Review: Universal Audio Apollo x16D

RENAISSANCE TIME

The Apollo range’s peerless analogue-emulating digital plug-in processing capabilities have been well covered over the years in other AT reviews so I won’t revisit too much old ground here. Safe to say, its one of the big drawcards of these units and in recent years UA has really dialled in the integration of the plug-ins, Unison preamps and the Console mixing application to maximise the strengths of its system. What the Dante implementation adds to the mix (excuse the pun) is the ability to interface with existing ethernet networks for a seamless tracking and/or mixing experience. The clear target in a lot of the promotion around the x16D is the live mixing market and I can see why there would be a lot of takers in that segment. Rolling up to gig in a well-equipped venue or performance space with a laptop and a rack of x16 units, hooking into an existing ethernet network and mixing the show using a pre-loaded Console setup with a suite of UAD plugs would be a very attractive proposition to many a live engineer. With the quoted latency well under 1ms, this application promises to unlock some great quality sounds in a live setting. There’s also the very real prospect of being able to bring an artist or band’s recorded work to life on stage with exactly the same EQs, dynamics and effects used on the recordings – a prospect previous generations of recording artists and performers could only dream of.

In a studio installation, the ability to streamline your wiring using ethernet hubs and cables would make for an extremely tidy and cost-effective solution that would require a lot less copper and multicore (and smaller holes in your walls). When you add the Apollo’s special abilities in surround monitor control and room correction, you are looking at a very powerful system that can handle a lot of different tasks and produce extremely high quality results. Pair the x16D with an existing x8, x4 or Twin x and you have access to the bespoke Unison preamps, desktop monitor control and headphone amps. And then there are the new offerings that provide direct ethernet connection, which we’ll look at next.

APOLLO e1x

The e1x is presented in an unusual form factor, about the size of a short 35mm by 35mm timber offcut, in the dark silver livery of the Apollo x Gen 2 range. It is simplicity itself, with an ethernet port at one end and a multi-function XLR/TRS combi plug at the other. Above the latter there’s a three segment LED meter that shows the presence of PoE (power over ethernet), phantom power when instanced via the Apollo software, and incoming signal. Inside the e1x is a fully-equipped Unison preamp that gives you access to high-quality microphone and line-level amplification control. The onboard AD converter opens the door to the tasty world of UAD modelling of classic preamps such as Neve, API, and Helios, to name but a few. In practice, the e1x is extremely simple to work with. The preamp is very quiet with excellent dynamic range, low THD and sounds great. Operating the e1x from the Console application worked exactly the same as the preamps in my x8 and there were no surprises. My only issue was getting accustomed to the sight of ethernet cables running along my studio floor! These units are extremely low-profile and can be screwed together in pairs to provide larger arrays of ethernet-driven preamplification.

APOLLO e2m

The second new breakout box designed to accompany the x16D, is the e2m. This unit gives users two channels of line I/O and conversion (again, utilising the processing power of the UAD plugins where required) and offers more hands-on control over audio monitoring. A large rotary control allows fine control of monitor levels, while two separate headphone outputs are accompanied by headphone and line input mute buttons. Above the main controls a wide LED strip shows PoE and signal status, while round the back a Dante port is accompanied by four TRS jack sockets that can connect to incoming line level signals of all sorts while feeding monitors, IEMs, foldback wedges etc. The e2m is very compact and can be used either as a desktop adjunct to a mix position or, when screwed to a mic stand, can also ably play the role of personal mix controller while tracking. The headphone amps are clear and well endowed with headroom while the line inputs and outputs do their job well.

Both these units have the robust and business-like look of proper cutting-edge audio tools and show UA has put some serious thought into how modern studios and live performance environments can benefit from compact ethernet powered accessories. Think of them as, essentially, proxies of the I/O functions of the larger Apollo units – the technology inside being more or less identical.

INTO THE ETHER

I’d conclude by saying that Universal Audio has done a tremendous job to maintain its status as a leader in combining digital and analogue audio in useful and intelligent ways. With the introduction of a Dante-based system it has come into line with other leaders in this area such as SSL, RME and Focusrite, while integrating its point-of-difference UAD processing to offer a comprehensive solution that does an awful lot more than get audio from A to B. The new ethernet-driven accessories are well designed and implemented while the x16D will also happily marry to any of the already existing desktop and rackmount Apollo devices. I look forward to seeing how the x16D integrates into studio and live environments across the industry and I for one will be very happy to see UAD processing become a more regular feature at live shows moving forward.