Apollo Twin MkII
Customer Reviews
Apollo Twin MkII
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H. Torres
Best portable interface period
Awesome asthethics, build quality and sound. I debated which interface to buy for a few months. After reading many reviews I decided to go for an Apollo interface. Given that I'm a hobbyist, I did not see the need for more than 2 inputs, but wanted to purchase an interface that could be expanded if needed. The Twin MKII met my requirements and some. The sound quality on this box is awesome and I really like the ability to track with processing on the way in. I am able to do this with no noticeable latency in Studio One 3. All I had to do was disable console monitoring by selecting the small blue speaker symbol on the track being recorded in Studio One.
Additionally, I can record both, with and without processing simultaneously by using the Aux inputs. This game changing technique allows me to select whether or not to keep the track that was processed on the way in or just delete it and process the untouched input during mix, meaning I can make the decision after the performance has been recorded.
Overall, I am very happy with the purchase and can't wait to have the time to try all the awesome plugins that are available. Definetely, a big step up from the mbox mini.
M. McGuire
I already knew, and yet......
I had little doubt that coming from this company, this soundcard (it somehow seems demeaning to call it that) was going to be a new kind of wonder, and ya know what..... it is! The latency in Logic, oh hell, what latency? There is, for all intent and purposes - none! The signal path from preamps to the great! hi-z input on the front is so good, that if it were any better, you probably wouldn't be able to tell. The plugins, oh well, I practically go into ecstatic trances every time I hear them. And U.A. lets you try all of them with no limitations for 14 days. This is both a good and bad thing!(I think you know what I mean by that). And I'm getting slightly better performance than the UAD instance chart says, though I certainly can't say that would be true for everyone. Plus! it's just really so cool to look on the desktop of my humble little home studio and see a piece of equipment that says Universal Audio on it! If I sound a bit excited - that's because I am! I literally cannot come up with any criticism at all, except maybe I wish the headphone and hi-z input were also on the back, but that bothers me very little, and I can also see why most people would like them right where they are. I'm actually just going to be a shameless fanboy here, and just say - Universal Audio, I thank you, from the bottom of my eardrums.
F. Vallotto
Perfection in a small box
Everything that a portable audio interface should offer and much more!!!
Awesome pres, Awesome AD/DA - better than on previous model which I have owned -, Top quality plug-ins, expandability, talk back function.
Can't really go wrong with it :)
T. Lockett
Nice -:)
I bought the Apollo TWIN MKII to go with my Apollo 8...they work well together on my Windows 10 Pro workstation...they also work well with my Mac MBP 2013
I use thunderbolt on both platforms, and UAD works equally well on Windows and Mac OS..GREAT job UAD...I've used other manufactures, but UAD stands above them, because "it just works" and it sounds great..
J. Chandonnet
What an upgrade!
I've been eyeing the UAD accelerators for years, but didn't upgrade since my older hardware DSP solution and audio interface was working fine. I wish I switched over sooner. The audio quality of the Twin and the plugins are simply amazing. I remixed an old tune over a couple days and it has a whole new life. I didn't even max out the DSP.
J. Morra
A major step forward
I'd owned apollo twin duo several years ago, it was a great device I'd ever used. And recently I've got twin duo mk II for my sub system, and reallized this is a totally different device. Sleek design with space grey enclosure, improved converter quality, and more cores I can choose!
K. Ahn
Great Powerful Shark
I already have Apollo 8P,but this is like a small version of Apollo8P. This Is very useful and convenient.
K. Ahn
Great Powerful Shark
I already have Apollo 8P,but this is like a small version of Apollo8P. This Is very useful and convenient.
R. Korzeniewski
Little devil
Due to my new line of work that forced me to move away from my studio and travel, I needed a portable solution that will replace my main studio gear. I am an UAD user since the first UAD-1 DSP card and it's an essential part in my line of work. I bought twin-duo MK2 and it is amazing. I have the DSP power and plugins like in my previous setup, can record vocals wherever I am, the sound is amazing when I'm composing and mixing tracks, it's small but has the power of a giant. The pre-amps teamed with my mikes from Rode and Bayerdynamic give great results and my EvE SC305 monitors sound even better than before with my studio interface. Drawbacks? Gets warm a bit, but that's the only problem I came across. I highly recommend this little beast. Worth every penny.
J. Boots
Awesome little beast
I love this interface! I'm a total amateur at home recording, and I still found this super easy to set-up and use. The sound quality and build quality is outstanding as are the connections. The UA website and software updates through to the plug-ins are all really well designed and set out. I'd recommend this powerful little beast to anyone!
P. Duff
Simple, Clean and Nice Sounding
This is my second Apollo Twin and I was convinced to get the MkII because of the overall improvements and updated feature set. The original still sounds as good and I'm hard pressed to hear big difference but the talkback mic, mono switch and mute are really great features. It looks really good in the studio and fits nicely under the 27" iMac.
