Universal Losing Fans 

RME releasing Room EQ for flagship interfaces was just another MAJOR addition to interfaces that already are worth their weight in gold. I cant imagine going to ANY other interface, especially back to an Apollo. So yeah UA really need something genuinely compelling to keep existing customers or draw in other users.

I could not agree with you more! U.A. Seems distracted by microphones, stomp boxes,etc and ignoring the interfaces. I have an Apollo 16, Twin Quad and Octo box. I was ready to upgrade all in 2023 and still waiting because I am invested in their ecosystem, but I won’t wait forever!

I swear I got so lucky getting the rme. I just got back into music in 2021 after 10 years of taking care of my sick mother. When I started building my studio the m1 Mac I bought was not compatible with the Apollo so the Sweetwater guy told me he had a better one for me. I said a better one? Then he presented me with the rme. It took me a half a day to route the headphones but once I did that I understood how the mixer worked. It has been the best, most stable, and highest quality part of my studio! They need to work on their marketing though but they're getting more popular through word of mouth alone.

How about either of these ideas I came up with: 1) Rack-mountable plugin controllers that look like hardware but have DSP inside - they can run in stand-alone mode and in real time (for stage and studio). 2) An audio interface that looks like a control surface, including faders and encoders. It would control LUNA, the Apollo console, their plugins, and would have interface I/O on the back. It could go badly if not done correctly, or it could be amazing if they challenged themselves and were ambitious enough.

I think UA released Volt, guitar pedals, and a refresh of acquired microphones because it’s lower cost goods and helps provide a short term return on their investments after acquiring those companies. Meanwhile, the Engineering resources to develop the next generation DSP interfaces, not burn the current customer base, and Luna 2 development, is a series of long term roadmap scoping and commitments in my opinion. I think you summarized well at the end. When the time comes, my gut feeling is people will say “It was painful, but worth the wait”. Expectations are high and UA will deliver.

Funny you posted this video because on Thursday I was in a session with three guys when my Audient id44 mk1 started acting stupid. After that session I started thinking hard about replacing. I am a HUGE UA fanboy!! I use UAD Spark primarily and have started to lightly work in LUNA and can see myself moving more and more towards LUNA. I really want a UA Apollo to become even more integrated into the UA system but to your very correct point, there most recent units are 2019 as I understand with minimal updates. On top of that, the prices are still $1700 and up for my needs. At those prices, I may as well spend on an RME or similar high end interfaces. I hope UA has something in the works and releases before I have to pull a trigger because I would love to go all in with UA. All this to say, you are dead on Barry. Regardless, I will be using your affiliate link when I do make a purchase. Thanks for all you bring to RU-vid Barry!

It's 2024 and I literally just ordered a Heritage Edition X8 FOR $2200 which is a great deal. I'm upgrading from the older Firewire Apollo and keep in mind I have a Burl ADC that I use with my setup. I know it's been awhile since they have released new hardware and Native is gaining steam due to advances in computing power but running my stuff thru excellent pre's into my X8/Burl setup I feel like at some point you just need to focus on the music and be content with what we have because it's a great time to be a producer/musician/engineer.

Thanks to your videos, I've really upped my home studio tracking game. Wow. Within the last month, I upgraded from a volt to an RME BabyFace FS and an RND Newton Channel strip. So good. Thanks for the pragmatic / practical advice Mr. Johns. And re: this video, I agree... I don't understand why UA doesn't seem to be keeping the gas pedal down. Seems like they are 'making hay' with their native plugins. Maybe they are buying time until they release their next hardware line-up...

