Apollo x8p
Customer Reviews
Apollo x8p
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S. Salem
Insanely easy to use, lovely sound!
I'm a recording aficionado on the process of turning to the pro side with a medium sized project studio. For this reason I decided to give a try to the new X series Apollo interfaces, choosing the x8p as a great way to use the included 8 Unison preamps but also scalable to get external analog pres in as well. I'm using a Thundebrolt 2 to Thundebrolt 3 converter to connect into my computer and haven't had any problems whatsoever. Used the interface to record guitars and drums so far with amazing quality and impressive ease of use on any DAW (Cubase and Pro Tools have been used)
Tested out the Neve 1073 plugin to record guitars and I'm very very happy with the results. Very close quality to the "real gear" but very easy to use, removing any routing, cabling or mic setup. It's insane how good these Unison preamp work. Very Very happy with the nes stuff, I will build the studio based around this interfaces.
c. sholar
Great Interface
Sounds clean and transparent. I never imagined the Unison preamps would be so effective. Now I just recall presets to load either the Neve or SSL channel strips to every input before tracking.
K. Praet
Apollo x8p
I was recording with an korg multitrack before i bought an apollo x8p.
The difference is night and day.
The clarity, the 'open' sound of the unit it self...
I like the customer service that comes along if a problem occurs.
Amazing sounding preamps and plugins!
.
Best sounding mixes we've ever had
Unison pres are awesome, workflow is stress-free, TalkBack mics are very convenient. I want to add another x8p to the rig!
S. Roefs
Wow, just wow.
This thing is so versatile and excellent! I've worked with the Twin mkI and with the Antelope Orion32+ which are both awesome units, but the Apollo x8p is something else entirely! The detail in the sound is amazing, and the connections, routing and software are excellent. I'm a great fan of the Unison preamps and recording or monitoring through quality plugins is great. I've had many different setups in my studio, but the best thing about these Apollos (I've got multiple units linked) is that I've got everything in one place and it instantly works like a charm. Well done UA!
C. Ruehrdanz
Best Audio Product Ever Made
I've owned a ton of gear over the past 40 years and once owned a recording studio. I've had a Lexicon 480L, TC 6000, Tube Tech, Urei, LA2A, Neve, SSL, Empirical Labs and much more. After using the Apollo x8p for about a week now I'm glad I sold everything.
The x8p is one of the best sounding products I've ever used. When I dial up a setting on the Lexicon 480L insert it feels like the real thing. All the great reverbs I remember from the past sounding as great as ever. Same with the Neve pre.
All of the vintage style emulations I've tested so far are incredible. The SSL 4000 channel strip presets are wonderful. It's clear that a great deal of time and effort went into capturing the feel of the old gear and for some reason the plug-ins have much more presence than I'm used to in Pro Tools or other DAW's I've worked with in the past. I also really like the simplicity with which the console allows you to record with UAD inserts.
The cue mix flexibility is great too and it's nice having two independently addressable headphone outputs on the front.
It's clear to me that a great deal of thought and engineering went into this product. I added an Arrow for portable use and plan to add another x8p in the future. I like how seamless it is to expand.
This is a real winner and the UAD concept is outstanding.
J. Milaszewski
fantastic product
I really enjoy all the new gear from UA.
S. Haraldsen
So much power!
Loving how much this thing handle! And finally I can do my 5.1. gigs with UAD!
C. Benevides
Nothing Better than the x8p
As a music production teacher, I want my students using the best equipment available for our school budget. The Apollo x8p has been an amazing upgrade in our studio. The students are loving the Unison technology and getting a glimpse of using analog-style gear through Unison. The x8p is built like a tank and using console has been awesome!
M. Wallace
Best I/O option money can buy
Absolutely top of the line. We’re producing billboard charting records front to back with UAD Apollo gear.
J. van de Ven
Great unison pre’s
In addition to my 500 series racks with API and Neve pre’s the unison pre’s give me extra colors. So easy and fun.
