UA Blog

Volt is the perfect companion for mobile recording, content creation and beyond. If you already own a Universal Audio Apollo interface, you know the power of pristine conversion, realtime UAD plug-in processing, and seamless integration with LUNA and other DAWs. You’ve experienced studio-grade sonics in a compact, professional unit that’s at the center of your workflow. Here’s a curveball: what if we told you there’s still a place in your setup for a Universal Audio Volt ? It might sound redundant, but the Volt line isn’t here to compete with Apollo — it’s here to complement it. Whether you’re traveling, working remotely, building out a mobile rig, or simply looking to expand your creative setup with minimal effort and cost, Volt brings undeniable utility to even the most advanced studio workflows. In this article, we’ll explore why thousands of professionals and hobbyists alike are pairing Volt interfaces with their Apollos, and why you might want to as well.   What Is Volt? Volt is Universal Audio’s line of USB-C audio interfaces designed for creators, producers, and musicians who demand UA sound quality without the higher investment of an Apollo. Available in multiple configurations (from the portable Volt 1 to the studio-ready Volt 476P ), each unit combines class-leading audio specs, intuitive design, and signature analog character in a rugged, desktop-friendly form.</...

Explore the best strategies for your "amp-less" onstage guitar rig. For many guitarists, the days of lugging around heavy tube amps is over. Amp emulators have gotten to the point where they sound indistinguishable from the real thing. Want proof? Amp emulators are on the stages of some of the biggest acts in the world, from U2 to Metallica, Polyphia to Iron Maiden to name just a few.  Advantages of an amp-less rig are less size and weight, consistent sound, and controllable stage volume. UAFX amp emulators are revered for their spot-on tones of classic tube amps from the '50s to the '90s, and although they excel at no-fuss, album-ready studio tones, they do just as well onstage. Here we'll show you how to take your UAFX amp emulator to your next gig and beyond. Direct to the PA You can run your UAFX amp emulator's outputs straight to a mixer or an onstage snake. For longer cable runs, a direct box is highly recommended. It will ensure a strong signal with long unbalanced cable runs, eliminate ground loop hum, and best of all, make the FOH engineer very happy.  A direct box or DI — especially if your main rig is an amp emulator — is good to keep in your gig bag, just in case. If you're running stereo out of your UAFX amp emulator, make sure you have a stereo DI. Running your UAFX amp emulator straight to the PA is certainly the easiest way to go, but remember, you're at the mercy of the sound engineer to hear yourself in the monitor mix. Which leads us to our next section… Monitor with a FRFR Standing for "full range, flat response," a powered FRFR monitor gives you control of your stage volume in much the same way a traditional guit...

Craft bold sounds with a vintage‑inspired VST synth for the ages.  In this Getting Started video, Matt Petersen gives you a walkthrough of UAD Anthem Analog Synthesizer – a powerful virtual instrument plug-in that's designed for bold, analog-style sound design.  From raw, gritty basses to evolving sequences and lo‑fi textures, Anthem gives you fast workflows and massive tone straight out of the box. Learn what makes this plug-in so special, and how to get the most out of it in your productions.      Step 1: Start with Big Oscillators At the core of this VST synth plug‑in are two analog‑modeled oscillators, great for dialing in classic waveforms with a modern twist. Try this: Start with the default saw wave for immediate impact Adjust the Oscillator Shape knob to sweep through triangle, saw, square, and pulse waves  Use the outer ring to add movement from the filter envelope or LFO   Step 2: Shape Your Tone with Anthem’s Filter Anthem's analog-modeled low‑pass filter delivers squelch, warmth, and personality. Try this:  Use MIDI Learn to map cutoff and resonance controls to your hardware for real‑time sweeps Use the Drive control to add harmonics and analog grit while smoothing harsh highs Use Growl to introduce grunge and heavy analog tones   “Drive, Growl, and Resonance are deeply interactive. It's best to experiment to find unexpected textures.”   Step 3: Add Movement with Modulation Anthem makes modulation easy — perfect for evolving pads or vintage PWM effects. <stron...

