Universal Audio Apollo 8 QUAD

Full Description

World-class sound with superior Apollo A/D and D/A conversion

The original Apollo, introduced in 2012, quickly became a gold standard among modern music producers and engineers - it now counts many of the world's top artists as users. Apollo 8 improves upon the original Apollo's sound quality with completely redesigned, class-leading A/D and D/A conversion - giving you increased dynamic range and even lower THD.

Building upon a 50-year legacy of circuit design, UA engineers started with an obsessive audition of the latest converters, pairing them with completely redesigned analog circuitry. Confirmed by extensive double-blind listening tests, the end result is 3 dB better dynamic range on both A/D and D/A conversion versus the original Apollo, placing the Apollo 8 as the measurable class leader.

Realtime UAD plug-in processing for tracking, mixing and mastering

Imagine having a classic analog studio, in single rack space. Apollo 8 lets you record through UAD Powered Plug-Ins - including vintage EQs, compressors, reverbs, tape machines and more - at near-zero latency, regardless of your audio software buffer size. With award-winning UAD plug-ins from Ampex, Lexicon, Neve, Manley, Roland, SSL, Studer, and more, Apollo 8 serves up authentic analog tone and warmth. The key to its analog sound is onboard UAD-2 QUAD Core DSP Processing, which powers the UAD plug-ins while reducing the strain on your host computer.

Four mic preamps with Unison™ technology

Apollo 8 comes equipped with four Unison-enabled mic preamps, letting you track projects with colorful mic preamp sounds from Neve, API, and Universal Audio. An Apollo breakthrough, Unison technology nails the tone of these sought-after tube and solid state mic preamps - including their impedance, gain stage ''sweet spots,'' and component-level circuit behaviors.

The secret to Unison is its hardware-software integration between Apollo's mic preamps and its onboard UAD-2 processing. Simply place a selected tube or solid state preamp plug-in on your desired mic input, and record in real time through stunning emulations like the bundled UA 610-B Tube Preamp plug-in, or the Neve 1073 and API 212L.

Realtime Analog Classics Plus bundle

With the included Realtime Analog Classics Plus plug-in bundle, you get a whole host of professional-quality plug-ins, including legendary compressors such as the 1176SE/LN Limiting Amplifiers and Fairchild 670 Legacy, Marshall Plexi Classic, the flexible and natural-sounding RealVerb Pro reverb, UA's landmark 610-B Tube Preamp and EQ plug-in, and much more besides.

LUNA

Work the way you want with LUNA technology. Universal Audio built their DAW, LUNA, from the ground up. Their aim, was to bring audio recording into a new era. Following a high-quality range of vintage emulations and innovative plugins, it is obvious that Universal Audio don’t settle for second best and strive to give you their all. LUNA is no exception. You'll be free to integrate your favourite DSP powered plugins when recording, completely free of latency. Thanks to accelerated real time modelling, you'll also be provided with analog style recording and overdubbing via your Apollo's on-board DSP acceleration.

Hark back to the golden age of recording, with Neve summing from the iconic 80's series console. You'll be able to add warmth and richness to your tracks, from the very series of desk that is associated with seminal albums from the likes of Nirvana, Dire Straits, and Pink Floyd. The Studer A800 Tape Recorder extension allows you to add the warmth and punch associated with magnetic tape, introducing various levels of harmonics and saturation into your signal flow. With a highly realistic Steinway Model B piano, Moog Minimoog emulation, a wide array of premium samples from Spitfire Audio, and unlimited track count. You'll have nothing holding you back from making the greatest sounding records of your life.

Please Note: This is a free download for mac users who own a Thunderbolt Arrow or Apollo interface. It is not yet compatible for Windows.

