💽 Get Your Tracks Mixed by Ed: edthorne.com/mixing 🎬 Best Interface For Mixing! This HP Amp is Insane!: ua-cam.com/video/n0fyFRl2R24/v-deo.html 🎬 Scarlett 4th Generation vs 3rd Gen: ua-cam.com/video/_LDDzsxp1a0/v-deo.html
Underground Raiload TV show in Chicago That’s great. I haven’t used one yet but I’ll look out for it. Rode are a popular brand and I would imagine will clear up a lot on the Podcasting circuit so I’ll look into reviewing one.
@@33yearsoldcarpenter buy whichever you can afford, i have the Scarlett and love it and i am sure i would love using the apollo also. With good plug ins and a good computer with at least 4 cores, i don't have any latency issues
People need to remember that there were albums recorded on old ADAT's and DIGI 001's . Many cheap off the shelf interface are now 24 bit, 96KHZ with better specs than those. The Shins first album was record on an old HP computer with a sound card. The gear isn't so important as much as the ability to make the most of what you have. And of course, great performances with emotion. If you have the money, then go ahead and buy the best you can afford. Otherwise, focus more on the music, instead of lusting over the latest sexiest UAD equipment.
Scary, you took my words out of my mouth almost verbatim. There is a 192KHz/24Bit 100 plugins frenzy out their with everyone thinking that's their edge. Wrong. Your music, passion, playing and compositional capabilities are your edge. I'll never forget an interview with The Spin Doctor's producer from the early nineties. They asked him how their drums sounded so good, what was the secret? His answer? "Aaron Comess is an excellent drummer". There you go.
very true after hearing this just shaprening up on your mixing skills can make all the difference as apose to spending that xtra money for something most may not use to its full potential
@@EdThorne Ed ...to my ears i hear the UA is a little more thick sound but it goes a bit like to the edge of going distorted (kind of when you are way too close ti the mic effect) and is also way too much sensitive to pickup artifacts and that is for being so true\good in the Mic Preamp section ! The Scarlett is a bit thinner but not as bad that cant be fixed with ext gear or int plugins ! So, now that i know this thinning problem on the Focusrite, i will always add a bit of more body to the vocals i will record from now on !! Thanks for the video and alert me of this !
dnantis Hi, yeh, I didn’t quite get the gains matched in this video, my apologies. I did however get them identical in the video below and I think you can hear the same differences in the audio: ua-cam.com/video/IkuuxFvNB_g/v-deo.html
The funny thing about recording is the ones actually listening to the finished product would never say oh he use a Apollo interface or he used a Scarlett interface. If your a audio engineer you know how to make anything sound great 👍🏾
But the problem comes when you want a good translation from your DAW to out of the DAW to be same, and not sounding different. It's not a matter about quality anymore but colouration. And in Mixing/Mastering, that can be a hell to second-guess through because you want your mixes to sound exactly the same once they are bounced out.
@@wmurray003 bruh.... that's because it's lossless. You shouldn't be bouncing your mixes in mp3 anyways for whatever reason other than to test how your mix sounds under the stress test.
Vid just recommended to me. Seems like a lot of hate on the focusrite interfaces. I own multiple Scarlett interfaces and they all function beautifully. I have lots of interfaces from multiple manufactures and the reality is that anything manufactured recently sounds pretty decent. Years ago I wouldn’t work on anything but apogee converters. But converter tech is so good now for so cheap that you can get a decent converter paired with usable preamps for a crazy inexpensive price. Just because the Scarlett is cheaper, doesn’t mean that isn’t usable for pro work. There are plenty of affordable interfaces out there working right now. Very few products in the modern pro audio marketplace are “night and day different” from a competitor, regardless of price. Understand signal flow and gain structure, by the best interface you can afford and put time into your craft. All that to say this- if you only have Scarlett money, buy a scarlet and get to work. Your interface decision isn’t going to make or break your career.
I hate scarlett it always made my vocals sound extra bassy and i would have to do way more mixing to get close to the sound i was going for even had to pitch my vocals up a few times i've recorded on more expensive equipment didn't have that problem
I got the focusrite and I made great recordings with it, it's scary to think how much better the recordings could be with the Apollo. I had a stand alone studio in a box recorder, people used to rave how great the recordings sounded and often would ask which studio I record at. I simply just added some effects and some EQ on the vocals. I was shocked how with the focusrite I didn't have to add EQ just a little reverb and gave me big studio quality recordings.
As someone that has owned both you’d be very underwhelmed and disappointed. The difference is minimal. Take a look at the Audient Evo4 or ID4 MKII. I consider it a step up from the Focusrite Scarlett and a good middle ground. I would consider it the best starting point or standard for budget friendly home studios that don’t need a ton of inputs and outputs. Otherwise just save up, get an Avalon 737 and then you’ll be left with no more questions about how the king of mic preamps sound and never need to consider another preamp ever again lol.
I’ve used the Scarlett 2i2 for 5 years and I recently upgraded to the Apollo Twin Mkii... I’m not saying you can’t make great professional recordings with the Scarlett 2i2, because great records have been made on a tascam 244 four track, but I will say, I don’t regret upgrading to the Apollo and the plugins that you can only get on an Apollo Interface are truly amazing. I think if you’re looking to “open pandora’s box” and be inspired by new plugins and sounds, get an Apollo Twin. Otherwise stick to what you got and keep recording great music! (:
I've been hearing lots of "tests" on UA-cam regarding both audio interfaces and so far I didn't notice so much difference between them until I got to your video. In my opinion when we are recording instruments, you can't tell the difference so easily, but when it comes to Vocals it becomes really obvious that Apollo has a warmer and clearer sound, thanks for sharing!
Yeah, we hear the difference and lots of people thinks is not worth the price and all that shit... if they want to compare this interface just direct sounding I can say to them just buy a cheap Beringer um2 and done. I guess compare focusrite scarlett with older apollo twin make a little bit more sense because this X series ada converters almost the best... new/cheaper tech compare with very expensive soundcards and all that stuff... ohh and the "downside" is converters too good for default headphone amp & preamps I think... Great video btw. Keep it up!
Andrei Tarkovsky once said that art is never made under ideal conditions. When I mentioned this one day to Warren Chang he said “No, but it certainly is nice when you can.” 😉
The main Apollo benefit for me are the UAD plugins. The sense of presence/space and rich tone would be very difficult to create on the Scarlett. Not sure you would notice this so much in a mix, but side by side on good monitors there is a clear difference between Scarlett and Apollo. Worth it for me. Especially for recording challenging instruments with huge range like acoustic guitar.
@@sylvesterheisenberg7682 check arturia mini fuse. That 100 $ interface just kills Scarlett preamp. Like the Scarlett sounds tiny compare to minifuse! So yes it's overhyped.
I just want to add something for those wanting to use the Apolo as your main sound card on your home studio/gaming rig and even Skype calls. The Apolo isn’t compatible with some applications like the the scarlet is. I couldn’t use it with my talk back mic on video games and Skype calls or any video call applications. Neither application nor web based video call websites couldn’t recognize the interface but had no problem recognizing the scarlet. If your a producer who also games and streams and does conference call on the same pc. The Apolo May give you complications on applications not meant for Audio engineering. I’m not sure if they have updated their compatibility by now but for me it was a major draw back and it definitely added more value to the scarlet for those reasons.
What isnt being discussed here is that the output converters of any given interface are extremely important for mix decision making. I came from using MOTU interfaces and felt when I moved over to UAD that I could simply hear a bit more detail. This is something you cant really experience unless first hand. Also UA-cam's audio compression as well as the compression in the video render is going to seriously limit your ability to hear the difference in clarity between the units. My 2 cents. Great review thanks!
EarthCry I agree with you, definitely best heard in person. Do you think it’s worth while posting the raw audio files on my website for people to hear themselves?
@@EdThorne sure! While its likely difficult to do with vocals, trying to gain match the takes would help. Louder is always perceived as "better" to the inexperienced.
I tried, but not hard enough it seems 😀 I adjusted the output signal so they were the same level but the Apollo is just a fuller sounding device with more top end making it sound louder. A lot of people have been listening using their eyes too because the wave forms are different. I definitely paid much more attention to this on my following interface video (across ten devices - that was tricky). 😀
I own both interfaces. You can get good, pro-quality recordings from both. The big difference for me is that Apollo has a thunderbolt interface. This allows me to track vocals or guitars in real-time with plugins. I mainly use my apollo as a "digital" amp locker. I have most of the amp sims and they are excellent. When I'm tracking I can not detect any latency. When I'm tracking vocals on the Appollo I have several legendary vocal amp/sims and they are really good. I can also add EQ, compressors, reverb, and track in real-time with no latency. Is the overall sound better? For me, I really can't tell, they both do a great job. However, the Apollo is much more than a simple interface.
Totally agree.I own both,too. Apollo twin do very great job in vocal and guitar tracking.Also I'm very satisfying in compose,arrange and mix with scarlett 2i2.
Some have posted inaccurately about the specs of the two interfaces. 15dBu max o/p for the 2i2, and 20dBu max o/p for the twin. Likewise the 2i2 ha can handle 9dBu input level, while 25dBu for the twin. The 2i2 is similar to other usb powered interfaces in that it is low power and will not accommodate signal levels from pro outboard gear. Having an interface with low enough latency that one can monitor through the daw and not need a separate hardware (driver) mixer to handle headphone mixes. This really speeds up workflow. This is due to the Thunderbolt architecture in the twin. Likewise having DSP for headphone reverbs which don't force a higher I/O buffer is really helpful. As we are often needing a lot of plugins, having some that are DSP powered helps things. I would agree with others who have posted on this video that people sometimes try to replace an experience deficit with more costly gear purchases. However, the idea that someone who is wanting to approach the sound quality of Neve (UAD plugins) for example, wanting higher quality conversion, or engineers in a professional studio; are all compensating for something is ridiculous. There is a reason why historically the best albums have been recorded in professional studios: they have access to higher quality mics, preamps, consoles, monitoring acoustics. While one channel's worth of class A gear may not make the album way better, you can't deny the over all effect of Class A gear on all the tracks in a production. While the UAD is not really the same thing, at least it tries (preamp emulation, modeled plug-ins) and gets closer. There is also a reason why experience as an engineer or producer makes or breaks a recording. Some DAW users however view modeling of the harmonic characteristics of vintage gear or using vintage gear, as snake oil or unnecessary. Their productions tend to become bland and two dimensional. There is an art form in how the gear is used that isn't just dialing in compressor or eq settings. The UAD, while not quite the same as vintage gear, gives you more in this regard than a Scarlett interface. A Scarlett interface is cheaper and what I can say as an owner of the 18i8 is that there is nothing wrong with it. For the money, getting an 18i8 and having a system that has clean & quiet head-amps, no driver issues, and comes with some really useful Softube plugins is great, so long as someone doesn't expect the head amp to sound like a 1073.
You’re welcome. The value in the Apollo is also in the Unison Preamps, UAD plugins, near zero latency whilst monitoring with the plugins, the ability to print these monitoring effects as you record, and it’s desktop controller functionality. I glossed over the Unison feature a little bit in this video but there’s more info about it in this video reviewing the new Apollo Solo: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html
Nice. At my studio I've been using the Focusrite Clarett 8pre for years with some outboard gear. It's an excellent unit for live rehearsals etc. Yet since the quarantine I've been marooned at home so just ordered the Apollo and I'm stoked to try it out for my living room setup.
A big thing to consider is whether you plan on adding hardware pre-amps to your rig. The Apollo Twin usually comes with a small bundle of UAD plug-ins, which in my case included the UA-610 pre, LA-2A, 1176 and Fairchild compressors, and Pultec EQ. I use all of these, but the most important one for me, by far, is the "Unison" version of the UA-610. To my ears, this plug-in is indistinguishable from the hardware version, in every possible way. I've owned a lot of hardware pre's that I've been unloading since I bought the Apollo Twin. I no longer need ANY hardware pre-amps.
The really huge difference comes in to play when using the unison feature of the, UAD when tracking. You get to record hrough the modeled Pre-amps. As well as complete latency free tracking with the plugins.
@@EdThorne The unison slot in the console makes the plugin in the recording. The rest you can choose. I choose not to. But if I start running out if DSP, I'll commit in protools, which basically dus an offline voice, then makes the existing track inactive.
in a studio monitoring situation, it's pretty obvious. but given I don't make music, I 100% can still hear it in the final product. as can the audience. many people have recognized the wider range for the apollo when it's layered with other effects. for voiceover, it's very helpful if youre working with cinematic music. For reference, you display it at 8:40. Look at those waves. great review!
@@Leonidas909 Yeh, I didn’t quite get the gains balanced in this comparison. I did however get the balance right in this video and the sound differences are the same: ua-cam.com/video/IkuuxFvNB_g/v-deo.html
UAD Apollo for sure!!! I came from using Behringer Xenyx USB, M-Audio ProFire 2626, M-Audio 2X2M track, Focusrite 2i2 3rd gen, and now using Apollo Twin Duo mkii. Looking forward to upgrade x4 soon! The zero latency tracking solved most of my recording and practicing problems before. Yes, the differences are dramatic for me personally. And I love UAD plugins!!!
