Universal Losing Fans
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- čas přidán 19. 04. 2024
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RME releasing Room EQ for flagship interfaces was just another MAJOR addition to interfaces that already are worth their weight in gold. I cant imagine going to ANY other interface, especially back to an Apollo. So yeah UA really need something genuinely compelling to keep existing customers or draw in other users.
Same here.
Hard to compete with RME. I bought 2 used raydat cards for 800 USD, giving me 72 digital in and 72 digital out. Im using my old retired RME Fireface 800 as mic preamps and for analogue IO. And when I found myself without a breakout cable the RME user manual provides pinout charts so i could repurpose an old dsub9 cable, solder my own spdif coax and aes breakout cable in 5 minutes. And there is totalmix...
Room EQ, Delay and Dynamics? Things that METRIC HALO offers on it‘s interfaces for decades…
Drivers, drivers, drivers. I'd love to see some of these companies spend some investment in competing with RME's drivers
@@jangerhard4039 right on. Never used them but always been intrigued.
I could not agree with you more! U.A. Seems distracted by microphones, stomp boxes,etc and ignoring the interfaces. I have an Apollo 16, Twin Quad and Octo box. I was ready to upgrade all in 2023 and still waiting because I am invested in their ecosystem, but I won’t wait forever!
tbh i think this was a smart pivot, they are doing great work on those products. Also those items have a much larger marker than audio interfaces.
I think UA has to work on the cheaper pieces of gear to keep the company moving forward. I can’t imagine UA improving on their interfaces to such a degree that would motivate people to sell their old UA stuff for what could only be a few % points improvement
How about either of these ideas I came up with:
1) Rack-mountable plugin controllers that look like hardware but have DSP inside - they can run in stand-alone mode and in real time (for stage and studio).
2) An audio interface that looks like a control surface, including faders and encoders. It would control LUNA, the Apollo console, their plugins, and would have interface I/O on the back. It could go badly if not done correctly, or it could be amazing if they challenged themselves and were ambitious enough.
+1 ..and #1, I believe that UAD guitar pedals are essentially that; #2 My Ramsa DA7 (20+ year old digital console) can do most of that, and a Mackie compatible controller (Behringer makes great ones) and a good Audio interface will give you that as well.
Thanks to your videos, I've really upped my home studio tracking game. Wow. Within the last month, I upgraded from a volt to an RME BabyFace FS and an RND Newton Channel strip. So good. Thanks for the pragmatic / practical advice Mr. Johns. And re: this video, I agree... I don't understand why UA doesn't seem to be keeping the gas pedal down. Seems like they are 'making hay' with their native plugins. Maybe they are buying time until they release their next hardware line-up...
I think UA released Volt, guitar pedals, and a refresh of acquired microphones because it’s lower cost goods and helps provide a short term return on their investments after acquiring those companies. Meanwhile, the Engineering resources to develop the next generation DSP interfaces, not burn the current customer base, and Luna 2 development, is a series of long term roadmap scoping and commitments in my opinion. I think you summarized well at the end. When the time comes, my gut feeling is people will say “It was painful, but worth the wait”. Expectations are high and UA will deliver.
This^^. We won’t be seeing Apollo 3.0. I think it is going to be fundamentally different. I’m happy with my Apollo Xs and am content to wait.
Funny you posted this video because on Thursday I was in a session with three guys when my Audient id44 mk1 started acting stupid. After that session I started thinking hard about replacing. I am a HUGE UA fanboy!! I use UAD Spark primarily and have started to lightly work in LUNA and can see myself moving more and more towards LUNA. I really want a UA Apollo to become even more integrated into the UA system but to your very correct point, there most recent units are 2019 as I understand with minimal updates. On top of that, the prices are still $1700 and up for my needs. At those prices, I may as well spend on an RME or similar high end interfaces. I hope UA has something in the works and releases before I have to pull a trigger because I would love to go all in with UA. All this to say, you are dead on Barry. Regardless, I will be using your affiliate link when I do make a purchase. Thanks for all you bring to CZcams Barry!
I love Universal Audio... There may be other things that are great, but just like DAWs, these are just tools. One great production mix, may use pro tools, another logic, another cubase, reaper, fl studio, focusrite, RME, Apogee, just tools, whatever works well for you...I"ve been working for 20 years, my 3 8 channel UAD work great ,clients are happy, Im' happy. .
UA understands that the days of DSP interfaces are over. So it is a waste of resources to pour more of them into the Apollos…as interfaces.
