New Gear Review: Apollo 8p Interface by Universal Audio
The Apollo 8p by Universal Audio.
Selecting the right recording interface is a crucial task for any studio, as choices here can significantly affect your entire workflow.
At high level professional studios—particularly those equipped with analog consoles or rack-based systems—simple conversion between the analog and digital worlds is often the sole purpose of the audio interface. But in small and home studio environments, our interfaces are often called upon to act as multiple devices: Mic pre, signal processor, headphone and monitor controller, converter and usually, master clock.
While there has long been a wide availability of barebones multi-channel interfaces for big studios and small, portable units for producers on the go, recent years have seen a significant increase in the number of flexible, all-in-one solutions that seek to emulate large-scale studio functionality in a single box. Universal Audio‘s new Apollo 8p falls firmly into this new and growing category. Let’s see how they pull it off.
Unboxing and layout
Like all of Universal Audio’s gear, the Apollo 8p comes impressively and carefully packaged in a beautiful-looking display box.
Included in the box are the unit, the power supply, manual, and download/registration instructions for your software and hardware. The 8p and its power supply feel sturdy and solidly constructed.
Although a slim one-rack space in height, the Apollo 8p can get hot during normal operation, and it’s recommended to leave one rack space free above it for adequate ventilation.
Front view of the Apollo 8p from Universal Audio.
The physical controls on the interface are clean, minimal and easy to adjust and read. On the left side of the front panel, a single knob allows you to cycle through channels and adjust gain for any of the on-board preamps, while additional buttons allow you to engage stereo linking, phantom power, low-cut, polarity reverse, pad and adjust the input signal type.
Over to the right, a second large knob offers control over the playback level and acts as mute switch. It’s paired with three buttons: An “alt” speaker toggle, meter selection button, and an assignable function button. (More on that in a bit.)
Two smaller knobs that adjust headphone/cue levels are also found on the front panel, along with two Hi-Z inputs, monitor meters, and indicator lights for host, clock source, and sample rate.
Connectivity
The Apollo 8p offers a variety of analog and digital connections, mostly at the rear of the unit, which allows for a high degree of routing flexibility, both internal and external. Dual Thunderbolt ports allow you to chain up to four UA interfaces or satellite processors with the 8p, allowing plenty of options for expansion with a minimum of cabling.
Additional digital connections can also be made via S/PDIF or ADAT protocol over twin optical I/O, and the S/MUX protocol can be used if working at higher sample rates. Clock signal can be sent through these digital connections, or via the 75-Ohm BNC connector. For this review, I connected multiple devices using Thunderbolt, and clock selection and master/slave assignment was easy and near fool-proof using this method.
The Thunderbolt ports are actually mounted to removable I/O card, which makes for the possibility of upgrades, helping to future-proof this device. Certain computer manufacturers who will remain nameless can be a bit abrupt and capricious in their unveiling and dismissal of crucial connector types. It’s nice to know that this product will not have to be replaced wholesale come the singularity. (Any day now…)
A view of the back of the Universal Audio Apollo 8p.
On the back of the unit, you’ll also find six TRS line outs and a pair of stereo TRS “Monitor” outs. Line outs 1&2 and 3&4 can be used as Alt 1 and Alt 2 monitor selections allowing you to change the function of the line outs as needed. Eight XLR/TRS combo jacks accept input from either mic or line-level inputs. (Though inputs 1 and 2 are overidden when the Hi-Z instrument jacks on the front are in use).
In a step that I really love, the input and output gain controls can all be bypassed to offer straight +4 dBu in and out . This is especially useful when you’re using an external mic pre to hit the A/D directly, or feeding signal to your own dedicated monitor controller/summing amp. This kind of forethought and flexibility is greatly appreciated.
Integrated Solutions
In terms of hardware, that about covers it. However, the Apollo Systems offer much more than just connectivity thanks to their proprietary “Console” application.
The main purpose of Console is to facilitate input monitoring, routing, deep interface control and real-time processing of input signals using Universal Audio’s extensive plug-in line. This program is a surprisingly powerful and flexible tool that can solve many of the issues facing engineers who work almost entirely in the box.
Console can be used for everything from simply routing iTunes and other audio applications from one place to another, to creating truly complex monitoring or processing paths. The depth and flexibility it adds to your setup will require some practice and exploration to fully appreciate.
The Console GUI actually looks like a recording console, making it intuitive and easy to use for anyone who comes from an an analog background. Channel strips represent your input path and include mic pre gain, insert points, cue controls, faders, solos and mutes for every channel.
The right side of the application offers a full monitoring section for control over the engineer’s and artist’s cue mixes. Near zero latency on the artist’s headphone mixes eases the tracking process substantially.
