Combining AXE FX with Universal Audio X4 - Flexibile Setup

Routing an analog input like that is a pretty basic operation for an audio interface, so I'd be surprised if it can't do that. It's quite simple on a Scarlett. I sold my Apollo, or I'd try it myself.
 
Ok I had some wonky IO in the axefxIII going on. Selecting UA console output 1 to spdif and arming input 1 and Spdif to record on separate tracks in the DAW result in a DI and an affected track. This works.
 
Parmageddons said:
Yes, part of the appeal is down to what seems to be low latency handled by the unit itself, and the plugins seem great. I'll be real honest in saying when it comes to setup like this im old school and a complete newb. I mic up my cab and that's it. But times are moving on and I i think now's the time for me to too. Alot of the stuff I hear when folks are using UA generally sounds great, what that's entirely down to im not sure but following the hardware setup doesn't seem a bad strategy.

I looked at the focusrite stuff too re: your well made point about more I/O for less money. The 18i20 i think it was. But putting the cost aside for a moment I'm fairly fine with going UA. Isn't a huge difference in price between the X4 and X6. The latter likely being overkill if I can run analogue to and from the Axe with no obvious issues. As it sounds like i'd have to do that with a kemper rack anyway?
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I just recently got a Presonus 1810C interface that replaced my dying Apollo Quad, and I won't be going back to UAD anymore. I have no latency problems at all, can record via analog, USB or S/PDIF. The sound quality is actually better than my Apollo was, altho mine was an older unit. I was thinking of getting a new Apollo until I saw the pricetag. Nope! If you want the Apollo then go for it, but I just wanted to let you know that are far more economical interfaces on the market that are right up there in sound quality.
 
DougB415 said:
I just recently got a Presonus 1810C interface that replaced my dying Apollo Quad, and I won't be going back to UAD anymore. I have no latency problems at all, can record via analog, USB or S/PDIF. The sound quality is actually better than my Apollo was, altho mine was an older unit. I was thinking of getting a new Apollo until I saw the pricetag. Nope! If you want the Apollo then go for it, but I just wanted to let you know that are far more economical interfaces on the market that are right up there in sound quality.
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I had the studio 192. Was a good working man interface.
 
DougB415 said:
I just recently got s Presonus 1810C interface that replaced my dying Apollo Quad, and I won't be going back to UAD anymore. I have no latency problems at all, can record via analog, USB or S/PDIF. The sound quality is actually better than my Apollo was, altho mine was an older unit. I was thinking of getting a new Apollo until I saw the pricetag. Nope! If you want the Apollo then go for it, but I just wanted to let you know that are far more economical interfaces on the market that are right up there in sound quality.
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Yes, if all you want is an audio interface, you get way more for your money with almost any interface on the market than an Apollo. But that's not really a fair comparison. That's like comparing a Presonus 1810c to an Axe-FX. Just like an Axe-FX, an Apollo is a lot more than an interface. First and foremost, it's an effects coprocessor.
 
GlennO said:
Yes, if all you want is an audio interface, you get way more for your money with almost any interface on the market than an Apollo. But that's not really a fair comparison. That's like comparing a Presonus 1810c to an Axe-FX. Just like an Axe-FX, an Apollo is a lot more than an interface. First and foremost, it's an effects coprocessor.
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Have they updated the chips yet? Because that was my first shock, that I could only load a few of their plugins when using my Apollo. Compare that to their new UADx versions - I can load dozens of those plugs with barely any load on my M1 Mac Mini. I hope they convert a lot more, because I have thousands of $$ worth of plugins sitting in a box in the closet. I just finally made the decision to vacate the UAD ecosystem before I invested more. I was fine with it while my Apollo was up and running, but when it died I was done.

... and like I mentioned earlier, the Presonus sounds better than my old Apollo. Probably newer converters, considering that my Apollo was 7 years old.
 
DougB415 said:
Have they updated the chips yet? Because that was my first shock, that I could only load a few of their plugins when using my Apollo. Compare that to their new UADx versions - I can load dozens of those plugs with barely any load on my M1 Mac Mini. I hope they convert a lot more, because I have thousands of $$ worth of plugins sitting in a box in the closet. I just finally made the decision to vacate the UAD ecosystem before I invested more. I was fine with it while my Apollo was up and running, but when it died I was done.

... and like I mentioned earlier, the Presonus sounds better than my old Apollo. Probably newer converters, considering that my Apollo was 7 years old.
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You can’t really run a full mix worth of plugins on a desktop Apollo or even a single rackmount. The system is really designed around modular accelerators. At 22 cores I rarely if ever run out of steam but that’s 2 PCIE cards and a hexa interface. I’m pretty happy with it. The UADx stuff is cool too but I’ll talk more about that once it goes Public.
 
DougB415 said:
Have they updated the chips yet? Because that was my first shock, that I could only load a few of their plugins when using my Apollo. Compare that to their new UADx versions - I can load dozens of those plugs with barely any load on my M1 Mac Mini. I hope they convert a lot more, because I have thousands of $$ worth of plugins sitting in a box in the closet. I just finally made the decision to vacate the UAD ecosystem before I invested more. I was fine with it while my Apollo was up and running, but when it died I was done.

