Apollo 8
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Next-Generation Audio Conversion with
Classic Analog Sound.Apollo 8 is the world’s most acclaimed professional recording interface for Mac and Windows, giving project and commercial studios superior A/D and D/A conversion with the tone, feel, and realtime workflow of classic analog recording.
Built upon UA’s 60-year heritage of audio craftsmanship, Apollo 8 distinguishes itself with four Unison™-enabled mic preamps, UAD-2 QUAD or DUO Core processing, an included bundle of award-winning UAD plug-ins — which you can track through with near-zero latency, shaping sounds like a classic analog studio — plus it includes LUNA Recording System, giving you a fully-integrated music production application.Record with world-class Apollo A/D and D/A conversion — as heard on hundreds of hit records
Cascade up to 4 Apollo interfaces and 6 UAD-2 devices over Thunderbolt, adding DSP and I/O as your studio grows
Produce music with UAD plug-ins like the included Teletronix® LA-2A, 1176, and Fairchild® compressors, Pultec® EQs, and 610-B Preamp
Includes LUNA Recording System — a fully-integrated and inspiring music production application
Unison Technology: The Genuine Sound of Neve, SSL, API & Manley Preamps
Apollo 8 features four Unison-enabled mic preamps, letting you track through exacting mic preamp emulations from Neve,® SSL,® API,® Manley,® and Universal Audio. An Apollo exclusive, Unison technology nails the tone of these sought-after tube and solid state mic pres — including their input impedance, gain stage “sweet spots,” and the component-level circuit behaviors of the original hardware.
The secret to Unison is its hardware-software integration between Apollo’s mic preamps and its onboard UAD-2 QUAD Core DSP Acceleration. Simply place a Unison preamp plug-in on your mic input in Apollo Console software, and it physically reconfigures the Apollo interface's impedance — so you can tap into the classic sounds of the world’s most recorded mic preamps.
Watch the Unison Shoot Out (hardware vs. software) videoA Full Suite of Classic
Analog Processing OnboardRight out of the box, Apollo 8 provides a suite of incredible analog emulation plug-ins including the world’s only authentic Teletronix LA-2A, 1176LN, and Fairchild compressors, the legendary Pultec EQs, and the Unison-enabled UA 610-B Tube Preamp. Developed by UA’s world-renowned team of algorithm engineers, these Realtime Analog Classics plug-ins set the standard by which all other hardware emulation plug-ins are judged.
From the tube warmth of the Pultec EQ on guitars, to the gentle limiting of the LA-2A on vocals, or the pump of a genuine Fairchild 670 compressor on drums, your recordings will take a giant leap forward in rich, sonically complex analog sound.
See Included Plug-Ins | Watch the live tracking videoAccess the World of UAD Powered Plug-Ins
Beyond the included Realtime Analog Classics plug-ins, you can tap into the full library award-winning UAD Powered Plug-Ins — including vintage EQs, Compressors, Reverbs, Tape Machines and more — at near-zero latency, regardless of your audio software’s buffer size and without taxing your computer’s CPU.
With exclusive emulations from Neve, Studer, Manley, API, Ampex, Lexicon, Fender, and more,† it’s like having an endless analog studio, in a single rack space. And unlike competing interfaces, these DSP-powered plug-ins are also available in your DAW for mixing.Next-Generation A/D and D/A Conversion
Of course, the heart of any audio interface is the quality of its conversion. In designing the next-generation Apollo range, UA engineers started with an obsessive auditioning of the latest A/D and D/A converters, ultimately pairing the selected 24-bit/192kHz converters with all-new analog circuitry for the optimal signal path. Apollo 8 provides increased dynamic range and lower THD versus other interfaces — rivaling dedicated converters costing thousands more.
The Apollo Story
Watch UA’s Lev Perrey explain the innovative thinking behind the next-generations Apollos.
