I spent around a month trying the get the Apollo Twin X to work with Windows. After several tech support phone sessions with UA's team in CA, we concluded it wasn't a good fit. However, the Apollo Twin USB (not the X) works great with Windows. I use it daily for VO work. I don't use it 100% yet, because I'm still hooked on my rack processors, but the UA emulations are awesome. For less than $1,500 I now have an Avalon 737sp, Distressor, API Vision Channel Strip and a ton of other processors that I'd never be able to justify buying in a hardware platform. Regarding the plug-in cost, twice per year UA has a huge blow-out sale which reduces the price of most of their plug-ins by around 50%. They just had one in July. I believe the second sales event is at the end of the year. These two windows are the only time to buy their plug-ins. My overall thoughts, if you do a podcast with mostly talk content, you don't need this. If you do VO and need effects or are a musician/vocalist.....this is an incredible tool and worth the price tag.
+1 to this. I had a local friend get this with the intentions of using it on a Windows system and it just would not work for him. Troubleshooted with him for awhile on it and he also reached out to UA with no real answers to his problems. I let him borrow my Apollo Twin USB and he loved it. The only issue of course is the less number of on-board chips to run the plugins. If you are doing say two mic inputs with plugins on both, you'll be fine. If someone is using it in a daw and really loading up the plugins though, the extra chips of this Twin X would really, really help. UA does sell add-in cards that have the chips on them but in those cases, you can really only use them in a DAW rather than have it process your signal live and have it all be done within the interface itself. They are also extremely expensive for what they offer.
thanks for the insight, extremely disappointing to see this from a 1000 dollar unit...what sucks is that there currently are barely any Thunderbolt 3/4 audio interfaces on the market....guess we have to just wait and see what the future brings
I had an SPL Crimson and I felt the same way. Opened the box, can't find the USB cable. Manual says, "Most people already have this cable." (paraphrased) So I'm supposed to sacrifice my printer for my audio interface? Hell no.
This should be the prototype for RU-vid reviews. No stone left unturned. Easily the single best review I've seen. In depth, clearly presented with great audio, all information imparted with great intelligence and organization. Bandrew has outdone himself. I would say that Bandrew is now iconic, but I would never ever use that ridiculous word. Nobody knows iconic really means, and those who think they do are wrong.
@@225maine Thats true it is subjective. BUt hands down RME has the best drivers in the industry. That's facts. Now rather someone prefers it over another is their own opinion. RME products have the most transparent preamps on the market as well.
@@Otherworldlyobjectives LOL not the worst they have the most complicated routing matrix in the industry. So damn hard to route especially when routing to external hardware its a total nightmare and the tutorial videos never helps lol.
I’ve had this interface for exactly one year. I just clicked on the video just to watch something, but I still learned something new! I had completely missed the mute button function to mute the monitors! That makes my work flow so much better when tracking and editing so now my speakers can stay at the same volume for all my editing! Thank you!
The sound quality alone from the UAD devices like the Twin is far superior to other interfaces like Focusrite. I have the UAD Apollo Solo and the background is super quiet. Also, the processing within the device is great. I compared the monitor outs to the USB quality and they both are very very good.
Literally every professional studio I’ve been in has this interface. (Patiently waits for the Audio Labs V13 tube mic review or the LCT 840 review depending which ever comes first)🙃
I own the USB “version” of this product. Minus the price tag, I had 0 complaints! Thanks for the video, it also explained a couple things I wasn’t aware of.
Thank you Pod Man, I always love your reviews. I bought the Twin X Quad and a used Mac Mini M1 (Silicon) running Monterey OS which it isn't yet qualified for and so far I am having few issues running Luna 1.21. It sounds so good! Luna (free) has a way to go but good gawd man it's friggin' great. Right now they are running specials on the plugins too. I got 5 premium plugs for $350 which still is pricey but only about $70 a piece just to update you. They also loaded me down with 20 free plugins so all in all it's worth it now because they are so damn good (think the opposite of Waves). Love you dude keep throwing EMPTY boxes OK? Tod in Vegas. :)
THANK YOU for such a great and thorough review ! You are awesome, this is so well explained and articulated. All the details and valid info. My favourite part the unboxing part (throwing the box away and quoting you "what a surprise you are going to get the audio interface LOL :) Thanks mate for such a great video you rock !