Realtime Analog UAD Powered Plugins Bundle

• UA 610-B (Unison)
• 1176LN Legacy
• 1176SE Legacy
• Ampeg SVT-VR Classic (Unison)
• Marshall Plexi Classic (Unison)
• Precision Channel Strip
• Precision Reflection Engine
• Precision Delay Mod
• Precision Delay Mod L
• Pultec EQP-1A Legacy
• Pultec-Pro Legacy
• Teletronix LA-2A Legacy
• Raw Distortion (Unison)
• RealVerb Pro
• Precision Enhancer Hz
• Fairchild 670 Legacy

Features

Audio Interface

• 18 x 24 simultaneous input/output channels
• Sample rates up to 192 kHz at 24-bit word length
• Two Thunderbolt 2 ports facilitates daisy-chaining of other Thunderbolt devices
• Cascade up to 4 Apollo interfaces and 6 UAD devices total over Thunderbolt (Mac)
• Four high-resolution, ultra-transparent, digitally-controlled analog mic preamps
• Unison™ technology for deep integration with UAD preamp and pedal plug-ins
• Switchable low cut filter, 48V phantom power, pad, polarity inversion, and stereo linking
• Digitally-controlled analog monitor outputs maintains highest fidelity
• Two stereo headphone outputs with independent mix buses
• Independent front panel volume controls for headphone outputs
• Front panel pre-fader metering of monitor bus levels
• S/PDIF outputs can be set to mirror the monitor outputs
• Up to two alternate stereo monitor outputs selectable via front panel or Console software
• Assignable front panel monitor function switch for alternate speakers, dim, & mono

UAD-2 Inside

• QUAD Core DSP with four SHARC® processors
• Realtime UAD Processing on all analog and digital inputs via Console application
• Console Recall plug-in saves Console configurations inside DAW sessions for easy recall
• Same features and functionality as other UAD-2 devices when used with DAW
• Can be combined with other UAD-2 devices for increased mixing DSP
• Includes UAD Powered Plug-Ins ''Realtime Analog Classics Plus'' bundle
• Complete UAD plug-ins library is available at the UA online store

System Requirements

• Apple Mac computer with available Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 port
• Mac OS X 10.8.5 Mountain Lion, 10.9.x Mavericks, or 10.10.x Yosemite
• Now compatible with Windows 10
• 4 gigabytes available disk space
• Internet connection to download software and authorize UAD plug-ins
• Compatible VST, Audio Units, RTAS, or AAX 64 plug-in host DAW software
• Thunderbolt cable (sold separately)

Specifications

I/O Complement

• Microphone Inputs: 4
• High-Impedence (Hi-Z) Instrument Inputs: 2
• Analog Line Inputs: 8
• Analog Line Outputs: 8 (ten including monitor outputs)
• Analog Monitor Outputs: 2 (one stereo pair)
• Headphone Outputs: 2 Stereo
• ADAT: Up to eight channels via dual I/O ports with S/MUX
• S/PDIF: One stereo input, one stereo output
• Thunderbolt 2 ports: 2 (Thunderbolt 1 compatible)
• Word Clock: 1 input, 1 output

A/D - D/A Conversion

• Supported Sample Rates (kHz): 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192
• Bit Depth Per Sample: 24
• Simultaneous A/D conversion: 8 channels
• Simultaneous D/A conversion: 14 channels
• Analog Round-Trip Latency: 1.1 milliseconds @ 96 kHz sample rate
• Analog Round-Trip Latency with four serial UAD-2 plug-ins via Console application: 1.1 milliseconds @ 96 kHz sample rate

Electrical

• Power Supplies: External AC to DC Power Supply, Level V compliant
• AC Input Connector Type: IEC Male
• AC Requirements: 100V - 240V AC, 50 - 60 Hz
• DC Connector Type: XLR 4-Pin Locking Male (Neutrik P/N NC4MDM3-H)
• DC Requirements: 12 VDC, +/- 5
• Maximum Power Consumption: 50 Watts

Dimensions

• Width: 19''
• Height: 1.75'' (1U rack space)
• Depth, Chassis Only: 12.125''
• Depth, Including Knob & Jack Protrusions: 13.5''
• Shipping Box (Width x Depth x Height): 24'' x 17'' x 8''

Weight

• Shipping Weight (with box & accessories): 18 pounds (8.2 kg)
• Weight (bare unit): 9.1 pounds (4.1 kg)

Package Contents

• Apollo 8 QUAD Audio Interface Unit
• External Power Supply
• AC Power Cable (IEC)
• Set of (4) Rack-Mount Screws
• Getting Started URL Card