Apollo: The Choice of New-School Professionals
Apollo is the confirmed choice of hit-making professionals, used to record landmark albums by Kendrick Lamar (DAMN.), Chris Stapleton (From A Room: Volume 1), Arcade Fire (Everything Now), Post Malone (Beerbongs & Bentleys), and many more. The Apollo range of interfaces has earned numerous industry awards from Sound on Sound, Future Music, and Electronic Musician — as well as the prestigious TEC Award for computer audio hardware five years running.
“Apollo's A/D and D/A conversion sounds incredibly detailed, with great clarity and a tight, punchy low end. And with the Console 2.0 app, I have all of the routing and monitoring options I need.”
– Dave Pensado (Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Maroon 5)“Apollo is a platform that grows more powerful with every innovation – the UAD plug-in processing onboard has changed the way I work forever.”
– Tony Platt (AC/DC, Bob Marley, Buddy Guy)“I'm really impressed with the Apollo X8. I hear more detail in the several sets of monitors I use, and I'm getting that little bit extra out of the Unison mic pre emulations – and they were already extremely close.”
– Jacquire King (James Bay, Kings of Leon, Tom Waits)“The Apollo is the best I/O we've ever used, and we've tried them all. It has an incredibly clean, transparent, and accurate sound.”
– The Glitch Mob“Having the Apollo with UAD plug-ins at my disposal is like carrying a giant studio with outboard racks at all times. Minus the tech fees, down time, and electricity bill!”
– Andrew Dawson (Jay-Z, Fun.)“My Apollos are my sound.
Where I go, they go.”
– Trevor Lawrence Jr. (Dr. Dre, Herbie Hancock, Eminem)“The Apollo's ability to do low latency – I mean that's the whole ballgame right there.”
– Joey Waronker (Atoms for Peace, Beck, Other Lives)“With the Apollo 8 in the studio and an Apollo Twin on the go, I know I've got the best sound quality and an incredible arsenal of plug-ins — wherever I'm working.”
– Jeremy Ruzumna (Fitz And The Tantrums)“UAD plug-ins are amazing...
I’ve used them on all my projects
for the last few years.”
– Dan Auerbach The Black Keys“Overall, Apollo 8 sounds smooth and sweet, revealing subtle details with superior phase response and lower distortion than the original Apollo... UA has certainly improved on an already excellent device.”
– Mick Guzauski (Daft Punk, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton)“I knew about the ingredients of Apollo, but this is truly a special dish. The Apollo just set a new standard of excellence for audio interfaces, in terms of both its sound and its feature set.”
– Fab Dupont (Shakira, Santigold, Jennifer Lopez)“Using my Apollos and Console 2.0, I'm able to front a live mix, create a monitor mix, and record, all at the same time. That’s pretty awesome.”
– Chris Dugan (Green Day, Iggy Pop, U2)“The Apollo is a powerhouse and a game changer for my studio.”
– GrievesCreating a Multi-Unit Apollo Setup
Watch producer/engineer Fab Dupont (Jennifer Lopez, Mark Ronson) install a powerful studio system by combining multiple Apollo interfaces over Thunderbolt.
LUNA Recording System
Deep Apollo Integration with a Fast, Natural WorkflowApollo 8 works with all major DAWs. But it becomes a fully integrated recording system with LUNA, Universal Audio’s groundbreaking music production application for Mac. Harness LUNA’s Accelerated Realtime Monitoring™ and power your workflow with a host of built-in features and optional extensions — from genuine Neve summing and integrated Studer tape, to inspiring LUNA instruments, and more.
Build a Networked Studio System Over Thunderbolt
Apollo 8 offers 18 x 24 simultaneous inputs/outputs, with two built-in Thunderbolt ports. Thanks to Apollo Expanded software, users of any Thunderbolt-equipped Apollo Twin, Apollo 8, Apollo 8p, and Apollo 16 audio interfaces can combine up to four Apollos and six total UAD-2 devices — adding I/O and DSP as your studio grows. Apollo 8 also provides seamless integration with previous generation Apollos over Thunderbolt.