I could not agree more with this analysis. I would like to stack on this. More advanced routing (crucial), hardware inserts, sends and returns, and maybe some type of network routing

He’s telling the truth

If it works, don't fix it. I own an RME ADI-2 Pro fs and an older Fireface UFX. I also own a Universal Audio Apollo x8 and an older Apollo 8 with about 220 UAD-2 plugins. Previously, I used Focusrite and Presonus interfaces. I used both for over a decade until they failed due to bad capacitors. Instead of fixing them, I decided to upgrade. I'm completely happy and content with both RME and Universal Audio and see no reason to 'upgrade' for something just because it's 'new'. I own quite a few pieces of older outboard gear including a Studer and Revox tape machines in which there is no 'upgrade path'. IMHO, chasing after the latest audio interface release is a waste of time.

My Mac and Apollo were getting old and I knew I would have to upgrade both if I wanted to get current. I decided I really did not want to get a new Mac and use my monster PC for recording. After doing lots of research and talking to my Sweetwater rep, I was steered toward RME, even though I own a ton of UA plug ins. Now, I've completely made the switch to PC with an RME Fireface UCX II and I'm glad I made the change. When I bought the Apollo, I didn't even own a Mac and I used it through Firewire on PC. It was one of the worst tech experiences I've ever had. I ended up buying a Mac just so I could use the Apollo. I'm finally free of the Apollo and Mac and can use the system I've always wanted to use with latency that is almost completely invisible. So long UAD & Mac.

As I predicted last year, universal audio now does focus on pedals. Now you won’t need as much horsepower for your desktop interface and therefore you won’t need any new interface.

Not a UA fanboy, actually I’m not a big fan of the company, but I kinda see it from their point of view. I’m sure the current Apollos are still one of the best selling interfaces. I’m sure their native releases have boosted sales above where they would have been at if they hadn’t started releasing native versions of their plugins. From a financial point of view, I can see why they’d make the decision to get another year or two out of their current product, before putting in the expense to make a new version and market it. Also I do respect them not putting out a new version every 3 years like some companies. That said, all your points are very valid and I agree it’s time for them to do something new.

Hi Barry, thank you for all that you do - your perspective is always appreciated. I am a bigger fan of Universal Audio today than I have ever been and it has everything to do with their plug-ins and nothing to do with their audio interfaces (FYI: I am rockin’ 2 Octo Satellites). I don’t use their audio interface(s) and, frankly, I couldn’t care less. Today we have options and, dare I say it, BETTER options at that. I agree with you that at this point ANY company would need to impress me to get my money and/or to switch interfaces but I don’t need it to be UA. UA will continue to get my money for their superior quality plug-ins and, as an example, Waves will never see a dime from me ever again. Thank you again for what you do! 👊🏽

RME runs CIRCLES around UA. DO YOU HEAR ME!? RME UFXIII I just upgraded to and immediately noticed the clarity and much better sound stage. Don’t just take my word for it … look up the video reviews. It’s amazing. I can’t wait to get off of UA but I have a lot of the plugins.

Barry, you hit the nail on the head. I look at my Apollo Twin as a second choice now. I mainly keep it as a backup and for convenience with existing recordings. I am using an RME Babyface Pro FS and it's everything I need --- super low latency and plays nice with Windows. I don't want to open a second can of worms about Apple, but I am having my own philosophical problems with them and I am moving to extricate myself as much as possible from their "ecosystem". I really like some UAD plugins but , heck, I have everything I really need. The whole point of buying their hardware was to be able to use their plugins. Besides, my old bread and butter work (TV, film, radio post-scoring) is going the way of the buggy whip. But, been there, done that... I think AI will eventually take about 90%+ of the market away from us home studio composer/producers. We will have to wait and see, but by extrapolating from what I have seen over the last few decades, I expect a pretty wild ride.

UA lost me and RME got me - with such an open architecture that enables them to function with most everything was the game changer for me.

I'm a "RME guy" but Audient interfaces are stellar values. I left UA 3 years ago....going 100% native. Zero regrets. I thought UA would have released a "hybrid" interface 2 years ago!!

Family sign in focus. Face is not. I for one respect that because of your family's thoughts of you. I would rather have that sign than any piece of gear! Great vid

The UA ecosystem is still a nice ecosystem to play around with. An 8xp + Sphere + nice batch of comps and reverbs will go a long way.

