DSP Madness With Universal Audio Apollo X Thunderbolt Interfaces

Introducing Apollo X. Universal Audio's new flagship Thunderbolt 3 audio interfaces, featuring elite-class A/D and D/A conversion, new HEXA Core UAD plug-in processing, Unison mic preamps, +24dBu operation, Surround Sound,* and more. All in a sleek, expandable Thunderbolt 3 package for Mac and PC.

*Surround Sound Support for Apollo X Coming Q4 2018.

With thousands of hit songs and hundreds of Grammy-winning albums under their belt, Apollo interfaces are no strangers to tracking stellar-sounding records. To improve on the previous generation Apollo interfaces’ class-leading audio conversion, UA engineers obsessively auditioned the latest A/D and D/A converters — ultimately pairing elite-class 24-bit/192 kHz converters with all-new analog circuitry for an ultra-pristine signal path.

With 129 dB (133 dB Apollo X16) dynamic range and -119 dB (129 dB Apollo X16) THD+N, Apollo’s open, natural sound rivals any dedicated high-end converter on the market — regardless of price — and is the perfect starting point for applying UAD processing.

Apollo X features HEXA Core processing, with six DSP chips and 50% more UAD plug-in processing power than previous Apollos. This lets you run more UAD plug-ins, whether you’re tracking in real time with channel strips from Neve, Manley, or API, or running high UAD plug-in counts when mixing in your DAW.

From the tube warmth of Pultec EQs on guitars to the musical tube limiting of the LA-2A on vocals, or the pump of a genuine 1176 or Fairchild 670 tube compressor on drums, your recordings will take a giant leap forward with a rich, three-dimensional analog sound that UAD plug‑ins provide.

The secret to Unison is its hardware-software integration between Apollo’s mic preamps and its onboard HEXA Core DSP Acceleration. Simply place a Unison preamp plug-in on your mic input in Apollo Console software, and it physically reconfigures the Apollo interface's impedance — so you can tap into the classic sounds of the world’s most recorded mic preamps.

A hallmark feature of Apollo is its Realtime UAD Processing, letting you run the full library of UAD plug-ins with near-zero latency. Apollo X includes the Realtime Analog Classics Plus plug-in bundle, so you can record and mix with the world’s only authentic Teletronix LA-2A, 1176LN, and Fairchild compressors, the Unison-enabled UA 610-B Tube Preamp & EQ, and iconic guitar and bass amps from Marshall and Ampeg.