There was actually a much bigger difference than I expected. I'm a beginner and I bought the Scarlett not long ago. I'm not disapointed, but when I'm beginning to get good at this I would definitely invest in the Apollo Twin, or something even better.
For the money, the Scarlett is great, it does a good job. It’s worth getting familiar with all the plugins that come with it. Enjoy the creative process 🙂
They sound the same to me... I mean honestly when you add drums and guitars and sythns... You'll never hear the "corona cough"... Scarlett is good enough...
I used an MBOX 2 at my home studio for years and had a few songs actually make the radio with my recordings, mic placement and great mixing made the difference.
@@almas7123 if all you are recording is vocals, sound blankets are a godsend, I set them up in triangle and put the mic in a corner. Once I get a good signal, I know my vocal takes are will be good in general. I never mix at home though, unless it’s for reference for my mixing engineer. I do have a good relationship with someone who mixes for $150 a track, they not only do a great job but they also will zoom me in on the session to make sure the vision is complete. You also want a mixing engineer who is gonna add the proper treatment i.e. tuning and aligning, and in some cases sound additions or sound subtractions. There are mixing engineers that are more pricy, and they often doesn’t include a master either. I have had mixes done by engineers who charge $1000, which were in respect to the engineer, worth every penny, but I also NEVER write off my current mixing engineer because he has the same skills and charges way less and I know the tracks are just as good I’m quality, if not better in some cases. I also do know my mixing engineer does use an Apollo twin and has a ton of UA plugins that make up a lot of the sessions.
@@almas7123 also take some sound engineering class If you can it will really help with the basics of anything you might be missing, like learning Eqs and bus channels all which greatly make up the fundamental part of it
Thank you so much for the detailed reviews and comparison. The Apollo has a cleaner and more open sound (as you noted). It's not just how one track sounds, imagine the difference when used to record 20 tracks (it adds up).
A big lure for the apollo is the plugins; especially using them in 'Unison' mode with the unit - in essence turning your mic input into either an api, neve or other desk through the software. I've been using the neve pre on the unison input for everything and the tonal character difference is amazing. I also print a lot of pre recorded tracks through the same plugin and the character difference is night and day to me. DSP limitations are annoying although i'm happy to put up with them due to the quality of the plugins. Its the diminishing returns thing really.... Had a scarlett 18i6 for 6 years and loved it, but I couldn't go back now (annoyingly!). Great vid
Thanks Paul. I have a new series starting tomorrow diving deeper into the Apollo world. I’ll be exploring Unison, monitoring/printing fx and DSP management in much more detail. 🙂
Listening through: computer -> optical -> Arcam rDAC -> CI Audio VHP2 headphone amp -> Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250Ω I would say the Apollo has a slightly "harder" sound than the Scarlett; also, what sounds to be the delayed bleed from the vocalist headphones is more apparent with the Scarlett. IMO the Scarlett is the more transparent. As with Hi-Fi equipment, it's easy to hear extra things in the music when one item is several times more expensive than the other; confirmation bias.
As with Hi-Fi equipment, it's easy to hear extra things in the music when one item is several times more expensive than the other; confirmation bias. What did you mean by this statement? I'm not understanding you.
First off: two thumbs up for an excellent review. It was informative, enjoyable to watch - a time well spent. Thank you for taking the time make it available. To answer your question: to my ears, the Apollo sounded better than the Scarlet. Even with my humble setup (macbook and presonus 4.5 monitors), there was a more "immediate presence" with the apollo sample than with the scarlet. If I were a professional, I would buy the apollo - or something at that level - no questions about it. But if budget is a consideration the scarlet would be a good choice.
I have a Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen + Shure SM7B + Rode PSA1 Arm + 2 PreSonus Eris E44 Studio Monitors. All this cost me roughly $200 Canadian less than what an Apollo Twin would cost. I'm not saying it's not worth it for some folks, however the subtle increase in clarity / quality of the Apollo for me isn't worth spending an extra $900 Canadian. I'm likely gonna upgrade to the 4th Gen Scarlett today actually. I also use OBS Studio as I do gameplay videos on my channel, and I use FabFilter Parametric EQ, along with FabFilter De-Esser with a noise gate and compressor for VST's within my OBS. Those were expensive. Great video btw.
I wasted so much time and money in the studio splitting hairs. Then I realized that the regular customer has absolutely no idea about the sonics. Either they like the song or they don't.
hahahahaha you cant look at it that way man......music is to be felt too....thats what all the money for good gear come in at. To get rid of the rugged and harsh unnecessary subtle stuff. It pays off in the end.✨
I have Scarlett 18i8 and Octopre because I have lots of small synths that I like to jam live on so I need lots of inputs, so I am a fan because of price level. I couldn't do all this in the "Pro" line of interfaces. From my understanding when they say "Pro" the difference is if your sound is going to be used in a professional setting. If you are looking to make a track that is going to be played through a banging club sound system or in a movie theater, then you will then notice the difference. So I think it is hard to tell the difference much in normal environments. I could be wrong, that is just my understanding.
Gonna be honest, after having both interfaces, the Apollo blows the Scarlett out of the water Sonically. The plugins and converters took my mixes to another level. You’ll have to experience it for yourself, I felt like there wasn’t a difference until I actually had an Apollo in my setup.
I do agree but that air mode on the Scarlett with the best analog plugins in the world acoustica audio makes the over hyped Apollo sounds like plastic trust me mixing with the Scarlett and acoustica audio plugs make you don't Ned outboard gears
Considering the Scarlett is the budget sound card, and there’s a HUGE price difference, I’m not surprised. It would be a different story if it was using the Clarett range.
I didn’t watch the video, just viewing comments about it. My question since you could tell the diff, did he show the interface as you listened to it or did he hide it from you and made you guess which interface you think it was. That would be more Legit in my opinion. Too often we say the brand is just better because it’s pricier, etc.
Great video Sir. I just wanted to say I have a Gen 1 Apollo Twin Solo. I have been using it constantly for over 7 years and it still works and sounds great. DSP limitations force me to render individual tracks on larger projects, but that's not too much of a problem. I have used lots of other interfaces that work and sound good, but to me the Apollo just seems to record source tracks that are just a bit more "real" sounding, especially on vocals and acoustic guitars. I recently purchased an Earthworks SR40V to use as my primary recording mic when making those types of tracks, and I found that the incredible detail that mic captures is not lost when the signal passes through the Apollo. Finally, after all these years, I'm really hearing what this Apollo is capable of recording. I thought it might be worth mentioning to anyone looking at setting up a home studio or upgrading one they already have that if you don't have a quality mic on the front end of your signal chain even the best interface will not give you the best sounding source tracks.
Thanks so much sir for your comment. It's much appreciated. I have watched some of the UAD Apollo interface reviews for some time and saw that they are like the interface any studio should have cause of their excellent sound quality. But one really see the pro's and cons once you own one I suppose. I hear some say about the DSP that limits the Apollos plugin usage but that their plugins are of the most wanted hardware emulations in the world. So now my question is, what are the differences between the Solo, Twin, etc? Does it mean the processor can handle more plugins on the different models? I am also considering going for the Volt 476 or an Apollo cause the Volt's are a bit limited regarding UAD's plugins. Also does the Volt, being fairly new, have sound quality difference compared to the Apollo's? Wish I knew a lot more in order to make the right decision. Any input will be appreciated. Kind regards.
Good comparison. I had a Focusrite 6i6 before I got the Apollo 8, and “felt” it sounded better, but was well-aware it could just be my own confirmation bias at work. So it was nice to hear them A-B’d. My initial impression, before you said anything, was that the UAD had more depth and more “air.” It may not make a huge difference in one track, but with multiple tracks stacked together could really have an impact. I’d be curious to hear the comparison with the Scarlett’s Air button engaged and disengaged, compared with both itself with the UAD. Anyway, good video, but the background music was entirely too distracting. Keep ‘em coming!
Dennis Kambury Thanks for the feedback Dennis. My model is also the 6i6 so I didn’t have the air button to hand, but I figured otherwise it would likely sound the same and it would be better to talk about the new model. Any particular bit of music you didn’t like? Too loud?
@@dkambury Haha. Too catchy - I'll take that. I have tried to pay attention this on subsequent videos and checked the audio levels on different systems. Thanks for the feedback :-)
Thank you so much for this... you can tell the audio you recorded through both contain almost the exact same signal, with perfect gain setting/mic placement. This video is perfect for showing artists the difference in preamps. For me personally, it's definitely worth saving up for that apollo. But it's really subjective
Thanks for watching, I’m glad it was helpful. The value in the Apollo is in the Unison Preamps, UAD plugins, near zero latency whilst monitoring with the plugins, the ability to print these monitoring effects as you record, the expandability with other UA devices, and it’s desktop controller functionality. Plus, the monitor routing flexibility is far superior. I glossed over the Unison feature a little bit in this video but there’s more info about it in this video reviewing the Apollo Solo: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html
I got both and you can definitely tell the difference when using them. It’s all about how you using it, like I use Scarlett to make beats and then when I need to record artist I switch to the Apollo, it’s good and worth the money if you have it. But if you got the Scarlett just use what you got until it’s time to buy a new one when you saved enough, don’t let people get to u , whether having the expensive one making you better at what your doing. #KeepGrindin
I have a 2nd gen Scarlett 6i6 and the main complaint is that I don't have a lot of headroom to work with. I use it for micing up Hammond organ (mono). That's for service use. When I patch Nord directly into the interface for recording (home) use It clips or even worse.. I get that there are ways to mitigate this but part of playing organ requires a change in volume.
@@Marijuana-Johnson recording keys in general is very good. It handles all of my stuff including my bass and synth patches. I believe this might be the best budget interface for personal use but if you need more channels definitely look at a Behringer
When you played them side by side on the computer 8:35 , you can see in the wave forms. The apollo is capturing more dynamic range. Just look at the size of the peaks and blobs in the wave form vs the scarlett. I mean its expected given the price difference.
I'm very satisfied with my $150 Roland Rubix22. I can see myself moving on to the Apollo for reasons entirely separate from audio quality--I want the external processing and access to UAD plug-ins, which sound amaaaaazing.
I have gotten great results with the focusrite. I also have a i7 cpu so I don't get any latency when recording. I won't be using the apollo unless it's gifted to me.
Is there a way to "reroute" my DAW ( I work in FL Studio ) to Apollo and then to record it back in the FL? For example - if I want to run my bass vst through preamp on unison input? And if someone tried that I would like to see comparison video of using some preamps directly on channel in DAW and same preamp located on unison section.
Hi there. You should be able to route your master output to outputs 3-4 on the device and then use jack to XLR cables to send that back through the pre-amp and the unison insert and plugin section, where you can write the inserts/plugins with the audio, yes. Is that what you meant? But, then you may as well just insert the plugins you want on the channel strip?
@@EdThorne Yeah, I could insert plugins on the channel strip, but then they are treated as "normal" plugin, not as when they are set on Unison position. My doubt is if there is a ( big ) difference when plugin that is meant to be on "unison" position ( when lights turn from green to yellow and when you change presets on it you can hear hardware clicks ) is used as a normal plugin in my DAW? Let's say we use Neve 1073 - if you put it on unison position light will turn yellow and you can hear hardware clicks when changing presets, while you don't have those clicks and change of light if you are using Neve 1073 in the FL Studio.
I am an Apollo owner. IMHO, they are both perfectly usable, professional tools. Apollo IS more high-end, because it gives you all the fancy options you mentioned and grants you access to UAD's plugin-library (which is pretty expensive, but the plugins that the interface comes with are more than enough to get you by) which is remarkably above other companies in regards to modeling analog sound, so if you know what these old, analog boxes do and are going for that specific vibe, then Apollo is a great way of getting those sounds ITB without breaking the bank. However, I've used the Scarlett a few times and it works perfectly and sounds wonderful as long as you're using a decent mic (even a SM57). It is all about taste and needs. I don't see much functionality in Apollo for EDM artists and the like, but if you're going to be tracking a lot, those extra $600 are REALLY worth it.
nobody talks about Behringer U-phoria umc 404. This is just a stellar low price audio interface with midas preams, christal clear sound recording, low latenci (really low latency), mono/stereo button, multiple outs, a/b monitors, single earphones out, pad, inst, line buttons etc... Stellar for 110Euros I paid for it!
You would hear more difference between a cheap, ok, good or great interface by using an acoustic guitar, piano etc. There is where the different level mic pres will really make a different. Also need really good headphones to hear the difference or a really good sound system.
The Apollo outputs are much better. The Scarlett DA conversion uses +10dBu = 0dBFS, compared to Apollo's +26dBu = 0dBFS, so the Apollo has 10dB more dynamic range on the conversion before harmonic distortion and clipping is introduced to the signal.
