Four Pres Plus Unison Technology!
Sporting next-gen digital converters and a 4-pack of Analog Devices' SHARC processors, the Universal Audio Apollo 8 Quad delivers pristine sounds while letting you take full advantage of premium UAD powered plug-ins in real time. Combine that with the blazing-fast speed of Thunderbolt 2 connectivity, and your 18-in/24-out Apollo 8 Quad offers you loads of I/O with under 2ms of latency. If you ever need more I/O or DSP than your Apollo 8 Quad can deliver, the Apollo Expanded line makes adding on to your rig a piece of cake. The Apollo 8 Quad boasts compatibility with UA’s LUNA software, giving you a tightly integrated recording, editing, and mixing environment, with full software-based control over your interface’s parameters, global console and tape emulations, and advanced real-time tracking. At Sweetwater, Universal Audio's Apollo line has been one of our all-time most popular series of audio interfaces, and when you pick up an 18-in/24-out Apollo 8 Quad, we're confident you'll know why.
Related Videos: Apollo 8 QUAD 18x24 Thunderbolt 2 Audio Interface with UAD DSP
Second-gen signal path delivers superior sound quality
For many of us who first picked up an Apollo audio interface for the onboard UAD-2 processing, the impressive sound quality was a seriously nice bonus. Then again, Universal Audio has always been known for their top-notch analog gear. Now they've raised the bar again by upgrading the Apollo lineup's digital converters and refining the signal path even more. The results are absolutely astonishing, offering you superb stereo imaging, with a level of clarity that gives your sound serious breathing room. Whether you buy it for the DSP, the high-speed Thunderbolt connectivity, or the sound quality itself, you're sure to be satisfied with your Apollo audio interface
UAD-2 DSP delivers dedicated power for amazing plug-ins
Ask anyone at Sweetwater, and they'll tell you that Universal Audio's UAD Powered Plug-ins are some of the best-sounding virtual processors ever created. Apollo 8 Quad packs UA's super-powerful UAD-2 processing, which lets you use UAD Powered Plug-ins at below 2ms of latency in real time! That means you can record, mix, and master with some of the best plug-ins in the industry, without requiring any external processing. You can use the Virtual I/O feature to process virtual instruments and DAW tracks in real time, too!
Thunderbolt gives you ultra-low latency and unrivaled bandwidth
You haven't experienced low latency until you've had your hands on a Thunderbolt audio interface such as this Apollo 8 Quad. But the Apollo 8 Quad doesn't just benefit from the massive track count and less-than-2ms latency ultra-high-speed Thunderbolt 2 connectivity has to offer, it also lets you track and record with extremely processor-intensive plug-in processors, all without experiencing any significant stress on your computer.
Unison Technology makes Apollo Pres mimic classic gear
No matter how good a plug-in emulation may be, there are just some things that software can't do. That's why Universal Audio developed their Unison preamp technology. Unison technology allows your Apollo 8 Quad to reconfigure the impedance, gain structure, and other physical circuitry of its four preamps as well as its instrument-level inputs to match the specific behavior of select UAD plug-in processors. As a result, your signal undergoes the dynamic saturation the original hardware would provide in the analog domain, long before it reaches the DSP-driven plug-in. The effect is a level of realism you simply won't get with standard plug-ins.
Real-time Analog Classics Plus bundle includes amazing UAD-2 plug-ins
You're ready to dive right into the world of UAD-2 plug-ins from the moment you install your Apollo 8 Quad's software. That's because Universal Audio includes their impressive Real-time Analog Classics Plus UAD-2 plug-in bundle, which provides you with eight amazing DSP-driven processors. In addition to vintage UA gear, such as 1176 and LA-2A dynamics processors, as well as preamp and EQ models, this bundle comes with hits from Fairchild, Pultec, and more. And when you want other amazing UAD-2 plug-ins, there are dozens of options, from SSL and Neve consoles to Studer tape machines and more, all available in the UAD store.
