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Post by kcatthedog on Mar 18, 2024 11:18:11 GMT -6
All good, another comment slipped in before mine posted ! Anyway, good lynx is being more flexible !
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,092 
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Post by ericn on Mar 18, 2024 11:21:20 GMT -6
Living the good life over here with a MOTU 16A and Monitor 8 w/ Thunderbolt. Hey MY old RADAR V/24 is still making me happy. |
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Post by mjheck on Mar 18, 2024 16:55:57 GMT -6
I’m thinking I’m actually going to do the Apollo x6 mod with the clock and everything. So it’ll be interesting to hear if it can surpass the Hilo. Hey John, remind me where you landed on the BLA Revolution box - it was the lack of output gain that was the issue? Or was it something else? I recall you liked the sound. I ask because I am about to try a new setup built around an M3 MacBook Pro and my Revolution. The UAD native offerings are now extensive enough that I think I can try working with those only (though I know I will miss the Fatso and the 33609). I am even debating tracking through those, kind of simulating what I currently do in the Apollo's (I've never done this before, so that could be a total latency shit show). I debated upgrading to a new Apollo X but man, I really really like my BLA modded Apollos. My only issue is the clearly out of date ports and the fact that they are like 12 years old - I am a little worried they are due to quit on me soon. Anyway, if you liked the Revolution, I suspect you will indeed like a BLA modded Apollo, even if it doesn't add anything to the resale value. I like mine so much I don't want to give them up for a new Apollo and decided to party like it's 2011 until they give out. Hoping the Revolution solution works as either my fallback or change of direction. |
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Post by Johnkenn on Mar 18, 2024 17:23:24 GMT -6
I’m thinking I’m actually going to do the Apollo x6 mod with the clock and everything. So it’ll be interesting to hear if it can surpass the Hilo. Hey John, remind me where you landed on the BLA Revolution box - it was the lack of output gain that was the issue? Or was it something else? I recall you liked the sound. I ask because I am about to try a new setup built around an M3 MacBook Pro and my Revolution. The UAD native offerings are now extensive enough that I think I can try working with those only (though I know I will miss the Fatso and the 33609). I am even debating tracking through those, kind of simulating what I currently do in the Apollo's (I've never done this before, so that could be a total latency shit show). I debated upgrading to a new Apollo X but man, I really really like my BLA modded Apollos. My only issue is the clearly out of date ports and the fact that they are like 12 years old - I am a little worried they are due to quit on me soon. Anyway, if you liked the Revolution, I suspect you will indeed like a BLA modded Apollo, even if it doesn't add anything to the resale value. I like mine so much I don't want to give them up for a new Apollo and decided to party like it's 2011 until they give out. Hoping the Revolution solution works as either my fallback or change of direction. Yeah - it sounded fantastic...just not loud enough and not enough IO |
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Post by wiz on Mar 19, 2024 0:19:42 GMT -6
Hey John, remind me where you landed on the BLA Revolution box - it was the lack of output gain that was the issue? Or was it something else? I recall you liked the sound. I ask because I am about to try a new setup built around an M3 MacBook Pro and my Revolution. The UAD native offerings are now extensive enough that I think I can try working with those only (though I know I will miss the Fatso and the 33609). I am even debating tracking through those, kind of simulating what I currently do in the Apollo's (I've never done this before, so that could be a total latency shit show). I debated upgrading to a new Apollo X but man, I really really like my BLA modded Apollos. My only issue is the clearly out of date ports and the fact that they are like 12 years old - I am a little worried they are due to quit on me soon. Anyway, if you liked the Revolution, I suspect you will indeed like a BLA modded Apollo, even if it doesn't add anything to the resale value. I like mine so much I don't want to give them up for a new Apollo and decided to party like it's 2011 until they give out. Hoping the Revolution solution works as either my fallback or change of direction. Yeah - it sounded fantastic...just not loud enough and not enough IO So, where are you now with the whole saga...been away for a couple of days cheers Wiz |
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Post by kcatthedog on Mar 19, 2024 5:04:23 GMT -6
But why put $100’s into a 5-8 year old interface design, when a new Apollo must be coming?
