Any Carbon users who were using UAD Apollo before?

[basehead617]

Originally Posted by dankin

Thanks. I feel like I'm sold on Carbon. Just seems like the perfect workflow for me. I'll keep my Apollo Twin for now for travel, but I'm going to sale the 16mkII and Satellites + Plugins.

I'm trying to keep up on the product but maybe I'm missing something - does it have any use at all outside of Pro Tools? (beyond what an Apollo gives you I mean). You can't use the AAX <-> AAX DSP back and forth on it because Logic doesn't use AAX, so you're using AU that can't be offloaded to the Carbon. And it doesn't have any special integration with Logic. Why use it with Logic vs what you have?

Perfectly possible I'm missing something major here though.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by basehead617

I'm trying to keep up on the product but maybe I'm missing something - does it have any use at all outside of Pro Tools? (beyond what an Apollo gives you I mean). You can't use the AAX <-> AAX DSP back and forth on it because Logic doesn't use AAX, so you're using AU that can't be offloaded to the Carbon. And it doesn't have any special integration with Logic. Why use it with Logic vs what you have?

Perfectly possible I'm missing something major here though.

It's just a nice interface with Logic and other DAWs.

Carbon gives you significantly less functionally that an Apollo outside of Pro Tools. No console, no UAD plugins in a console and no UAD plugins in the DAW. But you've got to want that style behavior, and Carbon is aimed at folks who don't, and if you do want that you'll be buying an Apollo.

But this is all better than not being able to use the interface at all with other DAWa. It makes very little sense to purchase Carbon unless you are pretty committed to Pro Tools. But OTOH who would want to build out a project studio/room with Carbon and then tell folks coming in who want to use Logic etc. that they can't use the interfaces.

[K Roche]

Originally Posted by basehead617

I'm trying to keep up on the product but maybe I'm missing something - does it have any use at all outside of Pro Tools? (beyond what an Apollo gives you I mean). You can't use the AAX <-> AAX DSP back and forth on it because Logic doesn't use AAX, so you're using AU that can't be offloaded to the Carbon. And it doesn't have any special integration with Logic. Why use it with Logic vs what you have?

Perfectly possible I'm missing something major here though.

Well as Darryl mentioned I think it is fair to say the unique appeal of Carbon is if your primary DAW is Pro tools and you do not want or need to go to a full blown HDX system ..Because you're not going to get the benefit of Carbons DSP processing outside of Pro Tools . So in that sense the Apollo would give you that and Carbon would not .

But not having DSP function in other DAWs is not remotely the same thing "not having any use at all" with other DAWS . Having 8 pristine mic pre amps and 8 channels of excellent conversion , and expandability up to 24 input channels ain't "nothing". And Carbon can play other DAWs Just fine. I use it for both Studio One and Reason

And as far "special integration" depends on what you mean ? As per a Carbon user on another forum stated, he likes a particular VI (Alchemy) in Logic so because of Carbons dual instances of I/O capability, he Runs Logic and PT simultaneously and runs the stereo output of the particular VI from Logic into Carbon to play into an existing PT session ... .

[trimix]

Originally Posted by K Roche

And as far "special integration" depends on what you mean ? As per a Carbon user on another forum stated, he likes a particular VI (Alchemy) in Logic so because of Carbons dual instances of I/O capability, he Runs Logic and PT simultaneously and runs the stereo output of the particular VI from Logic into Carbon to play into an existing PT session ... .

Hey, he sounds like a really smart guy...

On the Carbon vs Apollo decision, I got some arrangement edits sent to me last night around 11:30pm for a production rehearsal at 9am this morning. My MacBook Pro is in it's sleeve next to the bed, so I just poured a coffee, plugged in the iLok and headphones so I can crank out the edits and get them uploaded while the girlfriend sleeps and the Carbon is racked up in the studio next door. Dongles bigger than an iLok don't work for me, I need plug-ins that can run native when I'm mobile or DSP in the tracking room. Tonight I'll be mixing FOH and the same laptop will be used for outboard reverb and delay at a live theatre gig.

[akhafaji]

I have the both units, IMHO as sound quality the Apollo X is better, and also UAD driver/software is more stable and more flexible, also the expandability with Carbon is very limited compared to UAD.

[HeySchlitz]

Originally Posted by akhafaji

I have the both units, IMHO as sound quality the Apollo X is better, and also UAD driver/software is more stable and more flexible, also the expandability with Carbon is very limited compared to UAD.

I won't knock the UAD Apollo as it's a fantastic unit, but I also have both and wouldn't agree with this. Carbon sounds great (so does the UAD), I haven't run into any stability issues once I installed 10.5.7. I added a Ferrofish pulse16 and have 24 inputs available with AAX DSP...so I'm not sure what you mean by expandability being limited. Opinion is subjective, so I respect yours...but I'm going to be selling two Apollo units (x8 and 16mkII...keeping a satellite and a twin).

[dankin]

Originally Posted by basehead617

I'm trying to keep up on the product but maybe I'm missing something - does it have any use at all outside of Pro Tools? (beyond what an Apollo gives you I mean). You can't use the AAX <-> AAX DSP back and forth on it because Logic doesn't use AAX, so you're using AU that can't be offloaded to the Carbon. And it doesn't have any special integration with Logic. Why use it with Logic vs what you have?

Perfectly possible I'm missing something major here though.

Protools is my main DAW, which is why I'm interested in switching out my Apollo for Carbon. Carbon just has a much better workflow for tracking. I definitely wouldn't buy any Avid hardware if PT wasn't my primary DAW. I use Logic and occasionally Ableton for writing/midi heavy composing which is why I was interested in knowing if Carbon was solid with them. I'm going to keep my Apollo Twin though, so I can always use that for Logic if Carbon doesn't meet my needs.

[dankin]

Originally Posted by trimix

Dongles bigger than an iLok don't work for me, I need plug-ins that can run native when I'm mobile or DSP in the tracking room.

This is why I've moved away from using any UAD plugins when I mix. It's also why I'm much more interested in Carbon instead of tracking with Luna/Apollo even though they do a similar thing. DSP makes sense for tracking, but I don't want to have to carry any DSP/hardware around just so I can open a session. I regularly setup mix sessions, edit, and also do mix revisions, print versions, stems, etc away from my studio.

[K Roche]

Originally Posted by HeySchlitz

I won't knock the UAD Apollo as it's a fantastic unit, but I also have both and wouldn't agree with this. Carbon sounds great (so does the UAD), I haven't run into any stability issues once I installed 10.5.7. I added a Ferrofish pulse16 and have 24 inputs available with AAX DSP...so I'm not sure what you mean by expandability being limited. Opinion is subjective, so I respect yours...but I'm going to be selling two Apollo units (x8 and 16mkII...keeping a satellite and a twin).

I am guessing you mean 10.15.7 ?

[HeySchlitz]

Originally Posted by K Roche

I am guessing you mean 10.15.7 ?

Yep, sorry typo.