Apollo & Apollo 16 Support Information

Latest Technical News

Please review the information on this page carefully before installing or using Apollo or Apollo 16.

• This page applies to both Apollo and Apollo 16. All references to "Apollo" on this page apply to both Apollo and Apollo 16 unless specifically denoted otherwise.
• UAD version 7 brings significant enhancements to the Apollo platform. For a complete list of software changes and detailed release notes, see the UAD version history. See the Apollo Software Manual v7 for new feature instructions.
• Windows 7 support for Apollo/Apollo 16 and UAD-2 Satellite is available now. See the Windows Compatibility section below for complete details.
• 64-bit versions of UAD Powered Plug-Ins are available now for Mac and Windows.
• (Mac) The Thunderbolt Option Card for Apollo is available worldwide. For technical details about the Thunderbolt Option Card, see the Thunderbolt support page.
• We are actively working to enhance the compatibility and performance of Apollo. For optimized operation, visit this page regularly and update to the latest UAD software when a newer version becomes available.

Support Videos

General Information

Apollo documentation

After software installation, all Apollo and UAD user manuals are at these locations on the hard drive:

• (Mac) /Applications/Powered Plug-Ins Tools/Documentation
• (Win) Start Menu>All Programs>UAD Powered Plug-Ins>Documentation

Apollo operation manuals can also be downloaded here:

• Hardware Manuals: Apollo | Apollo 16  – Hardware controls, physical inputs/outputs, and specifications
• Apollo Software Manual – Console application, Console Recall plug-in, workflows, and device drivers
• UAD System Manual – UAD Meter & Control Panel application and UAD-2 instructions not specific to Apollo
• UAD Plug-Ins Manual – Specific details about individual UAD Powered Plug-Ins

Other general information

• Main product pages: Apollo | Apollo 16 – General product information
• Apollo FAQ – Frequency asked questions
• UAD-2 FAQ – UAD questions that aren't specific to Apollo
• UAD-2 support pages – Technical information related to Apollo's UAD-2 functionality
• Thunderbolt support page – Technical information about Apollo's Thunderbolt Option Card for Mac computers

System Requirements

The host computer system must meet or exceed these requirements to use Apollo or Apollo 16:

UAD Minimum System Requirements

• (Win) Windows 7 64-Bit Edition w/SP1
• (Mac) OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, 10.7 Lion, or 10.8 Mountain Lion
• 2 gigabytes available disk space
• Available PCI Express (PCIe) slot for each UAD-2 card
• Available FireWire 800 port* for UAD-2 Satellite, Apollo, or Apollo 16
• 1024 x 800 minimum display resolution (UAD-2 PCIe and UAD-2 Satellite)
• 1024 x 900 minimum display resolution (Apollo and Apollo 16)
• Internet connection to download software and authorize UAD plug-ins
• Compatible VST, Audio Units, or RTAS plug-in host application software

*On Windows systems, Apollo, Apollo 16, and UAD-2 Satellite require a qualified PCIe-to-FireWire adapter card. See the product support pages for details: Apollo | UAD-2 Satellite

Operating systems not listed above are unqualified. Although unqualified operating systems may work, they are untested and unsupported. Prior UAD software for older operating systems and discontinued UAD products is available in the UAD software archives.

Notes:

• For additional Apollo details, see the System Compatibility sections below (Mac | Win).
• (Mac) 13-inch MacBook Pro and 11-inch MacBook Air computers have a vertical screen resolution that is less than 900 pixels. As a result, the channel Link controls and horizontal scrollbars in the Console application are not accessible on these systems. To access the Link control, either connect an external monitor that has a vertical display resolution of 900 pixels (or more), or simulate the Link function by duplicating settings on adjacent channels and panning the channels hard left/right. For horizontal scrolling, use the scroll wheel.

Windows 7 System Compatibility

Known compatible and incompatible Windows systems, and UA-qualified PCIe-to-FireWire 800 adapter cards, are listed in this section. Additionally, the host computer must meet the minimum system requirements listed above.

Important Windows 7 Compatibility Notes

• Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite are qualified for use with 64-bit editions of the Windows 7 operating system with Service Pack 1 only. 32-bit editions of Windows 7, and all older Windows operating systems, are unqualified. Although these operating systems may work, they are untested and unsupported.
• Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite requires one of the UA-qualified PCIe-to-FireWire 800 adapter cards listed below. Built-in FireWire ports on any Windows computer are unsupported.
• FireWire device hot-plugging and system sleep are not supported.
• Only ASIO and WDM driver modes are supported.

