In this article, we are going to look at the plugins which are bundled free when you buy a Universal Audio Apollo.
The Apollo interfaces from Universal Audio have proved extremely popular since the release of the first Apollo back in 2012. The bundling of UA’s DSP into an interface seems unremarkable today but at the time I remember thinking it inspired. The ability to track and mix with extremely low latency is as liberating today as it was then. In spite of the improvement in the performance of computers since then, given the choice everyone would prefer to just forget about latency, wouldn’t they? The range of interfaces may have expanded but as well as offering a platform on which to run your purchases of those oh-so-tempting UAD plugins it’s important to remember that whether you buy a Solo or an Apollo x8p, you get a core library of plugins focusing largely on classic vintage hardware and covering all bases from Compressors and EQ through to guitar amplifiers and reverbs. Everything needs to start working while you try to ignore the UAD plugins store…
Here’s a breakdown of what you get:
UA 610 B
This unashamedly old-school Unison-enabled valve preamp’s strength is in its simplicity. If you want rigorously vintage then that is available in this plugin’s sibling the 610-A but this modern variant keeps the old fashioned approach but with just a little more on offer. You can of course record through it. It is after all a mic preamp. It’s the perfect opportunity to explore Unison technology - UA’s clever hardware/software integration which changes the impedance presented by the mic preamp to match that of the hardware being emulated. But the fun doesn’t stop there. The provision of an output trim which goes all the way down to minus infinity means that you can drive this virtual valve circuit as hard as you like and balance the gain within the plugin. Perfect for satisfyingly splatty snares or putting a little fur on basses. The two band shelving EQ offers +/-9dB at three frequencies each and while that sounds restrictive its actually rather liberating to have just the two bands to get done what you need to get done. We think that if this plugin’s originator was good enough for the Beach boys then today’s incarnation is good enough for us.
We like: Using it as a Unison Preamp with a clean mic like a TLM103 to get some flavour
Marshall Plexi Classic
Guitarists probably love to argue about gear more than engineers do and while some will call out the Bluesbreaker and others will insist that it was the JCM800 which put Marshall where they are as the rock and rollest of all guitar amplifiers, we think it is the Plexi Super Lead from 1959 which put them there. Insanely loud even by modern standards and created before anyone had had the mercy to install a master volume control the only way to get the real thing to sing like it does on AC/DC’s Back In Black is to crank it up and take it… Thankfully with the Plexi classic you can get all of the tones without hurting anyone and while it’s important to get to know a vintage design like this, it’s more flexible than you might think and when just right, sounds amazing. Just like the original, if you get it wrong it will let you know but once you understand the two channel design which has a brighter pair of inputs for channel 1 and a darker pair for channel 2 you’ll find the flexibility.
By experimenting with cross patching between the two channels you can broaden the range of tones available and while this cut down version of the full fat Marshall Plexi Super Lead offers just a single mic choice, that mic is an SM57 and considering the number of records which have been made using a single SM57 that might be seen as leaving out unnecessary options by many users! If you’re one of the people who think that the Bluesbreaker or JCM800 are the must have Marshall then they are both available as UAD plugins too, just look for JPM 2203 if you’re after the JCM800. It’s the same amp.
We like: The Darker channel 2, as clean as you can get it on the neck pickup of a Strat.
LA2a Legacy
The story of compression is largely about the pursuit of speed. A race which since the arrival of look-ahead plugins has been won but taking the LA2a as a starting point hat we have are the two essential controls for levelling - Peak Reduction (turning the loud bits down) and Gain (turning the quiet bits up). Unlike more modern designs there are no controls for attack or release. This, combined with the fact that it’s scientifically impossible to make an LA2a sound bad (well, maybe not impossible but you’ve got to try pretty hard) makes the LA2a ideal for easy compression. Easy compression like this is ideal for people who know how to use a compressor but just want to put something on the vocal or bass and get on with working, or for people who are learning compression. Figure out these two controls and you’ll be able to do 80% of what you need to do and it’s so hard to get wrong. That’s why people love the LA2a.
The difference between the Legacy and the newer LA2a Classic Leveler collection is that as well as offering some other interactions of the hardware, the Classic Leveler collection has updated modelling which models the IO and transformers but if you want the compression and not the distortion the Legacy version will deliver.