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Post by Quint on Mar 19, 2024 9:40:14 GMT -6
But why put $100’s into a 5-8 year old interface design, when a new Apollo must be coming? I tend to agree that a new Apollo is probably not too far off, but I also thought a new 4th gen Apollo would have already been released a while back, at least based on the frequency of previous releases. The X series came out in 2018. That said, maybe UA figures that the Apollo has reached maturity in its design. I mean, some other companies release new gen converters at a much slower frequency. How long were the original Lynx Auroras around before the new (n) series came out? At least 10 years, huh? So I suppose it's possible that UA won't continue to release new Apollo generations as often as they did in the past. Guess we'll see. Up until fairly recently, I was convinced that a new 4th gen Apollo would already be out by now, but now I'm maybe not sure what to think. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Mar 19, 2024 10:03:01 GMT -6
Agreed, UA seems more intent on squeezing as much dough as possible off of essentially older plugs, little new cost and little hardware related that’s very bold: guitar pedals: seriously ?
I wonder what Bill senior would think of current UA hardware innovation ?
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Post by Quint on Mar 19, 2024 10:38:32 GMT -6
Agreed, UA seems more intent on squeezing as much dough as possible off of essentially older plugs, little new cost and little hardware related that’s very bold: guitar pedals: seriously ? I wonder what Bill senior would think of current UA hardware innovation ? From an "I want UA to be a true blue pro audio company" perspective, I don't love the guitar pedals either. However, from a "this is what the brave new world of music gear looks like, and this is the stuff that people are buying, which keeps us in business" perspective, I can't fault UA for going after what is some pretty low hanging fruit, where all of the R&D was basically already done. Slap it in a pedal box and sell it for 60% profit. Investors could argue that it would be irresponsible on a fiduciary level to NOT pursue the pedal market. Also, the pedals do apparently sound pretty good. So there's that. But I do miss the days of UA making things like the 2192 or 8110. Super high quality hardware seems to be somewhat of an afterthought over there now. Not that the Apollo isn't perfectly fine, but it's not next level like the 2192 was when it was released. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Mar 19, 2024 10:45:34 GMT -6
We are seeing the same: just wish UA, would bring it’s A game on releasing some more significant recording gear, not the low hanging fruit.
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Post by Quint on Mar 19, 2024 10:48:43 GMT -6
We are seeing the same: just wish UA, would bring it’s A game on releasing some more significant recording gear, not the low hanging fruit. Agreed. But I doubt they will, unfortunately. New Apollos are the best it will likely get. |
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Post by mjheck on Mar 19, 2024 12:34:40 GMT -6
Seems like ten years ago we were hoping for a 2192 version of an Apollo. Still my favorite AD ever. Maybe that will be 4th gen : ).
As per the question about paying to upgrade old technology - for me, it was that I know I really liked the BLA modded Apollo. So much so that I am reticent to try the "X" line - my modded Twin was so much better than its original sound, I did not want to risk it. I also really like the BLA Revolution, so apparently I just really respond well to their sound.
I will also note that I really do enjoy the Apollo work flow, and recording through console. When I have tried other systems (Apogee, Prism, Antelope) I found myself messing with tech and losing flow.
All this to say I can empathize with JK's dilemma of wanting ideal sound, but also wanting to reduce friction on the process. If he is in a similar situation (likes the Apollo workflow and liked the BLA Revolution sound) trying the BLA mod on the 6 could be a way to achieve a sound he liked while keeping the work flow he likes. Especially since its hundreds of dollars rather than thousands (I haven't looked at high end two channel conversion in a while but I assume ihey all still start around 2k).
Anyway - if we are voting, count me in on a 2192 Apollo : )
JMH
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Post by Quint on Mar 19, 2024 12:42:29 GMT -6
Seems like ten years ago we were hoping for a 2192 version of an Apollo. Still my favorite AD ever. Maybe that will be 4th gen : ). As per the question about paying to upgrade old technology - for me, it was that I know I really liked the BLA modded Apollo. So much so that I am reticent to try the "X" line - my modded Twin was so much better than its original sound, I did not want to risk it. I also really like the BLA Revolution, so apparently I just really respond well to their sound. I will also note that I really do enjoy the Apollo work flow, and recording through console. When I have tried other systems (Apogee, Prism, Antelope) I found myself messing with tech and losing flow. All this to say I can empathize with JK's dilemma of wanting ideal sound, but also wanting to reduce friction on the process. If he is in a similar situation (likes the Apollo workflow and liked the BLA Revolution sound) trying the BLA mod on the 6 could be a way to achieve a sound he liked while keeping the work flow he likes. Especially since its hundreds of dollars rather than thousands (I haven't looked at high end two channel conversion in a while but I assume ihey all still start around 2k). Anyway - if we are voting, count me in on a 2192 Apollo : ) JMH I just use my 2192 WITH my Apollo, via AES. Best of both worlds, I say. |
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Post by guitfiddler on Mar 19, 2024 15:04:09 GMT -6
Does anyone know if the Apollo Black Lion Mods on a Blackface 16 MKII will be as good as the X series? Does anyone notice from going thru the AES port on their Apollo X to their D/A sounding different than without it? In other words taking the Apollo out of the chain. I noticed my D/A is compromised in sound even going through the AES port on the Apollo. It’s very noticeable, stereo width/punch/clarity/fullness/closeness to the sound. It’s at least a 30% difference maybe more.
