Universal Audio Apollo Quad

This is an excellent piece of hardware that would surely bring new sounds to your production. On one hand you have the massively acclaimed UA plugins, based mostly on their hardware counterpart and bringing one of the best emulations on the market. On the other, you have the actual interface that brings top class converters and vast array of input and output connectivity. It’s simply mind blowing the things you can do with it. Check out the video on YouTube where Fab Dupont explains how to connect the Apollo with the Dangerous Music D-Box.

The onboard DSP power gives you everything you’ll probably need for your session. Not so long ago, I ran a Pro Tools mixing session with 105 channels. I did not have a plugin on every single channel, but there were still a lot! It was refreshing to know that I could just put a plugin anywhere and the system would still run like nothing. I was running a 2013 Mac Mini with 16GB of Ram and Pro Tools 10.


UTILIZATION

I own the Firewire model and it definitely brings zero latency to the table. Through its two headphones output I can monitor in real time, and using the UA virtual console, I can for instance, have a compressor in the chain going into Pro Tools with Reverb on an Aux. All with no latency.

One of the things that I like the most is the 610 Tube Preamp emulation. I record with it no matter what. The default preamps is very good by itself. Pristine, that’s how I would describe it. Now, when I use it with the preamp emulation it just turns into gold. It distorts the very same way an analog tube preamp would, and adds shimmery high sparkles to the sound. I’ve used it with an AKG C414 XL II and it’s just amazing. The very first thing I used to emulation on was on a Cajon, and it blew me away the way it rounded the high frequency transients but leaving the bottom end full and punchy. Just like the real analog gear!

The 224 Lexicon Reverb is something out of this world too. You load it and you get instantly beautiful reverb that I have never gotten with any other plugin. I also own the Neve 88RS channel strip, and I’ve also had the chance to work with the real console. It is as quirky as I remember it. Great EQ but you have to go easy with it; the compressor/limiting section is spot on. The only complain that I have is the Gate. Not as usable for shaping sounds as the real one.

I also demoed the newer versions of the 1176’s and the LA-2A’s. I liked them, but to me they’re still missing the gluey factor of the real ones. I mean, the real one have some breathing in it, which is why they’re extremely regarded: you simply don’t feel the compression. The plugins don’t do this. They recreate the harmonics really well, but the compression part is still lacking IMO. In fact, I used the Bluestripe emulation on a vocal take without actually engaging the compressor, just because of the nice harmonics when I drove the input.

Of course, these are all tools. Depending on how you use them is what it is going to make the difference. That’s why the default plugins that come with it are just as useful.


GETTING STARTED

Not too much to say on this one because the installation was as easy and trouble-free as you can get. The only thing is that I had to download the latest UAD drivers to run the newer plugins. Because of my not so fast Internet I had to wait quite some time to download the 750 MB file from the UA website.

OVERALL OPINION

The reason why probably many of you are buying this interface is because of the plugins. But is not only the plugins that you are getting, is the hardware with top quality converters and the flexibility that’s just unparalleled. Recently I test it against a Prism converter and it was on par. Really, you would have to be the pickiest mastering engineer to discern the difference.

Pros:
- Awesome sound quality
- Zero latency
- Great connectivity
- Lots of DSP power
- Great on-board Preamps

Cons:
- The compressors and gate emulations are not that good.
- The rotary buttons feel a little bit cheap and flimsy

The Apollo QUAD is made by Universal Audio and has a built in UAD 2 QAUD DSP that let me run UAD 2 powered plug ins easily. It comes with the UAD 2 analog plug in bundle (classics) which really added a lot of value to this unit because that plug in bundle is something that I have been trying to get my hands on for a while now.

UTILIZATION

This unit is great for mixing, mastering and production studio quality songs from your home. But it does come with a high price tag on it. It is well worth the money though and I highly recommend purchasing this; it will allow you to get rid of a lot of gear you have in your studio now!

