Universal Audio makes some of the most revered audio equipment for musicians and recording engineers. The company was originally founded in 1958 by Bill Putnam Sr and the products that the company made were probably instrumental in recording some of the biggest selling music ever recorded.
Putnam invented the modern recording console, the multi-band audio equalizer and the vocal booth. He was the first engineer to use artificial reverberation in commercial recording and, alongside his friend Les Paul, Putnam was also involved in the early development of stereophonic recording.
When Bill Putnam Sr died in 1989, so did the company. To be accurate, the brand entered a period of suspended animation until Bill Putnam Jr brought it back to life in 1999 and re-established Universal Audio as a leading force in the field of recording equipment.
As well as resurrecting some of the company’s most iconic products, Bill Putnum Jr also saw that the music industry was heading with digital technology and now the company is at the forefront of modern digital recording technology. Today the company employs 200 people and has offices in Los Angeles, Colorado, and Amsterdam, with headquarters in Scotts Valley, California. A few miles away, in Santa Cruz, the Universal Audio Custom Shop still hand-builds classic analog gear one unit at a time.
One of Universal Audio’s strongest product lines is the Apollo X range of audio interfaces designed to deliver an authentic big studio sound in real-time using plug-ins from Neve, Moog, Lexicon, Capitol Studios and more. The Apollo range is large but I thought I’d look at the entry-level Apollo Solo, probably the most affordable high-end interface ever designed for serious musicians who want to record sound anywhere and match the quality of high-end studio production.
The Apollo Solo is a Thunderbolt audio interface rather than the more usual USB. There is a USB version made for Windows only, but the Thunderbolt model will appeal to most because it’s designed primarily for macOS users, which is a popular platform for everything from home studios to professional outfits. The Apollo Solo features two mic/line inputs that can work with UA’s Unison modeling technology using the UA Console software.
The unit also features a pair of line outputs using quarter-inch TRS jacks. The first input channel also has the option of a front-mounted Hi-Z jack for plugging in a guitar or keyboard. A second jack on the front supplies the monitor feed to headphones so the user can hear a backing track from the computer as well as themselves singing or playing in real-time.
On the top plate of the stylish Apollo Solo are the controls and level meters for adjusting all the settings. The design is dominated by a large rotary knob surrounded by segmented colored LEDs. The control can be used on Preamp or Monitor mode, depending on the settings being adjusted. There is a row of six preamp option buttons for selecting the input channels, high-pass filter, Phantom Power, padding, polarity reversal and Link, which lashes the two input channels together to make a stereo pair so that adjustments apply equally to both channels.
The vibrantly colored display panel marks the Apollo Solo out from many other interfaces with a high-quality feel about it. There are meters for checking both input channels as well as separate meters for the two output channels. Meanwhile, the segmented LED display surrounding the control knob makes it easy to see the level setting, even from some distance away.
As already mentioned, the Apollo Solo is a Thunderbolt interface which means you will need to connect it with a Mac or PC that has a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 interface. Earlier versions of Thunderbolt are not supported because due to power reasons. The power for the Solo is drawn directly from the Thunderbolt port so there’s no need for an external power supply. However, you will need to buy a Thunderbolt cable for connecting to the host computer as there isn’t one in the box.
At the rear of the Solo are a couple of XLR connectors with quarter-inch jacks for Line Level inputs. These can handle two microphones and there’s 48V of phantom power for driving condenser mics. The whole package is beautifully put together and the all-metal construction is sufficiently robust for life on the road.
Although it’s fine for a home studio use, the Apollo Solo will probably find favor with musicians on the move, carrying little more than a mic, laptop and instrument. This is the kit needed to lay down pristine tracks almost anywhere that can be taken back to the studio or sent on to someone else. For those who need more inputs, the Apollo X range has many more models which can handle professional projects of almost any size.
The Apollo Solo houses a high-quality analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. The DAC quality becomes obvious when streaming a high-resolution digital source. The smooth sound and depth of detail are astonishing. The Solo also has a DSP chip that works with Universal Audio’s plug-ins and has enough power to handle a couple of Unison plug-ins at a time. By handling the plug-ins onboard, the processing is handled in real-time without any latency issues.
To get the most out of the Apollo Solo there’s a downloadable version of the user manual which runs to a staggering 278 pages. There’s a lot to absorb and learn in order to get the best from the Solo and the superb UA Console and LUNA recording software. LUNA is Mac‑only for now but it’s so extensive that it can turn the Apollo Solo into a substantial recording studio wherever you are.
Worthy of special mention is the Solo’s headphone output which is second to none, mostly thanks to its special headphone stage that has an amplifier with exceptionally low noise and a near-flat frequency response that lets the user hear exactly what is being recorded without any coloration. It’s that sort of attention to detail and quality that makes the Apollo Solo a solid piece of kit. This is superb tool for musicians and producers alike.
Verdict: For anyone who uses plug-ins and already has enough knowledge of how to record great music, the Apollo Solo is a perfect tool for laying down vocal or instrument tracks on the move. All it needs is a Mac or PC with a Thunderbolt port. The input preamps are whisper quiet and have enough gain to run a Shure SM7B microphone without the need for a Cloudlifter. If you already have an Apollo X rig in your home studio, then the Apollo Solo is a great way of extending its power to almost any location. With the Solo, you can use Unison-modelled preamps and amplifiers in real-time and at the highest quality levels. There’s a lot of power on offer here. For that reason, the Apollo Solo isn’t the best interface for beginners and it will be overkill for some people, but for those already familiar with the Apollo X range, the Solo lets them harness that awesome power almost anywhere. Highly Recommended.
Pricing & Availability: The Universal Audio Apollo Solo Thunderbolt audio interface is available now and costs $499 / £495 / €509.
More info: uaudio.com