We like: A ton of LA2a compression on bass
1176 Legacy
Picking up on the point about speed and compression made in the LA2a section. The 1176 was born out to the desire for more speed, catching peaks and limiting rather than levelling. The FET used in the 1176 design also happened to sound really aggressive and figuring out this quirky compressor with its confusing backwards attack and release knobs and fixed threshold is a rite of passage for all novice audio engineers. Figure it out and you have a really flexible tool which can do all of the things which are beyond the LA2a’s grasp. Snares which spank, up-front vocals and wild drum bus compression are its stock in trade but it can do subtle too, it will never be as smooth as a Fairchild but it doesn’t have to be OTT all the time. In the same way as the LA2a the legacy version of the 1176 doesn’t model the IO and transformers so is a little cleaner that the newer version in the 1176 Limiter collection. The 1176 is a must-have. Luckily of you have an Apollo you have it.
We like: 4:1 slow attack and fast release on pretty much anything
Pultec Pro Legacy
The Pultec EQP-1A is the unchallenged king of vintage equalizers. Like all the best vintage gear it is quirky in its design, coming as it does from a time before these things were standardized. The passive design with a valve gain stage is benign, with a sweet top end and rich bass. This machine might look inflexible and there are loads of things it just can’t do, but the things it can do are things that make virtually any audio just sound better. If that isn’t worth having then what is?
Its most famous party piece is the low-end trick, a by-product of the separate cut and boost controls of the bass section. If a simultaneous cut and boost are applied to a kick drum the results can be simply wonderful. However, don’t ignore the top end as dialing brightness without harshness is something all equalizers claim to be able to do but in reality many don’t deliver. The complementary MEQ5 midrange equalizer fills the gap between the bass and treble sections of the EQP-1A with two switchable peaking filters and one switchable dip. Combined these two equalizers make a flexible EQ section that oozes smoothness. it’s not the tool for notching out mains buzz from a guitar amp but this will make the guitar sound so nice you probably won’t mind the buzz nearly as much anymore!
We like: Gentle 12KHz boost across your whole mix
SVT VR
If Marshall being the rock and roll amp for guitarists is debatable, and knowing guitarists it will be, the Ampeg SVT being the rock and roll amp for bassists was never really in doubt. These enormous amps, punishingly heavy and the bane of road crews and venues with stairs, are big and bold with enough power to stay perfectly clean but enough attitude to tempt you to distort them anyway.
The 8x10” sealed cabinet is unusual and gives ample, tight bass and midrange roar. Like the Plexi it is Unison enabled, presenting the correct impedance to the pickups and shaping the tone. Compared to the full version, the SVT VR, the SVT VR Classic has just one channel, channel two, and doesn’t feature the filters or noise gate in the FX rack. It can do full on Lemmy if you want but blend it in parallel with a DI bass for texture and you’ll see just how flexible it is.
We like: Try it clean, on bass, obviously…
Precision Mix Rack Collection
While the idea of mixing with nothing but LA2a’s and Pultecs sounds nice, sometimes you need modern, surgical audio tools. That is what the precision Mix Rack collection is. A flexible 5 band parametric EQ, a great sounding compression section that features auto gain - ideal for beginners. Also included is the Precision Reflection Engine, a small room simulator that adds ambiance and is a great complement to Realverb Pro. The Precision Delay Modulation plugins complete the selection with highly configurable delays for anything from echo to chorus. Utility stuff but these sound great and with a knob-based UI, they encourage listening rather than looking - always a good thing. Purchasers of the Solo and the Twin X don’t get the Precision enhancers, a duo of enhancers which rather than boosting frequencies that are already present like an EQ, synthesize additional frequencies at the top and bottom end respectively.
We like: The compressor - try it
RAW
A Unison enabled model of the famous Pro Co Rat distortion pedal. It sounds just as nasty as the real thing, and that’s a compliment. The filter control works backwards which is confusing the first time you turn it and perfectly logical after that: You want to filter out the highs - turn the knob clockwise! The stand out feature of this plugin is that it is Unison enabled. Plug in a passive guitar and you’ll feel the interaction. The sound “jumps” out of the pedal in a way software-only stomps don’t. Plug in in a Telecaster and you’ll see what I mean..
We like: Cranked but with the filter all the way up for dark, stoner-dirge
Realverb Pro
The UI might look old but try it before you decide what you think of this room simulator plugin. The comprehensive choice of room shapes and materials along with positioning and the ability to morph between presets mean it has some unique features.
We like: Odd combinations - A dome made of soil or a plate made of lino…
As you can see, unless what you’re doing requires heavy vocal tuning or the like, if you can’t mix a track with these then why not? And of course this isn’t an either/or choice between your stock DAW plugins and these UAD plugins. And of course is we are discussing DAWs, if you have an Apollo you owe it to yourself to check out LUNA for a seamless, low latency tracking experience.