Two stereo headphone outputs with independent mix buses Stereo monitor outputs (independent of eight line outputs)ĭigitally-controlled analog monitor outputs maintains highest fidelityįront panel control of monitor levels and muting Switchable low cut filter, 48V phantom power, 20 dB pad, polarity inversion, and stereo linking
Two FireWire 800 ports for daisy-chaining other FireWire devicesįour high-resolution, ultra-transparent, digitally-controlled analog mic preampsįront panel and software control of all preamp parameters Two channels coaxial S/PDIF I/O with sample rate conversion Sample rates up to 192 kHz at 24-bit word lengthġ8 x 24 simultaneous input/output channels: Eight channels of analog-to-digital conversion via mic, line, or high-impedance inputsġ4 channels of digital-to-analog conversion via: Eight mono line outputsġ0 channels of digital I/O via: Eight channels ADAT Optical I/O with S/MUX for high sample rates High-speed Thunderbolt connectivity for Mac.Īpollo offers compatibility with Intel's breakthrough Thunderbolt technology, as found on the newest iMacs, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs.*
While Apollo's "natural" sound is open and transparent, it can quickly deliver a range of classic analog tones from Ampex, Lexicon, Neve, and more - thanks to its onboard UAD-2 plug-in processing. Realtime UAD processing for authentic analog tones.
The Second uses the same recording levels and desk settings to record and played a drum pass using the Apollo 16 Gen 2.Class-leading sound quality premium mic preamps and I/O.īuilding upon decades of UA's analog design heritage, Apollo offers extremely high-resolution sound - with the lowest THD and highest dynamic range in its class. The first track is a naked unprocessed recording of the drums as recorded using the Apollo X16. Take a listen to these 2 passes of the drum track for this song (Eastern Promise). While it’s very nice to here a band playing and recording using the new Apollo X16 interface the question I am sure you really want the answer to is - does the new Apollo x16 sound “better” than the older Generation 2 (Blackface) Apollo 16? This is a very cost effective way to get that a classic console workflow without the massive expense of rare vintage hardware. This means James can build up effects chains in the box and route them through the console as if they were hardware processors not just plug-ins. All the other reverb, delay and modulation effects are being processed real time using UAD-2 emulations routed to and from the other UA interface in the rig, the older Generation 2 Apollo 16. James uses two external hardware effects processors, the Bricasti M7 and an older Alesis Wedge. The UAD-2 Fairchild 660 was then used to impart some of that Fairchild magic to the vocal. James chose a blend of OW12 and OW47 from the UAD-2 Ocean Way Microphone Collection to give Danny’s voice a really nice depth and clarity. The vocals were recorded using the amazing Townsend Labs Sphere L22 microphone giving the option to change the microphone type in the mix. Paul is a very even player, so James decides not to hit the guitar parts very hard and uses a UAD-2 Distressor emulation to just give the guitar more bite in tone rather then use it to control the dynamics of the track too hard. Check out the ‘before and after’ processing audio example in the video. In order to give it a little more attitude James uses the UAD-2 Ampeg B15N plug-in to make the part more “real”. The Bass Guitar part was recorded using a clean DI. He also goes onto explain about some of his outboard gear and effects that he uses on the drums across the first 12 channels of the console.
Setup & WorkflowĪfter a brief introduction James first talks about how the two Apollo X16’s connect to his Audient ASP8024 console and how he uses the console’s 8 sub-groups as 8 extra faders for mixing allowing him 24 channels for recording and a full 32 channels for mixing. We also answer the question about which sounds better the new Apollo X16 or Gen 2 Apollo 16 interface. James also shows how he uses the UA Apollo 16 Generation 2 in a console workflow allowing him to access many great UAD-2 effects emulations. In this video for Production Expert made with the support of Universal Audio, Technical Editor James Ivey invites Paul Sundt (Guitar) and Danny Adams (Bass and Vocals) to record a track with him using 2 Universal Apollo X16 audio interfaces.