Description
A Special Edition of Universal Audio’s popular desktop 2×4 Apollo Solo USB Interface, with a Bundled UAD Plug-In Package Worth over $1,300.Apollo Solo USB Heritage Edition has all the benefits of the popular Apollo Solo USB, including class-leading UA audio conversion, two Unison mic preamps, and SOLO Core realtime UAD plug-in processing. And it goes a step further, with a software suite of 5 award-winning UAD plug-in titles, featuring Collections from Teletronix, Pultec, and UA.
XYZ –
Amazing value at small package at reduced price.
I will not write what everyone already knows. UAD plugins are awesome!The only problem with this device is very limited processing power.If you need only for monitoring while tracking: unison preamp (not neve) + legacy compressor ( one that is not full emulation ) + autotune, you are at 80% of the processing limit. Maybe you can add some lightweight reverb on top.So many trade-offs have to be made. If you do not need autotune you can use one good compressor.Twin Duo is go to have DSP to build usefull vocal signal chain.UAD is very adictive so keep in mind that you will want to spend additional 400e in the first 30 days to use 50% discount on the custom 3 plugin package to buy goodies like 1073, CL1B etc.Also do not forget to get referral invitation BEFORE you create UAD account to get 1 free plugin. If you do not know noone to send you referral invite search reddit and someone will help you.Soon you will start saving money for octo satellite because you will want to put this amazing plugins on everything!
Dennis Barz –
Top aber ….
Also was soll ich sagen . Hamma . Latenz gleich 0 beim Monitoring. Qualität ist klar und sauber un der rohaufnahme mit dem ahure und dem cloudfilter dazu . Was vorher ander war mit dem audient id4.An alle die das apollo zum ersten Mal haben.Zum anschalten den großen regler rechts lange gedrückt halten.Vorher das Stromkabel hinten gut drehen bis man einen kleinen Klick hört . Hat einen Wackelkontakt.Hatte vorher 2 bestellt und bei denen war das auch so . Also denke ist vom Werk soViel Spaß damit . Wird sich lohnen
Joaquin –
Awesome! When it works!
I have been using this interface for two weeks, and I have to re-write my review, after the honeymoon phase. This is my first high end interface, and anything from UA. Let me say from the get go, this is a very, very cool product that sounds absolutely amazing! When it works.**I am NOT an audio engineer, and by NO means an expert. If you need an expert opinion, read another review, and skip this!**TL;DR: This is NOT for newbies! It is very awesome, but has quirks and things that you need to research and know before purchase.Edit: I returned it. My system just could not handle it, and kept crashing. I am very, very sad I have to return it, but if it does not work, it does not work. I hope somebody who does get this, will have a lot of fun with it. It’s so awesome when it worked…*Stability*I have been in contact with support quite a bit since purchase. Not only how to use this thing, but more frustratingly, the stability issues. They have improved since swapping out USB-C cables, but it still suffers from crashes and freezes once in a while to the point I have to restart my PC. At this price point, it should not be this way. I will also say, it is probably user error, conflicting drivers, something not officially supported, or some other thing. It is not completely UA’s fault. Still, it is very frustrating, and am still considering a refund.My 2i2 has random stability issues as well, such as sound distorting and loud hiss to the point I need to plug and unplug the device. Not nearly as often as the Apollo Solo, though. I was hoping something this high end would solve that. I did not, for my particular set up. If I am going to have similar issues, I might as well go back to my old set up of the 2i2 and the DBX 286s. I am on the fence, and will decide soon.*Ease of use*As others have stated, this device is not for newbies. You cannot just plug in and go. If you do not understand routing, you are in for a world of pain. If you are looking for in device I/O, you are out of luck. UA confirmed it is only for the higher end devices because of the limitations of USB-C. You need to find other workarounds like Voicemeeter Banana. I used OBS just fine, because it has ASIO routing capability, but that takes some finesse to learn and use. It is not that difficult, but can be frustrating. I am not sure for other programs that rely on ASIO or other drivers. Personally, it was not hard, but not fun, either.*Latency*As for the zero latency issue. I have both Ableton Live 11 Standard, and Studio One 5 Pro. I still have not figured how to route the DAWs into the Apollo and vice versa to enjoy the zero latency. I obviously still do not fully understand it, because analog monitoring in real time through the DAW still has latency. Using the UA plugins through the interface is beautiful! No latency at all! I still did not figure how to make the two things route correctly, or is in fact, impossible without the I/O tab. Maybe latency will always be there, and there’s nothing I can do about it, no matter how much money I plunk down. If I do figure it out, I will amend this, and say what an idiot I was.