With the Apollo Twin MkII, Universal Audio have redesigned their popular desktop audio interface to offer more DSP power, additional monitor controller functionality and upgraded A‑D/D‑A conversion said to deliver increased dynamic range. Now sporting a black colour scheme to match the rackmount Apollo range, this two-in/six-out Thunderbolt interface for both Mac and Windows is available in Solo (£699$699), Duo (£899$899) and, for the first time, Quad Core (£1299$1299) variants, allowing users to track and mix using more of UA’s proprietary plug-ins and Unison mic preamp emulations.
It’s a case of evolution rather than revolution for the new Apollo Twin, which features the same compact desktop design and large central control knob. Its row of six buttons now accesses twice the features, however, in the shape of a new built-in talkback mic plus mute, dim, mono and alt monitoring functions. When connected to other Apollo devices as part of a larger system, the new Twin can also function as a monitor remote.
This 24-bit/192kHz interface provides two Unison mic/line inputs, two monitor outputs and two line outs at the rear, with a headphone output and high-impedance instrument input on the front. An additional optical input allows for eight channels of ADAT in, while up to four Apollo interfaces or six total UAD‑2 devices can be cascaded via Thunderbolt. The Apollo Twin MkII ships with the Realtime Analog Classics UAD plug-in bundle featuring many of UA’s most popular compressor and EQ emulations. The Apollo Twin MkII interface is available immediately.