Loved my pair of RME ADI-8 DS. I had them for about ten years. I just switch to a Lynx Aurora, and I couldn't be happier. I have an Apollo Twin that I really only use for quick recording of ideas or for a playback device for my laptop. It's simple and great for that purpose.

I bought a Volt 476P not because I'm some entry level young consumer, but because I wanted an interface to use with Logic Pro for iPad on my iPad Air. So far so good.

After many years with UA I recently switched to Antelope and so far so good. Great plugins from UA, will give them that.

I dunno. I had an X6. I sent it to Black Lion for the premium mod with the XB clock. That was a big leap in sonics. Then i got the Burl B2’s ADC/DAC. Again, huge leap in sonics. Then I got the RME UFX3. Best workflow ever. Still sounded best clocked to Burl. Burl still trumped it on sound quality. Sold the Burl’s, and the UFX and bought a Prism Titan and I don’t think about sonics anymore. Absolute best sounding interface I’ve ever heard. It’s been out since 2014. You can just do something once and do it right.

I moved on from the Apollo Solo to a Neumann MT48 because I wasn't happy with the reliability. The quality upgrade on the MT48 is just staggering. My voice overs sound far better. The preamps are insane and my headphones sound even better. There has been no sign of new Apollo hardware coming out, and those plugins are going native. I don't really see a reason to invest in the ecosystem anymore.

When UA parted ways with Rich Williams they let go of an enormous audio design asset. He designed the 2290 converters and went on to create Burl Audio. If UA had created an expandable chassis platform like the mothership they could continue to develop and expand their products to include expanding dsp if they wanted to continue with that or make upgradable modules to suit a broad user base. The Burl platform is pretty expensive but there's no reason that platform couldn't have more affordable converter options. I'm not saying that ua should have become burl but they could have future proofed their platform with a modular type of design instead of making guaranteed e-waste.

I really like my UAD native plugins, I look forward to UAD transitioning more of their plugins to native. I have been interested in some time now in a UAD interface because of the low latency option for tracking with their plugins. But I agree with you 100%, UAD is taking too long to come out with an updated hardware interface that would compete with other $3K-4K interfaces like RME, Avid Carbon and others. The longer UAD waits, the more likely my next interface will NOT be UAD. Even Trinnov's new Nova caught my attention, while it doesn't have dsp for tracking low latency, the idea of dsp room correction is appealing (does not replace sound treatment). If Trinnov comes out with an easy to use "SuperNova" that has Atmos support with eq and delay DSP, it just might go that route. Yes, I know low latency and eq dsp are not the same thing, but I have yet to see an interface that has everything I want, so I end up having to decide what is the most important that is out there.

UAD their interfaces are solid and dependable. Probably the most dependable and durable. UAD needs to come out with a control surface for Luna. A full size control surface at least 24 channel that’s button for button. The only thing you need a mouse for is slicing and moving audio. Their interfaces are fine. No need to fix something that’s not broken. Maybe they can add an interface in the control surface. If they do this they will knock pro tools out the box. Every channel needs to have dedicated eq strip compression just like an ssl board. No mapping are hitting shift it needs to be button for button for Luna.

I want them to come out with new Apollos so the current ones start showing up on the used market at more affordable prices. I'm currently running on an original Apollo silverface and a Twin Mk II and would like to add an x8p to that setup but I just can't justify the cost right now, new or used. In the meantime, I don't feel like I'm really missing out on anything. I'm very happy with my UAD setup.

UA has been lost in the woods since they released LUNA in 2020…a DAW nobody was asking for. Many of us wanted a) improved versions of their plugins b) better hardware integration with their plugins. I like the slow crawl toward native they’re on, but you’re right on the money with their absolute miss regarding their high end Apollo line. They seem distracted. I own most of their plugins and multiple interfaces of theirs. So I say this as someone who has invested in them quite heavily for 11 years.