They are fantastic IF you want to fully leverage the library of UA plug ins. Thats what you’re paying for-that tight integration. If not, then wait and see what is the new business model for UA that comes out of this.
So far they are making smart moves.
It's 2024 and I literally just ordered a Heritage Edition X8 FOR $2200 which is a great deal. I'm upgrading from the older Firewire Apollo and keep in mind I have a Burl ADC that I use with my setup. I know it's been awhile since they have released new hardware and Native is gaining steam due to advances in computing power but running my stuff thru excellent pre's into my X8/Burl setup I feel like at some point you just need to focus on the music and be content with what we have because it's a great time to be a producer/musician/engineer.
I want them to come out with new Apollos so the current ones start showing up on the used market at more affordable prices. I'm currently running on an original Apollo silverface and a Twin Mk II and would like to add an x8p to that setup but I just can't justify the cost right now, new or used. In the meantime, I don't feel like I'm really missing out on anything. I'm very happy with my UAD setup.
I'm sure UA engineering got called in to work the weekend in response to Barry's video.
Maybe, but in the mean time, I have much work stacked up, making quality music w Universal Audio. Its just my tool of choice along w pro tools. Been doing this for a living for 20 yrs full time. I have friends w different interfaces, daws, plugins, hardware, etc....different speakers, headphones mics.. all quality. Its more about the person behind the tools, w respect to Barry.
@@pocket1684 I hear what you're saying and of course you're absolutely correct. However, whilst you're happy with your existing setup and kudos to you for that, I think Barry is talking about UA being left behind by not innovating and keeping up with the competition which risks them losing market share when people are considering purchasing a new interface. I've been looking at new interfaces recently myself and the likes of the new Heritage Audio I73 PRO Edge looks compelling with 73 style preamps built in as well as latency free DSP powered effects also and at a very compelling price point considering it's feature set (2 headphone sockets, 2 Inputs, ADAT) .. Also the RME Interfaces of course. I've had my Apollo Twin now for quite some time and enjoy using UAD plugins but unless they come out with a new interface soon I'll probably look at the Heritage Audio closely (awaiting reviews etc) and a PCie card for my DSP UAD plugins. So Barry has hit the nail on the head here. It'd be great if UAD introduce some up to date and additional features like Heritage Audio is doing. They've definitely got some competition these days where as they didn't before. I look forward to their next offering and will wait a few months before making any decisions. In the meantime, happy music making!
This is just a deflection. Where’s the lie in Barry’s video?
@@patrickperinger1383 Barry is just another talking head. His videos are never instructive. He just throws around opinions and fools pay him with their time.
if you are doing a review on the 16R, I can give e you a heads up. I purchased this last year and this wa the best money spent for hardware, Totally happy with this. Great piece of gear!!!!
Loved my pair of RME ADI-8 DS. I had them for about ten years. I just switch to a Lynx Aurora, and I couldn't be happier. I have an Apollo Twin that I really only use for quick recording of ideas or for a playback device for my laptop. It's simple and great for that purpose.
After many years with UA I recently switched to Antelope and so far so good. Great plugins from UA, will give them that.
I could not agree more with this analysis. I would like to stack on this. More advanced routing (crucial), hardware inserts, sends and returns, and maybe some type of network routing
Use the Apollo 8P and love it...except, as you mentioned, I can't use some of the plugins because of the DSP...
Family sign in focus. Face is not. I for one respect that because of your family's thoughts of you. I would rather have that sign than any piece of gear! Great vid
The Autofocus Spirit could not resist the sign's compelling contrast.
@@spamsponge maybe it's a case however rare the technology is trying to tell us something good
Hi Barry, thank you for all that you do - your perspective is always appreciated. I am a bigger fan of Universal Audio today than I have ever been and it has everything to do with their plug-ins and nothing to do with their audio interfaces (FYI: I am rockin’ 2 Octo Satellites). I don’t use their audio interface(s) and, frankly, I couldn’t care less. Today we have options and, dare I say it, BETTER options at that. I agree with you that at this point ANY company would need to impress me to get my money and/or to switch interfaces but I don’t need it to be UA. UA will continue to get my money for their superior quality plug-ins and, as an example, Waves will never see a dime from me ever again. Thank you again for what you do! 👊🏽
Same here, I echo your sentiment. Most companies have things that can be criticized. I'm a prod pro tools user since 2001. I would recommend something else to newbies starting out, but this is what changed my life and helped me to work from 2003-to the present. Universal Audio is a big part of my system. Love it. To each their own. The best equipment is the one that gives the Human behind it creativity, and technical efficiency. .This is a great time to be recording..
