Apollo Solo
Shape your recordings into records.
- Experience class-leading Apollo sound — as heard on hundreds of hit records
- Record your vocals and synths in realtime through classic mic preamp emulations from Neve, API, Manley, Avalon, and more
- Enjoy clear, detailed monitoring with the best-sounding headphone amplifier in its class
- Create on-the-go using a sonically superior bus-powered interface with rugged all-metal construction
Details & Downloads
What’s Included
Includes the Realtime Analog Classics Bundle
Shape your Recordings into Records
What They Say
Fab Dupont
Shakira, Santigold, Jennifer Lopez
Jonathan Wilson
Father John Misty, Dawes, Roger Waters
Terry Lewis
Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Prince
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Frequently Asked Questions
The Apollo Solo is worth it if you want album-quality conversion and analog hardware emulation in a compact, bus-powered interface. What separates it from similarly priced competitors isn't just the preamp hardware — it's the onboard UAD-2 SOLO Core DSP that lets you record through accurate emulations of classic studio preamps from Neve, API, Manley, Avalon, and more at near-zero latency. If you're a songwriter, bedroom producer, or musician recording on the go who wants the Apollo sound without the footprint, the Apollo Solo is for you.
The Apollo Solo pairs class-leading analog conversion with an onboard UAD-2 SHARC DSP processor — a combination you won't find in most interfaces at this price point. While a standard audio interface converts your signal and sends it to your DAW, the Apollo Solo can run UAD plug-in emulations of vintage studio hardware in realtime as you track, so you're monitoring and recording through emulations like the Teletronix LA-2A and Neve 1073 with near-zero latency. The conversion quality also stands above the typical home studio interface, with 24-bit / 192 kHz AD/DA, which has been the standard across professional studios for years.
Unison technology lets the Apollo Solo's mic preamp inputs physically respond like the hardware they're emulating, not just process the signal after the fact. When you load a Unison-enabled UAD plug-in, the input stage of the Apollo adjusts its impedance, gain structure, and circuit behavior to match the modeled preamp. The result is that the character of classic tube and solid-state designs gets captured at the source, which is meaningfully different from applying a plug-in to an already-clean recording.
The Apollo Solo (Thunderbolt 3) works with both Mac and Windows computers that have a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 port. It’s fully bus-powered over the Thunderbolt cable, so no external power supply is needed. The Apollo Solo USB connects via USB-C and is designed for Windows only, requiring an external power supply. If you're on a Mac, the Thunderbolt version is the right choice. If you're on a Windows PC without Thunderbolt, the Apollo Solo USB gives you the same conversion quality, Unison preamps, and UAD-2 SOLO Core DSP over USB-C.
The Apollo Solo uses the same 24-bit / 192 kHz AD/DA converters found across the broader Apollo lineup, which has been the standard in professional studios worldwide since Apollo’s release in 2012. In practical terms, recordings through the Apollo Solo tend to have a clarity and low noise floor that outperform what most similarly priced USB interfaces produce. The Unison mic preamps add to this, giving you hardware-style impedance loading before the signal ever hits the converter.
The Apollo Solo comes with the Heritage Edition bundle, which includes a curated collection of UAD plug-in emulations of classic studio hardware. You get realtime Unison-compatible preamp emulations alongside processors like the UA 610-B Tube Preamp & EQ, Teletronix LA-2A, 1176 Classic Limiter Collection, and more. These are the same plug-ins used on professional recordings, running on the interface's onboard DSP so your computer's CPU stays free for your DAW.
The UAD-2 SOLO Core is a single SHARC DSP chip built into the Apollo Solo that handles plug-in processing independent of your computer. It's designed to run several UAD plug-ins simultaneously while tracking, which covers most solo recording scenarios, such as a vocal through a preamp emulation and compressor. For mixing sessions with heavy UAD plug-in loads, the SOLO Core has limits. You can expand your DSP headroom by adding a UAD-2 Satellite or UA Apollo expansion unit via Thunderbolt. Additional DSP Satellite devices expand mixing headroom but don’t increase processing power for realtime tracking.
The Apollo Solo (Thunderbolt 3) is compatible with both Mac and Windows computers that have a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 port, including Apple Silicon Macs. The Apollo Solo USB is Windows-only via USB-C. Both versions are compatible with LUNA, UA’s own DAW, which offers the deepest integration with the Apollo Solo on both Mac and Windows. For current system requirements and driver updates, visit UA's Apollo compatibility page.
Yes, the Apollo Solo (Thunderbolt 3) works with Apple Silicon Macs. UA has maintained native Apple Silicon support across the Apollo line, so the interface, UAD Console application, and UAD plug-ins all run natively on M-series machines. If you're on an Apple Silicon Mac, the Apollo Solo connects over Thunderbolt 3 and runs without Rosetta.
The Apollo Solo works with all major DAWs, including Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Cubase, Studio One, Reaper, and GarageBand. LUNA, UA’s own DAW, offers the deepest integration with the Apollo Solo, including UAD Console integration and LUNA Extensions on both Mac and Windows. As a Core Audio (Mac) and ASIO (Windows) device, the Apollo Solo works with any DAW that uses those standard protocols.
The Apollo Solo is a natural fit for home studio recording, particularly for singers, guitarists, synth players, and producers who typically track one or two sources at a time. Its 2 x 4 I/O (two Unison mic preamps in, stereo monitor out, headphone out) covers most home studio recording chains, and the included Heritage Edition bundle gives you professional processing tools on day one, no additional plug-in purchases required. The all-metal body is built to last and compact enough to take anywhere.
Yes, the Apollo Solo (Thunderbolt 3) is bus-powered, meaning it runs off the Thunderbolt cable with no external power supply needed, which makes it a practical option for recording on the go. The all-metal body holds up well in a bag or backpack. For sessions away from your desk, it gives you the same conversion and Unison preamp quality you'd have at home.
Yes. The Apollo Solo (Thunderbolt 3) supports Thunderbolt daisy-chaining, so you can add a UA Apollo interface or UAD-2 Satellite accelerator to increase both your I/O and your DSP processing pool. This makes the Apollo Solo a strong entry point into the broader UA ecosystem without committing to a larger interface upfront.
DSP-based interfaces like the Apollo Solo remain worth buying in 2026 because the core benefit — running high-fidelity plug-in emulations during tracking with near-zero latency — is something native processing still can't fully replicate. Monitoring through an accurate Neve or LA-2A emulation while you're singing or playing shapes your performance in ways that applying a plug-in in post doesn't. The UAD-2 SOLO Core also offloads all UAD processing from your computer, which keeps your session responsive regardless of your CPU.
UAD DSP plug-ins run on the SHARC processor inside the Apollo Solo, which is what enables realtime monitoring through Unison-compatible hardware emulations with near-zero latency during recording. UAD native plug-ins (available through the UAD Spark subscription) run on your computer's CPU instead, which means they work in any session with any interface, but aren’t available for realtime Unison tracking. The Apollo Solo gives you access to both: DSP processing for tracking workflows and native options for mixing sessions when latency is less of a concern.
The Apollo Solo comes with the Heritage Edition bundle, which includes UAD plug-ins covering classic tube and solid-state preamp emulations and essential dynamics processors. These plug-ins run through UAD Console during recording, handling realtime monitoring independently of your DAW. The included plug-ins are compatible with all major DAWs on Mac and Windows, including LUNA, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Cubase, and Studio One. Your UAD plug-in library can be accessed via the UA Connect app.