Replacing "everything" with a UAD Apollo?

[waitsongs]

Just looking for trusted opinions here....

I'm thinking of replacing my 828mk3 (fed by an array of outboard preamps into an Apogee AD16x), with a UAD Apollo. I'd also get rid of my Presonus Central Station for monitoring if Apollo's monitoring is reasonably feature rich.

I already use a UAD Quad Satellite, so I know I'll like the plugins, but I'm wondering if anyone else has "slimmed" down their studio in this way, and whether the results have been good?

Sound is obviously most important, but how's the real life latency with Apollo, i.e., can you really monitor through FX with workable latency? And do you like the preamps enough to use them rather than boutique stuff (I have Vintech, LA-610, and Apogee Trak2 pre's, among others).

Finally, if I get the Apollo Quad, is it comparable in DSP power to the Quad Satellite I have, or do the mixing board functions use up so much DSP that I should plan on keeping the Satellite too?

(Yes, I should probably be asking a lot of this on the UAD forum, but if you feel like sharing any thoughts, I'd appreciate it).

Thanks, Rob

[sdemott]

I've had 3 real world experiences with a UAD Apollo.

The first was for the vocal/choral sessions for one of the Halo games. I was asked to use the Apollo instead of my usual interface (a Metric-Halo 2882) because the composer had just gotten one and was a bit enamored with it. I did not like it. The pres were not up to what I would have liked (and we had rented 3 vintage Neumann M50s for the recording which made it all the more disappointing). There was a strange upper frequency noise coming from the Apollo pres that we ended up having to EQ'd out later (not ideal in any way). For the record the noise seemed to be triggered when the signal levels got a little hot (I'd say close around -8 or -6 dBfs)...but not all the time. So, I suspect there may have been something wrong with the unit.

The second was for a mixing session, in which case I was really happy with the hosted plugs. I was particularly enamored of the EMT140. Wow! What an incredible sounding reverb. I also found the LA2A & 1176 plugs to be particularly true to life. I was very pleased with it for mixing & monitoring.

The 3rd was with the same Apollo that I used for the mixing session above. I had to record a voice over for a video/animation. I used the Apollo with an AT4050 and thought it was rather good sounding. No high end noise on this one. I would have liked to give it a work out to see if it exhibited the same behavior as the first one I used.

So, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. I'm not sure I'd buy one without allaying my fears that the preamps are not the best quality. I suspect that first unit had a defect, but I'm a little nervous none-the-less. I do have access to that 2nd unit that I had good results with (twice) & I will find time one day to run it through it's paces.

Not sure if any of that helps or not.

[waitsongs]

Thanks Steve. Yes, that's very useful information. Sorry what sounds like an amazing session was hampered by a technical disappointment!

FWIW, I almost threw down once for one of UA's 4 unit Pre/Compressor boxes (UA 4-710d), but a salesman told me a few units had some reliability issues, so I passed. The LA 610 I own though is fantastic, with no issues after a few years of steady sessions. Same with my Satellite Quad, which has been flawless, and yes, the plugins are fairly addicting.

If you end up testing the 2nd Apollo a little more, I'd look forward to your thoughts. Nice that you have a Metric Halo to compare it to!

Thanks again, Rob

[sdemott]

So I played around with the 2nd Apollo unit some more & can say that the 1st was probably defective. I was unable to get that same high-end noise/ring from the preamps on the 2nd unit after some serious stress testing.

My overall thoughts: I really like the plugs (did I mention I looooove the EMT140!), but I'd call the pres "meh". Not bad, not great. I would't be happy with them as my only pres...but you have outboard gear, so that's not a problem. The AD/DA seems really clean and detailed. Good sonic representation of the sound stage. It looks to be a real viable option for you...just keep your pres to have some better options.

HTH

[waitsongs]

Hey Steve,

Once again, thanks for testing it out and coming back with a real world response. I was kind of hoping I could end up with a laptop and the Apollo and be completely happy without external pre's, but sometimes I live in a dream world!

Sounds like I could definitely streamline things a bit with the Apollo as an interface and converter though, so I'm going to seriously consider going in that direction.

And yes... there will be an EMT140 on every channel...

Rob