He’s telling the truth
When UA parted ways with Rich Williams they let go of an enormous audio design asset. He designed the 2290 converters and went on to create Burl Audio. If UA had created an expandable chassis platform like the mothership they could continue to develop and expand their products to include expanding dsp if they wanted to continue with that or make upgradable modules to suit a broad user base. The Burl platform is pretty expensive but there's no reason that platform couldn't have more affordable converter options. I'm not saying that ua should have become burl but they could have future proofed their platform with a modular type of design instead of making guaranteed e-waste.
Does room EQ
Make all the difference on an interface purchase? What exactly is the use for this? I understand for live sound this may apply but home studios have untreated parallel walls inmost cases.
Why I use my studiolive series iii. Good dsp for monitoring and I record in dry. Eq compression models and some delays and plates. On vocals. Among alot of other reasons
I bought a x8p on recommendation of the store I went to. The sound was fine and all, but the thing put out a ton of heat and my room gets on the warm side in the summer, so it was a no go for me. I replaced it with an Antelope, which has been great (never really gets hot).
I think companies are trying to hype things too much these days too. Honestly, if you buy a great interface, as long as drivers stay current, you can ignore what's coming out until you're ready to upgrade or it's not supported anymore.
I would have switched to a different interface a long time ago but there are a few reverbs and delays I want to keep in my arsenal.
The UA ecosystem is still a nice ecosystem to play around with. An 8xp + Sphere + nice batch of comps and reverbs will go a long way.
Audient evo16 - don't think you can beat it. I love mine!
I bought a Volt 476P not because I'm some entry level young consumer, but because I wanted an interface to use with Logic Pro for iPad on my iPad Air. So far so good.
I use 3 apollo x series interfaces but my next interface will most likely be a RME the bang for buck and quality is just very hight. And I can still use maybe use one if my appollos for real time auto tune or something going out via adat into the rme.
I dunno. I had an X6. I sent it to Black Lion for the premium mod with the XB clock. That was a big leap in sonics. Then i got the Burl B2’s ADC/DAC. Again, huge leap in sonics. Then I got the RME UFX3. Best workflow ever. Still sounded best clocked to Burl. Burl still trumped it on sound quality. Sold the Burl’s, and the UFX and bought a Prism Titan and I don’t think about sonics anymore. Absolute best sounding interface I’ve ever heard.
It’s been out since 2014.
You can just do something once and do it right.
If it works, don't fix it. I own an RME ADI-2 Pro fs and an older Fireface UFX. I also own a Universal Audio Apollo x8 and an older Apollo 8 with about 220 UAD-2 plugins. Previously, I used Focusrite and Presonus interfaces. I used both for over a decade until they failed due to bad capacitors. Instead of fixing them, I decided to upgrade. I'm completely happy and content with both RME and Universal Audio and see no reason to 'upgrade' for something just because it's 'new'. I own quite a few pieces of older outboard gear including a Studer and Revox tape machines in which there is no 'upgrade path'. IMHO, chasing after the latest audio interface release is a waste of time.
I swear I got so lucky getting the rme. I just got back into music in 2021 after 10 years of taking care of my sick mother. When I started building my studio the m1 Mac I bought was not compatible with the Apollo so the Sweetwater guy told me he had a better one for me. I said a better one? Then he presented me with the rme. It took me a half a day to route the headphones but once I did that I understood how the mixer worked. It has been the best, most stable, and highest quality part of my studio! They need to work on their marketing though but they're getting more popular through word of mouth alone.
UAD their interfaces are solid and dependable. Probably the most dependable and durable. UAD needs to come out with a control surface for Luna. A full size control surface at least 24 channel that’s button for button. The only thing you need a mouse for is slicing and moving audio. Their interfaces are fine. No need to fix something that’s not broken. Maybe they can add an interface in the control surface. If they do this they will knock pro tools out the box. Every channel needs to have dedicated eq strip compression just like an ssl board. No mapping are hitting shift it needs to be button for button for Luna.
