Any Carbon users who were using UAD Apollo before?

[chrisdee]

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.

Interesting. So you think over all (monitoring, preamps, di and hp) sound better on Apollo X than Carbon?

Have you had other Avid interface befor?

[darkwavo]

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.

Hello, please explain the sound quality comparison. My intuition would be the Carbon sounds better...also the stability. Please share details if posssible.

[K Roche]

Originally Posted by darkwavo

Hello, please explain the sound quality comparison. My intuition would be the Carbon sounds better...also the stability. Please share details if posssible.

I have never had or used UAD Apollo so I am just guessing BUT ::

Seems to me unless someone has run the same raw audio (no plugins at all) simultaneously into both systems and the conducted an actual series of blind A/B listening tests in sufficient numbers to develop a statistic <<<< and can also do two things consistently (like 70% or better)
#1 actually tell them apart
#2 blind select one over other as the preferred sound .....

Sans having done that, it is likely a matter of bias as much as reality.

[tomhartman]

I just want to understand here completely...so, with Carbon, I can choose to record using the DSP on any track? So if I record a vocal, even if I'm not using any plug ins, I can just make that track a DSP track for near zero latency? Just making sure the DSP option is not JUST for tracks that have plug ins....thx

Tom

[Kyle Splittgerber]

Originally Posted by tomhartman

I just want to understand here completely...so, with Carbon, I can choose to record using the DSP on any track? So if I record a vocal, even if I'm not using any plug ins, I can just make that track a DSP track for near zero latency? Just making sure the DSP option is not JUST for tracks that have plug ins....thx

Tom

Yes, that correct. DSP Mode will work with or without AAX DSP plug-ins on the track.

[tomhartman]

Thank you Kyle, that's great to know. For a person in a home studio like myself, cutting some vocals and say, acoustic guitar, this sounds perfect. I've had UAD systems, and lately have been using the top end Steinberg AXR converter...which sounds simply insane-but in both cases you are saddled with more software to click band forth to.

This would be like have your own personal mini HDX system

Very interested!

TH

[Sardi]

Originally Posted by tomhartman

Thank you Kyle, that's great to know. For a person in a home studio like myself, cutting some vocals and say, acoustic guitar, this sounds perfect. I've had UAD systems, and lately have been using the top end Steinberg AXR converter...which sounds simply insane-but in both cases you are saddled with more software to click band forth to.

This would be like have your own personal mini HDX system

Very interested!

TH

If you’re not planning on using any plugins on the record channels and you’re happy with the sound of your current interface (from what I hear the AXR4U is fantastic) then why not just split the signal and monitor analogue? Zero latency and don’t need to fuss with an additional layer of software.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tomhartman]

Wait, could you tell me exactly how this would be done? I'm a little slow tonight...

[Sardi]

You’ll need a mic splitter. They range in price from relatively inexpensive to very expensive. The mic goes into the splitter and you take one output and feed that to your interface and the other and feed it to some form of mixer so that you can combine it with the return output from your DAW. So you end up monitoring the audio from your DAW to play/sing along to and the direct output of the microphone without any added latency as its not passing through the AD/DA... well, not the feed your monitoring. Just remember to mute the mic channel in your DAW or you’ll be hearing the direct and the return at the same time.

Even a cheap splitter shouldn’t alter the sound. The isolated part of the splitter may alter the audio ever so slightly, but that’s what you’d use as the monitor path and use the direct split for the DAW capture. The better the transformer, the cleaner the split. It’s essentially what you would do for broadcast so that everyone gets the direct feeds and can do what they like with the mix.

Phantom isn’t an issue as the splitters are designed to pass 48v correctly. So, you would be sending the 48v from the interface into the splitter.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[FrustratedLiquid]

Originally Posted by Oblivion777

Hi guys,

Do any of you Carbon users have prior experience with using UAD Apollo as interface? I am just curious on knowing your thoughts on the benefit(s) of Carbon vs. Apollo.

Cheers.

I have been using the Apollo for a few years. This is just my opinion. But, I felt like it was a huge money pit. The plugs are expensive. What drove me nuts and still does is all of their plugs show up in your DAW and if you go into your folder and delete the ones you dont want, they just come back after you update them again. So when you are in the middle of a mix you have to scroll through that entire list of stuff you dont own to find the stuff you do own.
The next thing was the latency. I felt like it was really high. When I got my Carbon and checked the latency in Cubase. Carbon input latency was 5.33ms and Apollo was 10ms.
last but not least. it doesn't take much to max out the DSP. Just a few plugs and you are done. So you, again money pit, have to buy a satellite with extra DSP power.

With all that said. I will say that I really liked luna. I personally felt like it had a really good sound. But again all the instruments cost alot as did all the Neve stuff. They are always selling you something LOL..

Now I have had the carbon for about 24 hours now. I LOVE IT. It is straightforward, easy to use and sounds great.

With all of that said, I dont hate the Apollo I will keep mine and use the plugs I bought and if Luna ever gets passed version 1 sometime in the next 5 years I will love playing with it. But for now PT and Carbon are going to be just fine for me and I won't get plug envy by looking through a bunch of plugs that I cant have.