Universal Audio Apollo interface

[Category 5]

Originally Posted by travisbrown

Don't know if this is definitive with respect to the Apollo, but...

interesting fb post from bla about thunderbolt

If this is the case with the Apollo, $500 for the TB card really is robbery.

It will be obvious. Using a quad UAD sattellite along with a firewire interface is reaching the limits of firewire.

[TAFKAT]

Originally Posted by DR Music

Research it.. 95% of Thunderbolt is just a FireWire or USB conversion..
Sucks but true!!
In this case the TB "adapter" is 800mbps.

If that is true that AU are just funnelling FW thru the TB port, this thing is going to fall on its arse... !

I seriously doubt they would be that stupid.

[stakeoutstudios]

Serious misinformation here now.

Metric Halo have released a FireWire to Thunderbolt adapter, obviously with limited bandwidth - effectively a PCIe card with FireWire ports on it. The purpose of this is so their many year old interfaces can hook up to new computers such as MacBook air.

The thunderbolt option in Apollo is not a hub, it is a true PCIe connection with enough bandwidth to be able to use its FireWire ports for other devices and Apollo behaving just like it was built on a PCIe card inside your computer.

There's even a block diagram in the hardware manual if you're in doubt.

[tomteontour]

Originally Posted by Jules

Sorry! posted wrong link

Here is the correct one..

Review Your Studio on Gearslutz.com for Your Chance to Win an Apollo Audio Interface - Blog - Universal Audio

you can do magic !! now.. i suppose that means 1500 more reviews according to this thread

thanks for organising that

[Jules]

Pleasure!

[isma]

Hey Jules, anymore feedbacks on the Apollo?

Can't wait to have a go!

Cheers

[DR Music]

Originally Posted by Mazrak

Sources?

Investigate, my friend.. No one out there is using real TB technogoly! Well not yet..

[stakeoutstudios]

Originally Posted by DR Music

Investigate, my friend.. No one out there is using real TB technogoly! Well not yet..

Ok, again just to clarify - if you're talking about Apollo that is 100% real thunderbolt.

I you're in doubt, read the hardware manual and look at the block diagram.

Yes some vendors are releasing hubs to make old products compatible with MacBook air.

[i_b_tulloch]

Originally Posted by Jules

UA are working on daisy chaining Apollo units. They aren't making promises but know there is demand for it.

Hi Jules,

Can you clarify this statement? As far as I was aware it was always the intention to be able to daisy chain units at some point in the future as it states this on their website (presumably after TB arrives?). Does this statement simply mean that they are going to try to have this function available sooner as there will be demand for it? Or does it mean that daisy chaining may not be available?

It will be interesting to see if the headphone channels and aux channels scale up with additional apollos, and if its transparent i.e. on apollo one you can route ANY input to the HP1 channel on apollo two etc. Hopefully with the large TB bandwidth this shouldn't be a problem. Other interfaces I was considering (MH ULN8) always had compromises with routing between two boxes when scaling up.

[Category 5]

Originally Posted by DR Music

Investigate, my friend.. No one out there is using real TB technology! Well not yet..

That's not true you know. Heck, I already have a seagate drive adapter that operates on thunderbolt and the drive speeds while using are proof that it isn't just a converter, it's really Thunderbolt.

It's not some magic protocol that nobody can figure out. It just took a while for chipsets to trickle down to the developers...and they finally have.

[young trizo]

I gotta get 1 when it comes out but im kind of mad that i gotta wait til september to use it since im a PC user

[Jules]

Originally Posted by i_b_tulloch

Hi Jules,

Can you clarify this statement? As far as I was aware it was always the intention to be able to daisy chain units at some point in the future as it states this on their website (presumably after TB arrives?). Does this statement simply mean that they are going to try to have this function available sooner as there will be demand for it? Or does it mean that daisy chaining may not be available?

It will be interesting to see if the headphone channels and aux channels scale up with additional apollos, and if its transparent i.e. on apollo one you can route ANY input to the HP1 channel on apollo two etc. Hopefully with the large TB bandwidth this shouldn't be a problem. Other interfaces I was considering (MH ULN8) always had compromises with routing between two boxes when scaling up.