Bro great vocs and thank you for the vid i was about too break the bank on the appolo but im a baller on a budget and i can upgrade down the road :) You rock
I couldn't hear a difference, and it was a slight difference, until I put on my hd280's. I guess if you want the best sound you can get you gotta spend more but I feel like if in the right hands the Scarlett can go a long ways.
You can do a better job at getting the loudness right. In the first run it wasn't too obvious, but when you're ABing the Apollos parts are definitelt louder, which can result in it feeling like there is more brightness and detail to it.
The biggest difference is the extra features that appolo comes with. Our consumers are nubes so the sound quality will go unnoticed tbh but getting antaras and all those plug ins AND the ability to track my guitar through it makes it better
It is always fun to see creators demonstrating high end audio devices sound samples in a youtube videos :) Like: - Yeah man, I can totally hear the difference after the youtube recoded it. 👍 Nice video tho
a point on your sound comparison at the end. the apollo recording is louder, it would have been helpful to address that and match the levels. thanks for the review
Yeh, I didn’t quite get the gains balanced in this comparison. They were however compensated for on the output so the volumes are almost identical. I think you’re hearing the perceived volume difference the preamps capture. Be careful not to listen with your eyes. I understand the difference in gain may have influenced the sound but I matched the gains in this video and the sound differences are the same: ua-cam.com/video/IkuuxFvNB_g/v-deo.html
I've owned both units and for my purposes the focusrite was far more simple to use and the results I've gotten are excellent. I found the plug-ins for uad extremely overpriced and I also prefer the simplicity of the focusrite workflow.... just my two cents.
That's totally understandable. The Console routing/monitoring aspect of Apollo can be confusing but it's absolutely brilliant when you get your head around it, I can't imagine life without it now :-)
Yeh, I didn’t quite get the gains balanced in this comparison. I did however get the balance right in this video and the sound differences are the same: ua-cam.com/video/IkuuxFvNB_g/v-deo.html
When you talked about the specs, you didn’t talk about the spec that makes the apollo converters a professional interface. The converters in the focusrite have a maximum output of +10dbu, the Twin has a maximum output of +26dbu. This is fine if you only ever use your audio files in a consumer setting. The twin is a professional device with professional converters. Let me explain why this is important. The reference level for professional gear is +4dbu or 1.23 volts. This means that if you run audio recorded through the focusrite through any outboard gear you only have 6db of headroom between reference and clipping vs the Twin having 18-19db of headroom. So if you‘re not serious about the audio files you record, then use consumer equipment... it doesn’t sound terrible. BUT if you plan to ever use the audio you record in ANY kind of professional environment or you take audio seriously, get a professional interface with high quality converters.
Jason Cox, this is information I feel you will find in textbooks because you are the first to highlight this; this is news to me. Do you mind if I ask, what would be an easy way of identifying professional interfaces? I know most musicians/producers mostly use Apollo stuff, but could other brands like Audient, PreSonus etc.?
Thanks, Kenneth. I left a few key details out of this video in hindsight. The value in the Apollo is in the Unison Preamps, UAD plugins, near zero latency whilst monitoring with the plugins, the ability to print these monitoring effects as you record, and it’s desktop controller functionality. I glossed over the Unison feature a little bit in this video but there’s more info about it in this video reviewing the new Apollo Solo: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html
I have a 3rd gen Solo and a RME babyface and honestly on my ADAM A7x's I hear no difference between the two. Obviously the RME is a lot more expandable ( I have expert sleepers ES3 and ES6 for a modular/DAW hookup using RME's ADAT ins and outs ) and it has XLR outs and nice pres, but that's pretty much where it ends.
My 8i6 is great. I think whatever difference we're hearing between these two boxes is in their preamps, not their converters. I opted to save the money on and interface and spend the extra money on a used Blue Robbie and run it into one of the line-ins. On my Neumanns and Blue MixFis I cannot hear a difference between my Robbie on the Focusrite and my friend's nicer interface, leading me to believe it is just the Preamps that we're hearing in your video
Hi Michael, i am playing nayflute instrument and i have presonus studio one software in my laptop. I am blowing nayflute with backup music track in studio one. For better recording quality, could it be useful to supply focusrite Scarlett audio interface or Roland vt4 vocal processor ?
I bought my Scarlett for$80.00 . Obviously if I could afford the more expensive one right now I’d get it. But I appreciate the information for a future purchase. The Scarlett is just a starting point for my budget right now
I just opened up my studio for booking at my current office space where I usually just make beats. I've experienced latency with my scarlett 2i2 3rd gen and some static/vnyl noise coming out on vocals. I am still on a budget as I am currently spending $ on bills and other products. Im not really focusing on sessions with bands where I need so many input connections. The Mic I'm currently using is a Warm wa87. Is there a Audio Interface you recommend to use for now to upgrade from my Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen if the Apollo Twin is out the picture?
Hi Luis, The static/vinyl noise could be preamp saturation if you have the input signal too hot. It's always worth checking the mic cable too. A noticeable upgrade on the Scarlett preamps and definitely converters is the Clarett. The pres sound great, arguably better than the Apollo's, as you can hear here: ua-cam.com/video/IkuuxFvNB_g/v-deo.html And it's priced pretty much in between the Scarlett and the Apollo Twins.
On listening to this presentation through a decent pair of headphones I found that hey both sound exactly the same to me. However I am seventy one years old and suffer from tinnitus and can't hear high frequencies anymore. I own a focusrite solo and am well pleased with it but as I need to upgrade to something with more flexibility, ie inputs. I had been thinking along the lines of the UA Apollo, but not anymore. Thank you for your insight. You have made my mind up for me, and saved me a few bob into the bargain!
Harry Saunders Hi Harry, I’m glad the video helped your decision. The Scarlett is great for the money. The Apollo is expensive for the Unison preamp emulations, monitoring and UAD plugins. Thanks for watching.
I truly love my Appollo twi n mkIi Thunderbolt.. Took my music to a new level. And when it works, its an easy interface to work with. However, right now its down, thunderbolt and pc can be a hassle. Worked beatifylly for 3 years though. Need to go to my pc specialist.
And I agree. insteaf of producing all theese useless promotion videos and fancy stuff, they should work harder with the basics. But again, when iit works, and if you can afford a few of their plugins, its heaven. I actully think other vendors should copy their concept so that we consumets get some more competion, in particular on tne PC side and UCB C
I was hoping there was going to be someone mentioning presonus here. That company doesnt get the love it deserves. Ive been using the 1818vsl along with Studio One for years and couldnt be happier with it.
@@gweeds334 When Presonus first started their products were all hand made in the USA and nothing short of STELLAR. The problem started when that quality made them popular and they moved everything over to China to make a few extra bucks and the sound quality dropped off radically. Still good...but not great like they were. Rockford Fosgate did the SAME thing before coming back with their tail between their legs and correcting the mistakes. I have an original blue tube pre which isn't expensive, but I really liked the sound of it. I figured if I wanted that sound but better I would buy the new blue tube model ...along with another Presonus "class A" pre they had for sale to check things out and BOTH of them sounded bland and vanilla....non musical and tight. Just didn't sound good, was average at best, and didn't have that magic I was used to. If you love your stuff it was probably handmade back in the day...or you just know how to mix tracks really well to try and put life back into them. I talked with one of their head engineers and the first thing he said to me was "Hang onto that thing!" and then told me the story about how things had changed and the older products were just better. The original blue tube I have is what they call a starved plate design, which is a cheap way to make a "tube preamp", but it also adds this flavor in the sound that you don't get with normal tube pres. I've heard it said that they sound almost like a transformer based pre that runs tubes so they have this blended sound which might be why I like it. I've had recordings on that thing that went right into a standard sound blaster sound card that would blow your mind when mixed right. Damn the numbers..does it SOUND GOOD? People ask me ALL of the time what I'm using and their stunned when I tell them. The sound is just phenomenal and stands up to the very best equipment I've ever heard, no lie. It just worked. But it's getting old and depending on how long it's been turned on the sound will change radically. That makes getting a vocal take during that small pocket of time where it's been warmed up just enough to come to life, but not so long that it starts to muddy up and lose transparency and vibrancy.....more difficult. It's possible that certain preamps are just temperamental. I want to get that Amazing sound consistently and the UA Apollo twin looks good. But Presonus's equipment now...meh. I had one of their interfaces too and it was crap.
This showed me what an amazing deal the focusrite is. If I had a money making studio I’d get the Apollo but I’d feel like I’m getting ripped off for sure, there’s not 500-600$ difference. The Apollo feels like it would be at home at 349$
guitar guy The Scarlett is great value for money, especially with all the extra software. The value in the Apollo though is the offsite plugin processing and expansive monitor signal processing potential.
There is a difference between a cheap interface and a more expensive one. I had an audient id4, then upgraded it to an id44. I can tell you the difference is night and day. The id4 was decent, but felt congested when I was trying to mix. Now I can pinpoint all the frequencies with accuracy and hear everything clear, that's how I'd describe it. If you can afford to upgrade, it's worthwhile..
When you purchase your ID 14 ? I have mine from about 3 years ago. They use Burr Brown converters, after few months after I purchase they stop advertise that ID 14 is made with BB...so I think they switch to cheaper one and probably thats why you can chear the difference. My ID14 is day and night with Scarlett but I dno't think there will be such huge difference to Apollo or ID44 produced today.
I don't think the id44 has burr brown converters, but whatever they are, they're decent, and a bit more dynamic range than the apollo, but just a little bit. There is however a bit of difference between the id14 and 44, I was going to buy the id22, but got the 44 for a good price, so thought why not, not going to be upgrading for a while..
So, as an Audiophile, I am searching for the best sound. After doing research I may go with a Focusrite 2i2 Scarlett, - Antlion XLR Power Converter, - Antlion Audio ModMic Uni. I already have a DAC/AMP: Monoprice Monolith Desktop - Headphones: Sennheiser HD 599 SE's
Apollo uses Thunderbolt which Apple and Avid claim is as fast as a PCIE card straight to the logic board (motherboard) so I'd go with Thunderbolt over any USB interface.
Uh, except what does that have to do with recording exactly? Bus speeds over USB are pretty damned quick, let alone recording things doesn't really factor into this much. A well written audio driver will compensate for any delay and such. Sorry man, but that's just marketing hogwash. If USB were so poor, they wouldn't make USB recording interfaces. ;)
@@JayKaufman Thunderbolt 3 data transfer speeds are 40Gbps while USB 3.1 is 10Gbps you are straight tripping. USB is designed to transfer data in separate chunks while Thunderbolt is able to continuously transfer data, and be daisy chained to more Thunderbolt devices saving inputs. USB interfaces work with most computers it would be insane for manufacturers to not make them.
@@AlexanderKorotkov42 yes since i got my appollo twin thunderbolt2 for PC, i never ever have experienced any chooking whatsoever (apart from the expected DSP overload) , it has been brilliant. To get it to work, driverwise, can be both thrilling and disapointing, many can testify. And for how long will UAD support drivers, if intel or windows change specificationS, I dont know. My own unit mysteriously ceased to work the other day.. Well, could be a hardware issue, so wount blame UAD at this stage.
I have both of the ones displayed in the thumbnail. I’ll be honest. The focusrite gives a more full distorted recording. The Apollo Twin gives a CLEAR clean recording. I prefer the rawness of the Focusrite
Do to the situation I can't hit the studio so I recorded vocals in my house. ( Scarlett 2i2 and mxl990 mic) the mix ingenire at universal music preferred my setup that the one on the studio (enormous expensive) Scarlett its amazing for the price lol
@@EdThorne Definitely!! If you record in a quite room and don't abuse on the gain, you can get an amazing sound! Also a lot of times when the song is finish it is really hard to notice the difference.
Hola. Where are you from ? I liked your songs. Subscribed:D Im from Romania, wife Colombian and we live in the UK. In working mad hours and this is my 2nd attempt to build a bedroom music studio and learn to produce my own songs. I have no paino or guitar skills, I like writting lyrics though. Some months ago bought an used Ableton Push 2 and Live 9 Suite. Few days ago upgraded to Live 10 Suite. Was checking Scarlet 2i2, Motu M2. I still have a good pair of Sennheisers so I wont investing in studio monitors yet. But Im looking at an audio interface and a decent microphone like Rode NT1a and others like yours. Any suggestions? Gracias.
japanluv Hi. I’m in London. Thanks for the sub and kind words on the music. The NT1 gets great reviews. Check out the Aston Origin/Spirit mics too. See my latest video for interface options 😀
Hi! I already have an akg c414. Which mic could I pair it with to record a podcast? I have an apollo twin duo, bae dmp 1073 and the akgc414 mic to record music. I want to to start a podcast and need a mic for a co-host. How would u suggest I connect 2 mics and which ones? I though about getting 2 rode podmics and plugging straight into my apollo interface. But what can I do if i want to use the mic I already have? Thanks for your time and video!!
The Shure SM7b is an industry standard podcast mic (Joe Rogan uses them): ua-cam.com/video/LSWxdKakgu4/v-deo.html The new Earthworks Icon mic sounds awesome and may be a better option from what I’ve seen but I haven’t used one in person yet.