I think UA would have had a new interface 2 years ago if they were focused on being a pro audio company. They’re all over the place and really have no focus. Native plugins, Luna, guitar pedals, seems like everything but an interface. I still use them and am generally happy with UA.

I own an, Apollo 8 and an 8xp. I regret the purpose I wish I would have purchased an RME. No update on their Apollo interfaces for years and their windows support sucks and they actually told me to buy a Mac at one point. I was so annoyed by that comment that I wrote a letter to the CEO of the company and never even received response. No more Apollo for me when I need more interfaces I'm going RME.

Your camera is out of focus. I do agree. I have an X6 and I’ve been thinking about selling it to get a Prism Titan.

I was a UAD user with multiple units for 14 years and I just decommissioned them for a new RME Fireface UFX iii. This thing is insanely flexible and powerful for the price. I didn't even think about the fact that i've had ZERO new software additions in probably 10 years from UA. They also have never addressed their awful windows drivers. RME literally embarrasses them in terms of software and updates

As a home recorder/songwriter who doesn't do this full-time, it's a lot of money to spend on UAD - when the technology is outdated. I am more impressed by a company like Audient who came out with their EVO series with auto-gain function, etc...

Audient evo16 - don't think you can beat it. I love mine!

Use the Apollo 8P and love it...except, as you mentioned, I can't use some of the plugins because of the DSP...

You’re right man. I’m the biggest UA fan boy ever. I have 3 Apollo x8p’s, an x8, a Twin Quad, and an Octo satellite, a bunch of the UAFX pedals, as well as pretty much the entire plugin library. Over 12 years of using their platform. I thought they were gonna come out with something new 2 years ago. I do all of my mixing in Luna at this point. But, my most recent interaction with their customer support just to get my new Verve plug-in to register was infuriating to say the least. It took me over 2 weeks to get a response on a support ticket from their new customer service platform. They are NOT keeping their loyal customers happy.

I am a hardware person, because I work with computers sitting behind a computer that feels like more work. So I loved it when the pedals came out, but that excitement quickly turned to disappointment when they did not implement midi control over the pedals. So although they sound amazing I tend to lean toward using other pedals for my music, pedals that I can connect over midi to my sequencer. I only have one pair of hands and those are often already occupied by my instruments. So I share the sentiment that UA feels to be focused on their plugins and although they put them in pedals, they release promotional material that focuses on how they got the algorithm to sound so good. Unfortunately the hardware isn't getting the same type of attention to detail, so it seems to me.

I had decided to upgrade my minimal studio with the Apollo x8P with the Black Lion Audio Premium Mod, and, the UA Octo Core TB3 Accellerator. I had purchased the $1200 UAD-2 Ultimate plug-in bundle last year. The Big Reason was that I could UPGRADE my Ultimate Bundle with the UAD2 'COMPLETE' Bundle for $1500. (this would give me their entire Plug-In collection) NOW, I'm ready to buy, and they've raised the price ~ NOT double, But 7.3 X's ... From $1500 to $11,000 ‼️ I was more than willing to buy their premium hardware when they allowed you to Upgrade your Plug-In suite at a reasonable price. I will running everything through a Neve 5059 Summing Mixer.

Well Barry I’ve been with UA since Uad 1 pci I still have my original silver face Quad ,and my 16 Blackface,with 1073 pre amp clones and hardware compressor,s,UAD has been rock solid for well over 15 years,Neumann mic’s Sphere Mic’s ,it’s not my interface ,interface is just away to get there,it’s your room takes easily 50 percent of your room ,I use very little of there plugins ,I do use them with analog gear on the way in ,for me it’s everything else room ,instruments,song,song,song song,song,never my interface ,never rock solid ❤

I have an RME which replaced a previous RME because I wanted more mic inputs with room correction. Aside from compressors there is nothing UAD has to offer me as their interfaces are a joke for the price and feature set AND not playing nice with PC users compared to RME who writes their OWN stable drivers for both platforms. Native plugins was a great move, but I had all I needed prior to, but decided to grab a few while on decent sales. UAD got comfortable and now are being left in the dust because this isn't the 90s anymore. My pc and interface can track with no latency so that is not a selling point.