L. Hogan
Little Twin is awesome for live use, massive processing horsepower, tiny footprint!
I'm using the Apollo Twin MkII Quad for an audio converter for my keyboard rig. I can take Ocean Way studio with me everywhere I go. Once you have an environment set up, you can have it with you all the time. Also, I get 4 more sharks to use with my studio setup, or if I'm miking a choir.
Yeah, it cost a little more than a usb converter, but the sound and the extra horsepower for my other projects makes it all worthwhile, and thunderbolt keeps the latency under control.
I recently had a recording reviewed by an industry professional - she commented that she couldn't use my material, but WHERE DID I GET THAT RECORDING MADE? Simple. MacBook Pro running into Apollo, UAD plugins.
It's so cool carrying a six-foot-tall rack of delicate, tweak, heritage equipment in such a tiny box...
L. Hogan
Little Twin is awesome for live use, massive processing horsepower, tiny footprint!
I'm using the Apollo Twin MkII Quad for an audio converter for my keyboard rig. I can take Ocean Way studio with me everywhere I go. Once you have an environment set up, you can have it with you all the time. Also, I get 4 more sharks to use with my studio setup, or if I'm miking a choir.
Yeah, it cost a little more than a usb converter, but the sound and the extra horsepower for my other projects makes it all worthwhile, and thunderbolt keeps the latency under control.
I recently had a recording reviewed by an industry professional - she commented that she couldn't use my material, but WHERE DID I GET THAT RECORDING MADE? Simple. MacBook Pro running into Apollo, UAD plugins.
It's so cool carrying a six-foot-tall rack of delicate, tweak, heritage equipment in such a tiny box...
M. NAVA
Apollo Twin MkII Solo
Parfait, que dire de plus!
M. NAVA
Apollo Twin MkII Solo
Parfait, que dire de plus!
R. Soto Barrón
Great!
I love it!
R. Soto Barrón
Amazing!
I love both conversions A/D and D/A.
J. Stewart
Perfect Addition
This has been the perfect addition to my other apollos. Great talkback and monitor control.
E. Lee
Great little guy
Great interface. Works pretty sweet, sounds super cool and being able to track using unison technology it's amazing.
Nice addition to my uad satellite (more power) definitely I'll be getting an apollo 8 or an apollo 16 in the near future.
J. Corne
The Real Deal!
I have owned many interfaces/recording devices/tape machines over the 30+ years I've been writing, recording, and performing. Even before I owned a Universal Audio device, I recommended the Twin Duo mki to a writing partner in Nashville, and he's still raving about it.
When it was time for me to upgrade, I briefly considered the Antelope Zen Tour, but decided to buy the Apollo TWIN QUAD mkii (Thunderbolt) and invest in the UA ecosystem. I'm glad I did! I'm sure the Zen Tour is a great product, but the preamps, plugins, and conversion on the Apollo Twin Quad mkii are all top notch.
After my purchase, I demoed several plugins. I bought three addtional plugs (via discounted bundle), and MAN they make a difference! I purchased the NEVE 88RS Channel Strip/Preamp, Studer A800 tape sim, and Ocean Way Studios room plugin.
There are folks who say there is no difference between native plugins and the UA plugs. There are also those who claim they don't use emulations of vintage gear. That's fine for them. There is no one-size-fits-all with art and artistic endeavors. However, I hear a difference between the popular native plugins (I have several, representing most brands) and the UA stuff. With some plugs the difference is subtle, with others the difference is more obvious.
Bottom line...my mixes have taken a giant leap. I record live drums, bass, guitars, keys, perc...standard stuff...and the preamp/conversion/plugin quality is well above what I've been using. The NEVE RS88 plugin is a joy to use! The point is that I just didn't purchase an interface; I bought into expandability. Using the preamps with Unison technology...tracking through UA's hardware emulations is a game-changer for me.
At some point in the future, I may invest in a 500 series lunch box, but honestly, there may never be a need. The vocal sound I'm getting with my Neumann TLM-103 (which has been a great workhorse mic) can best be described as SILK. Just the NEVE pre and a little compression...no EQ accept high pass. INCREDIBLE!
The TWIN mkii is built like a tank with solid drivers (I use a MAC). The CONSOLE software laid out well and is very intuitive. The overall sound of the hardware is tight, clean, and revealing. The legacy plugins and the few newer ones that are bundled with the hardware are all great-sounding and very useful. You can go with just those if you want. I opted for 3 more plugins that I thought would make the biggest difference for me, and those will do for quite some time.
There are a lot of great interfaces out there, no doubt. But this one fits my needs perfectly AND gives me hardware expansion options for adding other Unison-enabled devices in the future. If you go with the Apollo Twin Quad mkii, I'd be surprised if you're not VERY HAPPY with it.