About System Performance

• Generally speaking, modern systems (less than three years old) with a quad-core or better processor, such as an Intel i7, and 8 GB RAM are recommended for maximum performance due to significant improvements in the underlying technologies.
• Older underpowered systems may not deliver expected performance.

Incompatible Windows Systems

• The Dell Precision T3500 desktop computer is incompatible with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite.
• Built-in FireWire ports on any Windows computer are unsupported with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite (must use qualified PCIe-to-FireWire 800 adapter on PC systems).
• UAD-1 devices are incompatible with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite.
• Apollo's Thunderbolt Option Card is not supported on Windows systems.
• Using Apple's Boot Camp to run Windows 7 on Mac systems with Apollo or UAD-2 Satellite is an unqualified configuration.

Qualified PCIe-to-FireWire 800 Adapter Cards for Windows 7 Systems

• The following PCIe-to-FireWire 800 adapter cards are qualified for use with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite on Windows 7 64-bit systems.
• Daisy-chaining external FireWire hard drives off Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite is not supported in this release. However, external FireWire hard drives may be connected to a separate FireWire adapter card so it has its own FireWire bus.

Brand	Model	Format	Controller	Source
Sonnet Technologies	Allegro FW800-E	PCIe-to-FireWire 800	TI XIO2213	www.sonnettech.com
Syba	SD-PEX30009	PCIe-to-FireWire 800	TI XIO2213	www.amazon.com
Important: These PCIe-to-FireWire adapter cards are qualified with the FireWire driver included with Windows 7. When installing the cards, Windows will automatically use the built-in driver. To avoid unexpected behavior, DO NOT UPDATE THE DRIVER from the manufacturer's software disk or website, even if instructed to do so by the documentation included with the adapter cards.

Tested Windows Systems

• The following Windows computers have been qualified in-house for compatibility with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite. Although other systems may work (subject to system requirements), these systems are known to perform well with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite.

Mac System Compatibility

Compatible and incompatible Mac systems, and tested FireWire 800 adapters, are listed in this section. Additionally, the host computer must meet the minimum system requirements listed above.

Note: Mac system compatibility identification is based on the Mac Model Identifier (see "how to find" below).

Tested Mac Systems

Intel-based Mac systems with FireWire 800 have been tested in-house. Older Intel-based Macs with FireWire 400 only (those without Firewire 800) have not been fully tested with Apollo but we are not currently aware of any compatibility issues with those models (exception: MacBook Pro 3,1 “15-inch Mid/Late 2007” is not compatible).

Partially Compatible Mac Systems

The following Intel-based Mac systems with FireWire 800 are known to run Apollo at FireWire 400 speeds only*: 

MacBook Pro 1,2 (17")	MacBook Pro 3,1 (17")	Mac Pro 1,1
MacBook Pro 2,1 (17")	MacBook Pro 4,1 (15")	Mac Pro 2,1
MacBook Pro 2,2 (15")	MacBook Pro 4,1 (17")	iMac 6,1

*Adding a PCIe-to-FireWire or ExpressCard34-to-FireWire adapter to these systems can add FireWire 800 compatibility.
See list of recommended adapters below.

Incompatible Computer Systems

• PowerPC-based Mac systems are incompatible with Apollo
• UAD-1 devices are incompatible with Apollo
• The MacBook Pro 3,1 (“15-inch Mid/Late 2007”) is incompatible with Apollo

Recommended FireWire Adapters and Repeaters for Mac Systems

FireWire adapter and repeater compatibility is based on the FireWire controller integrated circuit chip that is inside the various available retail products. The “known good” controller chips that have been tested in house are:

• TI XIO2213
• LSI FW643

FireWire adapters and repeaters that use either of these chips should perform well with Apollo. All other controllers we tested have proven to be unreliable with Apollo.

There is no reliable way to determine which FireWire controller chip a given adapter uses, other than viewing the silkscreen numbers on the IC chip itself. All the FireWire products listed in the following tables use one of the qualified controller chips.

Recommended Thunderbolt-to-FireWire Adapter

The Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter has been tested in-house and there are currently no known issues when using it with Apollo.