I am a hardware person, because I work with computers sitting behind a computer that feels like more work. So I loved it when the pedals came out, but that excitement quickly turned to disappointment when they did not implement midi control over the pedals. So although they sound amazing I tend to lean toward using other pedals for my music, pedals that I can connect over midi to my sequencer. I only have one pair of hands and those are often already occupied by my instruments. So I share the sentiment that UA feels to be focused on their plugins and although they put them in pedals, they release promotional material that focuses on how they got the algorithm to sound so good. Unfortunately the hardware isn't getting the same type of attention to detail, so it seems to me.
I'm a "RME guy" but Audient interfaces are stellar values. I left UA 3 years ago....going 100% native. Zero regrets. I thought UA would have released a "hybrid" interface 2 years ago!!
I drop UAD always had problems with my Apolo not connecting right. The couple of times i recorded vocals with it. The sound was great. Just like protools for me if theres to many issues to mess with all the time its to much to deal with. Just want to record and mix unrestricted
what I think would be best is a interface with a channel rack built in. And a volume meter window like the audience ID.
Sometimes the artist want to hear themselves but processed and they don’t want to hear themselves to loud.
I went from the ID 14 to the UAD vault/76 because my ID eventually wore out.
Honestly im not impressed with this experience.
Sold my UA and plugins for a Lynx(n) with 4 pres and endless IO options. The UA stuff was great but limited and expensive plugins and reliance on dsp vs lunch box and a few select hardware pieces. I am more of a fan of my old UA hardware which is soooo fantastic and still is.
We can only wait and see but since I’m fairly new the Apollo solo is good but here pretty soon I’ll need something good. Great videos
Well Barry I’ve been with UA since Uad 1 pci I still have my original silver face Quad ,and my 16 Blackface,with 1073 pre amp clones and hardware compressor,s,UAD has been rock solid for well over 15 years,Neumann mic’s Sphere Mic’s ,it’s not my interface ,interface is just away to get there,it’s your room takes easily 50 percent of your room ,I use very little of there plugins ,I do use them with analog gear on the way in ,for me it’s everything else room ,instruments,song,song,song song,song,never my interface ,never rock solid ❤
I couldn’t agree more. Months ago I was thinking to add an Apollo Rack. Now I’m looking for other brands
I went for the apollo twin some years ago now, I was thrilled...then. Not anymore. I totally agree with you.
RME runs CIRCLES around UA. DO YOU HEAR ME!? RME UFXIII I just upgraded to and immediately noticed the clarity and much better sound stage. Don’t just take my word for it … look up the video reviews. It’s amazing. I can’t wait to get off of UA but I have a lot of the plugins.
@@Observerw similar quality to what?
I think UA would have had a new interface 2 years ago if they were focused on being a pro audio company. They’re all over the place and really have no focus. Native plugins, Luna, guitar pedals, seems like everything but an interface. I still use them and am generally happy with UA.
I had decided to upgrade my minimal studio with the Apollo x8P with the Black Lion Audio Premium Mod, and, the UA Octo Core TB3 Accellerator.
I had purchased the $1200 UAD-2 Ultimate plug-in bundle last year.
The Big Reason was that I could UPGRADE my Ultimate Bundle with the UAD2 'COMPLETE' Bundle for $1500. (this would give me their entire Plug-In collection)
NOW, I'm ready to buy, and they've raised the price ~ NOT double, But 7.3 X's ...
From $1500 to $11,000 ‼️
I was more than willing to buy their premium hardware when they allowed you to Upgrade your Plug-In suite at a reasonable price.
I will running everything through a Neve 5059 Summing Mixer.
Not a UA fanboy, actually I’m not a big fan of the company, but I kinda see it from their point of view. I’m sure the current Apollos are still one of the best selling interfaces. I’m sure their native releases have boosted sales above where they would have been at if they hadn’t started releasing native versions of their plugins. From a financial point of view, I can see why they’d make the decision to get another year or two out of their current product, before putting in the expense to make a new version and market it. Also I do respect them not putting out a new version every 3 years like some companies. That said, all your points are very valid and I agree it’s time for them to do something new.
On the plus side, they are rock solid. Negatives, 4gb driver updates, console is just archaic and primitive. Round trip latency bad. I’m mostly bummed that still only about 10% of the plugins have moved to uax. You’d think they would all be done by now.