*Plugins and Unison*The included plugins are very nice. I needed a gate, because I am in a very noisy environment. I only found one plug with a gate, and that was the API channel strip. Please bear in mind these are very pricey, name brand plugins. They work in your DAW, too. Problem is, these plugins have a steep learning curve if you have never dealt with pro level gear. Prepare for a lot of reading and frustration if you are a newcomer like me.The Unison pre is very unique, and never dealt with something like that before. it is very, very cool you can drop certain plugins in there, and get some fantastic coloring in the re-created analog gear so many pine for in the audio space. That is the feature I really, really love, and the only thing making me sit on the fence on sending it back. It’s just blow you out of your socks awesome!*Price*This thing is NOT CHEAP. From what I have seen so far, this is the least pricey of the interfaces UA offers. When you do decide to drop that amount of money on something, you want it to work, even if it takes some time to learn. I am willing to learn. However, when it freezes, crashes, and dies, it is rendered a very pretty and expensive paperweight.*Should you buy it?*1. If you are willing to learn a few things if you are not an experienced professional or hobbyist. This is NOT for newbies!2. If you make sure your system meets ALL of the requirements. Make sure you visit UA’s web site and see what is supported or not. Call customer service and ask questions before dropping your hard earned money.3. This does NOT come with a USB-C cable! Make sure you have not only the right USB-C cable, but the correct USB-C 3.1 port! I learned this the hard way!Do your homework, and do not fall for the shills or gear snobs.
Erick Quiroz –
Does not come with a USB C 3.1 cable.
The product feels and sounds solid. The thing that no video mentions or at least fails to mention is the lack of a USB C 3.1+ cable. This doesn’t not come included. Now if you’re upgrading from a Scarlett solo, that cable will not work as that one is a 2.0 cable, and will not be fast enough. Also this device gets warm pretty fast. It’s not a problem if you’re in an AC room but I recommend finding a solution to have some proper airflow in mind or just power it off when not in use. IF YOU USE DISCORD/VOIP services, this device does not natively support those and UA states they don’t plan to add any support as this is “for professional use only” there are 3rd party apps that help with this but it does add latency. But overall you’re getting what seems to be a solidly built product with the lack of “everyday” use with some iLok management required. This price is pretty steep and if anything do your research. Hope this helps someone
Amazon Customer –
Muito top
A placa é muito boa, vale o investimento
dominic dager –
Great when it works, unusable when it doesnt.
First and foremost – do not buy the thunderbolt version of this if you do not have windows 10 on the computer you are using this with. It will simply not install the drivers, use the interface or work well without windows 10. As for the Mac side it works very well.1) Customer service was less then ideal. They did not help me in any significant way other then saying that to them the software and drivers work fine for them so they see no reason to change or update their product.2) The software you get is nice once you get comfortable with it. Sadly when you lose “connection” the whole software sweet disables your plug in amps and other items until it is fixed.3) I have been unable to get sound out of my speakers using the thunderbolt connection It is to me impossible to use this without either using the headphone jack upfront or the 2 audio outs on the back. Why this can’t send a sound through the computer and have the sound work seamlessly is beyond me. Perhaps I am not setting this up correctly.4) Thunderbolt is not usb c. Do not by this and expect to get this to work with a usb c port. You need a motherboard that supports thunderbolt and if you want an add in card I recommend the gigabyte titan ride thunderbolt card. With this you will need certain ports so make sure your computer has the available ports.In general for 500 bucks this is a much more difficult situation compared to other solutions I have tried.I would’ve preferred to get the usb version of this instead of the thunderbolt so i didnt have to buy the titan ridge thunderbolt card.I would’ve preffered not to have to change my operating system to windows 10 from 11 so the software and drivers would work.I would prefer that the software wouldn’t disconnect randomly and cause any normal functionality of this product to become unusable.Finally, I would’ve prefered that the support system would’ve been more helpful when I was struggling just getting the software to work.Only get this if you are willing to accept this and other quirks.