... and like I mentioned earlier, the Presonus sounds better than my old Apollo. Probably newer converters, considering that my Apollo was 7 years old.
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The writing is on the wall. The future of UA is not Apollo. The future is UADx native plugins and conventional interfaces like Volt. They had a good run with the Apollo series, but, outside of Unison, Apollo doesn’t make a lot of sense in a world where users have computers with an Apple Silicon cpu.
 
Parmageddons said:
Hi all,

I'm looking to purchase a new audio interface and albeit expensive, the UA stuff appears to be getting incredible reviews, so leaning that way.

I do like the tones i've been getting with my axe fx though, running it through the power section of a fender hot rod deluxe, I dont want to lose that as I do enjoy record that sound mic'd up along side D.I'ing it too...... So wondering what is the best way to hook all this up?

I have seen a few threads on here suggesting going Guitar -> Axe FX -> UA Apollo -> PC / Monitors.

MY question I guess is:- Could it also work if It went Guitar -> UA Apollo -> Axe FX -> PC / Monitors?

The reason I ask is because I also have a Kemper that I often use too. In an ideal world I'd have the UA apollo running to both the axe and kemper, and i'd only ever plug into the UA Apollo then decide which modeller I want to use on the day of recording....without having to rewire and unplug a load of stuff every time.

And if the above wasnt complicated enough. In the same setup. I want to be able to use UA apollo with Neural DSP VSTS too, and bypass the axe and kemper entirely.... but again without having to unplug stuff etc.

Is the above even possible? If so, how? If not, what do I need to tweak / rethink?

thanks so much
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If you aren't interested in the UA DSP for plugins, I suggest you look at the UA Volt line.
 
fractalz said:
If you aren't interested in the UA DSP for plugins, I suggest you look at the UA Volt line.
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He mentioned that he is interested in the UA plugins, but for anybody who is looking for an interface and is not interested in UA plugins: There are plenty of interfaces that are good choices to use with an AxeFX, but I wouldn’t recommend a Volt since it lacks digital I/O.
 
GlennO said:
He mentioned that he is interested in the UA plugins, but for anybody who is looking for an interface and is not interested in UA plugins: There are plenty of interfaces that are good choices to use with an AxeFX, but I wouldn’t recommend a Volt since it lacks digital I/O.
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I always use analog I/O from the axe. I rarely record at 48k Hz and don't want to bother with sample rate conversion.

That said, focusrite makes some good/reliable interfaces. If you are loaded, look at RME.
 
Yes, sometimes the project sample rate isn’t 48K. This might be for various reasons. For example, somebody else might be calling the shots on the project. Whatever the reason, sometimes you just have to deal with sample rate conversion. Fortunately, some DAWs automatically convert. If you’re using Logic for example, it’s a non-issue. Analog I/O is a particularly inefficient way to convert, but sometimes that’s the only option. Hopefully the AxeFX IV will have a selectable output SR. In any case, I don't know if sample rate conversion is relevant to the OP.
 
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GlennO said:
Yes, sometimes the project sample rate isn’t 48K. This might be for various reasons. For example, somebody else might be calling the shots on the project. Whatever the reason, sometimes you just have to deal with sample rate conversion. Fortunately, some DAWs automatically convert. If you’re using Logic for example, it’s a non-issue.
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I recently recorded a 6 minute section of digital hash because I forgot to change my project in Logic to 48.
 
DougB415 said:
I recently recorded a 6 minute section of digital hash because I forgot to change my project in Logic to 48.
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I frequently record an Axe-FX into non-48K Logic projects. It automatically converts the audio to the project sample rate on the fly. Even GarageBand is capable of doing that :).
 
GlennO said:
I frequently record an Axe-FX into non-48K Logic projects. It automatically converts the audio to the project sample rate on the fly. Even GarageBand is capable of doing that :).
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Do you use an Apollo? They convert on the fly; the Presonus does not.
 
Bruce Sokolovic said:
You can’t really run a full mix worth of plugins on a desktop Apollo or even a single rackmount.
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And there you have the reason why I switched interfaces. I use Slate plugs and now the UADx plugs. I could run a large multi-track session with my M1 barely breaking a sweat.

I love the UAD plugs, but the Apollo was basically a very expense iLok system with a decent interface attached to it. I bought into it, because it was the only way to get high quality plugs. That is no longer the case.
 
DougB415 said:
Do you use an Apollo? They convert on the fly; the Presonus does not.
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I'm saying Logic, and other DAWs, convert on the fly. Some, like Reaper and Live, even allow mixed sample rates. It doesn't matter what you're using for an audio device. This is getting off-topic though...I don't think any of this matters to the OP :).
 
GlennO said:
I'm saying Logic, and other DAWs, convert on the fly. Some, like Reaper and Live, even allow mixed sample rates.
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Doing a little research I found that you need to check the box in File -> Project Settings -> Assets for Logic to convert on-the-fly. Mine was unchecked.
 
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