C. Albright
The best way to add I/O
I have enough gear that I have been re patching my mixer and debating whether or not to buy a console sized mixer. I don’t have the space for that and I have an Apollo 8 duo. I initially thought I had to upgrade all my gear to expand my setup, but when I realized that x series was backwards compatible I ordered the 8p. I now have 12 dsp cores which feels like plenty for a mix in most cases. I will say that logic integration is not perfect and when I added the second interface the logic metronome bleeds into my recordings. I’m sure it just means I need to re map the I/o in logic. That said I feel like I can make amazing recordings that would have been pipe dreams when I started in the late 90s. Now if I can work out a time machine to bring this tech to my creativity back then...
B. Bradley
Best upgrade yet!
Having the Apollo 8p and Twin, it was a no brainer to move my home studio up a notch with more I/O and pristine recordings. Even with these old ears, the difference is noticeable. More 'pro' sounding for sure. A few things on my wish list that I'm sure UA will take care of in the near future! Very satisfied though.
R. Sutin
Perfect expansion for me
I already had an Apollo x8 that I use along with a Neve 5024 on the four line inputs. I wanted 8 more channels, so the x8p was perfect. It was easy to set up with my existing gear, so I was back in business quickly with the 16 channels I need for an upcoming project.
The only thing I would like better would be if they offered buyers who already have a UA unit a choice of some different freebie plugins when purchasing a second unit. I like the UA plugins and would have dug even a couple more with the new interface. The ones offered were the same as what I got with my x8.
R. Udairam
Phenomenal Kit
I come from the world of audio production and post production audio. I was using before my Universal Audio Apollo x8p an Avid Fast Track Duo, which now serves as a portable interface. The differences are huge. For one, I noticed much clearer sound, which I can only attribute to the UAD-2 processing that is in the x8p. Not to mention that each sample rate has its own dedicated crystals! Its just a beautiful piece of kit; very good at handling surround mixes. The pre-amp in this interface is incredible! Also love using the plugins that came with this interface. Absolutely a fan of the Pultec Pro Legacy plugin, the 1176 SE, and the Fairchild 670 Legacy models. Overall score: 10/10
p. magklis
I believe its the best !
I have upgraded from focusrite clarett 8prex and i saw huge difference! Of course its almost 3 times more expensive but it worths every penny! The plug ins that were given free is fantastic. Though i believe the the plugin library is a little expensive! Nevertheless, i will surely buy more plugins. The unison pre amps i believe its the best arsenal of this unit. Thanks
N. Butler
Stunning, powerful, and slightly challenging to integrate
First of all, what an amazing piece of gear, and all of the hype about the sonics is real. The expanded monitoring capabilities for headphone mixes is awesome, and overall, I’m a super happy camper.
That said, I had a time integrating this unit into my ecosystem.
For background: I already own an 8p, a twin duo, and two satellites - running on a 2012 model Mac Mini and a 2015 model MacBook Pro. I just hit a spot where I needed the additional inputs for my studio, and found that the 8p that would have matched my existing one had just been taken off the market. I thought that it would be cool to get into the x series of Apollos, but was worried about integrating, since everything I own is thunderbolt 2, but after assurances from my Sweetwater rep and researching the UAD website, I felt safe.
Well... it turns out that the 8xp wouldn’t talk to my computer with the aftermarket thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapter Sweetwater told me I had to have, so on a Sunday afternoon with a major client arriving in the morning, I ran to the nearest Apple store (a mere hour away) to buy the Apple thunderbolt 2 to 3 adapters.
After returning back to my studio, the Apple adapter allowed my computer to talk to the 8xp, but not the rest of my Apollo system.
Eventually I learned this: I have to use the Apple adapter on the way in, and the aftermarket adapter from Startec on the way out, and it all talks!
I guess all’s well that ends well, but I could have done without the panic and sweat and uncertainty.
.
Excellent
Having owned a Twin Duo I knew the quality of UAD, I am blown away by the clarity of this device. Having access to Unison Plugins is a game changer for me.
J. Bernardo
Amazing Interface
The Best audio interface so far that i have! Great plugins specially the unison technology!
翔. 平野
Great interface!!
This is the Greatest interface.
UAD plugins also great.
I can use NEVE,API,MANLEY,etc.,preamps by UNISON technology.
This is good to experiment for the music.