In this article for Production Expert, PJ Gibbs shows how he connected a 2017 MacBook Pro and a 2013 iMac together using OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock and Luna Display, to create a multi-screen set up when using his Universal Audio Apollo Solo Thunderbolt3 Audio Interface.
Picture this, your new audio interface arrives, you unbox it, turn it 360º in your hands, marvel at it, then rush to plug in it and get it up and running. That's precisely how it went for me recently after I received the new Universal Audio Apollo Solo Thunderbolt3 Audio Interface.
What I hadn't realised ahead of buying the Thunderbolt 3 interface (a USB option was available) was that the interface isn't compatible with older generation Macs - even when using the official Apple connector/adapter to convert from Thunderbolt 2 to Thunderbolt 3. This meant that connecting my Late 2013 27-inch iMac, running macOS Catalina version 10.5.7 of an external SanDisk SSD drive to the Apollo Solo just wasn't possible.
Annoying, right?
But, as annoyed as I was, I did have another machine, a MacBook Pro 13-inch, 2017, running macOS Catalina version 10.5.7, with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, so I could still get up and running with my new interface. It just meant I had to make do with a smaller screen.
Then I remembered a popular article on the blog from back in October 2019, about using your second mac as another monitor, possible through a little dongle called Luna Display.
$79.99 for the Luna Dongle. Not so bad, and cheaper that the combined cost of the Apple cable and adapters that promptly got returned.
But, while this solved my problem initially, other issues crept up pretty quickly thanks my MacBook Pro needing charging several times a day. This meant I had to remove the Luna Dongle to recharge, which was a workflow killer, and I quite often lost focus. Plus, there was no way to plug all my other peripherals and devices into the MacBook Pro - such as my Ableton Push 2 and APC40 controllers - because my USB to USB-C adapter required yet another port.
OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock To The Rescue
After much searching, I found the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock and I’m so glad I did. The dock has a combination of ports to power Thunderbolt 3 equipped Mac's and Windows PC's. Connected to my MacBook Pro, I now had an additional 14 ports of connectivity to allow me quick access to all of my displays and peripherals without much desk clutter.
It's such a simple set-up! Luna Dongle to MacBook Pro, OWC Dock to MacBook Pro, and finally the OWC Dock to Universal Audio Apollo Solo Interface. And that was only using 2 of the docks available 14 ports. The 4x USB 3.1 Gen. 1 slots were more than needed, and I'm now able to run my Ableton Push 2 and APC40 controllers together. What makes this all the better is that because the dock is DC powered (provides 85W), it charges the MacBook Pro, so I no longer need to unplug anything.
What this gave me was a usable solution to work with. I can now run both Ableton and Universal Audio's LUNA via the MacBook Pro, and use my 2013 iMac as a second monitor. Brilliant!
Final Thoughts
Yes, this was a bit of a faff to get sorted. Especially when I could have just bought the USB version of the Apollo Solo interface. However, I still would have required a solution to get the workflow and access to all the peripherals I now have, and for £235, the OWC Thunderbolt 3 Dock was well worth the investment.
An added plus is that this set up will work perfectly when I upgrade to either a new M1 MacBook Pro or Mac Mini. Effort = Reward!