Universal Audio Apollo Twin, Excellent Audio Interface
Universal Audio Apollo Twin – For audiophiles, the name Universal Audio is one that doesn’t need to be introduced. This company, which has been in the recording industry since the late 50’s, has long been present among sound engineers with a good track record.
Not only in the world of analog recording, but Universal Audio has also stuck its teeth in the world of digital recording to date through its UAD-2 plugins and DSP Accelerator products. Unlike other plugins on the market, this Universal Audio output plugin requires a DSP Accelerator to function. What makes DSP Accelerator such a success in the market is that it is able to bring analog hardware sound quality into Universal Audio’s output plugins.
After the success of the UAD-2 Plugins and DSP Accelerator, Universal Audio finally released an audio interface in 2012 with the name Apollo, which does provide very good AD/DA conversion quality, complete with DSP Accelerator that is built-in in into the object.ccc
After the Universal Audio Apollo Twin’s success in the market, a new market demand began to emerge, namely a small version of Apollo for higher mobility needs. Finally in 2014, Universal Audio answered the market demand by releasing the Apollo Twin series, a series with a smaller and desktop-friendly form. The Apollo Twin series features two combined TRS/Line inputs, as well as a panel jack for Hi-Z input (which is intended for guitar and bass) on the front panel.
The difference from the previous series is not only limited to a smaller design because in this series Universal Audio for the first time introduces a new feature: Unison Microphone Technology, which functions as a modeler to emulate preamps from classic vintage microphones.
The Apollo Twin
Even though it measures about 6 inches in length and width (which is larger than the size of a typical ‘desktop’ soundcard), this thing still deserves to be called a “portable”. From the “look” and “feel” we will immediately see this object as a quality object.
The Universal Audio Apollo Twin is allegedly using the same blueprint as the rack version, and Universal Audio itself claims it is the best-sounding desktop interface on the market today. In sound, this thing does produce very good audio quality, but in addition to a sturdy design and good audio quality, this thing requires a power supply (adapter) to run. Other features found in this thing are a high-pass filter, phantom power, polarity reversal, and stereo linking.
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The Unison Preamp
As mentioned earlier, one of the most distinguishing features of this series from the previous series is the presence of Universal Audio’s new preamp technology called Unison. If friends are still confused about the function of the preamp, actually this preamp serves to give additional color to the sound that we will record. Maybe it won’t sound too loud to ordinary people, but for audiophiles or mixing engineers, it will be very helpful, especially in the mixing process and the mastering results later.
Conclusion
Impressive, maybe that’s the right word to conclude Universal Audio Apollo Twin series. Because this thing is able to match the specifications in the rack version (Apollo). Although in terms of the use of this object will be more optimal if used by advanced users, but indeed this object deserves to be called a desktop audio interface on the market.