My Mac and Apollo were getting old and I knew I would have to upgrade both if I wanted to get current. I decided I really did not want to get a new Mac and use my monster PC for recording. After doing lots of research and talking to my Sweetwater rep, I was steered toward RME, even though I own a ton of UA plug ins. Now, I've completely made the switch to PC with an RME Fireface UCX II and I'm glad I made the change. When I bought the Apollo, I didn't even own a Mac and I used it through Firewire on PC. It was one of the worst tech experiences I've ever had. I ended up buying a Mac just so I could use the Apollo. I'm finally free of the Apollo and Mac and can use the system I've always wanted to use with latency that is almost completely invisible. So long UAD & Mac.
UA is starting to feel like Waves with all the sales and annoying emails that they weren't bombarding us with a few years ago.
I was fed up waiting, so I went RME!
I agree . Every year at NAMM we expected something new and innovative from UAD. It’s been a while! I don’t think they were at N2024. If they were, they were easy to miss!
Question: What do the newer interfaces offer that the latest Apollo series do not offer? Thx
I rarely can recommend UA stuff to people. I think it's great for certain things. Such as live streaming and not having to open a DAW and have all your stuff with 0 latency (remember the daw itself takes up CPU/GPU power these days and streaming is very resource heavy sometimes). The plugins are still top notch, but the best can be gotten native now. as far as DSP stuff since the native stuff came out i rarely run out of DSP power now. granted it involves a lot of shifting of plugins like taking off the DSP reverb and putting on a similar native plugin. in general though it still holds up. To the point i'm thinking about selling my DSP octo card i rarely use these days.
I have an RME which replaced a previous RME because I wanted more mic inputs with room correction. Aside from compressors there is nothing UAD has to offer me as their interfaces are a joke for the price and feature set AND not playing nice with PC users compared to RME who writes their OWN stable drivers for both platforms. Native plugins was a great move, but I had all I needed prior to, but decided to grab a few while on decent sales. UAD got comfortable and now are being left in the dust because this isn't the 90s anymore. My pc and interface can track with no latency so that is not a selling point.
Yeah I got a lynx aura n for my summing the only thing I can give them is their c suite vox I like the preamps plus that together through my x8. But I don’t want lynx to give me something better I wanted UAD to smh
Merging Technologies and Neumann have been doing some pretty incredible things with audio interfaces as well. I own the Apollo x6 and I agree that it needs an upgrade. The included DSP is laughable and only really useful during the recording phase. I also thought they were going to release something at NAMM last year. It was disappointing. For what it's worth, I still love my Apollo though and I'm not ready to use anything different.
An excellent development over the last few years has been the substantial increase in the performance of inexpensive converter chips. That is why modestly price audio interfaces substantially outperform the high end audio interfaces. Julian Krause's YT channel is the leading authority on the measurement of audio converters. His charts demonstrate this dramatic improvement in modestly priced audio interfaces.
I was a UAD user with multiple units for 14 years and I just decommissioned them for a new RME Fireface UFX iii. This thing is insanely flexible and powerful for the price. I didn't even think about the fact that i've had ZERO new software additions in probably 10 years from UA. They also have never addressed their awful windows drivers. RME literally embarrasses them in terms of software and updates
Your camera is out of focus.
I do agree. I have an X6 and I’ve been thinking about selling it to get a Prism Titan.
Prism Titan would be a major improvement over the X6.
I really like my UAD native plugins, I look forward to UAD transitioning more of their plugins to native. I have been interested in some time now in a UAD interface because of the low latency option for tracking with their plugins. But I agree with you 100%, UAD is taking too long to come out with an updated hardware interface that would compete with other $3K-4K interfaces like RME, Avid Carbon and others. The longer UAD waits, the more likely my next interface will NOT be UAD. Even Trinnov's new Nova caught my attention, while it doesn't have dsp for tracking low latency, the idea of dsp room correction is appealing (does not replace sound treatment). If Trinnov comes out with an easy to use "SuperNova" that has Atmos support with eq and delay DSP, it just might go that route. Yes, I know low latency and eq dsp are not the same thing, but I have yet to see an interface that has everything I want, so I end up having to decide what is the most important that is out there.
As a home recorder/songwriter who doesn't do this full-time, it's a lot of money to spend on UAD - when the technology is outdated.
I am more impressed by a company like Audient who came out with their EVO series with auto-gain function, etc...
Got rid of my Apollo Twin Quad and picked up an MBOX Studio, not looking back especially since I can get most of the same UA plugins I use native now and what I can’t get native from UA, I got free from AVID. The MBOX converters and mic pres are pristine. The features for guitarists are fabulous. BLUETOOTH in and out is so great. Class compliance, standalone mode, ALL GREAT! Sorry UAD step it up.