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Post by Quint on Mar 19, 2024 15:17:50 GMT -6
Does anyone know if the Apollo Black Lion Mods on a Blackface 16 MKII will be as good as the X series? Does anyone notice from going thru the AES port on their Apollo X to their D/A sounding different than without it? In other words taking the Apollo out of the chain. I noticed my D/A is compromised in sound even going through the AES port on the Apollo. It’s very noticeable, stereo width/punch/clarity/fullness/closeness to the sound. It’s at least a 30% difference maybe more. Is the 75 ohm Word Clock termination button on the Apollo turned on, if you're using a WC connection and/or are you sure that you're alternatively getting a clock signal embedded in the AES connection and, if so, that your other DA is properly receiving this embedded clock signal? |
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Post by Johnkenn on Mar 19, 2024 15:20:54 GMT -6
Does anyone know if the Apollo Black Lion Mods on a Blackface 16 MKII will be as good as the X series? Does anyone notice from going thru the AES port on their Apollo X to their D/A sounding different than without it? In other words taking the Apollo out of the chain. I noticed my D/A is compromised in sound even going through the AES port on the Apollo. It’s very noticeable, stereo width/punch/clarity/fullness/closeness to the sound. It’s at least a 30% difference maybe more. Something’s not right. If it’s just going digitally, it wouldn’t be going through the ADDA, right? |
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Post by kcatthedog on Mar 19, 2024 16:12:04 GMT -6
Does anyone know if the Apollo Black Lion Mods on a Blackface 16 MKII will be as good as the X series? Does anyone notice from going thru the AES port on their Apollo X to their D/A sounding different than without it? In other words taking the Apollo out of the chain. I noticed my D/A is compromised in sound even going through the AES port on the Apollo. It’s very noticeable, stereo width/punch/clarity/fullness/closeness to the sound. It’s at least a 30% difference maybe more. When you say as good as, bare in mind the bla mod, doesn’t upgrade the converters and the X are “better”, then the BF. The mod will let you better hear the bf conversion, lower noise, better clock, but the X still has better conversion and improved clock (over the bf) too. Maybe, Martin will chime in, as he has had a bla mod, I think of his X? |
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Post by guitfiddler on Mar 19, 2024 16:33:34 GMT -6
Does anyone know if the Apollo Black Lion Mods on a Blackface 16 MKII will be as good as the X series? Does anyone notice from going thru the AES port on their Apollo X to their D/A sounding different than without it? In other words taking the Apollo out of the chain. I noticed my D/A is compromised in sound even going through the AES port on the Apollo. It’s very noticeable, stereo width/punch/clarity/fullness/closeness to the sound. It’s at least a 30% difference maybe more. Is the 75 ohm Word Clock termination button on the Apollo turned on, if you're using a WC connection and/or are you sure that you're alternatively getting a clock signal embedded in the AES connection and, if so, that your other DA is properly receiving this embedded clock signal? I will look, thanks. That’s something I didn’t even think about it, I’ve been using my carbon decided that I wasn’t going to use the Apollo because I didn’t like the way it sounded. It sounds much better with my Convert-2 two DA, but when it’s going out of my computer, USB to DA, it sounds much better than just passing through the Apollo AES outs. Digital is digital, right? Now, in this case, with the Apollo blackface series, even using the AES to another digital box there is a compromise, and still a headroom problem. It’s very noticeable |
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Post by guitfiddler on Mar 19, 2024 16:35:57 GMT -6
Does anyone know if the Apollo Black Lion Mods on a Blackface 16 MKII will be as good as the X series? Does anyone notice from going thru the AES port on their Apollo X to their D/A sounding different than without it? In other words taking the Apollo out of the chain. I noticed my D/A is compromised in sound even going through the AES port on the Apollo. It’s very noticeable, stereo width/punch/clarity/fullness/closeness to the sound. It’s at least a 30% difference maybe more. Something’s not right. If it’s just going digitally, it wouldn’t be going through the ADDA, right? . That’s what I thought that digital is digital, right? When I use my USB in and out with my Dangerous convert converters usb directly ion and out of my computer there is a huge difference in headroom and overall width and quality. When I pass through the Apollo, it’s not even close., and to be honest, not useable IMO. |
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Post by Quint on Mar 19, 2024 17:04:52 GMT -6
