Universal Audio Apollo 16

[headman]

I'm thinking of buying (my last) interface. Has anyone got a UA Apollo 16 and is it as good as it should be.
I'm going to move from RME to something a little more upmarket and was going to get a Lynx but the plugins are an attractive addition to the UA machine.

Any comments will be gladly taken on board

thanks

headman

[mylesgm]

I've a UAD Apollo Quad not a 16 but many of the positives and negatives hold true I believe. Ok, so I really like many aspects of the unit, it sounds good, the plugin count is impressive at 44/24 and pretty good at 96 and if you like the plugins (I do) then between the DSP and native stuff you've got an excellent system. As to stability I had a faulty unit which had to be replaced and since then there have been no stability issues, if you look around the UAD forum then you'll see I'm not the only one who had a faulty unit but I had one of the first to make it to Australia so perhaps the firmware wasn't as rock solid in the first units or something. As to functionality it expects you to use the unit in a particular way and isn't as flexible in this regard as the RME or the Motu, Metric Halo etc offering unlimited internal routing of inputs- outputs and software mixing on the DSP. Now this has gotten better with the recent software upgrade but it still mostly works like a basic digital mixer and not an impressive patchbay/flexible processor. That being said I have not missed that capability in normal recording situations, I would miss it if I was trying to multichannel sound installations like I do in Melbourne but I'm sure I'd be able to find a work around. In this area the 16 might be more flexible than the Quad because of the preset limitations like headphone a/b, aux 1/2 etc.

I guess my advice is this: Work out every scenario that you personally will actually use the interface for and then see if that device is capable of that scenario and then decide. In terms of sound, it's great. In terms of plugins, it's great.

[tony]

I second Myles comments. I have a Apollo Duo and it has been been a great unit in the studio so far. However the routing is a little limited so I am still using Motu and Focusrite when doing multi channel install stuff (theatre). Also someone mentioned to me the other day that despite the units having the ability to have a Thunderbolt card (i don't use one currently) that they are still band width restricted well below thunderbolts potential (i can't back this claim up). Probably wont be a problem but might be relevant if you plan to never upgrade again and you want to work at high sample rates. That said I would buy one again.

[ChrisW]

I honestly can't say routing is an issue for me.
I can see how monitor/headphone sends would be an issue for ensemble work. But I'm working on my own most of the time. The one thing that keeps tripping me up is the i/o offset. I just wish they hadn't done that. I've never used an interface where output 2 is really output 4 before.
I use 3 DAWs and each treat the Apollo offset differently. Kind of a hassle to remember. And a needless hassle.
Regarding bandwidth. I've been using my (original) Apollo at 96khz almost from the start. It's performed perfectly. Actually much less problematic than my Lynx Aurora.
Before considering a purchase, check out the BLA Mod comparison files at Gearslutz. Quite an eye opener.
There is a clear difference, with the BLA version being clearer and more open than the original Apollo. The problem being the BLA mod is $800 (not including shipping) and probably means giving up your interface for more than a month (for Aussies).

[Wiz]

I honestly can't say routing is an issue for me.
I can see how monitor/headphone sends would be an issue for ensemble work. But I'm working on my own most of the time. The one thing that keeps tripping me up is the i/o offset. I just wish they hadn't done that. I've never used an interface where output 2 is really output 4 before.
I use 3 DAWs and each treat the Apollo offset differently. Kind of a hassle to remember. And a needless hassle.
Regarding bandwidth. I've been using my (original) Apollo at 96khz almost from the start. It's performed perfectly. Actually much less problematic than my Lynx Aurora.
Before considering a purchase, check out the BLA Mod comparison files at Gearslutz. Quite an eye opener.
There is a clear difference, with the BLA version being clearer and more open than the original Apollo. The problem being the BLA mod is $800 (not including shipping) and probably means giving up your interface for more than a month (for Aussies).

this may not help Chris, but can you re label the outputs in your DAW? In logic you can....

cheers

Peter

[ChrisW]

Yes, as I say, each DAW treats Apollo differently. That's why I get confused.
I use PT, Logic and Ableton Live. Pro Tools is probably the easiest to use at it does the offset automatically - calling in and outs 1&2 - 'null'.

