worshiptuned wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2021 9:17 pm
Did you mean ADAT in? Because the Twin has only ADAT in
No, if you don't use plugins in the DAW to track and you can add the UAD plugins in the ADAT channels that will show up in the UAD console and get low latency just as every other Apollo twin channel.
If you buy a duo, remember that you can forget to slap a couple of UAD plugins in every channel of your drums
there won't be enough processing power
and if you don't have a sufficiently powerful PC, latency is an issue also with Apollo and thunderbolt stuff, since you won't be able to use the lower buffer settings without incurring in clicks
Sorry, I should have explained myself better…I’ve seen a few old rack Apollo’s that have ADAT in and Out in them…
Using one of these just as pre….unison pre amp - ADAT out - ADAT in to my my interface…
Pretty much using it as an unison pre amp…FX box…
My PC is a beast 16 core 32 threads Ryzen 5950x and 128GB Ram.
Hi gagsmedia
Then you already had a very good answer
Wonks wrote: ↑Tue Sep 07, 2021 1:06 pm
Then you can only run one ASIO driver at a time, and whilst you could leave the twin powered up via the Thunderbolt cable, you couldn't record from it using the DAW whilst using the Presonus interfaces, so you would have to set up the Twin as a feed into two Presonus line inputs, and suffer the UAD A/D in and D/A out latency plus the small processing delay of the unison software. But you could set the Twin's buffer to the smallest setting as it doesn't need to deal with the PC at all.
the apollo will probably add at least, some 1.1ms to the latency of your interface
and using it with a DAW setting my Apollo at the minimum buffer 32
I have with Cubase
input latency 2.43 ms
output latency 1.79ms
gagsmedia wrote: ↑Fri Sep 10, 2021 5:08 pm
Just a quick question…I’m guessing latency wouldn’t be an issue if is used one of the Apollo’s with ADAT out?
You'd still have latency from the A/D in the Apollo and the DSP but possibly fractionally less than going via an analogue connection as you'd miss out a D/A and A/D stage.
fwiw, took a few steps down this same alley thinking it might be a preamp option to integrate with an existing setup/audio interface. my take away in addition to the sound and practical advice already given;
Running a PC with native ASIO drivers for the A/I
> which only supports one device at a time unless explicitly supported by one of a few select mfrs, don't have one of those.
= too much fiddling for my workflow to swap A/Is mid session in addition to the additional configuration/maintenance overhead.
Checked into a marketing hype detox session to regain some perspective and a sober assessment of what really makes a difference, i.e. bang-for-the-buck.
> among other things, mics make more of a difference than preamps, although preamps can certainly be abused for effect.
> there is a vast array of plug-ins which are capable of delivering most, if not all of the desired coloring. After all, Unison is still sw modeling.
> and duh, talent/performance/material are still the biggest factors...
The intriguing part of the Unison pitch was the variable impedance option, been using that to good effect on dynamics for some time and one of the first things I check for on a preamp. Came close to buying a Cloudlifter, but...
= went with a couple of ART DSPIIs for about $50 each and had one modded by a local guru. Dead simple SPDIF connectivity with the existing interface. They get used all the time. One of the best bang-for-the-bucks for me. YMMV.
Wonks wrote: ↑Tue Sep 07, 2021 8:01 am
The Unison ‘pres’ are just software that’s applied after all the A/D conversion has taken place. So you can just as easily use the software when mixing. So unless you follow a strict ‘record with effects’ protocol, it really is rather a gimmick.
500 series is a great suggestion….
But just wanted to question the above - is that really the case Wonks? As I understood it the Unison enabled preamp has it’s gain and impedance characteristics altered….??
Maybe I have that wrong - I have none of them…. so I’m speaking completely free of the encumbrance of any real understanding or experience
Urthlupe wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2021 9:08 am
But just wanted to question the above - is that really the case Wonks? As I understood it the Unison enabled preamp has it’s gain and impedance characteristics altered….??
That's my understanding as well. From the UA website:
Unison‑enabled UAD plug-ins reconfigure Apollo mic preamps’ physical input impedance, gain staging response, and other parameters to match the emulated preamp’s characteristics.
Although my suspicion is that the plug-in processing plays a much larger part in the overall sound.
Urthlupe wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2021 9:08 am
But just wanted to question the above - is that really the case Wonks? As I understood it the Unison enabled preamp has it’s gain and impedance characteristics altered….??
Reading the UA website, it looks like you are right. I was going by what others had written here in the past. Sorry for that.
Though I expect the input impedance changes will have the most influence, as everything else can be emulated. The input impedance effect could be emulated to a small extent, but the real-world level of effect will greatly depend on how the mic/input device responds to a lower/higher input impedance. Some mics will be affected a lot more than others.
I'm less convinced at what 'gain staging' will do to the sound. I'm sure it will just adapt the input gain so that the emulated preamp behaves like the actual preamp in terms of where the input gain knob has to be positioned to get a certain output, which will differ in a DAW channel only emulation depending on the channel's input level (though it could be set the same if you knew all the details of the modelled preamp).
Having learnt something new before 9.30am, so now have to go and lie down for the rest of day.
Thanks Wonks - wasn’t just an attempt to tweak your bunny tail bud…:-)
Life means I’m having to set up in two places - and I’m thinking of having my beloved hardware in just one place (to make security and insurance more manageable). I’m toying with the idea of a UAD interface at the ‘non-hardware’ end to give me similar characteristics on capture….
I have tested this a few months back and can say that it works. Basically, I sent PRE1 to line out 3 and PRE2 to line out 4. The latency is negligible and you only need to use console to load the Unison emulation to the preamps. The UAD twin used this way becomes a great two channel pream to my usual audio interface, not using the Twin as the audio interface. You can still control the preamp gains, phantom power, pad and low cut from the twin as well as the line output level.
Great way to reuse a device that was gathering dust for me.