Sold my UA and plugins for a Lynx(n) with 4 pres and endless IO options. The UA stuff was great but limited and expensive plugins and reliance on dsp vs lunch box and a few select hardware pieces. I am more of a fan of my old UA hardware which is soooo fantastic and still is.

Barry, I don’t always agree with you, but you are SPOT on with this video! I’ve been a UAD/ Apollo user for a long time now. I have 2 Apollo’s. an OCTO Satellite, and nearly every plugin they make . About 6 or 7 years ago (I may be off) they stopped allowing their customers to call for support. Their “support ticket” email support is a JOKE. I , like you , would like to believe they’re about to turn the corner on some of this nonsense. The antelope interfaces are starting to look real good! I will give them this….those SHARC chips do help with high track count production. Even my M1 Max has its limitations. It’s nice to be able to get some dsp boost from the satellite. Something is brewing for sure , because I’ve heard rumors about them revamping “CONSOLE”. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them come out with a hardware control surface that represents their CONSOLE application. Time for UAD 3 !! These Apollo’s need a revamp

I would have switched to a different interface a long time ago but there are a few reverbs and delays I want to keep in my arsenal.

I find it interesting that all of the UA's native plugins report a latency of 56 samples in Pro Tools regardless of sample rate. It comes off as conspicuous and it seems they set it up intentionally so you can't monitor live through them like you can with their own hardware. I have a Presonus Quantum which is one of the fastest thunderbolt interfaces on the market and I can monitor live through several other 3rd party channel strip plugins including Softube Console 1 and get the same results. Yes, some plugins require more processing and there are others that report even more latency and should be used only when mixing, but it's not across the board like UA Native. You don't even have to do the math to know that 56 samples makes it impossible to use them live in real time.

I never used UA Interfaces and their DSP ecosystem. I found it "limiting" and I didn't want to be limited by compatible plugins or something. So when UA started to make their plugins native I finally started to buy their stuff. So far so good. But still I never felt tempted to buy any interface from them. They are in my opinion to expensive for what they actually benefit. I could go cheaper, without DSP but similar pre-amps or go quite the same price for an interface but with better conversion or more features. So why would I ever buy an UA interface? And finally to tell you what I use....it's an SSL12 for my laptop, and an RME PCI soundcard on the stationary PC. 🙂

I just brought a Antelope Audio Galaxy Interface on Thursday and dumped my Apollo and was in the process of changing up my studio to add it and boom crazy you came out with this video and we are in the midst of watching while installing it🤣.

This Is Exactly Why I Choose Antelope Audio in My Recording Studio When It Comes to Audio Interfaces

I bought a x8p on recommendation of the store I went to. The sound was fine and all, but the thing put out a ton of heat and my room gets on the warm side in the summer, so it was a no go for me. I replaced it with an Antelope, which has been great (never really gets hot). I think companies are trying to hype things too much these days too. Honestly, if you buy a great interface, as long as drivers stay current, you can ignore what's coming out until you're ready to upgrade or it's not supported anymore.

Which Arturia interface is he referring too?

I went for the apollo twin some years ago now, I was thrilled...then. Not anymore. I totally agree with you.