Good video. I’ve owned 3 Scarletts, and currently own an Apollo. The only thing robust about the Scarletts is the external casing, but in my experience, they are not built to last (each lasting 2.5 years.). I’ve had issues with every single port failing on me. My mixes have been more accurate with the Apollo. Don’t get me wrong, you get a lot of bang for your buck with Scarletts. Vocals are more cleaner and clear with the Apollo, but I wouldn’t say there’s a huge difference. The most frustrating thing about the Apollo is that it DOES NOT come with a Thunderbolt (or USB cable, depending on which you purchase), and the plugins are quite expensive. You get a choice of 5 free ones, and anything after that ranges from $100-$500 USD per plugin ($200-$300 on avg). I wish I had a 2nd dedicated headphone port on the Apollo. If you purchase an Apollo in person, don’t expect the store to have a USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt cable to sell you, do your research and find one. I’d also advise researching the plugins beforehand to know which ones to pick when registering your device online.
Thanks Isaiah. All good points, especially about researching the plugins. I think it’s a fixed set of plugins you get now though, I don’t remember choosing.
Ed Thorne Hi Ed, Perhaps that’s one of the differences between the UK and the States, but I’m not 100 percent sure. The plugins weren’t set for me upon registering my device when I bought it in Nov. 2019, the UAD site made me choose from the plethora of plugins available, I wish I knew which ones to get beforehand. Anyway, I enjoyed your video, I wish it was available before I bought my Apollo because it took a month before I was able to use my device due to insufficient knowledge. Cheers and stay well!
How have the drivers been for you with these products? I owned the 1st two gen Scarletts and for me they were unsatisfactory. Extended use and long sessions the sound would suddenly go 'robotic' a bit like a Agent from the Matrix movies in the process of taking over a subject. Plus the drivers are rarely updated and seem to stop when a new generation is released.
Various Artists I’ve never had that issue with my Scarletts. However, I used to get a “Hardware Not Found” message all the time. I’ve been using an Apollo interface for a while now.
I can hear the subtle difference. I like the sound of the apollo. The apollo makes the vocals sound a little more compressed and warm. As where the scarellet sounds a tiny bit more flat
If your trying to do serious stuff, upgrading is pretty important. U can fill a room with good stuff but this decides how high that ceiling (quality) goes.
The apollo is a bit brighter and more clear. I can see the effects of that pre stacking over a bunch of tracks. But also think that the scarlett could easily match it with a hair of eq.
Exactly the video I wanted to see. I have been using a Scarlett for years and have heard about UAD and how great it is. But after this, I'll stick with Scarlett. $600 more.....it gets HOT....plugins are crazy expensive.....can only run 6 plugins before DSP gives out. Can't justify it in my book, I have a 4i4 Scarlett and it's great. II have a powerful laptop and plenty of RAM. 'll stick with Focusrite for now. Great video. Thank you.
Thanks for watching, I’m glad you liked it . The real value in the Apollo is in the Unison Preamps, UAD plugins, near zero latency whilst monitoring with the plugins, the ability to print these monitoring effects as you record, and it’s desktop controller functionality. I glossed over the Unison feature a little bit in this video but there’s more info about it in this video reviewing the new Apollo Solo: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html You’d get 6-10 plugins out of the Twin DSP and there’s loads of ways to manage your dsp so you won’t run out (video on this coming soon).
My Apollo came with a usb SS 3.0 data cable (blue)...but I have the MK1. Why would they make the MKII without a data cable 🤔 I mean I know it's thunderbolt...but I still don't understand why they didn't give it to you. Maybe an employee borrowed yours and forgot to put it back
Ed Thorne I had the focusrite a long time ago, I didn't like how it added a silkiness to my voice. With the Apollo, I just get a dry clear crisp authentic sound. But many people I know love the focusrite, that's why I tried it. but as soon as I plugged it in and did a test run...I knew that wasn't the preamp for me. I fell in love with a Steinberg UR22! I would still recommend the UR22 to anyone on a budget. I actually still have my UR22, just never use it now that I have the Apollo
I have both units. I used the Scarlett 2i2 for nearly eight years and couldn’t be happier with what it did for me during that time. I got the Apollo in January as an upgrade, and it really surprised me. The UAD console was a game changer. I would say if you’re recording a lot of live instruments and vocals the Apollo is the way to go if you have the bones for it. Both interfaces are great but the Apollo is definitely better in terms of how it works with everything else going on in the music process. Just keep in mind you’ll need a computer with Thunderbolt 3 and a cable. Also as a side note I really wish LUNA was on PC...UAD PLISS.
What happens if you are using it ONLY for guitar playing/recording. Can you hear a difference in the guitar tone and how realistic the tube amps simulations sound?
gpapa31 I had a friend of mine listen to some recent unreleased WIP tracks that use a lot of guitars. The first thing he asked me was how I got my guitar tone sounding so good...well it was the Apollo. Vocal wise, you’re still going to need a decent condenser, but that’s just my experience.
Hi, I need advice, I don't record live however all my projects I use VST's , is their a different also on VST audio quality by upgrading?? Or the interface upgrade only applies for live event situations?.
On individual tracks there's not gonna be much difference but when your adding more tracks you'll be able to hear more. But I have a focusrite. No complaints.
It's worth it to me if you use their unison technology and if you like using their plugins without taxing the power from your computer. The Focusrite is amazing too; I used it for the first 6 years of my musical journey.
Unless you do a lot of recordings, mixing, mastering and I mean a lot...You can never hear the difference. A producer can make a song sound good with ANY interface, because his ears are well tuned and utilize the interface to their maximum potential. Vice versa, one who does not know how to mix and master can make a world-class interface sound equally crappy. Ultimately, everyone hears different stuff...and hearing takes experience.
I like them both.... I can use either .... and still get top notch sound from both! I just use them both differently.... the Scarlett I’ll mainly use simple eq & compressors.... and with the Apollo I’ll use the plug-ins that I bought for it!
@@zencist If you monitor through your DAW, the round trip through the computer alone can add latency, this is compounded by adding in plugins. Most audio interfaces now have direct monitoring so you can monitor a dry signal straight out of the interface into your headphones. The beauty of the Apollo stuff is that your monitoring signal can be processed and made to sound amazing with zero latency. AND you can record that processing, should you wish. It’s very flexible.
@@EdThorne - thank you! Awesome news. I’m just starting out and trying to not buy the wrong gear but not buy something too complicated either. So. Many. Choices!
@@markconger8049 You will never regret buying an Apollo if you spend the time to learn how to use Console properly but beware you will likely want to purchase more DSP processing at some point, and the plugins aren’t cheap but you definitely get what you pay for in this game.
Please could you do a Audient ID44 & Apollo X comparison please! Many thanks for this video. Can hear the Apollo has for Thickness. It's a shame though the the DSP Chips only serve their UAD Plugins only :(
Apollo does sound more rounded and warm. Almost like more information is being captured in a smooth way. I’ve never really liked Focusrite interfaces besides their Clarett series.
Good stuff, if you look at the manuals for the Apollo and the focusrite, in the technical specs section, you’ll see slight differences in things like THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise), and if you research the physics of those measurements, you’ll understand the difference. The expensive sound cards are physically clearer. And prob have better physical transistors etc.
specs aren't always meaningful though. For instance even-harmonic harmonic distortion is warming, odd-harmonic distortion is nasty. 0.1% THD doesn't tell you whether the distortion it does have sounds good or not.
Thanks 🙂 I glossed over the Unison feature a little bit in this video but there’s more info about it in this video reviewing the new Apollo Solo: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html
💽 Get Your Tracks Mixed by Ed: edthorne.com/mixing
🎬 Best Interface For Mixing! This HP Amp is Insane!: ua-cam.com/video/n0fyFRl2R24/v-deo.html
🎬 Scarlett 4th Generation vs 3rd Gen: ua-cam.com/video/_LDDzsxp1a0/v-deo.html
Underground Raiload TV show in Chicago That’s great. I haven’t used one yet but I’ll look out for it. Rode are a popular brand and I would imagine will clear up a lot on the Podcasting circuit so I’ll look into reviewing one.
Yeh count me in 🙂 TheEdThorne@gmail.com
Which is the best interface!
@@bradleyc79 did you mean “Railroad” ?
@@33yearsoldcarpenter buy whichever you can afford, i have the Scarlett and love it and i am sure i would love using the apollo also. With good plug ins and a good computer with at least 4 cores, i don't have any latency issues
biggest difference, you cant have a coffecup standing on the apollo twin, but works just fine for scarlet
Haha🤣 I think this is my favourite comment on this video 🙂
@@EdThorne haha thanks man xD its so true for me thought, i have so little space on my desk so my coffe usually stands on my scarlet
@@Musicbypinge That’s a recipe for a wet mix 😜🤣
@@EdThorne haha
And that’s why the scarlet wins 😂
People need to remember that there were albums recorded on old ADAT's and DIGI 001's . Many cheap off the shelf interface are now 24 bit, 96KHZ with better specs than those. The Shins first album was record on an old HP computer with a sound card. The gear isn't so important as much as the ability to make the most of what you have. And of course, great performances with emotion. If you have the money, then go ahead and buy the best you can afford. Otherwise, focus more on the music, instead of lusting over the latest sexiest UAD equipment.
Truer than true. In the end, buying and upgrading gear can become an obsession and making music is all but forgotten.
Scary, you took my words out of my mouth almost verbatim. There is a 192KHz/24Bit 100 plugins frenzy out their with everyone thinking that's their edge. Wrong. Your music, passion, playing and compositional capabilities are your edge. I'll never forget an interview with The Spin Doctor's producer from the early nineties. They asked him how their drums sounded so good, what was the secret? His answer? "Aaron Comess is an excellent drummer". There you go.
very true after hearing this just shaprening up on your mixing skills can make all the difference as apose to spending that xtra money for something most may not use to its full potential
Well said.
Faxx
As Ray Charles once famously said, "If it sounds good, it is good."
ECS Media LLC True words. Apologies for my voice 😜
@@EdThorne Ed ...to my ears i hear the UA is a little more thick sound but
it goes a bit like to the edge of going distorted (kind of when you are way too close
ti the mic effect) and is also way too much sensitive to pickup artifacts and that is for being so true\good in the Mic Preamp section !
The Scarlett is a bit thinner but not as bad that cant be fixed with ext gear
or int plugins !
So, now that i know this thinning problem on the Focusrite, i will always add a bit
of more body to the vocals i will record from now on !!
Thanks for the video and alert me of this !
dnantis Hi, yeh, I didn’t quite get the gains matched in this video, my apologies. I did however get them identical in the video below and I think you can hear the same differences in the audio: ua-cam.com/video/IkuuxFvNB_g/v-deo.html
I believe the author of that quote was Duke Ellington and later used too by british engineer Joe Meek
agreed
The funny thing about recording is the ones actually listening to the finished product would never say oh he use a Apollo interface or he used a Scarlett interface. If your a audio engineer you know how to make anything sound great 👍🏾
is the apollo twin good without using the console and plugins? I need it for my Neunmann u87.
But the problem comes when you want a good translation from your DAW to out of the DAW to be same, and not sounding different.
It's not a matter about quality anymore but colouration. And in Mixing/Mastering, that can be a hell to second-guess through because you want your mixes to sound exactly the same once they are bounced out.
@@samuelng6441 think I go with a RME babyface. Heard only good things about it.
@@samuelng6441 In REAPER my bounces always sound BETTER once rendered down into a Wave file. I always find this odd.
@@wmurray003 bruh.... that's because it's lossless. You shouldn't be bouncing your mixes in mp3 anyways for whatever reason other than to test how your mix sounds under the stress test.
I think the interface is no longer a limiting factor. Both sound good enough to record a hit (or a miss).
Try doing Dolby mix
Exactly! Spend the $ on your PC/Mac
Subtle difference but I agree the Apollo is a bit more pro sounding sometimes the accumulation of small advantages wins the game
Vid just recommended to me. Seems like a lot of hate on the focusrite interfaces. I own multiple Scarlett interfaces and they all function beautifully. I have lots of interfaces from multiple manufactures and the reality is that anything manufactured recently sounds pretty decent. Years ago I wouldn’t work on anything but apogee converters. But converter tech is so good now for so cheap that you can get a decent converter paired with usable preamps for a crazy inexpensive price. Just because the Scarlett is cheaper, doesn’t mean that isn’t usable for pro work. There are plenty of affordable interfaces out there working right now. Very few products in the modern pro audio marketplace are “night and day different” from a competitor, regardless of price.
Understand signal flow and gain structure, by the best interface you can afford and put time into your craft.
All that to say this- if you only have Scarlett money, buy a scarlet and get to work. Your interface decision isn’t going to make or break your career.
Once you upgrade, you'll notice the difference.