Something’s not right. If it’s just going digitally, it wouldn’t be going through the ADDA, right? . That’s what I thought that digital is digital, right? When I use my USB in and out with my Dangerous convert converters usb directly ion and out of my computer there is a huge difference in headroom and overall width and quality. When I pass through the Apollo, it’s not even close., and to be honest, not useable IMO. Yeah, something is wrong. Sounds like something is up with your AES connection. Could be the cable. Could be a word clock issue. Could be a settings issue on either the Apollo or Dangerous which is causing issues on the software side. |
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Post by guitfiddler on Mar 19, 2024 17:13:07 GMT -6
. That’s what I thought that digital is digital, right? When I use my USB in and out with my Dangerous convert converters usb directly ion and out of my computer there is a huge difference in headroom and overall width and quality. When I pass through the Apollo, it’s not even close., and to be honest, not useable IMO. Yeah, something is wrong. Sounds like something is up with your AES connection. Could be the cable. Could be a word clock issue. Could be a settings issue on either the Apollo or Dangerous which is causing issues on the software side. It’s definitely not my dangerous converters, but I don’t have this issue with my apogee converters they pass exactly what I hear and use the dangerous clock. It must be something in the settings or that 75 ohm switch? I also noticed going in through my AD+ the headroom is compromised and I can’t hit my compression or my level input nearly as high as I can with my other converters . I also noticed this on my Lavry converter between spdif and AES, the AES port sounded much more open, and just all around better compared to spdif My cables are top-notch and I swapped out a few of them and got the same results |
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Post by Quint on Mar 19, 2024 17:25:09 GMT -6
Yeah, something is wrong. Sounds like something is up with your AES connection. Could be the cable. Could be a word clock issue. Could be a settings issue on either the Apollo or Dangerous which is causing issues on the software side. It’s definitely not my dangerous converters, but I don’t have this issue with my apogee converters they pass exactly what I hear and use the dangerous clock. It must be something in the settings or that 75 ohm switch? I also noticed going in through my AD+ the headroom is compromised and I can’t hit my compression or my level input nearly as high as I can with my other converters . I also noticed this on my Lavry converter between spdif and AES, the AES port sounded much more open, and just all around better compared to spdif My cables are top-notch and I swapped out a few of them and got the same results So you're using dedicated word clock cables? I wasn't clear on that? |
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Post by guitfiddler on Mar 19, 2024 17:48:45 GMT -6
It’s definitely not my dangerous converters, but I don’t have this issue with my apogee converters they pass exactly what I hear and use the dangerous clock. It must be something in the settings or that 75 ohm switch? I also noticed going in through my AD+ the headroom is compromised and I can’t hit my compression or my level input nearly as high as I can with my other converters . I also noticed this on my Lavry converter between spdif and AES, the AES port sounded much more open, and just all around better compared to spdif My cables are top-notch and I swapped out a few of them and got the same results So you're using dedicated word clock cables? I wasn't clear on that? Yes, this is the reason I changed directions from the Apollo. Although Console is easy to use, it’s still not ideal for me with my outboard. |
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Post by raddistribution on Mar 19, 2024 18:32:29 GMT -6
Does anyone know if the Apollo Black Lion Mods on a Blackface 16 MKII will be as good as the X series? Does anyone notice from going thru the AES port on their Apollo X to their D/A sounding different than without it? In other words taking the Apollo out of the chain. I noticed my D/A is compromised in sound even going through the AES port on the Apollo. It’s very noticeable, stereo width/punch/clarity/fullness/closeness to the sound. It’s at least a 30% difference maybe more. The blackface Apollo 16 mk2 is actually the one and only Apollo we do not mod |
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Post by Quint on Mar 19, 2024 18:32:43 GMT -6
So you're using dedicated word clock cables? I wasn't clear on that? Yes, this is the reason I changed directions from the Apollo. Although Console is easy to use, it’s still not ideal for me with my outboard. I'm not sure I follow what that has to do with word clock cables though? Were you intending to respond to somebody else? |
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