Got rid of my Apollo Twin Quad and picked up an MBOX Studio, not looking back especially since I can get most of the same UA plugins I use native now and what I can’t get native from UA, I got free from AVID. The MBOX converters and mic pres are pristine. The features for guitarists are fabulous. BLUETOOTH in and out is so great. Class compliance, standalone mode, ALL GREAT! Sorry UAD step it up.

companies release whatever they release.. people should not get distracted too much. i’d rather have them release nothing, then s’thing rushed and stick to their own timeline.. however i did run into a thing with ua that i thought was really misleading.. neve summing.. THE thing that makes you want to convert to luna.. you could try luna pro and included was a trial for neve summing, which was native, since i don’t own any ua hardware. after the trial i was really happy, especially with the sound the luna/neve sum combo added to my tracks. so i decided to get luna pro.. but then when i wanted to buy the neve summing, their site gave me a msg saying i couldn’t buy it since i don’t own an apollo or satellite! whaaat!!? kinda a nasty way to get you.. they got me.. and no fine print anywhere on their site. i mean i was willing to put down $300 for this.. it gave me waves/avid vibes..

Totally agree. I'm definitely a UA interface/plugin fanboy, and have been waiting patiently since last year to see something new. I have a Twin silver face, a Solo, an X4, 8, 8P, a quad and octo satellite. I was planning on buying 2 new 8ps but I got tired of waiting and ended up spending all that money and more on upgrading my live sound rig. Sorry Mr. Putnam, all of last years and this years money is going to your neighbours, John and Helen Meyer.

An excellent development over the last few years has been the substantial increase in the performance of inexpensive converter chips. That is why modestly price audio interfaces substantially outperform the high end audio interfaces. Julian Krause's YT channel is the leading authority on the measurement of audio converters. His charts demonstrate this dramatic improvement in modestly priced audio interfaces.

what I think would be best is a interface with a channel rack built in. And a volume meter window like the audience ID. Sometimes the artist want to hear themselves but processed and they don’t want to hear themselves to loud. I went from the ID 14 to the UAD vault/76 because my ID eventually wore out. Honestly im not impressed with this experience.

I couldn’t agree more. Months ago I was thinking to add an Apollo Rack. Now I’m looking for other brands

On the plus side, they are rock solid. Negatives, 4gb driver updates, console is just archaic and primitive. Round trip latency bad. I’m mostly bummed that still only about 10% of the plugins have moved to uax. You’d think they would all be done by now.

RME is the GOAT - end stop. My new UCX-II is simply a battletank. BUT - if I need to - I can still fire up my Multiface 2 in a heartbeat with drivers that still work here in 2024. I bought this thing in 2009! That is compelling.

I rarely can recommend UA stuff to people. I think it's great for certain things. Such as live streaming and not having to open a DAW and have all your stuff with 0 latency (remember the daw itself takes up CPU/GPU power these days and streaming is very resource heavy sometimes). The plugins are still top notch, but the best can be gotten native now. as far as DSP stuff since the native stuff came out i rarely run out of DSP power now. granted it involves a lot of shifting of plugins like taking off the DSP reverb and putting on a similar native plugin. in general though it still holds up. To the point i'm thinking about selling my DSP octo card i rarely use these days.

Barry, speaking of RME (UFX III), can you do a video on its actual sound. I got one, but that is my very first interface. I do like it, but at times I kind of think of it as sounding too modern, to German-precise :) Am I wrong or, some other interfaces could potentially have less modern and more vintage vibe?

if you are doing a review on the 16R, I can give e you a heads up. I purchased this last year and this wa the best money spent for hardware, Totally happy with this. Great piece of gear!!!!

After waiting 9 months for UA to release Native versions I gave up and moved on. Best decision ever. I sold my interface for the same amount I bought it for (thank you Inflation) along with all my licenses and ended up making a profit. I then purchased the same plugins from the original developers for half the price. Plus, I NEVER need an internet connection or an iLok in one of my valuable ports. True freedom to work anywhere I want. RME has been amazing as an interface as well. Never going back. They had way more than enough time to port more plugins over but instead insisted on squeezing the reigns tightly. I wish I left earlier TBH.

Did u say Atura audio or Ventura? What's that?