As I predicted last year, universal audio now does focus on pedals. Now you won’t need as much horsepower for your desktop interface and therefore you won’t need any new interface.
If i could afford an RME it would be a dream. Hell, i wish Cranbourn made a budget interface to go with my EC1.
I have been waiting for UA to release something new but I can not wait any longer. I am looking to expand and improve my X6 !.
I Love my RME UFX 3 in combination with UAD Plugins native best choice
Glad to see you are still doing videos. You always do a great job.
I never used UA Interfaces and their DSP ecosystem. I found it "limiting" and I didn't want to be limited by compatible plugins or something. So when UA started to make their plugins native I finally started to buy their stuff. So far so good.
But still I never felt tempted to buy any interface from them. They are in my opinion to expensive for what they actually benefit. I could go cheaper, without DSP but similar pre-amps or go quite the same price for an interface but with better conversion or more features. So why would I ever buy an UA interface?
And finally to tell you what I use....it's an SSL12 for my laptop, and an RME PCI soundcard on the stationary PC. 🙂
Did u say Atura audio or Ventura? What's that?
I bought the twin a few years back, I had never used UA before that. I wasn’t impressed after the amount of money it cost. To be honest I don’t even use it, it’s so expensive for so little.
Barry, I don’t always agree with you, but you are SPOT on with this video! I’ve been a UAD/ Apollo user for a long time now. I have 2 Apollo’s. an OCTO Satellite, and nearly every plugin they make . About 6 or 7 years ago (I may be off) they stopped allowing their customers to call for support. Their “support ticket” email support is a JOKE. I , like you , would like to believe they’re about to turn the corner on some of this nonsense. The antelope interfaces are starting to look real good! I will give them this….those SHARC chips do help with high track count production. Even my M1 Max has its limitations. It’s nice to be able to get some dsp boost from the satellite. Something is brewing for sure , because I’ve heard rumors about them revamping “CONSOLE”. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them come out with a hardware control surface that represents their CONSOLE application.
Time for UAD 3 !! These Apollo’s need a revamp
Barry, you hit the nail on the head. I look at my Apollo Twin as a second choice now. I mainly keep it as a backup and for convenience with existing recordings. I am using an RME Babyface Pro FS and it's everything I need --- super low latency and plays nice with Windows. I don't want to open a second can of worms about Apple, but I am having my own philosophical problems with them and I am moving to extricate myself as much as possible from their "ecosystem". I really like some UAD plugins but , heck, I have everything I really need. The whole point of buying their hardware was to be able to use their plugins. Besides, my old bread and butter work (TV, film, radio post-scoring) is going the way of the buggy whip. But, been there, done that... I think AI will eventually take about 90%+ of the market away from us home studio composer/producers. We will have to wait and see, but by extrapolating from what I have seen over the last few decades, I expect a pretty wild ride.
You’re right man. I’m the biggest UA fan boy ever. I have 3 Apollo x8p’s, an x8, a Twin Quad, and an Octo satellite, a bunch of the UAFX pedals, as well as pretty much the entire plugin library. Over 12 years of using their platform. I thought they were gonna come out with something new 2 years ago. I do all of my mixing in Luna at this point. But, my most recent interaction with their customer support just to get my new Verve plug-in to register was infuriating to say the least. It took me over 2 weeks to get a response on a support ticket from their new customer service platform. They are NOT keeping their loyal customers happy.
I find it interesting that all of the UA's native plugins report a latency of 56 samples in Pro Tools regardless of sample rate. It comes off as conspicuous and it seems they set it up intentionally so you can't monitor live through them like you can with their own hardware. I have a Presonus Quantum which is one of the fastest thunderbolt interfaces on the market and I can monitor live through several other 3rd party channel strip plugins including Softube Console 1 and get the same results. Yes, some plugins require more processing and there are others that report even more latency and should be used only when mixing, but it's not across the board like UA Native. You don't even have to do the math to know that 56 samples makes it impossible to use them live in real time.
Barry, speaking of RME (UFX III), can you do a video on its actual sound. I got one, but that is my very first interface. I do like it, but at times I kind of think of it as sounding too modern, to German-precise :)
Am I wrong or, some other interfaces could potentially have less modern and more vintage vibe?
An interface should never alter the sound in any way, what you want is what goes in comes out. Flavor is achieved by analog gear.
Actually, I have heard this from a few RME owners. I am on the fence for this reason and waiting to see if UA brings some magic soon before I invest this next round.