A Sleek, Low-latency App
With Apollo 8’s Console 2.0 application — a complete re-imagining of Apollo’s original Console software — you can take advantage of over 25 new user-requested features such as Channel Strip presets, Drag & Drop functionality, dynamically resizable windows, and more.
Now with Vintage Amps
New for Apollo 8 is Unison technology on the front panel instrument inputs, giving you dead-on, impedance-matched emulations of guitar and bass amps like the Fender '55 Tweed Deluxe, Marshall Plexi Super Lead 1959, and the Ampeg B-15N Bass Amplifier.
Apollo Artist Sessions
Watch producer/engineer Fab Dupont (Jennifer Lopez, David Crosby) record Latin superstars Monsieur Periné live in Colombia with Apollo X audio interfaces.
View All Apollo Artist SessionsWatch The Reviews
Customer Reviews
T. Núñez
January 12, 2020
SONIDO INCREÍBLE
Suena muy inteligible en todo el rango de frecuencias, además de tener una amplia paleta de colores gracias a la calidad de los conversores A/D D/A. Suena increíble. Gracias por el...
Read MoreD. Fasano
January 3, 2020
Cool
Amazing gear! But... Would be great to have a software return in Console ( without using virtual channels...) and the possibility to routing every single channel directly to alternate...
Read MoreS. McAuley
January 2, 2020
As Expected Exceptional Quality
UAD Interfaces are by far the best money can buy, I started off with the Apollo 8P Quad, then decided to Expand they system adding a Further Apollo 8 Quad, Apollo Twin MKII Duo and Quad...
Read MoreS. McAuley
January 2, 2020
As Expected Exceptional Quality
UAD Interfaces are by far the best money can buy, I started off with the Apollo 8P Quad, then decided to Expand they system adding a Further Apollo 8 Quad, Apollo Twin MKII Duo and Quad...
Read MoreS. McAuley
January 2, 2020
As Expected Exceptional Quality
UAD Interfaces are by far the best money can buy, I started off with the Apollo 8P Quad, then decided to Expand they system adding a Further Apollo 8 Quad, Apollo Twin MKII Duo and Quad...
Read MoreS. McAuley
January 2, 2020
As Expected Exceptional Quality
UAD Interfaces are by far the best money can buy, I started off with the Apollo 8P Quad, then decided to Expand they system adding a Further Apollo 8 Quad, Apollo Twin MKII Duo and Quad...
Read More -
Realtime Analog Classics Plus Bundle
With the Realtime Analog Classics Plus plug-in bundle, you not only get legendary compressors such as the Fairchild® 670 and EQs like the Pultec® EQP-1A, but also stunning guitar and bass amp emulations from Softube, and UA’s landmark 610-B Tube Preamp and EQ plug-in.
- 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
- Ampeg® SVT-VR Classic Bass Amp
- Precision Channel Strip
- Precision Reflection Engine
- Precision Delay Modulation
- Precision Delay Modulation L
- UA Precision Enhancer Hz
- Raw Distortion
- RealVerb‐Pro
UA 610-B Tube Preamp and EQ
Impart your tracks with the iconic warmth and character of the classic hardware used to track everyone from Duke Ellington to Coldplay. By emulating the entire signal path, including tube amplifiers, transformers, and circuit nonlinearities, the 610-B Tube Preamp and EQ plug-in injects organic detail and saturation to any signal — whether you’re re-amping or tracking through the 610-B via Universal Audio’s Unison™ technology.
Marshall® Plexi Classic Amplifier
The undisputed alpha dog of rock and roll guitar amps, the Marshall “plexi” amplifier is as legendary as the music it helped create. From Jimi Hendrix to Jimmy Page, Duane Allman to Eric Clapton, the Plexi’s punishing melange of snarl, sustain, smoothness, and raunch defined the sound of rock. Developed by Softube, the Marshall Plexi Classic Amp plug-in gives you the sound of this iconic amp with a perfectly placed microphone from engineer Tony Platt who recorded AC/DC’s Back in Black and Highway to Hell.
