UA Apollo First Look (user review)

[Blues Bird]

Originally Posted by Deepspell

Thank you both for the replies! Super helpful. Def plan on adding some hardware after the summing back into the apollo. Getting the apollo first in a few months (that's if apogee doesn't drop a new ensemble type of interface with 8 in/out)

Is it totally needed to take of spdif mirroring? I don't plan on monitoring through the console app, just through dbox via the spdif. If I send whatever I want to monitor to the monitor outputs in logc (output 1/2 or whatever it happens to be) wouldn't that same signal come out via spdif into my dbox daw input?

Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using Tapatalk

Yes, you'd better switch off spdif mirroring. When recording you have zero latency monitoring through the apollo into the dbox analog input. When mixing you can hear your daw signal via spdif into the dbox daw input.

Use it as recommend above and you will see that this configuration makes a lot of sense.

PS: For the Pro Tools guys: Use the free mutetone plugin to turn off input monitoring when recording, esp. when overdubbing.

[Kcatthedog]

Originally Posted by cowboycoalminer

Nichicon Muse caps in audio path throughout, Panasonic Polypropylene film bypass caps on critical IC's and Nichicon KG's on the power supply. Upgraded all values. It sounds amazing.

Well Cowboy here's to the renewed spirit of your ghost ! I hope you are satisfied with the work. I know board's require maintenance but you upgraded these parts right. What will you expect the sonic difference to be ? I am curious not questoning the rationale.

Thx Kcat

[Kcatthedog]

PS: For the Pro Tools guys: Use the free mutetone plugin to turn off input monitoring when recording, esp. when overdubbing.

I think only for PT9 and earlier right cus Ptx has low latency monitoring? Right ?

Kcat

[cowboycoalminer]

Originally Posted by Kcatthedog

I hope you are satisfied with the work.... What will you expect the sonic difference to be ? I am curious not questoning the rationale.

Thx Kcat

I'm satisfied. The difference in a word is tight. The bottom end is far more tight, plenty of thump without being boomy. Those film bypass caps also opens up the top.

This is the first mix I've done with it. It's MJB's tune. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65640533/Goi...own%20Last.wav

[MJB]

Whoa, that's powerful. I hear the tighter kick. I'm on headphones now and will take a closer listen tomorrow on my main system. Thanks so much Herbie, this is cool. I'm having a friend stop by on Thursday to do a harmonica track on the other tune..
I'll send you an email with a few suggestions.

[Syncamorea]

Originally Posted by Kcatthedog

A screenshot of the console with all 18 inputs pumping would be cool !

This is a shot of a three part percussion plus bass piece we were working on tonight. Not too exciting and the levels on the ribbons are very low but hey, it works.

[IMG]

Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]

And here's the Logic mixer:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Blues Bird]

Originally Posted by Kcatthedog

PS: For the Pro Tools guys: Use the free mutetone plugin to turn off input monitoring when recording, esp. when overdubbing.

I think only for PT9 and earlier right cus Ptx has low latency monitoring? Right ?

Kcat

Unfortunately not. Pro Tools 10's "low latency monitoring" works only with channels which are routed to the main outputs...So it will not work in the above described setup. It is really a crying shame that Avid hasn't incorporated that simple, but highly needed feature in the native version of Pro Tools yet.

Mutetone is a workaround, but has a drawback, since it will not work together with the Command 8 controller....

[Kcatthedog]

Originally Posted by cowboycoalminer

I'm satisfied. The difference in a word is tight. The bottom end is far more tight, plenty of thump without being boomy. Those film bypass caps also opens up the top.

This is the first mix I've done with it. It's MJB's tune. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65640533/Goi...own%20Last.wav

First, Mjr great to hear that tune again really good performances all the way through and well crafted.

Cowboy sound is tight spacious open and very natural your wife got it right when she said it sounds real and it sound really really great !!

The board does sound better !

Thx!

Kcat

[Kcatthedog]

Hey Martin,

Another thing i always really liked the drumming in this tune. That's nashville right ? Did you do a lot of editing or is that a lot of dropping in grooves ? Really suits the song !

Cowboy ok to postcaxfew questions re: editing drums in PT ?

I can do basic stuff but i get frustrated with other dissapearing that I wasn't editing ? Why does that happen ?

Thx!