@@push22frets don't get me wrong. The way I feel, it sounds modern, almost too modern. I'm glad that other people also had similar experiences, so it is not only me. I am not saying it is bad, but rather to be careful if you have a specific taste in music (production). Everything sounds clean(er), punchy/clean. And mind you, I do have external preamps that color the sound. If there could be a comparison, it would be something like with preamps comparison, Neve 1073 as vintage, while more modern sound would come from Api 512v, or Capi preamps.
If I were you and not in a hurry I'd wait to see what UA comes up with, at least till the end of the year.
@@damirvukelic8087 We all know there is more to interfaces than just the converters. It’s all the circuitry around the converters that determines warmth, sterility, tightness, headroom, etc ……. Each box and company has its own vibe and take on the subject no different than a guitar overdrive pedal. The digital domain often leaves us asking for that 3d depth we experienced with our older consoles and the inherent compression/ saturation analog circuitry provides. I do think we are blessed to have the automation and recall that we have. For me, I like features from many manufacturers and am content to wait a bit longer to see what transpires. I can still enjoy what I have. It’s really all about the money, and at this point, I am not in a position to buy a regret.
I am going to be in the market for a new interface in the next few months and am almost sold on RME. The flexibility offered by total mix and the driver stability seem like something they are way ahead on. Now to decide between a baby face, ucx ii, and UFX ii. lol.
Make sure you watch my totalmix videos
@@BarryJohns oh already watched them probably 10 times as of now! Lol! Do you know how it all compares to the Apogee symphony desktop? They are in the same range and I like the form factor of the Apogee as well. Thanks for all of the time you put into all of this, I learn something from every one of your videos!
I settled on a Motu and ended up spending ages reconfiguring everything in Windows trying to achieve smooth transport. I finally gave up and got a Babyface, plugged it in, and that was it. Driver stability is a HUGE factor!
Ok just ordered an RME UCX II and an audioscape opto compressor. @barryjohns this is your fault! Haha!
Hi Barry - Love your videos (Especially ones related to UAudio!)
Please check your video focus settings - as watching your recent video make me and probably others bit dizzy
- Your face and eys go off focus most of time while background stays sharp on focus
- If you have manual focus in place, dont move too much much back and forward
- If you using auto focus, dont keep moving your hands in front as focus keeps shifting
Warm Regards from Singapore
They remove the plugins when you don't download them, that's what happened to me, for example, there was a vst called aujam, I didn't download it because I didn't use it yet due to lack of space, after wanting to use it it was no longer there and so on with others, so it's not very good. mark if they don't let you choose what you want and when
RME is the GOAT - end stop. My new UCX-II is simply a battletank. BUT - if I need to - I can still fire up my Multiface 2 in a heartbeat with drivers that still work here in 2024. I bought this thing in 2009! That is compelling.
My external UAD DSP has started to drop out for the past year. Shame! Wish they were as stable as they used to be. :(
I didn't start buying UAD hntil enough of the plugins I wanted were available on native. Since I have, I'm honestly a big fan of a few of them. But, their hardware never really appealed to me.
With my limited IO requirements, I'm pretty sure an HDSPe AES and discrete converters are in my future. Obviously, it depends on how much IO you need, but I have yet to see anyone really improve on that.
As a result, UAD might sell me hardware if they just bring out something like the 8p with AES IO (and upgraded DSP would be nice).
I had several UA devices, and recently decided to move to the RME
This Is Exactly Why I Choose Antelope Audio in My Recording Studio When It Comes to Audio Interfaces
Saw the writing on the wall last year and switched to antelope. Best move I’ve made. And dsp is way better. Works flawlessly w m3 pro
Also sold the ox box that was crap
Totally agree. I'm definitely a UA interface/plugin fanboy, and have been waiting patiently since last year to see something new. I have a Twin silver face, a Solo, an X4, 8, 8P, a quad and octo satellite. I was planning on buying 2 new 8ps but I got tired of waiting and ended up spending all that money and more on upgrading my live sound rig.
Sorry Mr. Putnam, all of last years and this years money is going to your neighbours, John and Helen Meyer.
Barry, how about the Top 10 Suggestions for UA
Couldn't agree with you more sir. With the options and competition out there (including quality and price) I will NEVER spend that much on an Apollo just because it says UA on it. If I was to upgrade from my MOTU it definitely wouldnt be an Apollo.