Fairchild® 670 (Legacy)
The world’s most coveted compressor, the classic Fairchild 670 tube limiter will give your tracks and mixes unmistakable tube warmth and character. Whether you’re looking for subtle compression on a lead vocal, or grittier textures that can work on guitars, bass, or a drum bus, the Fairchild 670 plug-in adds a classic “glow” to anything you run through it.
Teletronix® LA-2A Classic Leveling Amplifier (Legacy)
With its gentle, program dependent optical compression and meticulously designed tube amplifier, the LA-2A is the go-to compressor for professional mixers around the world — especially for vocals. Incredibly easy-to-use Peak Reduction and Gain controls gives you the ideal optical compression sound for guitar, bass, drums, and more.
1176SE/LN® Classic Limiting Amplifiers (Legacy)
Get classic, ultra-fast FET compression from the world’s most recognized compressor. The 1176 will impart punch, presence, and character as well as its signature distortion overtones on drums, vocals, guitars, and bass. The 1176LN has graced countless recordings, from Led Zeppelin, to the White Stripes and Michael Jackson.
Pultec® Pro Equalizers (Legacy)
Mix with two of the most sought-after hardware EQs ever made — the MEQ-5 Midrange Equalizer and the EQP-1A Program Equalizer. Both of these tube-based icons deliver smooth and silky EQ curves with an abundance of warm analog character.
Ampeg® SVT-VR Classic Bass Amp
Introduced in 1969, the Ampeg SVT bass amp is still the reigning king of high-powered tube bass tone. Developed by Brainworx, the Ampeg SVT-VR Classic Bass Amp plug-in perfectly captures the raw power and punch that has made this the go-to amp for rock, funk, and soul players. Track in real time using Unison™ preamp technology for the tone, touch, and feel of a real SVT bass amp, or transform bland DI tracks with the thunderous roar of a stone cold classic.
Precision Mix Rack Collection
Featuring the Precision Channel Strip, Precision Reflection Engine, and Precision Delay Modulation plug-ins, the Precision Mix Rack Collection offers four modern, high-fidelity plug-ins for recording and mixing. Powerful and intuitive, Precision Mix Rack Collection gives you an impressive tool set — perfect for beginners and seasoned professionals alike.
UA Precision Enhancer Hz
Expertly dial-in your music’s low-end frequencies with the Precision Enhancer Hz plug-in. Able to yield exacting results with minimal adjustment, the Precision Enhancer Hz can add weight to kick drum samples, fatten up a synth bass, or simply make the low-end of your tracks more audible on smaller speakers.
Raw Distortion
Modeled from a vintage early-’80s Pro Co Rat, Raw Distortion delivers all the gritty dynamic raunch of the legendary stompbox. And with Unison™ technology, you can plug in to Apollo Twin, 8, or 8p’s front-panel Hi-Z instrument jack and experience the same circuit interaction, gain range, and clip points for the true tone, feel, and response of the original hardware.
RealVerb Pro
RealVerb Pro is a flexible, natural sounding reverb based on UA’s own unique set of algorithms. Allowing you to design the room just as you hear it, the RealVerb Pro goes beyond simply big/small or dark/bright, giving your sources distortion-free, smoothing diffusion control and ultra-long reverb tail.
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Features
18 x 24 Thunderbolt audio interface for Mac and Windows* with powerful Console 2.0 software control
4 Unison™-enabled mic preamps for recording through exacting preamp emulations from Neve, API, Manley, and Universal Audio
Built-in UAD-2 QUAD Core allows Realtime UAD Processing — tracking through DSP-assisted UAD plug-ins with near-zero latency, without draining CPU
Produce with LUNA Recording System — a fully-integrated recording application made for Apollo (Mac/Thunderbolt)
Includes the "Realtime Analog Classics Plus" UAD plug-in bundle. Other UAD plug-ins sold separately.