Included UAD-2 Plug-ins
- UA 610‐B
- Marshall Plexi Classic Amplifier
- Fairchild 670 Legacy
- Teletronix LA‐2A Legacy
- UA 1176LN Legacy
- UA 1176SE Legacy
- Pultec EQP‐1A Legacy
- Pultec Pro Legacy
- Precision Channel Strip
- Precision Reflection Engine
- Precision Delay Modulation
- Precision Delay Modulation L
- UA Precision Enhancer Hz
- Raw Distortion
- Ampeg SVT-VR
- RealVerb‐Pro
Grow your system with Apollo Expanded and Console 2.0
Thanks to the phenomenal speed of Thunderbolt and the flexibility of Universal Audio's Console 2.0 UAD software, combining Apollo Expanded interfaces creates high-power, high-channel systems that can handle the demands of extremely large recording sessions. Console 2.0 lets you cascade up to six UAD-2 devices, including four Apollo interfaces. Need more inputs? Add another Apollo 8 Quad from a selection of compatible Apollo models. Need more DSP? Upgrading your system is as simple as adding on a UAD-2 Satellite Thunderbolt processor.
Compatible with LUNA — UA’s complete music production environment with ultra-tight hardware/software integration
This Universal Audio Thunderbolt-equipped audio interface is compatible with UA’s free LUNA software. LUNA is a complete music production environment for tracking, editing, and mixing. And thanks to its ultra-tight hardware/software integration, you can take control of your interface’s monitoring, talkback, and headphone systems, track and overdub with UAD DSP-accelerated plug-ins in real time, and benefit from full software-based control over Apollo’s Unison mic preamps, all without leaving your production software. LUNA is the closest you’ll come to an analog workflow in the software realm. It delivers spot-on analog sound, along with the creative immediacy of real-time processing.
LUNA also includes Accelerated Realtime Monitoring, which supplies fast analog-style tracking and overdubbing using Apollo’s onboard DSP acceleration. Anyone who’s used a high-end DSP-assisted hardware/DAW recording system will appreciate the super-tight integration between LUNA and Universal Audio interfaces. LUNA also supplies you with unlimited track counts, contextual editing and browsing, UAD and AU plug-in compatibility, a session auto-save function, and AAF importing.
LUNA software comes with the Shape Creative Toolkit, a superb virtual instrument with modern and vintage keys, drums/percussion, guitar/bass, orchestral content, and real-time synthesis, plus the Oxide Tape Extension, a killer saturation effect, right out of the box. But to get the most out of this system, you’ll want UA’s LUNA Creator Bundle (sold separately). This bundle includes ultra-realistic Neve 80 Series console and Studer A800 multitrack tape extensions, plus two software instruments. The best part about LUNA extensions is that once you install them, their sound is baked right into LUNA’s mixer — no need to instantiate a bunch of plug-ins.
Note: The Universal Audio LUNA requires a Thunderbolt-equipped Apollo or Arrow interface. It’s also Mac only — Windows is not supported at the present time. Call your Sales Engineer for more details.
Universal Audio Apollo 8 Quad Thunderbolt Audio Interface Features:
- 18-in/24-out Thunderbolt 2 audio interface for Mac or PC, with onboard UAD-2 Quad processing
- Onboard UAD-2 Quad Core DSP provides real-time UAD processing you can use for recording
- 4 Unison-enabled microphone preamps work with select UAD plug-ins to emulate popular hardware
- Next-gen digital converters provide pristine sound and superior stereo imaging
- Front-panel monitoring functions include alt speaker selection, dim, and mono toggling
- Thunderbolt 2 connectivity provides high bandwidth I/O with under 2ms of latency
- Apollo Expanded and Console 2.0 let you cascade up to 4 Apollo interfaces and 6 total UAD devices
- Real-time Analog Classics Plus UAD plug-in bundle included, featuring 8 amazing plug-in emulations
- Compatible with UA’s LUNA software for ultra-tight hardware/software integration