On windows I use Apollo the only incompatible/ bad thing is the direct sound windows driver which by itself will make the interface not good for everyday use (on discord/ calls especially ) But if u install something like Asio link pro Not only you’ll fix the problem but you’ll gain more features for example I used one of my aux channels as input on asio link pro And virtual channel as output So now I can choose what ever mic I want to use and send it to aux channel I can also send the virtual channel to the aux whenever I want to loop back So it simplify everything for me and make it insanely good You have all possibilities as asio link pro is just a routing software Not a mixer software like voicemeeter And it is something you setup 1 time and forget about it
@@AnasAlsayedStudio Gotcha. Also, what Mobo do you have? I have an msi mpg z490 gaming edge wifi which sadly doesn't come with a TB3 port. I'll have to buy a GC Titan Ridge PCIe to make it work with the Apollo.
@@SebasRom3G Actually I considered that before buying and I was building my PC so I chose a motherboard that has built in thunderbolt if you don't have you can simply buy a PCIe card for thunderbolt but make sure both your CPU and motherboard support thunderbolt before that as some are not compatible.
Great tip on the LA-2A compressor! It makes vocals absolutely pop. Just bought the latest USB version and after buying a high speed USB 3.1 cable it works like a champ with Windows.
Another top notch review... I always love your comprehensive reviews! I love my Apollo Twin X. Have you tested and reviewed the latest C-Suite C-Vox Noise & Ambience Reduction Plug-in? Looking at this to help tame some room noise. Thank you for all the hard work and reviews you put together.
If you haven’t gotten the c-suite, get it. I was hesitant to get it and man I wish I wouldn’t have waited! It’s like pure magic. I have izotope for noise reduction, but c-suite does it in real time, and I can now use my big condenser mic even with a window unit running. It completely removes it. Izotope, for me, doesn’t do that good of a job the c-suite does.
I recently upgraded a Windows 11 system from an Intel i9-9900k cpu running from an ASUS board and using the UAD Apollo Twin mk 2 quad, to an Intel i9-13900k cpu on an MSI m/b with thunderbolt 4. The Apollo Twin mk 2 is thunderbolt 2, so will not work on anything with tb 3 or higher. I just purchased the UAD Apollo Twin X quad and it is running beautifully straight out of the box on my new system. I also had to purchase an MSI t/b 4 add-in card to work with the mobo, but it is perfect so far. NO complaints. With my previous setup (Apollo Twin mk 2) I did have a few intermittent issues which eventually smoothed out - check your bios thunderbolt settings. UAD have several very helpful articles on compatibility between various Apollo interfaces and Win 10/11 setups.
The "Heritage Edition" stuff is such crap. I actually left UAD because I wanted to upgrade from a Dou to a rack unit but I wasn't going to pay hundreds extra for plugins I already owned. And I have all of the alternate plugins they offered as well. This has everything to do with the chip shortage. UAD is trying to manage their stock while milking their customers for more $$. As if the UAD stuff wasn't already expensive enough.
I got the Heritage Edition for $1300, and got about 12 premium plugins with it. (+the usual free legacy ones) They had a special sale till 30th of Sept, which included additional plugins (like Helios, Century Tube preamp etc.). For me, it was well worth it.
I had every problem in the book with this for Windows 10. I had a thunderbolt 3 card with the right settings and the proper motherboard. UA's drivers are not designed to be used in the WDM setting. I had to use a 3rd party aggregate to allow my microphone to work in discord. I ended up switching to the USB version and it works without any distortion.
I keep reading this but, had my apollo twin duo usb for about 2 years now, plug n play right out of the box on my laptop. 🤔 Edit: Oh, you were talking about the thunderbolt.
Is this still relevant, with the latest Windows 10 updates? If yes, I am keeping my Twin X to my M1 Mac and refrain from using it with my Windows 10 PC as well (planning to get a TB3-compatible motherboard for it currently).
Youre using the UA interface for discord? Lol I mean whatever you like is what you like but damn dude. I'll use a cheap USB mic for discord and bust out the UA when I actually need it
The monitoring and putting together as big of a system as you want with their gear, this is great. Add another DSP box to expand processing. Or build a 5950x system :P . The Audient ID14 approaches the same feature set, save for the DSP and preamp sim. Includes a USB C cable too. With Analog Obsession plugins, there's the antithesis of expensive while getting great sounding DSP. No latency but the buffer reach around is what you don't get with UA (or Protools HD) interfaces. Not sure I'd want to go with anything but neutral preamps these days. The UA interface is almost an ideal live and tracking setup, until you look at dedicated mixers, which Protools HD setups are just as much as the UA setups are. For me it's not worth it(mostly mixing), but I see lots of people perfectly happy with it. This includes at least one dialogue mixer like myself, who just loves it.