Next-generation 24-bit/192 kHz Apollo A/D and D/A conversion as heard on hundreds of hit records
Cascade up to 4 Apollo interfaces and 6 UAD devices total over Thunderbolt
Convenient front panel monitoring functions including Alt Speakers, and assignable Dim or Mono
World-class UA analog design, superior components, and premium build quality
Free, industry-leading technical support — on the phone and online — from knowledgeable audio engineers
Thunderbolt System Requirements
MAC:
- Apple Mac computer with available Thunderbolt port
- macOS 10.12 Sierra, 10.13 High Sierra, 10.14 Mojave, 10.15 Catalina, or 11 Big Sur
WINDOWS:
- PC computer with built-in Thunderbolt 3 port
- Windows 10 (64-Bit Edition)
- Qualified Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapter (sold separately)
ALL:
- Thunderbolt 2 cable (sold separately)
- 6 gigabytes available storage
- Internet connection to download software and authorize UAD plug-ins
- Compatible VST, Audio Units, RTAS, or AAX 64 plug-in host DAW software
- Quad Core i7 or better processor recommended
- For additional compatibility information, visit help.uaudio.com
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Customer Reviews
Apollo 8
T. Núñez
SONIDO INCREÍBLE
Suena muy inteligible en todo el rango de frecuencias, además de tener una amplia paleta de colores gracias a la calidad de los conversores A/D D/A. Suena increíble. Gracias por el trabajo a todos los ingenieros, enhorabuena!!
D. Fasano
Cool
Amazing gear! But... Would be great to have a software return in Console ( without using virtual channels...) and the possibility to routing every single channel directly to alternate stereo outputs (for ex.: channel 1,2,3 & 4 to 3/4 out ) and not to mono outputs only.
S. McAuley
As Expected Exceptional Quality
UAD Interfaces are by far the best money can buy, I started off with the Apollo 8P Quad, then decided to Expand they system adding a Further Apollo 8 Quad, Apollo Twin MKII Duo and Quad Satellite, the system is rock solid, and even without using the Unison Preamps the sound fantastic, but the Unison Preamp Technology takes these units to another level, dialing in the lovely character of Neve, Manley, SSL chanel strips, lexicon Effects and the list goes on. by far one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. Thanks UAD!
S. McAuley
As Expected Exceptional Quality
UAD Interfaces are by far the best money can buy, I started off with the Apollo 8P Quad, then decided to Expand they system adding a Further Apollo 8 Quad, Apollo Twin MKII Duo and Quad Satellite, the system is rock solid, and even without using the Unison Preamps the sound fantastic, but the Unison Preamp Technology takes these units to another level, dialing in the lovely character of Neve, Manley, SSL chanel strips, lexicon Effects and the list goes on. by far one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. Thanks UAD!
S. McAuley
As Expected Exceptional Quality
UAD Interfaces are by far the best money can buy, I started off with the Apollo 8P Quad, then decided to Expand they system adding a Further Apollo 8 Quad, Apollo Twin MKII Duo and Quad Satellite, the system is rock solid, and even without using the Unison Preamps the sound fantastic, but the Unison Preamp Technology takes these units to another level, dialing in the lovely character of Neve, Manley, SSL chanel strips, lexicon Effects and the list goes on. by far one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. Thanks UAD!
S. McAuley
As Expected Exceptional Quality
UAD Interfaces are by far the best money can buy, I started off with the Apollo 8P Quad, then decided to Expand they system adding a Further Apollo 8 Quad, Apollo Twin MKII Duo and Quad Satellite, the system is rock solid, and even without using the Unison Preamps the sound fantastic, but the Unison Preamp Technology takes these units to another level, dialing in the lovely character of Neve, Manley, SSL chanel strips, lexicon Effects and the list goes on. by far one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. Thanks UAD!
K. McCann
Perfect solution for all my needs.