GETTING STARTED

The UAD 2 Analog Classic Bundle that comes with it has some of the 1176LN/SE limiting amps which are some of the best limiting amps that I have ever works with. It comes with RealVerb, CS-1 plug ins and a long list of EQ’s, delays, compressors and harmonic enhancers. This bundle has just about everything that I needed and I have been waiting a long time to get my hands on this bundle. It made purchasing this interface well worth it.

OVERALL OPINION

Setting the Apollo Quad up was very easy, it took a little more time than I thought it would but maybe it was because I was so excited and could not wait to get started. All I had to do was plug in the Apollo and get my plug ins authorized and that was it. There are a total of 10 outputs on this unit and 4 XLR, 8 TRS inputs. This unit can be racked only taking 1 rack space. There are not MIDI ins and outs but it does have 4 really good mic preamps that are very warm and clean. I was just so pleased with this unit there is nothing that I would change about it. We use these every single day now and will continue to forever!

Plugins quality, thunderbolt and reduced latency. Used with an iMac and a 2009 Macbook pro retina last gen i7 2.6GB-16GB-512ssd.
Use mix, computer music home studio, mastering stage. Monitoring speakers Focal Be6.

UTILIZATION

One hears almost no latency recording with line inputs and microphones, while using UAD plugins.
Used with Cubase 5, Live 6, Protools 10 without worries!
I recorded and mastered an album in October 2011, more than 20 tracks sometimes plugins internal compressors, eq ... everywhere, no problem. To think otherwise take a quad with some plugins, we quickly limit, as with "Manley Massive Passive EQs" for example.

GETTING STARTED

Simple installation and trouble-free.

OVERALL OPINION

Intensive use since its release, no worries, I love the converters. It would have been nice to have eight mic inputs, it is the only gray (if not black!), With the price a little high, but it is still at DSU!

But if you do not know the UAD plugins internal, emergency must listen!

I use it with an iMac 27 "i7 2.8Ghz with and a 1TB hard drive and I added a strip of 4Gb to 6Gb rams for at all.
Mainly used for voice recording and synths all in one hardware.Le seemed an option to return the console to compact my analog set-up and have more space for my keyboard. Excellent choice for the possibility to include a map thunderbolt, what I would do in a short time.
Super also outputs (balanced) for returns and 2! headphone outputs with separate mix levels!
The connectors for making sounds are simple and fuss-free and there can add inserts on UAD plugs sound at any sampling frequency is frankly TOP
needs more hardware or amp etc .... examples?

UTILIZATION

A real rhodes in Hi-Z jack on the front panel and add a chorus EL Fatso + Boss ... or my Waldorf synth plug with Studer tape machine .... or with my Yamaha DX7 Roland delay or EMT. record .... or machines or analog bass drums with Neve compressors .... just for coloring,
or even vocals and guitars with or without amps .... This is monstrous!
Not even audible latency and with it all my mac is just tickled ...
not need to talk about except that soft AU plug consoles and lost open on the screen 27 ", a stretch graphics would have been,
as well as the lack of gain settings on the console input jacks, I hope this will be resolved with an update of the software console.
good attention with the updates because I believe they will trends add plugs to sell new machines with octa cards ....
ah villains!

GETTING STARTED

Opening the carton, you leave the beast, one branch with all the cables,
Once the software is installed and the recording made on the online site IS ALL,
which pragmatically Rican ....

OVERALL OPINION

So after 3 weeks I can not find fault, apart from the
gain adjustment for input jack at the soft, no ... I want ... I do not ... help!
I had the UAD-1 cards before and I knew the product I think it is one with which one has the best workflow for plugs as usual very pragmatic.
A little pricey for the card + Quad card thunderbolt (+ -2900 euros), but on the other hand do nothing more than computer (or thunderbolt FW800) THIS Interface, recording software, Returns speakers (active) and an instrument ... (oh I forgot creativity)
apollo? welcome to the moon ...