Recommended PCIe-to-FireWire 800 Adapters for Mac Systems

The following PCIe-to-FireWire adapters have been qualified for use with Apollo:
Note: Cards marked with an asterisk (*) are NOT recommended for Mac Pro 1,1 models

Brand	Model	Format	Controller	Source
Syba*	SD=PEX30009	PCIe	TI XIO2213	www.amazon.com
SIIG*	NN-FW0012-S1	PCIe	TI XIO2213	www.amazon.com

Recommended ExpressCard34-to-FireWire 800 Adapters for Mac Systems

Important: To disconnect Apollo when it is connected to an ExpressCard-to-FireWire adapter, unplug the FireWire cable instead of removing the ExpressCard adapter to avoid system instability.

The following ExpressCard-to-FireWire adapters have been qualified for use with Apollo:

Brand	Model	Format	Controller	Source
StarTech	EC1394B2	ExpressCard34	TI XIO2213	www.buy.com
StarTech	EC13941A1B	ExpressCard34	TI XIO2213	www.amazon.com

Recommended FireWire Repeaters for Mac Systems

FireWire repeaters are used to add additional FireWire ports to a FireWire bus and/or to provide FireWire bus power to devices that require it (such as the Apogee Duet audio interface). Repeaters are recommended instead of FireWire “hubs,” which may not perform optimally.

The following FireWire repeaters have been qualified for use with Apollo:

Product	Format	Notes	Source
Unibrain FireRepeater 400 – 3 Port	1394A (FW 400)	External Power Supply Required (Sold Separately)	www.1394store.com
Gefen FireWire 400 Repeater	1394A (FW 400)	External Power Supply Required (Sold Separately)	www.gefen.com
Unibrain FireRepeater 800 – 3 Port	1394B (FW 800)	External Power Supply Required (Sold Separately)	www.1394store.com
Unibrain FireRepeater-800 PRO – 4 Port	1394B (FW 800)	External Power Supply Required (Sold Separately)	www.1394store.com

Incompatible FireWire Hubs

Note: DO NOT BUY these hubs for use with Apollo:

• Belkin F5U526 FireWire 6-Port Hub
• IOGEAR Hi-Speed USB 2.0/FireWire 7-Port Hub
• Belkin F5U507 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire 6-Port Hub for Mac mini

Quick Start: Installation, Registration, and Authorization

Follow the steps below to prepare Apollo for use.

1. Install the UAD Powered Plug-Ins software
   Launch the UAD installer downloaded from our website. The installer will guide you through the process. Shutdown the computer before connecting Apollo (Mac systems can be hot-plugged after restarting).



 

2. Connect and power Apollo then restart the computer.
   Connect Apollo to AC power with the included external power supply, then connect Apollo to the computer with a FireWire 800 cable (included). Power Apollo on with the front panel switch, then start the computer. On Windows systems, the Apollo software is installed automatically after restarting.
   Note: Turn off any connected speakers before powering Apollo.

 

3. Open the UAD Meter & Control Panel application
   (Mac) The application can be accessed under the blue UA diamond icon in the OS X Menu Bar at upper right of screen, or click its icon in the Dock.
   (Win) The application can be accessed from the Windows System Tray, or select the application from: Start Menu>All Programs>UAD Powered Plug-Ins>UAD Meter & Control Panel.



 

4. Firmware Updates
   Important: For optimum results, always update the firmware if prompted by the software. A confirmation dialog will appear after the firmware update is complete; power cycle Apollo to complete the process before attempting to use the software.
5. Open the “Plug-Ins” panel within the UAD Meter & Control Panel application
   Access the Plug-Ins panel by clicking the menu button in the UAD Meter window and selecting “Plug-Ins...” from the drop menu, or type Command-P (Mac) or Control-P (Win) as a shortcut.



 

6. Click the “Authorize Plug-Ins...” button
   Your web browser will launch and connect to the UA store. Our web pages will guide you through the process of creating an account, registering your hardware, and claiming bundled plug-ins. If your computer is not connected to the Internet, consult the UAD System Manual for offline authorization procedures.



 

7. Download the Authorization file
   Click the blue “Download Authorizations»” button on on the final web page to download the authorization file.



 

8. Load the Authorization file
   Double-click the downloaded auth.uad2 file (the file is downloaded to the default location specified by the web browser). After a few moments the Authorization Status window appears; click “OK” and UAD Powered Plug-Ins are ready for use.