I used to have a Scarlett as we all have done. Was good! But the Apollo is another world
I hate scarlett it always made my vocals sound extra bassy and i would have to do way more mixing to get close to the sound i was going for even had to pitch my vocals up a few times i've recorded on more expensive equipment didn't have that problem
I got the focusrite and I made great recordings with it, it's scary to think how much better the recordings could be with the Apollo. I had a stand alone studio in a box recorder, people used to rave how great the recordings sounded and often would ask which studio I record at. I simply just added some effects and some EQ on the vocals. I was shocked how with the focusrite I didn't have to add EQ just a little reverb and gave me big studio quality recordings.
As someone that has owned both you’d be very underwhelmed and disappointed. The difference is minimal. Take a look at the Audient Evo4 or ID4 MKII. I consider it a step up from the Focusrite Scarlett and a good middle ground. I would consider it the best starting point or standard for budget friendly home studios that don’t need a ton of inputs and outputs. Otherwise just save up, get an Avalon 737 and then you’ll be left with no more questions about how the king of mic preamps sound and never need to consider another preamp ever again lol.
I’ve used the Scarlett 2i2 for 5 years and I recently upgraded to the Apollo Twin Mkii... I’m not saying you can’t make great professional recordings with the Scarlett 2i2, because great records have been made on a tascam 244 four track, but I will say, I don’t regret upgrading to the Apollo and the plugins that you can only get on an Apollo Interface are truly amazing. I think if you’re looking to “open pandora’s box” and be inspired by new plugins and sounds, get an Apollo Twin. Otherwise stick to what you got and keep recording great music! (:
Are you using the Unison Preamps? ua-cam.com/video/PM8V9rb9D_4/v-deo.html
I came from a shitty lexicon omega and i can hear a massive difference in audio quality even the frequency spread changes in span
I've been hearing lots of "tests" on UA-cam regarding both audio interfaces and so far I didn't notice so much difference between them until I got to your video. In my opinion when we are recording instruments, you can't tell the difference so easily, but when it comes to Vocals it becomes really obvious that Apollo has a warmer and clearer sound, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Fellipe. Yes, I agree, I think it's more obvious on vocals. Thanks for watching :-)
Yeah, we hear the difference and lots of people thinks is not worth the price and all that shit... if they want to compare this interface just direct sounding I can say to them just buy a cheap Beringer um2 and done. I guess compare focusrite scarlett with older apollo twin make a little bit more sense because this X series ada converters almost the best... new/cheaper tech compare with very expensive soundcards and all that stuff... ohh and the "downside" is converters too good for default headphone amp & preamps I think...
Great video btw. Keep it up!
@@polgar_tamas Thanks Tamás.
The huge difference is sgen you track latency free through the UAD unison preamp plugins.
Andrei Tarkovsky once said that art is never made under ideal conditions. When I mentioned this one day to Warren Chang he said “No, but it certainly is nice when you can.” 😉
got an apollo twin mk2 a few weeks ago. upgraded from an older native instruments audio 6. the difference is undeniable.
Hey brotha I have the same interface what, about it did you notice ?
^^
The main Apollo benefit for me are the UAD plugins. The sense of presence/space and rich tone would be very difficult to create on the Scarlett. Not sure you would notice this so much in a mix, but side by side on good monitors there is a clear difference between Scarlett and Apollo. Worth it for me. Especially for recording challenging instruments with huge range like acoustic guitar.
I agree Daniel. Thanks for watching 🙏
heck, you don't even need good monitors to hear the differences... they were quite apparent to me, just listening on my laptop speakers
@@dustinthiessen The conversion in UAD apollos interfaces is far superior too :)
Thanks for the comments. Im paranoid about how much scarlet advertises youtubers I've been trying to see the differences cause it's clearly over hyped
@@sylvesterheisenberg7682 check arturia mini fuse. That 100 $ interface just kills Scarlett preamp. Like the Scarlett sounds tiny compare to minifuse! So yes it's overhyped.
I just want to add something for those wanting to use the Apolo as your main sound card on your home studio/gaming rig and even Skype calls. The Apolo isn’t compatible with some applications like the the scarlet is. I couldn’t use it with my talk back mic on video games and Skype calls or any video call applications. Neither application nor web based video call websites couldn’t recognize the interface but had no problem recognizing the scarlet. If your a producer who also games and streams and does conference call on the same pc. The Apolo May give you complications on applications not meant for Audio engineering. I’m not sure if they have updated their compatibility by now but for me it was a major draw back and it definitely added more value to the scarlet for those reasons.
The Apollo can be used for Loopback. Set inputs one and two to record outputs 1&2.
What isnt being discussed here is that the output converters of any given interface are extremely important for mix decision making. I came from using MOTU interfaces and felt when I moved over to UAD that I could simply hear a bit more detail. This is something you cant really experience unless first hand. Also UA-cam's audio compression as well as the compression in the video render is going to seriously limit your ability to hear the difference in clarity between the units. My 2 cents. Great review thanks!
EarthCry I agree with you, definitely best heard in person. Do you think it’s worth while posting the raw audio files on my website for people to hear themselves?
@@EdThorne sure! While its likely difficult to do with vocals, trying to gain match the takes would help. Louder is always perceived as "better" to the inexperienced.
I tried, but not hard enough it seems 😀 I adjusted the output signal so they were the same level but the Apollo is just a fuller sounding device with more top end making it sound louder. A lot of people have been listening using their eyes too because the wave forms are different. I definitely paid much more attention to this on my following interface video (across ten devices - that was tricky). 😀
so you're saying crappier interfaces compress well and better ones don't?
@@ghostbaum I don't think either of them do compression on their own. The quieter sound isn't compressed, it just didn't capture as much data.
I own both interfaces. You can get good, pro-quality recordings from both. The big difference for me is that Apollo has a thunderbolt interface. This allows me to track vocals or guitars in real-time with plugins. I mainly use my apollo as a "digital" amp locker. I have most of the amp sims and they are excellent. When I'm tracking I can not detect any latency. When I'm tracking vocals on the Appollo I have several legendary vocal amp/sims and they are really good. I can also add EQ, compressors, reverb, and track in real-time with no latency. Is the overall sound better? For me, I really can't tell, they both do a great job. However, the Apollo is much more than a simple interface.
Totally agree.I own both,too.
Apollo twin do very great job in vocal and guitar tracking.Also I'm very satisfying in compose,arrange and mix with scarlett 2i2.
if you are setup correctly you should not be detecting any noticeable latency with usb
Interesting take. I have the Scarlett and use numerous plugins during tracking with no detectable latency.
@@Sen-lx4kl I have been very impressed with the quality of the Scarlet. Amazing for the price.
Use Scarlett 4i4 just starting DAW. But did a research. So far solid guitar strait, then with plugins. Studio One Professional. And no hookup issues.
Some have posted inaccurately about the specs of the two interfaces. 15dBu max o/p for the 2i2, and 20dBu max o/p for the twin. Likewise the 2i2 ha can handle 9dBu input level, while 25dBu for the twin. The 2i2 is similar to other usb powered interfaces in that it is low power and will not accommodate signal levels from pro outboard gear.
Having an interface with low enough latency that one can monitor through the daw and not need a separate hardware (driver) mixer to handle headphone mixes. This really speeds up workflow. This is due to the Thunderbolt architecture in the twin. Likewise having DSP for headphone reverbs which don't force a higher I/O buffer is really helpful.
As we are often needing a lot of plugins, having some that are DSP powered helps things. I would agree with others who have posted on this video that people sometimes try to replace an experience deficit with more costly gear purchases. However, the idea that someone who is wanting to approach the sound quality of Neve (UAD plugins) for example, wanting higher quality conversion, or engineers in a professional studio; are all compensating for something is ridiculous. There is a reason why historically the best albums have been recorded in professional studios: they have access to higher quality mics, preamps, consoles, monitoring acoustics. While one channel's worth of class A gear may not make the album way better, you can't deny the over all effect of Class A gear on all the tracks in a production. While the UAD is not really the same thing, at least it tries (preamp emulation, modeled plug-ins) and gets closer.
There is also a reason why experience as an engineer or producer makes or breaks a recording. Some DAW users however view modeling of the harmonic characteristics of vintage gear or using vintage gear, as snake oil or unnecessary. Their productions tend to become bland and two dimensional. There is an art form in how the gear is used that isn't just dialing in compressor or eq settings. The UAD, while not quite the same as vintage gear, gives you more in this regard than a Scarlett interface.
A Scarlett interface is cheaper and what I can say as an owner of the 18i8 is that there is nothing wrong with it. For the money, getting an 18i8 and having a system that has clean & quiet head-amps, no driver issues, and comes with some really useful Softube plugins is great, so long as someone doesn't expect the head amp to sound like a 1073.
Great thing about the 18i8 is that you you can bypass the AD converter's and choose your own via the digital input.
The Apollo definitely sounds better and as soon as I can I'm upgrading from my 2i2 to the Twin. Thank you!
You’re welcome. The value in the Apollo is also in the Unison Preamps, UAD plugins, near zero latency whilst monitoring with the plugins, the ability to print these monitoring effects as you record, and it’s desktop controller functionality. I glossed over the Unison feature a little bit in this video but there’s more info about it in this video reviewing the new Apollo Solo: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html
First video to give a good explanation as to why there is such a big price difference. Thanks
operation kickass Thanks.
Nice. At my studio I've been using the Focusrite Clarett 8pre for years with some outboard gear. It's an excellent unit for live rehearsals etc. Yet since the quarantine I've been marooned at home so just ordered the Apollo and I'm stoked to try it out for my living room setup.
That’s great, Justin. I’m sure you’ll love it 👌
Justin Garcia hows it been? I’m in the exact situation! Is it worth it
Apollo rules. Consider getting a satellite unit if you need more SHARC processing power.
A big thing to consider is whether you plan on adding hardware pre-amps to your rig. The Apollo Twin usually comes with a small bundle of UAD plug-ins, which in my case included the UA-610 pre, LA-2A, 1176 and Fairchild compressors, and Pultec EQ. I use all of these, but the most important one for me, by far, is the "Unison" version of the UA-610. To my ears, this plug-in is indistinguishable from the hardware version, in every possible way. I've owned a lot of hardware pre's that I've been unloading since I bought the Apollo Twin. I no longer need ANY hardware pre-amps.
The really huge difference comes in to play when using the unison feature of the, UAD when tracking.
You get to record hrough the modeled Pre-amps. As well as complete latency free tracking with the plugins.
Yes. Do you monitor with plugins, and do you record/write any of these when recording?
@@EdThorne The unison slot in the console makes the plugin in the recording. The rest you can choose. I choose not to. But if I start running out if DSP, I'll commit in protools, which basically dus an offline voice, then makes the existing track inactive.
in a studio monitoring situation, it's pretty obvious. but given I don't make music, I 100% can still hear it in the final product. as can the audience. many people have recognized the wider range for the apollo when it's layered with other effects. for voiceover, it's very helpful if youre working with cinematic music. For reference, you display it at 8:40. Look at those waves. great review!
Thank you 🙂🙏
I don't get it, one wave is just louder than the other, which is bad A B comparison btw, people will always choose the louder sound.
@@Leonidas909 Yeh, I didn’t quite get the gains balanced in this comparison. I did however get the balance right in this video and the sound differences are the same: ua-cam.com/video/IkuuxFvNB_g/v-deo.html
Yeah the pre amp in the apollo must have a little nip on dynamic range pick up, judging by the wave difference
Can't compression and EQ fix the Focusrite. You can make templates for your vocal chain channel. That's what I've done.
UAD Apollo for sure!!!
I came from using Behringer Xenyx USB, M-Audio ProFire 2626, M-Audio 2X2M track, Focusrite 2i2 3rd gen, and now using Apollo Twin Duo mkii.
Looking forward to upgrade x4 soon!
The zero latency tracking solved most of my recording and practicing problems before. Yes, the differences are dramatic for me personally.
And I love UAD plugins!!!
There was actually a much bigger difference than I expected. I'm a beginner and I bought the Scarlett not long ago. I'm not disapointed, but when I'm beginning to get good at this I would definitely invest in the Apollo Twin, or something even better.
For the money, the Scarlett is great, it does a good job. It’s worth getting familiar with all the plugins that come with it. Enjoy the creative process 🙂
Ed Thorne ; Thanks, I will! :-)
I listened on headphones. They both sound great. To me the cheaper one has a better over all sound. I can work with that
They sound the same to me... I mean honestly when you add drums and guitars and sythns... You'll never hear the "corona cough"... Scarlett is good enough...
I used an MBOX 2 at my home studio for years and had a few songs actually make the radio with my recordings, mic placement and great mixing made the difference.
Ok you got my attention. Help this rookie out. What or how to I mix great?
@@almas7123 if all you are recording is vocals, sound blankets are a godsend, I set them up in triangle and put the mic in a corner. Once I get a good signal, I know my vocal takes are will be good in general. I never mix at home though, unless it’s for reference for my mixing engineer. I do have a good relationship with someone who mixes for $150 a track, they not only do a great job but they also will zoom me in on the session to make sure the vision is complete. You also want a mixing engineer who is gonna add the proper treatment i.e. tuning and aligning, and in some cases sound additions or sound subtractions. There are mixing engineers that are more pricy, and they often doesn’t include a master either. I have had mixes done by engineers who charge $1000, which were in respect to the engineer, worth every penny, but I also NEVER write off my current mixing engineer because he has the same skills and charges way less and I know the tracks are just as good I’m quality, if not better in some cases. I also do know my mixing engineer does use an Apollo twin and has a ton of UA plugins that make up a lot of the sessions.
