With the Apollo x4, Universal Audio offers a powerful Thunderbolt 3 audio interface with first-class A/D and D/A conversion, four Unison preamps and real-time UAD plug-ins for Mac and PC. Based on Universal Audio's 60-year heritage in audio craftsmanship, the Twin X boasts 127dB of D/A dynamic range and award-winning analogue emulations that are processed externally in real time thanks to the processors, freeing up your computer for other processing tasks.
The included UAD 2 plug-ins turn any recording setup into a virtual recording studio with the analogue sound of famous studio classics. When you purchase the Universal Audio Apollo x4, the Realtime Analogue Classics and Heritage Plug-ins packages are included. This gives you access to all the important studio tools in multiple versions: classic LA-2A and 1176 compressors, Pultec and Universal Audio EQs, various delays and reverb effects from AKG, Korg and Roland, as well as transistor or tube-based preamps from Neve, Helios and Siemens. Thanks to advanced tools such as the Precision Mastering series or the precise Oxford EQ, even tasks that require a high degree of precision can be done reliably. If you also get a more comprehensive reverb plug-in, e.g. UAD Ocean Way Studios, you are perfectly equipped for almost any application!
The Universal Audio Apollo x4 comes with four Unison mic preamps as well as excellent mic preamp emulations from Neve Helios, API, Manley, UA and others. This means you get detailed tones of the coveted tube and solid-state mic preamps - 100% and including input impedance, gain stage "sweet spots" and component-level circuit behaviour of the original hardware! Work with virtually no latency via emulations such as the included UA 610-B Tube Preamp & EQ and get unrivalled, authentic analogue sound. Unison technology is also found on the front-panel Hi-Z instrument input, providing perfect impedance and gain matching for guitar and bass amps from Fender, Marshall, Ampeg and many more.
Universal Audio's Apollo interfaces are used every day for a wide variety of situations and, most importantly, for recording exceptional-sounding records - as evidenced by thousands of chart hits and hundreds of Grammy-winning albums. UA's engineers, however, made it their mission to improve upon the previous generation's world-class audio conversion, completely redesigning it to deliver a stunning 127 dB dynamic range and -117 dB distortion. This gives the Universal Audio Apollo x4 an open, organic sound that easily rivals dedicated high-end converters.
Users can combine their audio interface with up to four Thunderbolt Apollos and six UAD-2 devices, adding I/O and DSP as the studio grows. Once you expand your studio with an Apollo X rack interface, you can use the Apollo x4 as a desktop monitor controller with additional I/O and expanded DSP power.
Universal Audio Apollo x4 also includes the Real-time Analogue Classics suite of UAD plug-ins - the UA 610B Tube Preamp & EQ, Teletronix LA-2A and 1176 compressors, Marshall Plexi Classic Guitar Amp, Ampeg SVT-VR Classic Bass Amp, Pultec EQs and more. So from the very first minute, you'll have a bulging virtual rack of groundbreaking and sonically rich audio classics. The Twin X's built-in processors take over the main processing role, leaving your computer CPU more room for other important processing tasks.
To keep you flexible and prepared for all common recording situations, the Apollo x4 provides a total of 12 x18 I/Os. These include four Unison preamps, two independent headphone outputs and two Hi-Z instrument inputs. In addition, there are four line outs, an optical ADAT / SPDIF in and out as well as dedicated monitor controller functions and a built-in talkback microphone.
Luna is Universal Audio's in-house, full-featured DAW that realises a unique deep integration of preamp, interface, DSP and sequencer. With Luna, for the first time, the complete recording and production process can be accomplished with hardware and software from a single manufacturer in a single screen window. Luna controls the microphone amplifiers in the Apollo interfaces via the familiar UAD2 plug-ins, sets their impedance and sound behaviour matching the emulated analogue hardware, and enables monitoring of gain staging. Furthermore, the DSP cores of all Apollo interfaces and UAD DSP processors are controlled from a central location, reducing the overall latency from signal input to output to less than 2ms. Together with special Luna extensions for e.g. Neve consoles and Studer multitrack tape machines, you can not only make your recordings as if you were in an analogue studio, but they will also sound like one!
Luna also comes with Unison mic preamp plug-ins from Neve, Manley, API, Avalon and other well-known manufacturers, and includes a whole range of newly developed instruments. These include a realistic Minimoog, a gorgeous concert grand piano that combines sampling and physical modelling, Spitfire Audio's orchestral instruments and a large sample library.
Luna is free for owners of the newer Apollo interfaces and so that no one has to fret when switching: Luna supports the cross-DAW session format AAF!
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