line-up.
Following the format of the current Thunderbolt/Firewire Apollo, the new Apollo 8 and Apollo 8p feature four and eight Unison-enabled mic preamps respectively. Unison is Universal Audio’s innovative approach to mic preamp emulation, using a combination of digitally-controlled preamp hardware and UAD audio processing to deliver real-time emulations of classic preamps that can be used while tracking. The Apollo 8 will be available in two versions, with either Duo ($1,999) or Quad ($2,499) UAD-2 processing on board, while the Apollo 8p ($2,999) features Quad processing by default. Both units also boast new monitoring functions on the front panel in the form of alt speaker, dim and mono options. The new Apollo 16 ($2,999) is a Thunderbolt 2 update of the current version, with upgraded A-D/D-A converters and the same provision of 16 balanced analogue inputs and outputs and Quad plug-in processing.
The Apollo Thunderbolt 2 interfaces all include the Realtime Analog Classics Plus bundle of UAD plug-ins, featuring classic preamp, EQ and compressor emulations. As before, you’ll be able to cascade up to four Apollo interfaces and up to six UAD plug-in processing devices off a single Thunderbolt 2 connection.
At the same time, Universal Audio have announced another addition to the range. Designed for Windows users and owners of pre-Thunderbolt Macs, the Apollo Firewire ($1,999) will provide a more affordable option for those who want the Apollo’s four Unison mic preamps, audio interface functionality and on-board Quad processing power, but have no use for a Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 connector. The Apollo Firewire and new Apollo 8 should be available by the time you read this, with the Apollo 8p and Apollo 16 following on in June 2015.