 

9. Important! Adjust Apollo's FireWire setting
   To maximize Apollo performance, adjust the UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting in the UAD Meter & Control Panel. See Optimizing FireWire Performance in the next section for instructions.

Important: Optimizing FireWire Performance

About FireWire Bandwidth

FireWire bandwidth is shared between Apollo I/O streams, UAD plug-ins used within the DAW, and external FireWire hard drives. Available bandwidth also depends on the session sample rate; the higher the sample rate, the more bandwidth is consumed. FireWire bandwidth is displayed in the “FBW” meter in the UAD Meter & Control Panel application:

UAD Bandwidth Allocation

The UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting reserves FireWire bandwidth for UAD plug-ins used within a DAW (it has no effect on UAD plug-ins used in Console, nor when connected to the host computer via Thunderbolt). The default value (65%) a good starting point for most single-unit users; it should be adjusted according to your particular environment. Use the values in the table below as starting points when tuning the UAD Bandwidth Allocation.

Recommended UAD Bandwidth Allocation Values

Sample Rate (kHz):	44.1, 48	88.2, 96	176.4, 192
Without external FireWire hard drive:	Mac: 80% Win: 75%	Mac: 65% Win: 55%	Mac: 55% Win: 45%
With external FireWire hard drive:	Mac: 55% Win: 30%	Mac: 40% Win: 25%	Mac: 25% Win: 15%
I/O buffer setting for best playback results:	512	1024	2048

Note: When multi-unit cascading with two Apollo units, less bandwidth is available so external FireWire hard drives are not recommended. See "Multi-Unit FireWire Bandwidth" in the Apollo Software Manual for related information and recommended UAD Bandwidth Allocation values when multi-unit cascading.

To change the UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting:

1. Quit all DAW software and the Console application (UAD hosts must be quit to change this setting).
2. Open the UAD Meter & Control Panel application:
   (Mac) The application can be accessed under the blue UA diamond icon in the OS X Menu Bar at upper right of screen, or click its icon in the Dock.
   (Win) The application can be accessed from the Windows System Tray (blue UA diamond icon), or select the application from: Start Menu>All Programs>UAD Powered Plug-Ins>UAD Meter & Control Panel.



 

3. Open the “FireWire” panel within the UAD Meter & Control Panel application. Access the FireWire panel by clicking the menu button in the UAD Meter window and selecting “FireWire...” from the drop menu, or type Command+F (Mac) or Control+F (Win) as a shortcut.



 

4. Change the UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting (shown below) by clicking the up or down arrows, or click+hold the value for a drop menu.

 

UAD Bandwidth Allocation Notes:

• Important: If switching to a higher sample rate, set the UAD Bandwidth Allocation BEFORE opening a session.
• UAD Bandwidth Allocation values in the table above are recommended as starting points for FireWire bandwidth tuning. Depending on external FireWire hard drive usage (e.g., how many audio tracks are being streamed), lower values may be needed for increased FireWire hard drive loads, or higher values can be used for increased UAD plug-in counts when FireWire hard drive usage is lower.
• To run more UAD plug-ins within a DAW, use USB, eSATA, or internal hard drives for audio session files instead of FireWire drives.
• Apollo has intelligent FireWire bus monitoring. If audio playback is compromised, a “FireWire Interrupt Detected” dialog appears. If that occurs, decrease the UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting for reliable playback. Note that even if the dialog appears during playback, audio file integrity is never compromised during recording.
• The UAD Bandwidth Allocation only applies when UAD plug-ins are used within a DAW. FireWire bandwidth is not consumed by UAD plug-ins used within Console, nor when Thunderbolt is used for the host computer connection.
• (Mac) FireWire performance is better on some systems versus others due to the FireWire controller chips they contain. In general, newer Mac Pro, iMac, and Mac mini systems contain a superior FireWire controller chip and will deliver better FireWire performance than MacBook Pro systems. There is no simple method to determine which controller is used.
• (Mac) When the Thunderbolt Option Card is used for Apollo's host computer connection, optimizing FireWire performance is not applicable because UAD plug-ins used in the DAW are streamed via PCIe instead of FireWire. The UAD Bandwidth Allocation parameter is unavailable when Apollo is connected via Thunderbolt. See the Thunderbolt support page for additional information.