I have Apollo 8p and Twin MKII thunderbolt run on Windows 10.....there are lot of glitches but DAW works absolutely fine no problem!!! only when you playback from computer or RU-vid the audio pops and Cracks!!!! UA technical support is so bad that they took 4 months to solve it but still no solved yet!!!!
@@nathansheeran6162 i still use Asio link Pro Tool to solve my issue....but sometimes that also fails...just restarting the UAD unit solved the problem!!!
It's probably a buffer issue. Try something smaller for RU-vid and general computer useage, I have the same issue with my scarlett. 192 or so is what I'm at now and when I mix I'll go up to 512 or 1024. If I playback youtube at 1024 it's just a fucking nightmare.
Thanks. Very good review. You did guitar/bass DI as well, so could you test also Neural DSP’s Quad Cortex as a stand-alone audio-interface also for different users/use-cases e.g. for singers, song-writers, guitarists/bassists etc.? Thx. 😊
I have the x8p on Windows 10 and it does have issues with pops and clicks for Windows WDM audio. ASIO audio is great. It's still manageable for me as the pops and clicks aren't always present. It at least has the promise of updates versus what Focusrite did to the Clarett Thunderbolt interface I had previously.
I feel as if you're very unbiased and u give good info of the technical aspect and just plain old sound aspect. Love that. For that I would like to see you review the black lion revolution 2x2
I was going to order it, but then I saw Julian Krause's review, and that pretty much turned me off from that interface. His review is great though if you need a solid review of that interface.
@@Podcastage I watched it. Didn't respect it because he never just hooked it up and heard the sound. U can't just go technical and trash a piece of equipment. I own it. I like it. And I don't even know how to bring up any of those graphs that tell u the bad news. Wouldn't even know how to read them. My whole gripe was Sm7b. No cloud lifter. No pre. Max gain. What did u expect? But regardless drew. Your page is the shit. I would cry if u shitted on the black lion. I run a hello neuman tlm 102 thru it with nothing else and it's perfect. BUT I only record my rap vocals. Nothing else . Thanks for the reply and the fire review as alwaysb
@@Anagnorisis25 ur not gonna get it from anything but it's all good. I'm cuttin fire music with the revo. Lol. That company has flawless products. 1 interface won't break them especially when the only critics are heads who didn't even listen just ran it thru a system
The plugins are great for realtime low latency recording, but my biggest complaint is that you can't run the plugins on your computer processor for post work. You quickly run into the limit of the UA processor, and are tied to the device (eg. Can't work away from your studio, or if you switch interfaces down the road, you lose all your plugins too).
I've had the usb version of this since last year, have solved most windows goofiness' -- love the uad plugins--- I also have an audient ID44 -- but prefer UAD--- I'm happy
Hello thank you for this video it’s very informative. Question/request, I’m a guitar player with no engineering experience. I purchased this interface thinking it would be intuitive. That I could just plug and play…I was a bit naïve. I’d like to see a video giving step by directions, for example, plug the guitar into this port and then click these settings on the interface, set the parameters to this…,etc. in the video above I didn’t see how you got that great guitar tone, what was your preamp setting? Did you even use the preamp? Did you use the 48v phantom power whatever that is? Etc etc. Every time I try to record it’s either too loud or too soft, or it sounds like a cheap recording. I’m using Logic Pro, I’ve tried built in amps and also my deluxe reverb into a Fryette Power Station to use my own amp. I have been struggling to find a video breaking it down for dummies. Any help greatly appreciated!
If anyone is on a tight budget maybe consider an analogue mixing desk. I wish I had known this twenty years ago. Behringer X1832USB £200 16 input. Analogue. Many inputs and outputs. Many inserts for using with hardware effects and processing. Preamps are good. Excellent value for money. Also acts as daw interface.