@@almas7123 also take some sound engineering class If you can it will really help with the basics of anything you might be missing, like learning Eqs and bus channels all which greatly make up the fundamental part of it
Thank you so much for the detailed reviews and comparison. The Apollo has a cleaner and more open sound (as you noted). It's not just how one track sounds, imagine the difference when used to record 20 tracks (it adds up).
Exactly this 👌
A big lure for the apollo is the plugins; especially using them in 'Unison' mode with the unit - in essence turning your mic input into either an api, neve or other desk through the software. I've been using the neve pre on the unison input for everything and the tonal character difference is amazing. I also print a lot of pre recorded tracks through the same plugin and the character difference is night and day to me. DSP limitations are annoying although i'm happy to put up with them due to the quality of the plugins. Its the diminishing returns thing really.... Had a scarlett 18i6 for 6 years and loved it, but I couldn't go back now (annoyingly!). Great vid
Thanks Paul. I have a new series starting tomorrow diving deeper into the Apollo world. I’ll be exploring Unison, monitoring/printing fx and DSP management in much more detail. 🙂
Listening through: computer -> optical -> Arcam rDAC -> CI Audio VHP2 headphone amp -> Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250Ω I would say the Apollo has a slightly "harder" sound than the Scarlett; also, what sounds to be the delayed bleed from the vocalist headphones is more apparent with the Scarlett. IMO the Scarlett is the more transparent. As with Hi-Fi equipment, it's easy to hear extra things in the music when one item is several times more expensive than the other; confirmation bias.
As with Hi-Fi equipment, it's easy to hear extra things in the music when one item is several times more expensive than the other; confirmation bias. What did you mean by this statement? I'm not understanding you.
First off: two thumbs up for an excellent review. It was informative, enjoyable to watch - a time well spent. Thank you for taking the time make it available.
To answer your question: to my ears, the Apollo sounded better than the Scarlet. Even with my humble setup (macbook and presonus 4.5 monitors), there was a more "immediate presence" with the apollo sample than with the scarlet. If I were a professional, I would buy the apollo - or something at that level - no questions about it. But if budget is a consideration the scarlet would be a good choice.
Thank you for the comments. I agree with your assessment there 🙂
I have a Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen + Shure SM7B + Rode PSA1 Arm + 2 PreSonus Eris E44 Studio Monitors. All this cost me roughly $200 Canadian less than what an Apollo Twin would cost. I'm not saying it's not worth it for some folks, however the subtle increase in clarity / quality of the Apollo for me isn't worth spending an extra $900 Canadian. I'm likely gonna upgrade to the 4th Gen Scarlett today actually. I also use OBS Studio as I do gameplay videos on my channel, and I use FabFilter Parametric EQ, along with FabFilter De-Esser with a noise gate and compressor for VST's within my OBS. Those were expensive. Great video btw.
I wasted so much time and money in the studio splitting hairs. Then I realized that the regular customer has absolutely no idea about the sonics. Either they like the song or they don't.
James Brown This is very true. And most people listen to music through their phone speakers or AirPods anyway 🤦🏼♂️
UAD has talk back mic and processes the plug ins independently of the DAW. That’s why it’s more expensive
@@ghostbaum tru
They don’t “realize” it , but better mixes don’t cause ear fatigue and are easier to replay.
hahahahaha you cant look at it that way man......music is to be felt too....thats what all the money for good gear come in at. To get rid of the rugged and harsh unnecessary subtle stuff. It pays off in the end.✨
I have Scarlett 18i8 and Octopre because I have lots of small synths that I like to jam live on so I need lots of inputs, so I am a fan because of price level. I couldn't do all this in the "Pro" line of interfaces. From my understanding when they say "Pro" the difference is if your sound is going to be used in a professional setting. If you are looking to make a track that is going to be played through a banging club sound system or in a movie theater, then you will then notice the difference. So I think it is hard to tell the difference much in normal environments. I could be wrong, that is just my understanding.
Gonna be honest, after having both interfaces, the Apollo blows the Scarlett out of the water Sonically. The plugins and converters took my mixes to another level. You’ll have to experience it for yourself, I felt like there wasn’t a difference until I actually had an Apollo in my setup.
Yeh, when you get mixing and adding effects, which amplify the difference it really becomes clear the Apollo is better.
I do agree but that air mode on the Scarlett with the best analog plugins in the world acoustica audio makes the over hyped Apollo sounds like plastic trust me mixing with the Scarlett and acoustica audio plugs make you don't Ned outboard gears
Considering the Scarlett is the budget sound card, and there’s a HUGE price difference, I’m not surprised. It would be a different story if it was using the Clarett range.
@@roadreg1820 Video with the Clarett is coming soon :-)
Ed Thorne yes!! Looking forward to that 🤩
The Apollo definitely was more clearer... I could tell and hear the difference... Whether or not it's a 600 pound difference I'm not convinced...
I didn’t watch the video, just viewing comments about it. My question since you could tell the diff, did he show the interface as you listened to it or did he hide it from you and made you guess which interface you think it was. That would be more Legit in my opinion. Too often we say the brand is just better because it’s pricier, etc.
UA-cam dude go to soundcloud
Great video Sir. I just wanted to say I have a Gen 1 Apollo Twin Solo. I have been using it constantly for over 7 years and it still works and sounds great. DSP limitations force me to render individual tracks on larger projects, but that's not too much of a problem. I have used lots of other interfaces that work and sound good, but to me the Apollo just seems to record source tracks that are just a bit more "real" sounding, especially on vocals and acoustic guitars. I recently purchased an Earthworks SR40V to use as my primary recording mic when making those types of tracks, and I found that the incredible detail that mic captures is not lost when the signal passes through the Apollo. Finally, after all these years, I'm really hearing what this Apollo is capable of recording. I thought it might be worth mentioning to anyone looking at setting up a home studio or upgrading one they already have that if you don't have a quality mic on the front end of your signal chain even the best interface will not give you the best sounding source tracks.
Fire Side Studios That’s great. Are you using the Unison preamps too? I’ve got a video coming exploring those in detail.
@@EdThorne yes sir. I use a Neve pre and just a little LA-2A compression whenever I track something. Always sounds great.
Fire Side Studios Awesome. I’m comparing the Neve 1073 with my Warm Audio preamp this weekend. Interesting results.
Thanks so much sir for your comment. It's much appreciated. I have watched some of the UAD Apollo interface reviews for some time and saw that they are like the interface any studio should have cause of their excellent sound quality. But one really see the pro's and cons once you own one I suppose. I hear some say about the DSP that limits the Apollos plugin usage but that their plugins are of the most wanted hardware emulations in the world. So now my question is, what are the differences between the Solo, Twin, etc? Does it mean the processor can handle more plugins on the different models? I am also considering going for the Volt 476 or an Apollo cause the Volt's are a bit limited regarding UAD's plugins. Also does the Volt, being fairly new, have sound quality difference compared to the Apollo's? Wish I knew a lot more in order to make the right decision. Any input will be appreciated. Kind regards.
Good comparison. I had a Focusrite 6i6 before I got the Apollo 8, and “felt” it sounded better, but was well-aware it could just be my own confirmation bias at work. So it was nice to hear them A-B’d. My initial impression, before you said anything, was that the UAD had more depth and more “air.” It may not make a huge difference in one track, but with multiple tracks stacked together could really have an impact.
I’d be curious to hear the comparison with the Scarlett’s Air button engaged and disengaged, compared with both itself with the UAD.
Anyway, good video, but the background music was entirely too distracting.
Keep ‘em coming!
Dennis Kambury Thanks for the feedback Dennis. My model is also the 6i6 so I didn’t have the air button to hand, but I figured otherwise it would likely sound the same and it would be better to talk about the new model.
Any particular bit of music you didn’t like? Too loud?
Ed Thorne, the music itself was fine, but I guess too loud, cause I kept having my focus drawn away by it. Too catchy, maybe ;)
@@dkambury Haha. Too catchy - I'll take that. I have tried to pay attention this on subsequent videos and checked the audio levels on different systems. Thanks for the feedback :-)
Thank you so much for this... you can tell the audio you recorded through both contain almost the exact same signal, with perfect gain setting/mic placement. This video is perfect for showing artists the difference in preamps. For me personally, it's definitely worth saving up for that apollo. But it's really subjective
Thanks for watching, I’m glad it was helpful. The value in the Apollo is in the Unison Preamps, UAD plugins, near zero latency whilst monitoring with the plugins, the ability to print these monitoring effects as you record, the expandability with other UA devices, and it’s desktop controller functionality. Plus, the monitor routing flexibility is far superior. I glossed over the Unison feature a little bit in this video but there’s more info about it in this video reviewing the Apollo Solo: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html
I got both and you can definitely tell the difference when using them. It’s all about how you using it, like I use Scarlett to make beats and then when I need to record artist I switch to the Apollo, it’s good and worth the money if you have it. But if you got the Scarlett just use what you got until it’s time to buy a new one when you saved enough, don’t let people get to u , whether having the expensive one making you better at what your doing. #KeepGrindin
Well said 🙂
why you dont just use the apollo for beats too?
Ive practiced hard on the guitar and Ableton, and im ready for this amazing thing!
Kristoffer2791 Awesome. I have a video demonstrating the UAD guitar amp sims coming soon👌
Practice makes a man perfect. Carry on.
Hey Ed. Great reviews all round. Wondering if you think there's much difference between the Arrow and the Solo? Thanks
Thanks, Matthew. The Apollo Solo replaced the Arrow. Virtually identical: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html
@@EdThorne Cool. Thanks for that.
Which is better for recording guitar and vocals Motu M2, SSL 2+, Audient id14 mk2, Focusrite 2i2 3 gen?
Answers within: ua-cam.com/video/W8JFMyJKHfY/v-deo.html
I have a 2nd gen Scarlett 6i6 and the main complaint is that I don't have a lot of headroom to work with.
I use it for micing up Hammond organ (mono). That's for service use. When I patch Nord directly into the interface for recording (home) use It clips or even worse.. I get that there are ways to mitigate this but part of playing organ requires a change in volume.
Does it actually clip fat?
How good is it for recording keys in general? Should I look into something else
@@Marijuana-Johnson recording keys in general is very good. It handles all of my stuff including my bass and synth patches.
I believe this might be the best budget interface for personal use but if you need more channels definitely look at a Behringer
When you played them side by side on the computer 8:35 , you can see in the wave forms. The apollo is capturing more dynamic range. Just look at the size of the peaks and blobs in the wave form vs the scarlett. I mean its expected given the price difference.
That was really interesting, thanks so much for taking the time to make this video. The A/B comparison was especially interesting. Very helpful 👍
You’re more than welcome. Stay tuned for a part two later this year 🙂🙏
I'm very satisfied with my $150 Roland Rubix22. I can see myself moving on to the Apollo for reasons entirely separate from audio quality--I want the external processing and access to UAD plug-ins, which sound amaaaaazing.
Those are good reasons to upgrade. Plus the Unison preamp emulations are great, and it’s a much more functional desktop controller.
Would love to hear a comparison between the Scarlett and the Neve 88m
I have gotten great results with the focusrite. I also have a i7 cpu so I don't get any latency when recording.
I won't be using the apollo unless it's gifted to me.
Thank you Ed Thorne, for providing this shoot out. Many commenting here do get the purpose and appreciate it.
Thank You John 🙏
Nice one
Magic!
I appreciate you doing this little breakdown for noobs like myself. Definitely got a new subscriber. Off to another one of those vids. Thank you!
Thanks Elhanan. Welcome to the channel 🙂
Did you had the chance to play with the arturia minifuse?
I reached out to Arturia, they didn’t respond.
Is there a way to "reroute" my DAW ( I work in FL Studio ) to Apollo and then to record it back in the FL? For example - if I want to run my bass vst through preamp on unison input? And if someone tried that I would like to see comparison video of using some preamps directly on channel in DAW and same preamp located on unison section.
Hi there. You should be able to route your master output to outputs 3-4 on the device and then use jack to XLR cables to send that back through the pre-amp and the unison insert and plugin section, where you can write the inserts/plugins with the audio, yes. Is that what you meant? But, then you may as well just insert the plugins you want on the channel strip?
@@EdThorne Yeah, I could insert plugins on the channel strip, but then they are treated as "normal" plugin, not as when they are set on Unison position.
My doubt is if there is a ( big ) difference when plugin that is meant to be on "unison" position ( when lights turn from green to yellow and when you change presets on it you can hear hardware clicks ) is used as a normal plugin in my DAW? Let's say we use Neve 1073 - if you put it on unison position light will turn yellow and you can hear hardware clicks when changing presets, while you don't have those clicks and change of light if you are using Neve 1073 in the FL Studio.