FireWire Bus Notes

FireWire Bus Power

• The included power supply is required for Apollo operation (Apollo cannot be bus powered).
• Apollo does not supply bus power from its FireWire ports to other devices.
• When using a FireWire device that requires bus power, connect that device directly to a FireWire port that supplies bus power, such as the host computer itself, or an externally powered FireWire repeater that is specifically designed to supply bus power.

Combining Apollo with other FireWire devices

• As a general guideline, Apollo should be powered on after all other FireWire devices on the bus are powered on (except when used with UAD-2 Satellite, as noted below).
• If UAD-2 Satellite is on the same FireWire bus as Apollo, the UAD-2 Satellite MUST be powered on AFTER Apollo is powered on.
• See Multi-Unit Support below for related information.

Mac Pro FireWire Ports

• Mac Pro systems have FireWire ports on the front and rear of the computer. For optimum performance with older Mac Pro systems, connect Apollo to a FireWire port on the rear of the Mac Pro instead of the front.

FireWire Bus Tuning

• To maximize FireWire bus performance, the UAD Bandwidth Allocation may need to be adjusted. See Optimizing FireWire Performance above for additional information.

Multi-Unit Support

Maximum of two UAD FireWire devices

• Concurrent use of up to two UAD FireWire devices together in one computer system is supported.
• Specific Apollo/Apollo 16 multi-unit support is detailed below.

Combining two Apollo or Apollo 16 units

• Multi-unit cascading of two Apollo or Apollo 16 units together in one computer system is a supported configuration as of
  UAD version 7.
• Specific wiring is required when multi-unit cascading. See "Chapter 6: Multi-Unit Cascading" in the Apollo Software Manual v7 for wiring diagrams and detailed operating instructions.
• Combining Apollo with Apollo 16 in one computer system is an unsupported configuration.
• More than two Apollo or Apollo 16 units cannot be combined in one computer system.

Combining Apollo or Apollo 16 with UAD-2 Satellite

• If UAD-2 Satellite is on the same FireWire bus as Apollo/Apollo 16, the UAD-2 Satellite MUST be powered on AFTER Apollo/Apollo 16 is powered on.
• Combining one UAD-2 Satellite with one Apollo or one Apollo 16 together in one computer system is a supported configuration.
• UAD-2 Satellite cannot be combined with two Apollo or Apollo 16 units that are multi-unit cascaded. Note: This constraint also applies when multi-unit cascading Apollo/Apollo 16 units via Thunderbolt.
• Combining UAD-2 Satellite with two Apollo or two Apollo 16 units that are multi-unit cascaded together in one computer system is not a supported configuration.

Combining Apollo/Apollo 16 with non-FireWire UAD Devices

• Apollo or Apollo 16 can be combined with UAD-2 PCIe, and/or UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop (within the other contraints listed above).
• Up to four UAD-2 devices can be combined together in one computer system (within the other contraints listed above).

General Usage Notes

Quit audio software before disconnecting Apollo

• Important: To avoid software errors, quit all audio software applications that are using Apollo and/or UAD Powered Plug-Ins before disconnecting Apollo from the computer. This includes any DAW software, Apollo's Console application, and UAD Meter & Control Panel application.

Sample Rate Changes

• Because each DAW differs in the way they execute sample rate changes, restarting the computer is generally recommended after the session sample rate is changed for maximum performance.
• To ensure a sample rate change is properly executed: 1) Quit the DAW after the sample rate is changed, then 2) restart the computer.
• The UAD Bandwidth Allocation may need to be adjusted after changing the sample rate.
• (Win) The session sample rate can only be changed from within the DAW. The Console Settings window cannot be used to change the sample rate.

DSP Usage

• Apollo uses DSP and memory for its internal DSP mixer. Therefore, the UAD meters will show some DSP and memory usage even when UAD Powered Plug-Ins are not in use.

UAD Presets

• When logged into the computer under an account that does not have administrator privileges, saving UAD preset files via the UAD Toolbar will result in an "Unable to save preset file" dialog. If this occurs, either log in with an administrator account, or use the DAW's preset management tools.

External Word Clock

• To set Apollo to sync to external Word Clock, the setting must be made in the Console Settings panel. If the setting is changed from within the DAW's control panel, the change may not actually be activated even if the DAW indicates the setting is changed.