It feels like UAD has let down loyal customers who have paid top dollar for plugins and now they are selling them at blow out prices

Couldn't agree with you more sir. With the options and competition out there (including quality and price) I will NEVER spend that much on an Apollo just because it says UA on it. If I was to upgrade from my MOTU it definitely wouldnt be an Apollo.

UA was not even on my radar until they started coming out with all these great hardware modelling pedals. I think what you’re arguing is a matter of subjective perspective. For your interests, you might feel that UA is making big mistakes and going downhill, but from my perspective, for my interests, they are just now becoming a company whose products I’m interested in. Only time will reveal whether their business decisions will lead to long term losses, gains, or holding their status quo, but when a company is moving focus from one area to another, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are making a mistake. I’m sorry if their customer base whose focus is on interfaces or whatever product area they are no longer prioritizing feel let down, but I don’t think the decisions UA have been making are going to hurt the companies overall success, as long as they keep putting out quality products that appeal to *some* demographic.

I dont like TotalMix but I love my RME UCX II. Its really delivers incredible audio quality.

I can’t imagine not printing effects with low latency while recording. I use my go-to presets and templates which makes mixing a breeze. Dealing with latency while tracking is a deal breaker for me.

I had several UA devices, and recently decided to move to the RME

They remove the plugins when you don't download them, that's what happened to me, for example, there was a vst called aujam, I didn't download it because I didn't use it yet due to lack of space, after wanting to use it it was no longer there and so on with others, so it's not very good. mark if they don't let you choose what you want and when

UA is doing what most companies are doing: catering to lower budget clientele. Just go back 20 years ago... did you ever think you would have gear that had SSL written on it? Not me for sure. Yes, SSL has watered down their quality and products to remain relevant. UA is doing the same. Only a handful of companies have refused to lower their standards to attract more clientele but I`m not sure how much longer they will. We`ve reached a point now where technology is balancing out the playing field so lots of companies will cater to the amateur market. And now microphones are starting to take on all these different features... it doesn`t end. All these manufacturers have to keep adding gimmicks while lowering prices to remain in business.

What they need to do is upgrade the unison, technology converters, and put an M1 chip in there for DSP processing. Then let us run any plug-in through console. In any DAW. This would be THE best interface out there. And for what they currently charge. The M1s are cheap now so it should work within their profit margins.

some mid aged man who newer had a hi tech manufacturing business gives lessons to companies that works for decades. dude - just stop a minute and define where you are and what is around you.

I was fed up waiting, so I went RME!

UA is starting to feel like Waves with all the sales and annoying emails that they weren't bombarding us with a few years ago.

Saw the writing on the wall last year and switched to antelope. Best move I’ve made. And dsp is way better. Works flawlessly w m3 pro

My external UAD DSP has started to drop out for the past year. Shame! Wish they were as stable as they used to be. :(

If i could afford an RME it would be a dream. Hell, i wish Cranbourn made a budget interface to go with my EC1.

They just have the attitude: "If it an't broke, why fix it"? It is still the standard for Mac-based production from what I have seen.

Just sold my Apollo Twin X and bought the Neumann MT 48

I agree . Every year at NAMM we expected something new and innovative from UAD. It’s been a while! I don’t think they were at N2024. If they were, they were easy to miss! Question: What do the newer interfaces offer that the latest Apollo series do not offer? Thx

Merging Technologies and Neumann have been doing some pretty incredible things with audio interfaces as well. I own the Apollo x6 and I agree that it needs an upgrade. The included DSP is laughable and only really useful during the recording phase. I also thought they were going to release something at NAMM last year. It was disappointing. For what it's worth, I still love my Apollo though and I'm not ready to use anything different.

Audio Interfaces with Specs that exceed the 20-20kHz frequencies audible to good human ears in the prime of life are regularly included in Modelers of all kinds. The Nyquist Theorem is pure math that doesn't care about companies, brand names, etc. The analog wave form is converted into perfect digital, unless there are defects in the electronics. I can understand high-end Recording Studios wanting/needing high-end Audio Interfaces for specialty reasons, etc., but in most cases, that's not a compelling sales pitch, considering how much the Recording Industry has changed in the last 20-30 years and what is easily available to most consumers.

