Why the Pros Use Apollo

• Class-Leading Sound Quality
• Iconic Preamps
• Recording in Realtime
• Built-In Room Correction
• Grow your Studio
• Take your Productions to the Stage
• Apollo Artist Sessions

In the tradition of UA founder and audio pioneer Bill Putnam Sr., Apollo audio interfaces are as ubiquitous in professional studios around the world as the Teletronix LA-2A or 1176 compressors. Released in 2012, Apollo audio interfaces quickly became the centerpiece of professional studios and mobile rigs, as well as earning numerous industry awards from Sound on Sound, Future Music, and Electronic Musician — as well as the prestigious TEC Award for computer audio hardware five years running.

From Kendrick Lamar to Green Day, Ariana Grande to Tyler, the Creator, Post Malone, and Chris Stapleton, Apollo continues to make appearances on hundreds of chart-topping, Grammy-winning albums every day. But with hundreds of interfaces on the market, why is Apollo considered "the pro's choice?" Here, we'll find out.

Apollo Gives you Class-Leading Sound Quality

Ultimately, you want fidelity from your audio interface. What this means for you is that you'll hear every detail in your music — essential for professional recording or mixing.

And simply put, Apollo Interfaces sound better. From desktop Apollo Solo, which features the best A/D and D/A conversion of any bus‑powered audio interface — perfect for songwriting and podcasting, to the flagship Apollo x16 Gen 2 — which sports the widest dynamic range (133 dB) and lowest THD+N (-129 dB), of any integrated audio interface on the market.

This elite‑class conversion gives you a spacious, organic sound that easily rivals dedicated high‑end converters.

Get the Sound of Iconic Preamps with Unison™ Technology

Watch any veteran recording engineer in a pro studio, and you'll likely see them selecting different classic mic preamps to accentuate the sounds of different sources.

Unison technology lets you do the same thing virtually, by reconfiguring your Apollo's onboard preamp's physical input impedance, gain staging response, and other parameters to match authentic preamps from Neve, API, Helios, Manley, Avalon, SSL, and more.

Read: How the Pros Choose Mic Preamps
Read: Top 5 Reasons Why Mic Preamps Matter

The secret is Unison's hardware-software integration between Apollo's mic preamps and its onboard DSP Acceleration. Simply place a Unison preamp plug-in on your mic input, and it physically reconfigures your preamp impedance — an exclusive feature found only on Apollo interfaces.

But how do these Unison preamp plug-ins sound compared to the pricey, often unattainable vintage hardware they emulate? Watch this video below and judge for yourself.

Watch: Jacquire’s Shoot Out: Vintage Analog Hardware vs. Apollo & Unison Plug-Ins

Recording in Realtime with Apollo's UAD Console App

Unison is just one of the many ways Apollo gives you authentic analog sound, every time you record. No matter what DAW you use, with Apollo interfaces you can record your music in realtime — with near-zero latency — through UAD plug-ins.

Key to this analog workflow is the UAD Console app, which unlocks Apollo's unique Realtime UAD Processing capabilities, letting you record through UAD plug-ins as well as route and monitor audio, forming the heart of your studio, just like a vintage analog console.

"I had used Apollo before, but never with the UAD Console app," says Grammy-winning producer Jacknife Lee (U2, Snow Patrol). “But once I got going with UAD Console, I found it to be a very intuitive, almost invisible system even. Plus, there’s no front-end latency, which is amazing.”

With Console, you can either monitor your recording with effects, or choose to commit to those sounds while recording — a tried-and-true practice of old-school analog engineers and modern producers wanting to truly "capture the magic" and "print" sounds when tracking.

“With Apollo and UAD plug-ins, I pretty much commit to the sounds on everything, especially drums, bass, guitar and keys,” says Grammy-winning producer Trevor Lawrence, Jr. (Eminem, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars). "What you’re committing to is the sound that inspired the musical performance. Listening to it without that sound could completely alter the intent of the performer.”

Apollo: The Only Interface with Monitor Correction Built-In

Whether it's a desktop or rackmount, all Gen 2 Apollos give you the most accurate playback of your recordings and mixes — even in headphones — thanks to Apollo Monitor Correction by Sonarworks.®

Now, even the most challenging listening environments can yield truly professional results.

Grow Your Studio with Apollo

Apollo interfaces let you easily combine up to four Apollos and six total UAD-2 devices — adding fast, high-bandwidth I/O and DSP as your studio grows. For example, say your studio has an Apollo x6 rackmount. You can seamlessly add an Apollo x4 as a desktop monitor control while still tapping its additional I/O and DSP power.

Watch: Apollo Studio Makeover: Creating a Multi-Unit Apollo Setup

Or maybe you're looking to "go big" and expand your studio with a large tracking room. Apollo x16 will give you tons of inputs and fit right into your current rig —whether it's more Apollos, outboard preamps, or a vintage analog mixer.

Plus, Apollo x16D is Dante-ready, so you can easily build a multi-room recording system over Ethernet, ideal for install, broadcast or educational facilities.

Take Your Productions from Studio to Stage

Thanks to its Dante compatibility, Apollo x16D lets you transport your UAD plug-in processing directly from the studio to your live setup. Easily connect up to four x16Ds for a whopping 64-channels to your front-of-house or monitor console and use UAD plug-ins live, in realtime over Dante. Plus, you can recall plug-in scenes via MIDI to animate your live show with pro studio sound.

Read: Dante for Dummies

As you can see, only Apollo Interfaces let you go from a tiny demo rig to a full‑on professional studio, and then take your productions on to the big stage.

See it in Action With Apollo Artist Sessions

Whether it's legendary studios, historic buildings, or exotic locales, Apollo Artist Sessions showcase Apollo in a variety of genres with with Grammy-winning producers like Jacknife Lee (U2, The Killers), Vance Powell (Jack White, The Dead Weather), Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits), Che Pope (Kanye West, Lauryn Hill), at the controls.

Watch: See All Apollo Artist Sessions

Read More:
How to Choose an Audio Interface