As past experience informs me, sometimes you can't stand over a manufacturer armed with with a whip and a chair and a burning question, to force an outcome that you might like. (lord knows I have tried enough times in the past...) You can only hope. The vibe I got from the demo evening was - they will definitely be working on it. Thats as far as I could tell you from the answers I got. No signed contract written in blood but a "we definately know people want it and will be working on it.

[Jules]

Originally Posted by isma

Hey Jules, anymore feedbacks on the Apollo?

Can't wait to have a go!

Cheers

The pizza was tasty?

[DIGI ENT]

Originally Posted by young trizo

I gotta get 1 when it comes out but im kind of mad that i gotta wait til september to use it since im a PC user

Get a mac. U in dade? Wut it dew?

[i_b_tulloch]

Originally Posted by Jules

As past experience informs me, sometimes you can't stand over a manufacturer armed with with a whip and a chair and a burning question, to force an outcome that you might like. (lord knows I have tried enough times in the past...) You can only hope. The vibe I got from the demo evening was - they will definitely be working on it. Thats as far as I could tell you from the answers I got. No signed contract written in blood but a "we definately know people want it and will be working on it.

I guess I was thinking that the low channel count on this was due to expansion plans in the future. However, for me, if I cant have at least two daisy chained, then it a no goer.

You also mentioned 'hooks' in the console code for controllers - any mention of Eucon support?

[travisbrown]

Originally Posted by DR Music

Investigate, my friend.. No one out there is using real TB technogoly! Well not yet..

Originally Posted by Category 5

That's not true you know. Heck, I already have a seagate drive adapter that operates on thunderbolt and the drive speeds while using are proof that it isn't just a converter, it's really Thunderbolt.

It's not some magic protocol that nobody can figure out. It just took a while for chipsets to trickle down to the developers...and they finally have.

@Category 5

We are talking specifically about audio interfaces here. According to Intel (according to BLA) no-one is currently bringing a true TB device to market (except BLA).

As I wrote below, I do not know if this is the case with the Apollo. It's not according to stakeoutstudios. Mind you, UA hasn't released the Apollo yet, let alone the TB interface.

Originally Posted by travisbrown

Don't know if this is definitive with respect to the Apollo, but...

interesting fb post from bla about thunderbolt

If this is the case with the Apollo, $500 for the TB card really is robbery.

Originally Posted by stakeoutstudios

Serious misinformation here now.

Metric Halo have released a FireWire to Thunderbolt adapter, obviously with limited bandwidth - effectively a PCIe card with FireWire ports on it. The purpose of this is so their many year old interfaces can hook up to new computers such as MacBook air.

The thunderbolt option in Apollo is not a hub, it is a true PCIe connection with enough bandwidth to be able to use its FireWire ports for other devices and Apollo behaving just like it was built on a PCIe card inside your computer.

There's even a block diagram in the hardware manual if you're in doubt.

[Jules]

Originally Posted by i_b_tulloch

I guess I was thinking that the low channel count on this was due to expansion plans in the future. However, for me, if I cant have at least two daisy chained, then it a no goer.

You also mentioned 'hooks' in the console code for controllers - any mention of Eucon support?

Eucon was referred to as definitely "being looked into"

[tomteontour]

did you have to sign an NDA .. any thoughts regarding AD/DA ?

[Mazrak]

Originally Posted by DR Music

Investigate, my friend.. No one out there is using real TB technogoly! Well not yet..

The burden of evidence typically falls on the person making a claim. That is, if this was a proper debate and not a long discussion and wild speculations on the internet about a product that hasn't touched a single customers hands... hah.

[DR Music]

Originally Posted by Mazrak

The burden of evidence typically falls on the person making a claim. That is, if this was a proper debate and not a long discussion and wild speculations on the internet about a product that hasn't touched a single customers hands... hah.

OK!
Let us know how TB works out for ya!

[NashvilleJoe]

Originally Posted by jeremy.c.

The brushing on the Apollo casing is more even, therefore, you will get more smooth frequency response due to less reflection. The drawback though is there is the added weight of the UAD-2 processor card inside the Apollo so that extra heaviness will saturate your low frequencies and give you a slight low end bump. The Lynx on the other hand is named after an actual large predator and the Apollo after a mad up god, so your chances of getting a good, "real" mix are better from the Lynx.

Hope that helps.

snicker snicker snicker !!