Being in Nashville I have used on occasion some of the acutal Boxes they are trying to immulate but I'm retired and just doing a few passion projects for my work the RodeCaster (Procaster Mic through a Cloudlifter) is all I need. When I need voice over work (in Final Cut) I just plug in my little MixPre 6 ii and it good enough. So it was a good review but you need to be doing serious work to justify that thing. You can buy a whole Rodecaster setup for that price. - On a side note if I had a dollar for every time someone tries to use a USB-C cable instead of a Thunderbolt three cable…I could afford the Neumann U 87! (which is hugely overkill but I still WANT ONE)
This is just destiny. Got this device since 1 year on my desk still in the box, not knowing how to use this alien device. By the way I would love a follow up for the most useful plugins for this audio interface from UA
I have used that talkback mic for a lofi effect. The ik multimedia irig Quatro has one that actually sounds okay for a general room sound. But the twin is just so amazing
I own an Apollo 8 for my mac desktop and I'm realy happy with it but I'm on the market for a small interface for my mobile setup (a macbook), so your video interest me. I would say I would better go to the Apollo Solo, thunderbolt as well but maybe less powerfull and capable than the Audio Twin X, but powered thru thunderbolt. When you want to be mobile & light don't having to carry a power suply is an advantage. Regarding the UAD plugin, yes they're darn good and f...ing expensive but UAD is kind enough to give some of them, excellent ones, for free included in the package. A little gesture, but well...
Hi bandrew!!! I love you so much man You should do a ASMR video so i can sleep at night (but seriously i love your voice💖) Btw i have a request that will help me and so many people if you accept it Will you make a video explaining wich microphone is better for any genre? Like what character should a mic have to be good for rap vocals or pop vocals? Thank you if you're reading this🙌
Dudeling, I just bought one of these (Heritage for x-tra plugs) and got it, new, for $300 less than everywhere else so I'm not complaining. Anyway, I'm toolling around the UAD site and land on plugins page. As I'm looking at all the mouth-watering plugins I'll never be able to afford, I happen upon the Townsend Mic Emulator plugin for $199. Now, I know these emulations are tuned for the L22, but I get to thinking: Maybe, just MAYBE, this plugin will work with one of MY mics! I have a ton of inexpensive yet fairly good quality mics (Aston, CAD, Blue, plus an E-V 666 I bought during more sumptuous times) and I'm wondering if my cardioids might benefit from post processing with this plug. No, they will not sound like a Townsend, but, if I can get my ECM-87 to sound more like a U87 or any of the flatter mics to sound ANYTHING like that Sony emulation, it's worth a solo purchase, right? If it is eligible as part of a UAD 3-plugin bundle (with Neve Summing and Fairchild prolly) I'd sell my left kidney and buy it with those 2 for $399. What do you think? Thanks for any feedback! 🎸😎🎶
Thanks Bandrew for that review. I use a Thunderbolt 2 apollo twin and the pres and plugins are just wonderful - V76;-). But: I would like to have the ability to record 2 guitars and 1 bass at the same time(ideally with unison ampsims) and there is only 1 HiZ input. Are there any workarounds or boxes to get there? Greetings from Nuremberg, Germany.
🤩Thank you so much for amazing videos as always. May I please ask for a review comparison on the new Zoom F3 as an audio interface for voice over quality please 😊🙏
Can you please do a review on the soundcraft signature 12 mtk I love how you dive deep into the details of every product you review please I want to know how it sound before I buy it
I have Win10 Intel NUC11 and the Apollo X4, Thunderbolt doesn't appear to be a problem on the latest Win10 version. But LUNA (UADs DAW or is it) only works on a MAC. I have asked UAD and there is no timeline if it will ever be ported to Windows which is a shame. I chose Intel as they make most of the Silicon so you would hope that without a middle man (HP, DELL etc) driver updates from the ones who make the Silicon would be better (though not always). Remember also that there is a big difference in stable operation between consumer PC's and say workstations that are used for corporations. Workstations are usually much more stable, might not have all the bells and whistles but will likely have far fewer driver issues. This maybe an important choice when using UAD interfaces with Thunderbolt on PCs. When buying a pc always looking in the System and Application event logs, if you see all these red explanation marks then there is a good bet you have a bunch of driver and configuration issues. The alternative is use a MAC which many pro's do but it comes down to budget and if you want two hardware platforms. By what I see in forums a great deal of UAD is running on MACs.
Good interface, but I'd rather pay a little more for a RME Babyface Pro and skip the plug ins. UA has some great plug ins but they are expensive and if you'll loose them if you use a different interface. Also, the blank lines would drive me crazy here's a few darked out tracks for the interface you didn't buy. Seriously give us a cable and take out the grayed out tracks.
question: I've just ordered a Twin X for use with my Macbook Pro Max M1 (16") but which cable should I buy - Thunderbolt 3 or 4? The Macbook has Thunberbolt 4 ports. Thanks, and great review!
