Apollos have always sounded great, but the Apollo x4's AD/DA conversion takes it to the next level. When they were designing the latest generation of Apollos, UA engineers auditioned the latest leading-edge AD/DA technology, ultimately pairing elite-class 24-bit/192kHz converters with overhauled analog circuitry. The result is an ultra-pristine signal path with 127dB dynamic range. Dive in, and you'll hear for it yourself — the Apollo x4's AD/DA rivals any high-end standalone converter on the market.
Capture the sound of legendary preamps with Unison technology
The Apollo x4's Unison preamp technology goes so far beyond traditional software modeling and emulations that it's really in a category all its own. In essence, Unison is a bidirectional communication between the Apollo x4's mic preamp and a Unison-capable plug-in, such as the included 610-B plug-in that re-creates the sound of UA's classic LA-610 preamp.
The plug-in actually adjusts the preamp circuit itself, including parameters such as impedance, analog gain structure, and much more. When you adjust the Apollo x4's preamp gain knob and physical controls, the plug-in adjusts the preamp's behavior to match the target preamp. So you're not simply filtering your audio to approximate the character of a famous preamp — your microphone is now interacting with the Apollo x4's input the same way it would behave with the "modeled" preamplifier.
UAD plug-ins astounded the recording world with their incredible ability to sound like analog processors, eliminating the need for large racks of gear in the studio. Unison preamp technology will do the same thing for your mic inputs, eliminating the need to collect and maintain expensive hardware preamps just for sonic variety.
Thunderbolt: ultra-low latency and unrivaled bandwidth
Thunderbolt is one of the most important technologies to impact audio production in years, and UA was one of the first to adopt it. Thanks to its blazing-fast connectivity, Thunderbolt offers lower latency and greater stability than USB or FireWire, clocking in with the speed and ultra-fast performance of a PCI Express system. In fact, the Apollo x4's Thunderbolt 3 connection runs projects with high track counts at latencies of less than 2ms! On top of that, up to four Apollo interfaces can be networked over Thunderbolt to add fast, high-bandwidth I/O and DSP to your studio. You don't even need a brand-new computer — the Apollo x4's two built-in Thunderbolt 3 ports are backward-compatible with Thunderbolt 1 and 2 Macs (does not support Thunderbolt 1 or 2 on Windows — adapter sold separately).
Sensational plug-in bundle included!
UAD Powered Plug-ins have earned their reputation for being some of the most accurate emulations of analog audio equipment ever created. The astonishing processing power of the UAD platform is what makes these plug-ins sound so great. You simply can't get the depth, color, and character these plug-ins have without devoting huge CPU resources to them. Best of all, Apollo x4 lets you record your audio through UAD plug-ins in real time with sub-2ms latency. You'll receive the Realtime Analog Classics Plus bundle, which includes:
- UA 610-B Tube Preamp and EQ
- Marshall Plexi Classic Amplifier
- Fairchild 670 (Legacy)
- Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveling Amplifier (Legacy)
- 1176SE Classic Limiting Amplifiers (Legacy)
- 1176 LN Classic Limiting Amplifiers (Legacy)
- Pultec Pro Equalizers (Legacy)
- Ampeg SVT-VR Classic Bass Amp
- Precision Mix Rack Collection
- UA Precision Enhancer Hz
- Raw Distortion
- RealVerb Pro
Features:
- 12-in/18-out Thunderbolt 3 audio interface for Mac or PC, with onboard UAD-2 QUAD Core processing
- Upgraded elite-class AD/DA conversion supplies an ultra-pristine signal path with 127dB dynamic range
- 4 Unison preamps allow you to track through models of the industry's most legendary hardware
- Integrated talkback for easy communication and slating takes
- Ultra-fast Thunderbolt 3 connectivity provides less than 2ms of latency and ample expandability
- Realtime Analog Classics Plus UAD plug-in bundle included featuring 16 amazing plug-in emulations
- Track and monitor through plug-ins with no latency
- Backward-compatible with Thunderbolt 1 and 2 Macs (does not support Thunderbolt 1 or 2 on Windows — adapter sold separately)