Universal Audio’s Console application.
Pro Tools users looking to escape some of the shackles of Core Audio will especially love what Console brings to the table. Non-HD versions of Pro Tools allow for a max simultaneous input count of 32 tracks.
For the most part, this artificial limitation isn’t too big a deal. However, because Core Audio recognizes your interfaces and their available connections in a strict order, this means that regardless of your total interface I/O count, you may not be able to access the specific I/O that you need on any given day, particularly if you move from one studio to another.
Universal Audio has leveraged the flexibility of Console to allow users to totally re-route their I/O as needed. This can make hardware inserts less frustrating by allowing you to keep your insert sends and returns symmetrical no matter where you open your session. Nicely done!
In Use with Intent
Personally, I love the real-time processing of input signals before your DAW. While I may never own a Neve 88R and Studer A800, I can now track through top-notch emulations of these, and many other virtual vintage pieces of gear.
The inherent value of tracking with an end-goal in mind, and crafting the production as it’s created is severely under-exploited in our field. No other art form allows one to create so much while committing to so little.
Over the review period, I used the Apollo to track and mix several projects. Both the artists and myself were very pleased with the results. Tracks were recorded through emulations of the venerable Neve 1073, the API Vision Console, and the AMS Neve 88RS emulations.
A key feature here is that UA’s “Unison” technology alters the input impedance and gain-staging of the preamp to match the intended hardware model. This is very important in getting the interactive relationship between mic and pre correct.
I was also able to use a variety of wonderful tape, eq, and compressors plugins on my input path during the tracking session with so little latency that is should not be perceptible to the human ear. This allowed me not only to “work with the end goal in mind”, but also saved precious DSP for hungry, hungry reverbs and bus processing during the mix.
Conversion on the Apollo 8P sounds wonderful. Depth and width are well represented and placing elements within a mix was easy.
To Be Critical
Still, there is some room for improvement. For example, while the “Alt” switch allows you to switch between your mains and a pair of secondary monitors, the Apollo actually allows you to connect three sets of monitors. This means that if you are using a third set of speakers, switching must be done via the console app or a separate analog switcher.
To be fair, the assignable function button on the front panel can be set to engage your third set of monitors, or you can set it to act as a dim switch or mono button. But whatever you chose, it can only fulfill one of these functions at a time. Though the front panel is easy to navigate, the buttons just can’t do everything on their own, and that means often you will have to switch over to the console app for control of certain monitoring functions.
This may be a minor minor quibble, but why not make the “Alt” switch a 3-way toggle? Why not make the special function button act as a dim with a single tap and have it put the monitor path into mono with a double-tap? Some minor rearranging here could offer users full monitor control via the hardware only, and this could feasibly be accomplished with simple firmware upgrades.
Lastly, as of right now, there is also no way to control the Console application using a control surface as UA does not publish their MIDI streams. This is something I think many users would like to see.
Making a Decision
Fortunately, we live in an age in which many quality interfaces are available for relatively little money. There are a number of factors that are likely to influence your purchase here: Sound quality, the quantity of analog and digital I/O, company history and reliability, routing flexibility, the availability of extra DSP, and a myriad of others.
The Apollo 8P offers a great deal of performance on each of these fronts, from routing options to excellent sound quality, and it helps that Universal Audio has a long and storied history of manufacturing quality gear. Additionally, I have found UA’s customer service to have been excellent at every step. Well written, in-depth manuals are available for all hardware and software, and many instructional videos are available online, too.
So much of the power of the UA Apollo comes not only from the hardware, but from the Console app and the many available plugins, and it’s worth factoring in the tremendous value of the bundled software into your purchasing decision.
It is also worth noting however, that the DSP cards in Universal Audio hardware will not power plugins from other manufacturers, and a piece of UA hardware must be hooked up to your system in order for you to use your UA plugins with your DAW of choice.
This essentially means you are committing (up to a certain point) to hardware and software from one company. This also means that potential converts may not be able to easily demo Universal Audio plugins in their own studios before purchasing the hardware, which can require a leap of faith for new users—or a retailer with an accommodating return policy.
That being said, the Apollo 8P is a winner on all fronts. Eight Unison mic pres, top-notch conversion, monitor control, extremely low latency front-end plugin processing and a metric ton of I/O options in one rack-space all make this piece worth checking out for any studio in need of a serious all-in-one solution.
Rich Crescenti is a freelance engineer, producer, teacher, and drummer who works out of several studios in NYC, helping bands make unique recordings. Rich also hits things with sticks for the Brooklyn-based rock band Bugs in the Dark.
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