[headman]

Thank you one and all. I appreciate everyone's opinion and candour about the Apollo.
Routing isn't a problem for me, I just want 16 in and out (like and old fashioned tape machine).

Whitten, I knew about the BLA mod, that looks good.

Looks like it's time to spend money.

headman

[andygriffiths]

I'm still thinking about getting an Apollo, as I run a older Protools HD system. But I'm no sure about the quality of the unit. I guess if you had the choice would the Apollo be a good replacement for a HD system? Thoughts please

[mylesgm]

I think it depends on your host computer but that is essentially what I did. I sold my HD2 accel system and an aurora 16 so that I could be portable and replaced it with a 2.5g i7 macbook pro and the apollo quad. Now that the console in the apollo is more flexible routing wise it actually does a very decent job of replacing HD, 0 latency monitoring through the apollo with plugins on the dsp and loads of dsp plugins on mix down. I'm sure it would be even more potent with a grunty mac pro with SSD drives and higher ram but I've done quite a lot of work in the field and in the studio with this setup and it's pretty impressive.

[The Tasmanian]

This has really got my interest.
I could replace my HD2 (PCI) system - use a laptop - still keep my Mytek convertors.
Ignore the mic pre's
I'm sick of towers too - I want mobility.
sniffing....

[andygriffiths]

This has really got my interest.
I could replace my HD2 (PCI) system - use a laptop - still keep my Mytek convertors.
Ignore the mic pre's
I'm sick of towers too - I want mobility.
sniffing....

Yeah I'm very interested but once again it is quite expensive as well, I think around 4k at retail. I'm not sure what price a HDX native system is worth with a hardware exchange. But I think I would get the Apollo 16 if I had the cash to.

[mylesgm]

As to expense, shop around for the best price, Audioz gave me a great deal.

As to mobility, I think this is great. Powerful laptop with dual hard drives (mines loaded with a 750g spinner and a 320g ssd), pair it with some good small footprint mic pres, a multichannel headphone amp and you have a very potent portable tracking/mixing setup you can use anywhere. Add a small rugged pair of monitors like tge little genelecs and you're set.

[The Tasmanian]

interesting...
Read a few reviews about the sound quality - I don't care much about UA plug ins, or care about the pre's as I would never really use them apart from say distant room mics, if I ran out of other options.
If this is where things are at ATM - then we must be on the cusp of something better AD/DA real soon?.


I would have thought the current SSL Alpha Link may be better quality.
More ins/outs too?
Not so concerned about latency, more about quality.

I might wait another 12 months - Ive got a feeling something better (conversion wise) is on the horizon.

[ChrisW]

As an Apollo user myself I think the product is a complete package. If you are going to strip away half of the features it makes much less sense.
I don't think it represents ultimate AD/DA quality. I think it's very good. I'm very happy with the work I'm doing with it.
If I could afford $1000 to $2000 more I think I could buy a 'better' sounding interface.
Apollo's pres are pretty good, and quite handy to have. I like and use the UAD plug-ins. The addition of 2 x headphone outs, plus SPDIF, ADAT and Thunderbolt connectivity are all positives that make Apollo more useful to me than Aurora.
If you are purely looking for 8 to 16 channels of conversion alone, maybe have a look at what's available within your budget.
If you want to use UAD plug-ins, and Thunderbolt, and the portability that the headphone section and onboard mic/pres support, then Apollo is much more attractive.

[headman]

well I bought the Apollo 16 yesterday.

Good new is they are in stock and available....bad news the RRP has gone up $500 in the last few weeks.

Still I got a great price from Musos Corner in Newcastle and will have it in a few days (they had all the Apollo gear in stock except the 16).
Thanks everyone again for your input, I'm looking forward to putting it against my RME to (hopefully) see a marked difference.


headman