[TAFKAT]

Originally Posted by travisbrown

We are talking specifically about audio interfaces here. According to Intel (according to BLA) no-one is currently bringing a true TB device to market (except BLA). .

While we are all getting high on the vapour speculating...

IMO BLA are not talking about an interface, but a native TB controller which I suspect they will OEM and offer to the audio interface manufacturers , as I seriously doubt AU have rolled their own.

This is not uncommon, most audio manufacturers rely on 3rd party OEM controllers for FW/USB except for RME , this is no different.

Who's to say the ( delayed ) TB controller for UA is not in fact the one being developed by BLA..

As you were...

[DR Music]

Originally Posted by TAFKAT

While we are all getting high on the vapour speculating...

IMO BLA are not talking about an interface, but a native TB controller which I suspect they will OEM and offer to the audio interface manufacturers , as I seriously doubt AU have rolled their own.

This is not uncommon, most audio manufacturers rely on 3rd party OEM controllers for FW/USB except for RME , this is no different.

Who's to say the ( delayed ) TB controller for UA is not in fact the one being developed by BLA..

As you were...

It's for their Audio Interface.

[DIGI ENT]

Originally Posted by TAFKAT

While we are all getting high on the vapour speculating...

IMO BLA are not talking about an interface, but a native TB controller which I suspect they will OEM and offer to the audio interface manufacturers , as I seriously doubt AU have rolled their own.

This is not uncommon, most audio manufacturers rely on 3rd party OEM controllers for FW/USB except for RME , this is no different.

Who's to say the ( delayed ) TB controller for UA is not in fact the one being developed by BLA..

As you were...

Didn't UA meet with BLA while they were developing the Apollo?

[dbjp]

Originally Posted by travisbrown

Don't know if this is definitive with respect to the Apollo, but...

interesting fb post from bla about thunderbolt

If this is the case with the Apollo, $500 for the TB card really is robbery.

That's a weird one. A year or two ago Intel was showing off a 192 i/o with thunderbolt connection (obviously co-developed between them and Avid) at one of their events. Considering the 192 i/o has never incorporated firewire or USB and is specifically used for PCI(e) interfaces, I'd imagine that was a true thunderbolt i/o.
It would be absolutely crazy if every single interface manufacturer apart from BLA had completely ignored thunderbolt for the last year or more, considering the millions of Macs being sold, especially with the majority of the audio industry being on macs.
A bit of salesmanship from BLA perhaps?

[travisbrown]

Originally Posted by dbjp

That's a weird one. A year or two ago Intel was showing off a 192 i/o with thunderbolt connection (obviously co-developed between them and Avid) at one of their events. Considering the 192 i/o has never incorporated firewire or USB and is specifically used for PCI(e) interfaces, I'd imagine that was a true thunderbolt i/o.
It would be absolutely crazy if every single interface manufacturer apart from BLA had completely ignored thunderbolt for the last year or more, considering the millions of Macs being sold, especially with the majority of the audio industry being on macs.
A bit of salesmanship from BLA perhaps?

Well, many companies are wary of being bleeding edge. The vast majority of DAWs out there don't have thunderbolt yet. I bet many are waiting for a little more critical mass before launching new connectivity.

Also, in general, given the economic uncertainty of the past couple years, not a lot of companies have been doing much R&D and have been holding off from taking new products to a soft market. Notice the dearth of much interesting or new at NAMM this year?

Avid never took the TB 192 to market, did they? Was just a proof of concept?

[TAFKAT]

Originally Posted by DR Music

It's for their Audio Interface.

BLA have an audio interface in development , really ?

Well lets hear, don't keep us in suspense... :-)

[mdme_sadie]

Am I the only one that thinks this could be really cool? Hell, wish I had one, thunderbolt, cross platform, super low latency, good amount of IO, built in pre's, UAD plugins, for that alone it seems very cool, not to mention everything else, on paper it seems great. Tell you what, everyone group together and put in a few bucks to buy me one and I'll let you all know how it is with a blow by blow account

[C//AZM]

I know the Apollo comes with the Analog classics bundle, But I (mis) remember seeing Dreamverb being included in the bundle. Did I misread?

[bigbone]

Originally Posted by DIGI ENT

Didn't UA meet with BLA while they were developing the Apollo?

Are you serious....... UA got better thing to do.......