Thunderbolt 3

[tangoportland]

Hello DUC!!!

Well I am looking to buy an Apollo interface and everything has moved to Thunderbolt 3.
I have pro tools 12 and running windows 7 pro 64 bit on one machine and win 10 on a hp laptop.

And, I will need a new computer, so I am looking at an imac. Although I prefer windows.

So, I have searched a lot, but it seems there are not a lot of Windows machines with Thunderbolt 3 although there are USB -C ports , but not a lot of clarity of compatibility with the Apollo Thunderbolt.

Any advice from the DUC on this? Is mac the way to go or is there a PC build that will function and run the new Thunderbolt 3?


PS....tech is a four letter word

Thanks

[Darryl Ramm]

Most PCs don't support Thunderbolt 3 but there are models out there that you can find, what's do you need that you can't find? You'll need Windows 10.

There are Windows computers with Thunderbolt 3 that UAD recommend, so start by looking at that.

Thunderbolt 3 motherboards include the GIGABYTE X299 DESIGNARE EX. I could not think of any computer I'd want to purchase vs. building my own.

Both Lenovo and HP (ZBook) make Windows laptops with Thunderbolt 3.

Macintosh is always a fine choice, especially of you are tech adverse.

[tangoportland]

Thanks Darryl, the problem started because my USB focusrite 2i2 had problems so I figured I should go to Thunderbolt 3 for better quality.

Its not really in the budget right now to get both a new computer and a new interface, I will read up on those motherboards, Yes I agree its better to build a machine.

I found that info page on compatabiltiy.
https://help.uaudio.com/hc/en-us/art...-Compatibility

Or buy another USB interface....and wait on the upgrade....which usb interface would you reccomend?

Thanks Again

[junkgear]

Originally Posted by tangoportland

...I figured I should go to Thunderbolt 3 for better quality.

I'm a little unsure what your end goal is here with TB3. The main benefit of using TB3 is the speed of the data, which in turn gives you very low latency compared to older technologies.

So by quality, do you just mean a better, more pro level interface?

The other unknown is how you use Pro Tools. Do you track with a lot of plug-ins and how many tracks are in a typical session?

Newer computers can do pretty well over USB and the latency is low enough where it isn't a problem. I have never used MOTU interfaces, but they have some USB 3 interfaces that claim to have latency almost as low as TB.

As for my setup, I'm using a Gigabyte GA-Z270X-UD5 into a StarTech TB3 to TB2 adapter with a Presonus Quantum audio interface running under Windows 10. This setup has been running very solid and performs very well under Windows.

[tangoportland]

Yes, I mean trying to get a more pro level interface, I only have the stock plugins that cam with PT 12, so my little koweldge of plugins is that UA are some of the better ones?
But, you need more core power on the interface to run them.

I usually only have a 3 guitar tracks, bass, 3 or 4 tracks for drum clips, hopefully soon have superior drummer, and 1 to 3 vocal tracks.

Just making high quality demos at home.

I did not know about the Gigabyte and Motu , but I will read up on them today. I thought that USB was not worthy anymore so was willing to go to Thunderbolt 3 since from what I read everything will be going that way the new standard?

Thanks Junkgear

[UniversalAudio]

Originally Posted by tangoportland

so my little koweldge of plugins is that UA are some of the better ones?
But, you need more core power on the interface to run them.

Yes, we'd like to think we make the best plugins around.

You need one of our interfaces to run them because they only run on our DSP.

Feel free to contact support for any other pre-sale questions you might have.

https://help.uaudio.com/hc/en-us/art...ontact-Support

Also, you might visit our forum and ask for help from our large user base.

https://uadforum.com

[junkgear]

Originally Posted by tangoportland

Yes, I mean trying to get a more pro level interface, I only have the stock plugins that cam with PT 12, so my little koweldge of plugins is that UA are some of the better ones?
But, you need more core power on the interface to run them.

I usually only have a 3 guitar tracks, bass, 3 or 4 tracks for drum clips, hopefully soon have superior drummer, and 1 to 3 vocal tracks.

Just making high quality demos at home.

I did not know about the Gigabyte and Motu , but I will read up on them today. I thought that USB was not worthy anymore so was willing to go to Thunderbolt 3 since from what I read everything will be going that way the new standard?

Thanks Junkgear

The UA interfaces are excellent choices and TB will certainly give you the best performance. For what you are doing, it sounds like the Apollo would be a great choice and includes the plugins you would need for guitar, bass, vocals and drum processing.