I just brought a Antelope Audio Galaxy Interface on Thursday and dumped my Apollo and was in the process of changing up my studio to add it and boom crazy you came out with this video and we are in the midst of watching while installing it🤣.
Love Antelope. I also really liked Arturia's interfaces, but I wanted a lower latency. The Orion gives me under 2ms in Logic.
I'm currently looking at the new Neumann interface.
UA has been lost in the woods since they released LUNA in 2020…a DAW nobody was asking for. Many of us wanted a) improved versions of their plugins b) better hardware integration with their plugins. I like the slow crawl toward native they’re on, but you’re right on the money with their absolute miss regarding their high end Apollo line. They seem distracted. I own most of their plugins and multiple interfaces of theirs. So I say this as someone who has invested in them quite heavily for 11 years.
Uad should just dropping everything for you right?
Which Arturia interface is he referring too?
Uad only appealed to me bcoz of The UAD Satellite but then Antelope Audio is probably their closest direct competition with that
Antelope drivers aren't reliable at all :(. After years on focusrite, I pull the trigger on Antelope... Few months later I joined Universal AUdio. Antelope sound is problably beter then UA but only when interface works. :) No pb with UA (on Apple side off course)
What they need to do is upgrade the unison, technology converters, and put an M1 chip in there for DSP processing. Then let us run any plug-in through console. In any DAW. This would be THE best interface out there. And for what they currently charge. The M1s are cheap now so it should work within their profit margins.
I was disappointed in UAD in the whole PC or MAC issue as a teacher I need needed both I got over that and than the price of the plug ins got a very that and than the locked in got over that . Then the question of subscription got over that but I pulled out went to Apogee and Audient . I feel like I was afraid of being locked in to plug ins I could really use to the full extent. Sorry I don’t think I will go back to UAD unless big change happens. Audient is a little glitched but Apogee is solid that’s where I’m at. And what’s us with the Apollo Twin having only no adar out put .
Id love to see Luna on PC which I know has been rumored for a while now. Seems crazy it’s not on that OS already.
I moved on from the Apollo Solo to a Neumann MT48 because I wasn't happy with the reliability. The quality upgrade on the MT48 is just staggering. My voice overs sound far better. The preamps are insane and my headphones sound even better.
There has been no sign of new Apollo hardware coming out, and those plugins are going native. I don't really see a reason to invest in the ecosystem anymore.
I been done with Uad and there products years ago , they still haven’t made every plug-in native and u can’t even use other plugins compatible with there interfaces Like I could do with my carbon , I could us McDsp , plug-in alliance, etc
I’m waiting for the Silicon PCI card for Apollo
Can you use another interface with an Apollo? I need some extra io for outboard gear, Thx
If it has ADAT input or out on it, sure. Just use one as the interface and the other as the ADAT extra inputs.
@@Scott__C Thx for the reply. I thought of that already. What I meant was, can I get another thunderbolt interface and insert it into the chain?
@@crescentsoundstudios Oh. Not sure about Windows, but on a Mac you can go into Audio & MIDI Setup and create an Aggregate device and select the two interfaces and which one is the main one etc.
Surely they are working on something! 🤔
I can’t imagine not printing effects with low latency while recording. I use my go-to presets and templates which makes mixing a breeze. Dealing with latency while tracking is a deal breaker for me.
I have not dealt with latency in years. Just add the plugin after recording, zero difference.
I dont like TotalMix but I love my RME UCX II. Its really delivers incredible audio quality.
Watch my 4 totalmix training videos and you will change your mind.
I think plug-in maker need to switch there focus on making plugins sounder more like hardware build on the plugins they already have,I purchased every plugin out and I only used 4 plugins they were the only plugins I felt that was actually different and sound good everything else is really not needed
companies release whatever they release.. people should not get distracted too much. i’d rather have them release nothing, then s’thing rushed and stick to their own timeline.. however i did run into a thing with ua that i thought was really misleading.. neve summing.. THE thing that makes you want to convert to luna.. you could try luna pro and included was a trial for neve summing, which was native, since i don’t own any ua hardware. after the trial i was really happy, especially with the sound the luna/neve sum combo added to my tracks. so i decided to get luna pro.. but then when i wanted to buy the neve summing, their site gave me a msg saying i couldn’t buy it since i don’t own an apollo or satellite! whaaat!!? kinda a nasty way to get you.. they got me.. and no fine print anywhere on their site. i mean i was willing to put down $300 for this.. it gave me waves/avid vibes..