I am an Apollo owner. IMHO, they are both perfectly usable, professional tools. Apollo IS more high-end, because it gives you all the fancy options you mentioned and grants you access to UAD's plugin-library (which is pretty expensive, but the plugins that the interface comes with are more than enough to get you by) which is remarkably above other companies in regards to modeling analog sound, so if you know what these old, analog boxes do and are going for that specific vibe, then Apollo is a great way of getting those sounds ITB without breaking the bank. However, I've used the Scarlett a few times and it works perfectly and sounds wonderful as long as you're using a decent mic (even a SM57). It is all about taste and needs. I don't see much functionality in Apollo for EDM artists and the like, but if you're going to be tracking a lot, those extra $600 are REALLY worth it.
All valid points 👌🙏
nobody talks about Behringer U-phoria umc 404. This is just a stellar low price audio interface with midas preams, christal clear sound recording, low latenci (really low latency), mono/stereo button, multiple outs, a/b monitors, single earphones out, pad, inst, line buttons etc... Stellar for 110Euros I paid for it!
You would hear more difference between a cheap, ok, good or great interface by using an acoustic guitar, piano etc. There is where the different level mic pres will really make a different. Also need really good headphones to hear the difference or a really good sound system.
I am mostly interested in playback quality. And i wonder how big the difference is between these two units
The Apollo outputs are much better. The Scarlett DA conversion uses +10dBu = 0dBFS, compared to Apollo's +26dBu = 0dBFS, so the Apollo has 10dB more dynamic range on the conversion before harmonic distortion and clipping is introduced to the signal.
@@EdThorne thank you for such a fast answer 🤗🤗🤗
Bro great vocs and thank you for the vid i was about too break the bank on the appolo but im a baller on a budget and i can upgrade down the road :) You rock
Yeh man, that’s what a I did. I used a Scarlett for years before upgrading.
I couldn't hear a difference, and it was a slight difference, until I put on my hd280's. I guess if you want the best sound you can get you gotta spend more but I feel like if in the right hands the Scarlett can go a long ways.
Very true 🙂
I use Scarlett nothing wrong with it
You can do a better job at getting the loudness right. In the first run it wasn't too obvious, but when you're ABing the Apollos parts are definitelt louder, which can result in it feeling like there is more brightness and detail to it.
The biggest difference is the extra features that appolo comes with. Our consumers are nubes so the sound quality will go unnoticed tbh but getting antaras and all those plug ins AND the ability to track my guitar through it makes it better
I agree. Glad you like it
It is always fun to see creators demonstrating high end audio devices sound samples in a youtube videos :)
Like: - Yeah man, I can totally hear the difference after the youtube recoded it. 👍
Nice video tho
a point on your sound comparison at the end. the apollo recording is louder, it would have been helpful to address that and match the levels.
thanks for the review
Yeh, I didn’t quite get the gains balanced in this comparison. They were however compensated for on the output so the volumes are almost identical. I think you’re hearing the perceived volume difference the preamps capture. Be careful not to listen with your eyes. I understand the difference in gain may have influenced the sound but I matched the gains in this video and the sound differences are the same: ua-cam.com/video/IkuuxFvNB_g/v-deo.html
I've owned both units and for my purposes the focusrite was far more simple to use and the results I've gotten are excellent. I found the plug-ins for uad extremely overpriced and I also prefer the simplicity of the focusrite workflow.... just my two cents.
That's totally understandable. The Console routing/monitoring aspect of Apollo can be confusing but it's absolutely brilliant when you get your head around it, I can't imagine life without it now :-)
@@EdThorne The quality in UAD is certainly there! I plan on buying a UAD Ox Box for my tube amps very soon.....cheers!
They have sales every now and then.
Also, there is the Twin X Heritage Edition, which comes with lots of additional great premium plugins.
would love to hear the difference in recordings with a similar waveform, think you recorded a bit too hot in the apollo
Yeh, I didn’t quite get the gains balanced in this comparison. I did however get the balance right in this video and the sound differences are the same: ua-cam.com/video/IkuuxFvNB_g/v-deo.html
When you talked about the specs, you didn’t talk about the spec that makes the apollo converters a professional interface. The converters in the focusrite have a maximum output of +10dbu, the Twin has a maximum output of +26dbu. This is fine if you only ever use your audio files in a consumer setting. The twin is a professional device with professional converters. Let me explain why this is important. The reference level for professional gear is +4dbu or 1.23 volts. This means that if you run audio recorded through the focusrite through any outboard gear you only have 6db of headroom between reference and clipping vs the Twin having 18-19db of headroom. So if you‘re not serious about the audio files you record, then use consumer equipment... it doesn’t sound terrible. BUT if you plan to ever use the audio you record in ANY kind of professional environment or you take audio seriously, get a professional interface with high quality converters.
Jason Cox This is great information, thanks Jason. I will look into this in more detail for future comparison videos. 🙏
Jason Cox, this is information I feel you will find in textbooks because you are the first to highlight this; this is news to me.
Do you mind if I ask, what would be an easy way of identifying professional interfaces? I know most musicians/producers mostly use Apollo stuff, but could other brands like Audient, PreSonus etc.?
@@tonylancer7367 I have a video comparing nearly ALL the home studio level interfaces available coming 👌
@@EdThorne You're blessing man, thanks so much. I never actually understood the noise around UAD, but you made me understand.
@@EdThorne This is the best video I've seen that explains it well: www.puremix.net/video/how-to-set-proper-recording-levels.html
A perfect example of the law of diminishing returns.
Great review.
Thanks, Kenneth. I left a few key details out of this video in hindsight. The value in the Apollo is in the Unison Preamps, UAD plugins, near zero latency whilst monitoring with the plugins, the ability to print these monitoring effects as you record, and it’s desktop controller functionality. I glossed over the Unison feature a little bit in this video but there’s more info about it in this video reviewing the new Apollo Solo: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html
This was a great comparison video. Thank you for it!
Thank you. You can find more information about the Apollo DSP and Unison plugins in this video: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html
The Focusrite is amazing, I have the 3rd gen Solo and it's so good! I love it!
Levi Its great value for money, especially with all the free plugins and samples. 👌
I have a 3rd gen Solo and a RME babyface and honestly on my ADAM A7x's I hear no difference between the two.
Obviously the RME is a lot more expandable ( I have expert sleepers ES3 and ES6 for a modular/DAW hookup using RME's ADAT ins and outs ) and it has XLR outs and nice pres, but that's pretty much where it ends.
bill borez You have the new one or older one?
@@reekrodriqguez6552 I have the original RME babyface.
My 8i6 is great. I think whatever difference we're hearing between these two boxes is in their preamps, not their converters. I opted to save the money on and interface and spend the extra money on a used Blue Robbie and run it into one of the line-ins. On my Neumanns and Blue MixFis I cannot hear a difference between my Robbie on the Focusrite and my friend's nicer interface, leading me to believe it is just the Preamps that we're hearing in your video
Mike Baum I suspect you’re right. It may be a combination of the two factors.
Hi Michael, i am playing nayflute instrument and i have presonus studio one software in my laptop. I am blowing nayflute with backup music track in studio one. For better recording quality, could it be useful to supply focusrite Scarlett audio interface or Roland vt4 vocal processor ?
I bought my Scarlett for$80.00 . Obviously if I could afford the more expensive one right now I’d get it. But I appreciate the information for a future purchase. The Scarlett is just a starting point for my budget right now
You’re welcome. The Scarlett is great for the money. And what’s most important is getting recording. 🙂
Ed Thorne sorry for the tinge of sarcasm there 😁😉
I just opened up my studio for booking at my current office space where I usually just make beats. I've experienced latency with my scarlett 2i2 3rd gen and some static/vnyl noise coming out on vocals. I am still on a budget as I am currently spending $ on bills and other products. Im not really focusing on sessions with bands where I need so many input connections. The Mic I'm currently using is a Warm wa87. Is there a Audio Interface you recommend to use for now to upgrade from my Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen if the Apollo Twin is out the picture?
Hi Luis,
The static/vinyl noise could be preamp saturation if you have the input signal too hot. It's always worth checking the mic cable too. A noticeable upgrade on the Scarlett preamps and definitely converters is the Clarett. The pres sound great, arguably better than the Apollo's, as you can hear here: ua-cam.com/video/IkuuxFvNB_g/v-deo.html And it's priced pretty much in between the Scarlett and the Apollo Twins.
On listening to this presentation through a decent pair of headphones I found that
hey both sound exactly the same to me. However I am seventy one years old and suffer from tinnitus and can't hear high frequencies anymore. I own a focusrite solo and am well pleased with it but as I need to upgrade to something with more flexibility, ie inputs. I had been thinking along the lines of the UA Apollo, but not anymore. Thank you for your insight. You have made my mind up for me, and saved me a few bob into the bargain!
Harry Saunders Hi Harry, I’m glad the video helped your decision. The Scarlett is great for the money. The Apollo is expensive for the Unison preamp emulations, monitoring and UAD plugins. Thanks for watching.
Ed Thorne or get an apogee and outclass both of them
lou dane I’ve recorded with an Apogee Duet and I found it a little dull. I’d prefer a Clarett or something brighter and juicier sounding.
I truly love my Appollo twi n mkIi Thunderbolt.. Took my music to a new level. And when it works, its an easy interface to work with. However, right now its down, thunderbolt and pc can be a hassle. Worked beatifylly for 3 years though. Need to go to my pc specialist.
And I agree. insteaf of producing all theese useless promotion videos and fancy stuff, they should work harder with the basics. But again, when iit works, and if you can afford a few of their plugins, its heaven. I actully think other vendors should copy their concept so that we consumets get some more competion, in particular on tne PC side and UCB C
All I’m going to say is, the best gear is the GEAR YOU HAVE. & I sold my apollo to get a presonus studio 26c.... 🤷🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️
Fair point. Whatever gets you creating when inspiration occurs 👌
Absolutely! I love gear but that doesn’t make much difference if you’re not making music.
I was hoping there was going to be someone mentioning presonus here. That company doesnt get the love it deserves. Ive been using the 1818vsl along with Studio One for years and couldnt be happier with it.
@@gweeds334 When Presonus first started their products were all hand made in the USA and nothing short of STELLAR. The problem started when that quality made them popular and they moved everything over to China to make a few extra bucks and the sound quality dropped off radically. Still good...but not great like they were. Rockford Fosgate did the SAME thing before coming back with their tail between their legs and correcting the mistakes.
I have an original blue tube pre which isn't expensive, but I really liked the sound of it. I figured if I wanted that sound but better I would buy the new blue tube model ...along with another Presonus "class A" pre they had for sale to check things out and BOTH of them sounded bland and vanilla....non musical and tight. Just didn't sound good, was average at best, and didn't have that magic I was used to. If you love your stuff it was probably handmade back in the day...or you just know how to mix tracks really well to try and put life back into them.
I talked with one of their head engineers and the first thing he said to me was "Hang onto that thing!" and then told me the story about how things had changed and the older products were just better.
The original blue tube I have is what they call a starved plate design, which is a cheap way to make a "tube preamp", but it also adds this flavor in the sound that you don't get with normal tube pres. I've heard it said that they sound almost like a transformer based pre that runs tubes so they have this blended sound which might be why I like it. I've had recordings on that thing that went right into a standard sound blaster sound card that would blow your mind when mixed right. Damn the numbers..does it SOUND GOOD?
People ask me ALL of the time what I'm using and their stunned when I tell them. The sound is just phenomenal and stands up to the very best equipment I've ever heard, no lie. It just worked. But it's getting old and depending on how long it's been turned on the sound will change radically. That makes getting a vocal take during that small pocket of time where it's been warmed up just enough to come to life, but not so long that it starts to muddy up and lose transparency and vibrancy.....more difficult. It's possible that certain preamps are just temperamental. I want to get that Amazing sound consistently and the UA Apollo twin looks good. But Presonus's equipment now...meh. I had one of their interfaces too and it was crap.
"I don't hold the answers but I know that this feels right......"
I woke up to these vocals repeating in my head lol
Ha. Awesome. You can hear the full song here (with much better vocals): open.spotify.com/album/3WZWJfHlOkTDy9faRObW8j?si=olQ0Lg64T1mzoNZQVzPmbw
This showed me what an amazing deal the focusrite is. If I had a money making studio I’d get the Apollo but I’d feel like I’m getting ripped off for sure, there’s not 500-600$ difference. The Apollo feels like it would be at home at 349$
guitar guy The Scarlett is great value for money, especially with all the extra software. The value in the Apollo though is the offsite plugin processing and expansive monitor signal processing potential.
The scarlet don't compare lol
There is a difference between a cheap interface and a more expensive one. I had an audient id4, then upgraded it to an id44. I can tell you the difference is night and day. The id4 was decent, but felt congested when I was trying to mix. Now I can pinpoint all the frequencies with accuracy and hear everything clear, that's how I'd describe it. If you can afford to upgrade, it's worthwhile..