Great solution for everthing !! I purchased 2 Apollo 8's so i could have a total of 8 mic pre's at once if needed and also a full total of 16 analog ins and outs and once for tracking live bands which i do alot !!! Also they come standard with built in quad cards so a total of 8 chips is perfect for tracking and mixing with no problems at all. I have the best of both worlds for recording and mixing. Being able to bypass the mic pre's is awsome for connecting direct to a console which i do is awsome. All in all i am over the moon. The only draw back was the new system i had to build because of thunderbolt. I do wish they were on usb conectivity because thunderbolt is very expensive tech compared to usb. I know usb 3 is not as fast but it is fine for tracking and mixing audio !!! I then could of just used my current system and it would of been more portable to. Anyway big thumbs up to the guys who make thunderbolt cards and adaptors.
B. Gomillion
Great for Professional Level Use
Purchased the Apollo 8 Quad(Thunderbolt 2 unit) to upgrade from a small little desk unit. WOW! Night and day difference. These plugins are no joke on here. Spent a solid 2 weeks of testing different plugins before deciding on just one. Too many good choices!
B. Gomillion
Great for Professional Level Use
Purchased the Apollo 8 Quad(Thunderbolt 2 unit) to upgrade from a small little desk unit. WOW! Night and day difference. These plugins are no joke on here. Spent a solid 2 weeks of testing different plugins before deciding on just one. Too many good choices!
L. Janzen
Every Pennie Worth
Its been two weeks now since I bought the Apollo 8 and I have no complains so far! I'm using it in my home studio, but live as well. The latency is amazing and sound quality as well. Definitely recommended!
J. Jeong
best gear
very nice sound!
J. Jeong
best gear
very nice sound!
a. zwirchmair
guter sound / miese bedienung
habe das apollo 8 für live anwendungen gekauft, bin natürlich von der verarbeitung und den klanglichen eigenschaften angetan, die console aber dermaßen ohne midi anbindung dastehen zu lassen ist schon eher mager! keine ansteuerung von presets aus mischpulten oder daws... mediocre at best!
C. Barriteau
Apollo 8-The great!!
Love this unit-It's my second one so far--Audio quality is fantastic-It's fast
No complaints from me--E. Cole
Amazing!
I have owned 4 different audio interfaces, upgraded them with computer upgrades. All of them top shelf, however the Apollo 8 had a clarity and gain level better than the others. The included software mixing console was very user friendly and the UAD software pre-amps and signal processors are like having the real thing! The Apollo 8 is the centerpiece of my recording setup!
Ł. Seliga
A game changer
I already knew the quality of Apollo interfaces and UAD plugins cause I ocasionally used them in my friend's studio where I sometimes work. But when I've finally decided to upgrade my old interface and received my own Apollo unit it blew my mind. The sound quality improvement is so massive, it really sounds amazing and the UAD plugins sound amazing too
P. Gallais
le top!
Super content de mon acquisition, je découvre toutes les possibilités que m'offre mon Apollo et c'est un pur bonheur! Qualité de mes prises de son au rendez vous, stabilité irréprochable, et plugins incroyablement précis. J'attends avec impatience le satellite UA-2 afin d'acquérir plus de plugins. Vraiment une superbe machine à laquelle je vais adjoindre en hardware, un préamp.... 4-710 D de chez UA bien sûr
B. McMahon
I should have bought this sooner
An outstanding unit. Cleared up my, monitoring issues I've had for years. What I hear is what I get in the outputted file. Been through multiple interfaces, and finally found one as stable as my old Laylas 24/96. I've learned it's the code and Universal writes great code. I should have started here when it first was available since the first audio upgrade I made back in the day was a PCI excellarator. Then the PCIe and then the Quad USB3
B. Landino
I can't wait to buy more.
I am loving these Universal Audio interfaces and satellites. Due yourself a favor, and invest in better gear, like the UAD-2 series of hardware.
J. Dahle
Amazing
Easy to set up and works excellent. Sound quality is ace.