Glad to see you are still doing videos. You always do a great job.

A few years ago, I was bitching about the walled garden that is DSP hardware. Super-computers are based on GPUs, so why isn't all DSP ported to the GPUs. NVIDIA, are you listening? GPU Audio? MDSP? Add to this the about-to-explode text to video AI, which will make home movies and home music videos a huge thing in the very near future. This makes ATMOS even more important. Also, a year or so ago, I was ranting to anyone who would seriously listen (next to no-one - the downside of being too far ahead of your own time) that we need a home version of the API Vision Board for ATMOS. The best candidate seemed to be the Presonus Studio/Live 64 Board, now that Fender owns it. Fender could buy SofTube and combine it all together in partnership with API. Cinematic home productions. That is, once APPLE gets its head out of its ass and makes the M4 Pro a reality. An M4 Pro that challenges NVIDIA's HGX AI Supercomputer platform. It doesn't need to be quantum (yet), but it does need to be bullet-proof for the next decade, when Quantum computing alters the world entirely. 2035 is going to see the world make enormous changes that most people today can't even begin to imagine. That's just a decade away. Nano-manufacturing will end the entire concept of waste, which will end the entire concept of money. Ten years!!! The time is now to enslave all-things automated in service to humanity in order to free humanity from the slave-prison of money. To get back to socio-cultural and spiritual evolution beyond materialism. Enlightenment. Not for the "lazy-minded fools" who justify their willful ignorance (abject stupidity) by clinging to a failed past that never really existed in the first place. The world we once stood upon has been shattered and blasted away. Like the quick sands of time drifting like shards and motes in the beams of sunlight, hiding behind the curtains like The Wizard of Oz. As 10cc once sang, "Give me art for art's sake, and money, for god's sake!" And as Jimi said, "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." This is why true artists are artists. They were born this way. On a mission from God.

I bought the twin a few years back, I had never used UA before that. I wasn’t impressed after the amount of money it cost. To be honest I don’t even use it, it’s so expensive for so little.

I drop UAD always had problems with my Apolo not connecting right. The couple of times i recorded vocals with it. The sound was great. Just like protools for me if theres to many issues to mess with all the time its to much to deal with. Just want to record and mix unrestricted

Does room EQ Make all the difference on an interface purchase? What exactly is the use for this? I understand for live sound this may apply but home studios have untreated parallel walls inmost cases.

I know everyone is saying DSP is dead but then why are there so many interfaces with iit built in?.....I think UAD3 would revolutionize the game. 3rd gen UAD would probably host on 1 chip the same as uad2 quad core.... Imagine running the entire Luna DAW dsp hosted via UAD3 powered device!...thus being able to record at up to 192khz @32bit and it not hit your processor....these are the innovations I would like to see.

Why I use my studiolive series iii. Good dsp for monitoring and I record in dry. Eq compression models and some delays and plates. On vocals. Among alot of other reasons

Uad only appealed to me bcoz of The UAD Satellite but then Antelope Audio is probably their closest direct competition with that

Id love to see Luna on PC which I know has been rumored for a while now. Seems crazy it’s not on that OS already.

I have been waiting for UA to release something new but I can not wait any longer. I am looking to expand and improve my X6 !.

Coz UAD is expensive now vs you can get better interface for cheaper like Audient.

I've been using UA Apollo with plugins for quite some time now, but I'm not buying any plugins now bcause I don't need it. Unless there's something new.....period!

I use 3 apollo x series interfaces but my next interface will most likely be a RME the bang for buck and quality is just very hight. And I can still use maybe use one if my appollos for real time auto tune or something going out via adat into the rme.

I Love my RME UFX 3 in combination with UAD Plugins native best choice