Kcat

[MJB]

It takes some patience with the drum parts, because of the way Superior Drummer is organized. I do quite a bit of cutting, often taking a 2 measure part, cutting it in half, looping that for 3 measures, then go find a fill that might work, and cutting that to one measure, or sometimes a half measure and then cut a different half measure and join them. There are some compromises you have to accept, unless you want to play the part you want via a midi keyboard, and that has its own issues. Some of the happy accidents grow on you. In the fill at the end of the breakdown, I originally wanted a powerful fill, but couldn't find a good one. The "temporary" fill was much more understated, but in time, I grew to like it that way, because when the vocal and beat comes back in, it really swings and isn't obvious.Lots of trial and error, also auditioning each part as you go is time consuming. I keep notes on which beats might work as I go, so I don't have to listen twice to the same beats to remember what they were. SD automatically switches the tempo, so I look for beats done at other tempos and drag and drop. I'd say a good drum track takes 3 hours. I could assemble something quite usable in 15-20 minutes if I wanted to get on with recording though, and add the drums at a later time. It began as the Music City pack, but I'm not sure if Cowboy switched to a different kit, I'll have to check with him.

[cowboycoalminer]

I didn't change the kit or the midi at all, Martin. I routed everything to its own channel for processing. I did change the envelope on the snare a bit to take some of the ring out of it. This is a killer tune man. Good work. I think it sounds great.

[MJB]

And you made it possible for it to shine the way it should my friend.

[Kcatthedog]

Originally Posted by MJB

And you made it possible for it to shine the way it should my friend.

Mjr and Cowboy

I remember the first version and this mix/prod sounds significantly and the first mix was very good.

Also Martin listening to your track how clean the timing is and how the song flows underscored your constructive comments about my current song.

Your song was a pleasure to listen too. Is that the just the apollo pre's ?

Kcat

[DR Music]

Cowboy.. What kinda monitors do you use??

[MJB]

The Apollo is almost too real sometimes, but in a good way. It forces you to think a bit longer on the sound you're putting through there, cause that's what you'll hear back. Some of the good sounds are from the the UAD plugs, and much of it is Cowboy's talent at making guitars blend so well.

[cowboycoalminer]

Originally Posted by DR Music

Cowboy.. What kinda monitors do you use??

JBL 4328's. I don't use the correction though. It makes good monitors bad IMO. There's no substitute for room treatment in my book.

Here's a mix I just finished with the old Ghost.

Peace

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65640533/Lif...%20Highway.wav

[DR Music]

Originally Posted by cowboycoalminer

JBL 4328's. I don't use the correction though. It makes good monitors bad IMO. There's no substitute for room treatment in my book.

Here's a mix I just finished with the old Ghost.

Peace

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/65640533/Lif...%20Highway.wav

I only ask because I need a second pair of monitors.

I was hoping you did use room correction with the 4328'a!! I have 6" 4" and 2" GIK Acoustic Panels on all corners and reflection points. It a very good treated room, But i just bought the Event 20/30's, tryin to get used to them. Having a lil trouble adjusting, so I tried a few things.

I've tried the ARC1/ARC2 and it's totally misleading... :( BAd for me..

I'm trying KRK Ergo today because it only effects 500hz and under. If I don't like it it'll go on eBay. I do agree that with ARC it makes good monitors BAD! But I'm giving it a try.

[MJB]

Cowboy, guitars and drums are killer. The new board has an energy you can feel.

[Kcatthedog]

Hi,

Was reading the avid PT10.3 faq and saw the reference to improved delay compensation performance re: external to the daw midi devices.

So for those of us with Apollos, this applies as we need to route midi into our computers after which it is recognized in our DAWs but not in console ( if the daw sees midi (, i don't understand why console through software couldn't mimic or mirror that like an internal input)?

But i was wondering what people are thinking about 10.3 and this midi tweak for apollo users ?

Thx

Kcat

[Kcatthedog]

Universal Audio Now Shipping Apollo Thunderbolt
September 14, 2012 by David Weiss
14
It’s been lusted over on forums for months – now its finally out of the pre-order zone: Universal Audio is shipping the Apollo Thunderbolt.

If it’s the Apollo Thunderbolt ye seek, no more waiting awaits you.
Officially known as the Universal Audio Thunderbolt Option Card for the Apollo, this latest version of their high-powered audio interface has an MSRP of $599 and is showing a street price of $499. It provides:
– greater UAD plug-in instances
– improved performance at higher sample rates
– reduced UAD plug-in latency versus Apollo’s standard FireWire connection
The new Thunderbolt Option Card is based on Intel’s new Thunderbolt technology, which is found on the latest generation iMacs, MacBook Pros, and MacBook Airs (with PC on the way!).
More features include:
– Enables Thunderbolt technology for Apollo DUO and QUAD Audio Interfaces
– Provides greater UAD plug-in instances, improved performance at higher sample rates, and reduced plug-in latency versus FireWire
– Two Thunderbolt ports supply bus power for convenient daisy-chaining of peripherals
– Allows Apollo’s built-in FireWire ports to be repurposed as a FireWire 800 hub over Thunderbolt
– Easy user installation – tool and instructions included
The user-installable Thunderbolt Option Card includes two Thunderbolt ports, and is designed to easily slide into the expansion bay of the Apollo.
Bus power is provided to all downstream Thunderbolt devices, which will allow music producers to connect numerous devices in series with the Apollo interface, including hard drives, processors, and computer displays.
Additionally, when the Thunderbolt Option Card is engaged, Apollo’s FireWire 800 ports are instantly reconfigured as a hub for connecting FireWire devices, such as a hard drive or a UAD-2 Satellite.

kcat

[Clonkified]

Originally Posted by Kcatthedog

It provides:
– greater UAD plug-in instances

I'm confused about this - how does it do that? It shouldn't be increasing the DSP the cards are capable of handling.