Great review! I have an x8 and Twin X quad. My two cents: UA's plugins are great and their Unison preamps/strips are arguably the best, but I feel if you have good/great plugins already buy another interface. The latency on these units is total horrendous. They have worse latency than Foscusrite Scarlett budget ones a small fraction of the price. Even if you want more i/o it's much less expensive. If Antelope audio could fix their software issues I experienced with their interfaces I'd quickly switch over to their Synergy Core series, specifically the Orion. The converters are better, has more I/O than the x8 and the i/o routing options are nearly endless and at least easier/more intuitive to switch on the fly. The sound quality of the Apollo stuff is better than even the Scarlett line from Focusrite IMO, but for example a Focusrite Clarett 8pre (TB) was coming in at about 3ms of round trip latency at 44.1khz sample rate and 128 buffer when I tested it.
@@gaborkiss1425 I use a Mac mini with an i7 and 64gb of ram at my studio and a 2020 MBP w/ 32gb of ram at home and the latency on non-uad plugins in-DAW is worse than many other USB and def Thunderbolt interfaces I've also used. The best in latency being the Persons Quantum and Antelope stuff. I had an Antelope Discrete which was great but their software is horrible and if it crashes/loses internet connection you're SOL.
Olá, poderia me tirar uma dúvida ? é possível ouvir áudio de 2 computadores Simultâneo pelo apollo ? 1 pc conectado via thunderbolt e outro pc conectado via Line in do pc 3.5mm para p10 da Apollo ?
Can this audio interface handle the dt1990 pro headphones without losing its quality power? Or should I pair those headphones with a different setup? Rn I have a Scarlett 212 and was thinking about getting an amp to use as a preamp but would love some wisdom from anyone
hello sir, I really love your reviews. I want a suggestion because I think you are the best for suggesting this. Currently I have a BM - 800 or Neewer NW - 700 microphone and there is a lot of background hiss with a cheap usb soundcard. I want to upgrade so should I buy the Focusrite scarlett solo and use it with nw - 700 or I should buy M audio M track solo and AKG - P120 ? PLEASE ANSWER MY QUESTION
I think that you should review the Focusrite Digidesign Mbox if you can get your hands on it because I have one and there are not really any videos with a rundown of the features or people using it.
Hi sir, uad apollo twin x adapter does not have three pin plug, only two, All the wires whether mic, Headphones or monitors is connected to twin x all have electric current, In our studio earthing cable is properly connected, But apollo has only two pins in its adapter, I'm getting electric shocks by apollo, please solve the problem, Thanks
I got my apollo twin x (Mac version) working on my Windows by opening up my BIOS and confinguring some settings i am however running a newer MSI Stealth G66 that is compatible with Thunderbolt, a misconception people forget is , USB C is not same as a thunderbolt cable , because a thunderbolt costs around 100 dollars for just the cable literally. I might have to make a youtube video since i dont see anyone with a solution , but i do use my apollo twin x daily, just have to enter the BIOS and exit back to windows
I’m about to pull the trigger and buy the Apollo interface But the issue and reason I’m asking Is in order for my PC to accept thunderbolt I’m going to need to upgrade the motherboard I just want to know if I should pull the trigger on the twin duo (USB) for Windows Or get the Apollo twin x ( thunderbolt) (Because there both the same price point ) N wait till I can upgrade my PC I wish to know if the upgrade is worth the time I’d be waiting Since I’ve heard the converters are better and pre amps are better I’ve also heard low end is more controlled But I’m going around asking
This might be a stupid question, but I have been unable to find any mention anywhere as to whether this device has individual channel control over phantom power. Can you run a powered mic and non-powered mic at the same time? Thanks
Thanks for this video and after watching although I just bought the UAD MK610 I will pass on their interface because I use windows and those plugins are good awfully expensive and that too much money to invest to invite potential bugs into my already fine computer system.
Hello Andrew.. Is ist just me? Or do you also notice a certain "artificial" sounding undertone on your voice in this episode? Nearly like a (subtle) "marsian" low-voice effect or some kind of ring modulator artefact? I can´t identify it...
seems UA Apollo Solo is same but lower number of DSP/inputs and version USB, or if not maybe you would make review of Solo, cause on Sales its 500$ and pretty affordable