Ariel Bordas –
Llego Justo lo que esperaba pero la caja venía un poco rota
Todo me llego bien, funciona al 100%, el único detalle es que la caja llegó un poco rota de un lado. Deberían tener mas cuidado al enviarlas
Jacob –
Frustrating to Install, Here’s How it Worked For Me
I returned the first one because it takes UAD at least 1 business day to reply. Plus, what’s so frustrating is I’m following their instructions to the letter; and I researched the install procedures and guidelines BEFORE I purchased the Apollo (and the Volt). At first, the Apollo would not work via USB; I tried two Intel certified cables and returned it after speaking with tech support. Then, frustrated, I returned the first Apollo and purchased a UAD Volt; this time the UAD Software would not recognize the Volt no matter what cable I used. I returned that and purchased a Scarlett Solo that WORKED out the box.Determined to make this work, I purchased a UAD Apollo again! Wow! This is so frustrating! I purchased new USB-C Cables through Anker and Belkin that support high speed USB 3.0 and more. The Belkin cable is Thunderbolt 4 certified as well! The Apollo was not recognized by Windows 11. Yes, I did a clean install of Windows! I wanted to break the Apollo! I’m serious! Terrible experience! I then tried the Anker USB-C to USB-A cables; that worked as far as installing the software. After I rebooted the computer the UAD Console software launched. BUT WINDOWS would not recognize the Apollo. The Console software would not recognize the Apollo. I kept getting USB errors from UAD software. I then tried two other confirmed USB-C to USB-A cables. Still did not work!To recap, at this point, I used the Anker USB-C to USB-A cables to install the software; for some reason, that worked— it’s as if there was a partial recognition of the Apollo. Then I had this crazy idea….”Why don’t you try the Belkin USB-C to USB-C cable (Thunderbolt 4) again.” I plugged the cable in a 5th time….and it WORKED! WOW!!!!!! What the hay man!?When this thing (Apollo) actually works…. it’s beautiful. It was worth the frustration to get it to work. It’s sad that a company that makes a product this good can’t get it to install properly and their support takes ONE BUSINESS DAY to reply. Hope this helps someone.
William L Esposito –
Flawless
Best thing I could have gotten to kick my vocal recordings up in quality. And LUNA , the free DAW you get with it is my favorite . I’ve been a Pro Tools ,Studio One guy for a long time working with a Focusrite Clarett. The DSP plug ins included smoke the waves versions I have in my opinion. You have to get use to how to delegate DSP power. But for a guy like me tracking one thing at a time it’s no problem. And later in post I use the freeze track option to work one track at time so I have plenty of DSP in post also. I’ve been using it now over a year and I’ve gotten pretty good with it. I go back and compare vocal sounds from before and they’re almost comical in comparison. If your series about your recording sound get one. My was refurbished and was like new . No problems or defects of any kind. Since then I have bought 3 more Amazon refurbished items and every time they have been just like brand new.
Tony B. –
Good Quality, Not Beginner Friendly
I bought this interface to use for podcasting, YouTube videos and music. It works well, but it is clearly geared more towards audio professionals and enthusiasts. If you’re not accustomed to audio production and technology, this might be a little much to take on depending on your willingness to learn more than a handful about audio production.For me, this interface’s accompanying software/plug-ins were a huge learning curve. I was willing to learn, but I quickly realized how much overkill this software was for my production needs. The plug-ins are an extra cost, except for the few that come with it. After a few days of tinkering with the Apollo Solo, I realized how much stuff it could do that I didn’t need, as well as things it couldn’t do that I did need.Overall, I had a mixed experience with the Apollo Solo. I use a Dell XPS 15 running Windows 10 64-bit and even used a 64-bit DAW and still couldn’t get this thing to record without static. I use a Shure sm7b with a cloudlifter. The audio sounded okay in the console, but sounded terrible in the DAW. Everything else worked fine, the things you can do with this interface are pretty cool. The build quality is optimal, and it feels premium. But for $700, I could save $100 and just get the Rodecaster Pro, which will have more inputs and features I can actually use in my workflow, as well as being more beginner friendly. That’s what I plan on doing.If you’re debating on buying this, I would warn you that I wouldn’t consider the Apollo beginner friendly. But that’s just my opinion. If you’re a beginner, I’d suggest either looking elsewhere or preparing to learn a lot before you can get solid results.