When you purchase your ID 14 ? I have mine from about 3 years ago. They use Burr Brown converters, after few months after I purchase they stop advertise that ID 14 is made with BB...so I think they switch to cheaper one and probably thats why you can chear the difference. My ID14 is day and night with Scarlett but I dno't think there will be such huge difference to Apollo or ID44 produced today.
I don't think the id44 has burr brown converters, but whatever they are, they're decent, and a bit more dynamic range than the apollo, but just a little bit. There is however a bit of difference between the id14 and 44, I was going to buy the id22, but got the 44 for a good price, so thought why not, not going to be upgrading for a while..
So, as an Audiophile, I am searching for the best sound. After doing research I may go with a Focusrite 2i2 Scarlett, - Antlion XLR Power Converter, - Antlion Audio ModMic Uni.
I already have a DAC/AMP: Monoprice Monolith Desktop - Headphones: Sennheiser HD 599 SE's
Apollo uses Thunderbolt which Apple and Avid claim is as fast as a PCIE card straight to the logic board (motherboard) so I'd go with Thunderbolt over any USB interface.
Uh, except what does that have to do with recording exactly? Bus speeds over USB are pretty damned quick, let alone recording things doesn't really factor into this much. A well written audio driver will compensate for any delay and such. Sorry man, but that's just marketing hogwash. If USB were so poor, they wouldn't make USB recording interfaces. ;)
Jay Kaufman and you prolly believe 4G is faster than 5G too
@@JayKaufman Thunderbolt 3 data transfer speeds are 40Gbps while USB 3.1 is 10Gbps you are straight tripping.
USB is designed to transfer data in separate chunks while Thunderbolt is able to continuously transfer data, and be daisy chained to more Thunderbolt devices saving inputs.
USB interfaces work with most computers it would be insane for manufacturers to not make them.
@@AlexanderKorotkov42 yes since i got my appollo twin thunderbolt2 for PC, i never ever have experienced any chooking whatsoever (apart from the expected DSP overload) , it has been brilliant. To get it to work, driverwise, can be both thrilling and disapointing, many can testify. And for how long will UAD support drivers, if intel or windows change specificationS, I dont know. My own unit mysteriously ceased to work the other day.. Well, could be a hardware issue, so wount blame UAD at this stage.
I have both of the ones displayed in the thumbnail.
I’ll be honest.
The focusrite gives a more full distorted recording.
The Apollo Twin gives a CLEAR clean recording.
I prefer the rawness of the Focusrite
Great, if you're going for the distorted sound...
Do to the situation I can't hit the studio so I recorded vocals in my house. ( Scarlett 2i2 and mxl990 mic) the mix ingenire at universal music preferred my setup that the one on the studio (enormous expensive) Scarlett its amazing for the price lol
Mezus music It’s fantastic for the money!
@@EdThorne Definitely!! If you record in a quite room and don't abuse on the gain, you can get an amazing sound! Also a lot of times when the song is finish it is really hard to notice the difference.
Hola. Where are you from ? I liked your songs. Subscribed:D Im from Romania, wife Colombian and we live in the UK. In working mad hours and this is my 2nd attempt to build a bedroom music studio and learn to produce my own songs. I have no paino or guitar skills, I like writting lyrics though. Some months ago bought an used Ableton Push 2 and Live 9 Suite. Few days ago upgraded to Live 10 Suite. Was checking Scarlet 2i2, Motu M2. I still have a good pair of Sennheisers so I wont investing in studio monitors yet. But Im looking at an audio interface and a decent microphone like Rode NT1a and others like yours. Any suggestions? Gracias.
japanluv Hi. I’m in London. Thanks for the sub and kind words on the music. The NT1 gets great reviews. Check out the Aston Origin/Spirit mics too. See my latest video for interface options 😀
@@japanluv hola are you talking about my song or eds? Haha
Hi! I already have an akg c414. Which mic could I pair it with to record a podcast? I have an apollo twin duo, bae dmp 1073 and the akgc414 mic to record music. I want to to start a podcast and need a mic for a co-host. How would u suggest I connect 2 mics and which ones? I though about getting 2 rode podmics and plugging straight into my apollo interface. But what can I do if i want to use the mic I already have? Thanks for your time and video!!
The Shure SM7b is an industry standard podcast mic (Joe Rogan uses them): ua-cam.com/video/LSWxdKakgu4/v-deo.html The new Earthworks Icon mic sounds awesome and may be a better option from what I’ve seen but I haven’t used one in person yet.
Good video.
I’ve owned 3 Scarletts, and currently own an Apollo. The only thing robust about the Scarletts is the external casing, but in my experience, they are not built to last (each lasting 2.5 years.). I’ve had issues with every single port failing on me. My mixes have been more accurate with the Apollo. Don’t get me wrong, you get a lot of bang for your buck with Scarletts. Vocals are more cleaner and clear with the Apollo, but I wouldn’t say there’s a huge difference. The most frustrating thing about the Apollo is that it DOES NOT come with a Thunderbolt (or USB cable, depending on which you purchase), and the plugins are quite expensive. You get a choice of 5 free ones, and anything after that ranges from $100-$500 USD per plugin ($200-$300 on avg). I wish I had a 2nd dedicated headphone port on the Apollo. If you purchase an Apollo in person, don’t expect the store to have a USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt cable to sell you, do your research and find one. I’d also advise researching the plugins beforehand to know which ones to pick when registering your device online.
Thanks Isaiah. All good points, especially about researching the plugins. I think it’s a fixed set of plugins you get now though, I don’t remember choosing.
Ed Thorne
Hi Ed,
Perhaps that’s one of the differences between the UK and the States, but I’m not 100 percent sure. The plugins weren’t set for me upon registering my device when I bought it in Nov. 2019, the UAD site made me choose from the plethora of plugins available, I wish I knew which ones to get beforehand. Anyway, I enjoyed your video, I wish it was available before I bought my Apollo because it took a month before I was able to use my device due to insufficient knowledge. Cheers and stay well!
How have the drivers been for you with these products? I owned the 1st two gen Scarletts and for me they were unsatisfactory. Extended use and long sessions the sound would suddenly go 'robotic' a bit like a Agent from the Matrix movies in the process of taking over a subject. Plus the drivers are rarely updated and seem to stop when a new generation is released.
Various Artists I’ve never had that issue with my Scarletts. However, I used to get a “Hardware Not Found” message all the time. I’ve been using an Apollo interface for a while now.
I can hear the subtle difference. I like the sound of the apollo. The apollo makes the vocals sound a little more compressed and warm. As where the scarellet sounds a tiny bit more flat
I agree. Thanks for watching 🙂
If your trying to do serious stuff, upgrading is pretty important. U can fill a room with good stuff but this decides how high that ceiling (quality) goes.
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The apollo is a bit brighter and more clear. I can see the effects of that pre stacking over a bunch of tracks. But also think that the scarlett could easily match it with a hair of eq.
I think you’re right about the stacking effect compounding the difference.
Exactly the video I wanted to see. I have been using a Scarlett for years and have heard about UAD and how great it is. But after this, I'll stick with Scarlett. $600 more.....it gets HOT....plugins are crazy expensive.....can only run 6 plugins before DSP gives out. Can't justify it in my book, I have a 4i4 Scarlett and it's great. II have a powerful laptop and plenty of RAM. 'll stick with Focusrite for now. Great video. Thank you.
Thanks for watching, I’m glad you liked it . The real value in the Apollo is in the Unison Preamps, UAD plugins, near zero latency whilst monitoring with the plugins, the ability to print these monitoring effects as you record, and it’s desktop controller functionality. I glossed over the Unison feature a little bit in this video but there’s more info about it in this video reviewing the new Apollo Solo: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html You’d get 6-10 plugins out of the Twin DSP and there’s loads of ways to manage your dsp so you won’t run out (video on this coming soon).
My Apollo came with a usb SS 3.0 data cable (blue)...but I have the MK1. Why would they make the MKII without a data cable 🤔 I mean I know it's thunderbolt...but I still don't understand why they didn't give it to you. Maybe an employee borrowed yours and forgot to put it back
Haha. Maybe.
Ed Thorne I had the focusrite a long time ago, I didn't like how it added a silkiness to my voice. With the Apollo, I just get a dry clear crisp authentic sound. But many people I know love the focusrite, that's why I tried it. but as soon as I plugged it in and did a test run...I knew that wasn't the preamp for me. I fell in love with a Steinberg UR22! I would still recommend the UR22 to anyone on a budget. I actually still have my UR22, just never use it now that I have the Apollo
I have both units. I used the Scarlett 2i2 for nearly eight years and couldn’t be happier with what it did for me during that time. I got the Apollo in January as an upgrade, and it really surprised me. The UAD console was a game changer. I would say if you’re recording a lot of live instruments and vocals the Apollo is the way to go if you have the bones for it. Both interfaces are great but the Apollo is definitely better in terms of how it works with everything else going on in the music process. Just keep in mind you’ll need a computer with Thunderbolt 3 and a cable. Also as a side note I really wish LUNA was on PC...UAD PLISS.
What happens if you are using it ONLY for guitar playing/recording. Can you hear a difference in the guitar tone and how realistic the tube amps simulations sound?
gpapa31 I had a friend of mine listen to some recent unreleased WIP tracks that use a lot of guitars. The first thing he asked me was how I got my guitar tone sounding so good...well it was the Apollo. Vocal wise, you’re still going to need a decent condenser, but that’s just my experience.
Hi, I need advice, I don't record live however all my projects I use VST's , is their a different also on VST audio quality by upgrading?? Or the interface upgrade only applies for live event situations?.
I totally don't hear the 600£ difference
On individual tracks there's not gonna be much difference but when your adding more tracks you'll be able to hear more. But I have a focusrite. No complaints.
UA-cam is not tidal my friend :\
@@jhohanmusic True dat
It's worth it to me if you use their unison technology and if you like using their plugins without taxing the power from your computer. The Focusrite is amazing too; I used it for the first 6 years of my musical journey.
Unless you do a lot of recordings, mixing, mastering and I mean a lot...You can never hear the difference. A producer can make a song sound good with ANY interface, because his ears are well tuned and utilize the interface to their maximum potential. Vice versa, one who does not know how to mix and master can make a world-class interface sound equally crappy.
Ultimately, everyone hears different stuff...and hearing takes experience.
I like them both.... I can use either .... and still get top notch sound from both! I just use them both differently.... the Scarlett I’ll mainly use simple eq & compressors.... and with the Apollo I’ll use the plug-ins that I bought for it!
is apollo dsp power works with our third party plugins?
UAD DSP does not power third party plugins. UAD plugins only!
@@EdThorne so if I make a vocal chain with third party plugins in my daw i can have latency as well.
@@zencist If you monitor through your DAW, the round trip through the computer alone can add latency, this is compounded by adding in plugins. Most audio interfaces now have direct monitoring so you can monitor a dry signal straight out of the interface into your headphones. The beauty of the Apollo stuff is that your monitoring signal can be processed and made to sound amazing with zero latency. AND you can record that processing, should you wish. It’s very flexible.
@@EdThorne thanks a lot..
@@zencist Anytime 🙂🙏
Has much changed in the year since this was published? I’m wondering if there is something better than UA for an audio interface. TIA
The ZenGo is a strong contender. Comparison coming before the end of the year. ua-cam.com/video/8Rn_bDLY_1s/v-deo.html
@@EdThorne - thank you! Awesome news. I’m just starting out and trying to not buy the wrong gear but not buy something too complicated either. So. Many. Choices!
@@markconger8049 You will never regret buying an Apollo if you spend the time to learn how to use Console properly but beware you will likely want to purchase more DSP processing at some point, and the plugins aren’t cheap but you definitely get what you pay for in this game.
Please could you do a Audient ID44 & Apollo X comparison please! Many thanks for this video. Can hear the Apollo has for Thickness. It's a shame though the the DSP Chips only serve their UAD Plugins only :(
Andre Brown Hi Andre. That’s on my to do list when I can get hold of one 😀
Apollo does sound more rounded and warm. Almost like more information is being captured in a smooth way. I’ve never really liked Focusrite interfaces besides their Clarett series.
Good stuff, if you look at the manuals for the Apollo and the focusrite, in the technical specs section, you’ll see slight differences in things like THD+N (Total Harmonic Distortion + Noise), and if you research the physics of those measurements, you’ll understand the difference. The expensive sound cards are physically clearer. And prob have better physical transistors etc.
Exactly. Good info, Conrad.
specs aren't always meaningful though. For instance even-harmonic harmonic distortion is warming, odd-harmonic distortion is nasty. 0.1% THD doesn't tell you whether the distortion it does have sounds good or not.
Smashing review Ed they both sounds great to my ear and I agree the Apollo has a little more depth yet an almost transparency in the detail.
Thanks 🙂 I glossed over the Unison feature a little bit in this video but there’s more info about it in this video reviewing the new Apollo Solo: ua-cam.com/video/lYDFQP3kBcE/v-deo.html