Windows-Specific Notes

• For optimum performance with most DAWs, disabling Windows AERO is recommended.
• The session sample rate can only be changed from within the DAW. The Console Settings window cannot be used to change the sample rate.
• The "Enable CPU Optimization" option in the UAD Meter & Control Panel application's Configuration panel may need to be disabled when using Pro Tools on Windows systems.
• At sample rates of 88.2 kHz and 96 kHz, the smallest available buffer is 64 samples. At sample rates of 76.4 kHz and 192 kHz, the smallest available buffer is 128 samples.

What is the lowest hardware buffer setting I can use with Apollo for stable operation?

The audio interface hardware I/O portion of Apollo can run at any hardware buffer setting that is stable within the DAW itself. Results may vary as a result of how much the DAW session stresses the computer system. This can be influenced by:

• How many processor-intensive native plug-ins (such as virtual instruments, convolution reverbs, etc.) are in the session
• Track count and sample rate
• Processor speed and overall power of the computer

When Apollo is connected via FireWire, UAD plug-ins used within the DAW run at a 512 minimum buffer size in order to operate reliably. Apollo’s dynamic buffering enables lower hardware I/O buffer settings (256, 128, 64 etc.) while maintaining a stable 512 buffer for UAD plug-in processing.

(Mac) When Apollo is connected via the Thunderbolt Option Card, the 512 buffer restriction for UAD plug-in processing over FireWire no longer applies, enabling lower latency for UAD plug-ins running inside the DAW. With Thunderbolt, the buffer size for UAD plug-ins used within the DAW is equal to the DAW’s hardware I/O buffer setting. Additionally, LiveTrack mode can be used with Thunderbolt which lowers latency even further with UAD plug-ins used within the DAW.

Of course, for the lowest possible latency when running UAD plug-ins on live inputs, we recommend using the included Console application to take advantage of Apollo’s unique Realtime UAD Processing feature, where DAW I/O buffering does not apply.

Console Notes

Console Application

• UAD Powered Plug-Ins within Console use DSP differently than when used within a DAW. To maintain the lowest possible input latency, UAD plug-ins used on a single Console input are “chained” and must fit within a single DSP chip. Therefore, it is possible to get an “DSP load limit exceeded” message even though the UAD Meter may indicate there is plenty of DSP available.
• Console Recall session files (configuration presets) saved within Console will not be saved if the "/" (forward slash) or "?" (question mark) characters are in the filename. Avoid these characters when saving Recall files.

DAW Application Notes

General DAW Notes

• (UAD v6.5.2 and lower only) If a DAW session is saved then a Console Recall plug-in adjustment is made, the "Save" menu may be unavailable (gray) even though the plug-in has changed. If this occurs, make any adjustment outside of the plug-in (e.g., toggle any DAW setting) then save the session. This issue is resolved in UAD v7.
• (Win) The "Enable CPU Optimization" option in the Configuration panel of UAD Meter & Control Panel application's Configuration panel may need to be disabled when using Pro Tools on Windows systems.

System Sleep

System Sleep Is Not Supported.

Important: Quit all UAD plug-in host software and power down and/or disconnect Apollo before system sleep.

While Apollo is active, system sleep is not supported. Follow these guidelines when using Apollo:

• Disable sleep.
  (Mac) Open the System Preferences*>Energy Saver pane and drag the “Computer Sleep” slider to “Never” (far right position).
  (Win) Select Start Menu>Control Panel>System and Security>Power Options>Change when the computer sleeps, then next to “Put the computer to sleep:” select “Never”
• Before sleeping the system when Apollo is active, quit all plug-in host applications (including UAD Meter & Control Panel and Console applications) then power off or disconnect Apollo.
  (Mac) After system wake is complete, Apollo may be powered up and/or reconnected.
  (Win) Since hot-plugging is not currently supported, shutdown the computer before reconnecting and/or powering Apollo.

*System Preferences.app is located in Applications/Utilities, or click the Apple icon in the menu bar (upper left of screen) and select “System Preferences” from the menu.

Apollo and Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt Option Card

• Apollo's Thunderbolt Option Card is recommended for maximum performance when connecting Apollo to Thunderbolt-equipped Mac computers.
• See the Thunderbolt support page for technical details about the Thunderbolt Option Card.
• (Win) The Thunderbolt Option Card is not supported on Windows systems.

Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter

• The Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter has been tested in-house and there are currently no known issues when using this adapter with Apollo.
• When Apollo is connected to a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac via the Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter, Apollo behaves exactly as if it were connected directly to a FireWire 800 port. There are no operational or bandwidth differences in this configuration.