It’s a big day over at Universal Audio HQ today, as the brand unveils a raft of new products in its Constellations launch event, both hardware and software.
For many, the biggest announcement will be the second generation of UA’s Apollo X line of Thunderbolt audio interfaces, which have received a healthy upgrade and a host of new features such as auto-gain, bass management and onboard monitor correction.
The new line of Apollo X interfaces benefits from a trio of new tools that’ll help you both streamline the recording process and set up a reliable system for accurate monitoring. Accessible through UA’s Console software, the newly-developed Auto-Gain system will automatically adjust input gain across multiple channels before you record, making it easy to quickly set your levels when recording a band or a podcast with multiple speakers, for example.
UA has partnered with Sonarworks to introduce monitor and headphone correction to the Apollo line, helping you achieve consistent mixes while working across multiple systems or studio spaces. UA has integrated the brand’s SoundID software - which would typically run on your machine as a standalone app or plugin - into the Apollos, meaning that calibration for both monitors and headphones can be applied in real-time at the final stage of your signal chain, using UA’s proprietary EQ algorithms. As it’s still in development, this feature won’t be available until later in the year, and requires a measurement mic that’s sold separately.
Like Apollo Monitor Correction, UA’s Bass Management tool helps you handle an aspect of studio set-up that’s essential for reliable monitoring: subwoofer integration. Bass Management can be used to integrate a subwoofer into anything from a standard stereo 2.1 set-up all the way up to an immersive 9.1.6 Atmos system, letting you adjust filter frequency and slope from within Console.
The improvements to Apollo X aren’t only on the software side, of course: the interfaces’ aesthetic has been refreshed, while their 24-bit/192 kHz converters have been upgraded across the entire range, with a particular focus on the D/A converters, which UA says – along with redesigned monitor and headphone outputs – deliver "class-leading" monitoring, with lower noise and distortion than Apollo X’s first generation.
As ever, the Apollo X interfaces ship with a bundle of plugins from UAD’s much-loved suite of analogue emulations, mixing tools and effects processors, which can be applied in real-time using the Apollos' onboard DSP. The plugin bundles are split into three tiers, but the Essentials+ Edition, included with all core Apollo models, comprises more than 20 plugins and instruments, along with Antares Auto-Tune RealTime Access.
In our review of the Universal Audio Apollo x8 Gen 2, we described the interface as a "solid upgrade", observing that "the Apollo x8 Gen 2 is slicker than ever and although some of the improvements are quite nuanced, the incoming Sonarworks SoundID integration and monitoring extras will no doubt be suitably welcomed by the unit’s target audience."
"We believe that the very best audio tools can 'disappear,' and feel like they are simply a part of the creative process," said UA‘s founder and CEO Bill Putnam Jr. in a statement. "The new Apollo X interfaces are about pushing that concept further - bringing the best of analog and digital sounds together in a way that's both inspiring and seamless, to let your music take center stage."
Find out more on Universal Audio's website.
Universal Audio Apollo X Gen 2
- Apollo Twin X DUO / 10-in/6-out desktop interface, 2 Unison mic preamps, DUO Core DSP / $1199 with Essentials+ Edition
- Apollo Twin X QUAD / 10-in/6-out desktop interface, 2 Unison mic preamps, QUAD Core DSP / $1499 with Essentials+ Edition
- Apollo x4 QUAD / 12-in/18-out desktop interface, 4 Unison mic preamps, QUAD Core DSP / $1999 with Essentials+ Edition
- Apollo x6 HEXA / 16-in/22-out rackmount interface, 2 Unison mic preamps, HEXA Core DSP / $2499 with Essentials+ Edition
- Apollo x8 HEXA / 18-in/24-out rackmount interface, 4 Unison mic preamps, HEXA Core DSP / $2899 with Essentials+ Edition
- Apollo x8p HEXA / 16-in/22-out rackmount interface, 8 Unison mic preamps, HEXA Core DSP / $3499 with Essentials+ Edition
- Apollo x16 HEXA / 18-in/20-out rackmount interface, 16x16 analogue I/O, HEXA Core DSP / $3999 with Essentials+ Edition
- Apollo x16D HEXA / 18-in/20-out rackmount interface, 16x16 Dante network audio I/O, HEXA Core DSP / $2999 with Essentials+ Edition
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