[Kcatthedog]

I think its the opposite ,that without the TB card you don't get the maximum efficiency so its like the throughput is a little reduced. Like a limiter on an engine so with the TB card you get the maximum throughput.

I think you are confusing the dsp which is a function of the number of chips (2 or 4) and the data throughput and efficiency: TB has more than FW.

Is that clearer ? I haven't seen an actual number or measure, just statements that TB will be better.

kcat

[Clonkified]

That would mean that the PCIe version of a Quad should support more instances than the Apollo FW version of the Quad due to better throughput of PCIe vs. FW. However, UA hasn't put out a separate instance chart for the Apollos, so I wonder are PCIe Quad users getting more instances than their chart says?

[Kcatthedog]

or do you only get the max instances with the TB card ?

I have used up all my fw bandwidth so I have been curious about teh improved TB card performance.

so I think apollo provides max performance only with TB. the pcie is fast but I think the TB speeds are faster ?


anybody running apollo quad on pcie can chime in ?


kcat

[Syncamorea]

So I lugged the Apollo and his gang of digits and anagits to a house party yesterday. Everything worked and most of the tracks sounded excellent through phones.
I haven't done any mixing yet, I'm just scanning around soloing tracks to see what I've got. Since it was live, naturally I'm most concerned about the vocal tracks
and the drums. Nearly all of the guitar and bass tracks I've soloed were thumbs up. The guitarist, Bill, hails from Louisiana, a short ways N of New Orleans. He had
a great night and flat out wailed. Rod sang and played bass and he had a blast too. I had as much fun as one can have when watching for crap to go wrong.
Rod's from Tulsa and he drove out his gear and the PA. We were set up in the living room at drummer Dave's house in Centennial, CO.

These guys have been playing together in various incarnations since the invention of the bread slicing machine. Seriously, I don't know how long it's been but I think they
first got together in the mid 70's. These days, they get together a few times a year, traveling their triangle. Since this is Gearlsutz, I'll first show my recording setup.
The band was biased towards the E side of the room and I was on the far W side next to a sliding glass door. I didn't take any of my portable acoustic treatments
because I knew space would be too tight. I really need to get these guys into the Dickens in Longmont...

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][IMG]

[IMG][IMG]

Oh my goodness, look at him go!





So, bottom to top on the gear:

LA-610II on Dave's vocals, then into the Apollo ch. 6.
6176 on Rod's vocals, then into Apollo ch. 5
EL9 on Rod's bass through an AKB bass mic (forgot the number, looks like a whale...) then into Apollo ch. 8
Phoenix DRS-8 feeding one channel of the Apollo and four of the:
4-710D: kick (Audix D-6) in ch. 1; high, high-mid and low-mid toms in ch. 2, 3 and 4 through Sennheiser e-904s
Apollo: guitar in ch. 1, 2 and 3 through e906, R92 and i5; snare in 4 with a 201
Grace m201 on overheads through FatheadII Lundhals in a pseudo Glyn Johns, into the Apollo by SPDIF.

DRS-8 channels: hi hat (A/T vocal condensor, forget the model), bongos (Audix clip-on condensor), rotos (Audix clip-on condensor), bass (AKG D-6), room Stellar (C-6 in omni)

I fiddled around a little with the 4-710d SS/tube blend and eventually moved to all SS on kick and a blend on the toms. I don't have enough experience with it yet to have a strong
feel for getting happy with the blend knob, but my gut instinct that I got from headphones is that the punch of the kick was tighter with all SS.

I'll be back later to add pictures of the band playing. I've got some video and was planning to Youtube some song segments with the mixdown off of the Apollo. Do you want me
to post that in a different thread or is it OK here?

[The wiz]

Looks like a great time, I'm doing a session with my band in some weeks too

[cowboycoalminer]

Post here for sure!

[Syncamorea]

Will do. I got a few hours into the mixing last night. Teaching this old dog new (Il)Logic tricks is an uphill battle.

[MJB]

I hear that Syncamorea.

[Schumannz]

Hi all...
I am planning to use the Apollo Quad for live gigs. Is there any Control surface (Mixer) which works with Apollo? Something like the Euphonix Artist Mix?