Learn how Grammy-winning producer Jacquire King recreates the essence of OG Hip-Hop drum tones. In this Modeling Microphone Masterclass, Jacquire King brings the grimy vibe of drum-machine driven hip-hop to the acoustic realm with the help of session musician Logan Todd. Emulating the crisp and clear samples of early genre-defining albums, King employs an out of the box approach to create those iconic electronic percussion sounds with the feel and energy of a real drummer.   Eclectic Acoustic Drum Kit As is the case with anything you put a microphone in front of, a great recording starts with the right source. With sounds in the room as close to the final product as possible, less processing is needed in the mix stage. Aiming to recreate synth-esque drum tones with a real pair of sticks, Todd employs a diverse mix of percussion instruments and dampening techniques to create a quirky genre-specific kit. Beginning at the center of the setup, he opts for a suitcase paired with a traditional kick-drum pedal to recreate the enhanced low end thump needed for the genre. Flanked by a pair of Congas and a Pandiero drum, Todd muffles with a combination of tape and towels to recreate the pitched percussion and bass sounds of the infamous Roland TR-808. The most traditional part of the kit is a shallow snare drum, tuned high and lightly muffled to create plenty of snap and a cutting tone.   <b id="docs-internal...

Discover live and broadcast setups for expert Dante integration.   Apollo x16D introduces Dante ® networking to the UA ecosystem — giving you pristine, flexible audio routing over standard Ethernet. And with the addition of E Series peripherals — the Apollo e1x Unison TM preamp   and Apollo e2m stereo headphone amp and line I/O   — you can now build a complete, professional networked audio system for stage or studio. Dante delivers uncompressed digital audio with near-zero latency and full redundancy, letting you send and receive multichannel audio over Cat5e/6 cables across long distances — all managed from  Audinate’s Dante Controller app. From remote-controlled mic preamps and multi-room tracking, to scalable monitoring and front-of-house flexibility, Apollo Networked Audio opens up powerful new workflows. Here are six of our favorites.     Recreate the Sound of your Favorite Records On Stage   Use Case 1 | Star Input Channels (<a...

Discover how Adam Labov gets album-quality FOH and monitors over a Dante network. From club tours to major festival stages, engineer Adam Labov has seen it all over two-plus decades behind the board. “My first live engineer gig was around 2004,” he says. “But it all really started in ’93 — my first concert was Nirvana on the In Utero tour. That changed everything for me. Later that year, I saw Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Pink Floyd, and Phish — not a bad first five shows! When I was 20, I took some audio engineering courses to learn the basics of mixing, but started to focus on live sound versus studio engineering when I moved to LA in 2003."   These days, Labov is running front of house for breakout pop/punk band The Linda Lindas, whose recent shows include runs with Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, Paramore, and even The Rolling Stones. While prepping for the group's latest headline tour, Labov and the band wanted to give their rocking live shows a sonic upgrade. Enter Apollo x16D interfaces and UAD plug-ins , all running over a Dante audio network. Building a Modern Live Rig for a Modern Band “This is actually my first tour using Dante,” says Labov. “We’ve got an Allen &amp; Heath dLive console, and three Apollo x16D interfaces — two for front-of-house, one for monitors. There’s a learning curve at first, but once you get through a few shows, it becomes second nature — and having that many ins and outs makes routing audio for all my UAD plug-ins way more flexible. “Our last setup was just a basic Midas M32 with no outboard gear,” he continues. “It worked for a while, but this new rig with Apollo x16D and the dLive is a serious son...

Discover the benefits of a low-latency, high-quality digital audio network. In the high-stakes world of live sound engineering, front-of-house (FOH) mixing has become more important than ever. Gone are the days of clunky analog setups featuring huge — and expensive — XLR cable snakes with limited channel counts loomed up into analog consoles and racks of gear.  Major tours and concert venues, as well as large houses of worship like Mt. Bethel Church in Atlanta, Georgia rely on Dante® to streamline workflows, reduce stage clutter, and increase reliability.  Here, we’ll explore how Dante is transforming FOH mixing and why it’s become the go-to solution for live audio professionals worldwide. What is Dante and How Does it Work for FOH Mixing? Dante (Digital Audio Network Through Ethernet) is an audio-over-IP networking protocol developed by Audinate. It allows the transmission of multiple channels of uncompressed, low-latency digital audio over a standard Ethernet network.  Dante-enabled devices, such as digital mixers, audio interfaces and realtime processors like Apollo x16D , speakers, and other audio equipment, can send and receive high-quality audio signals over a network, eliminating the need for traditional analog cables. Apollo x16D connects to your front-of-house or monitor console and let's you use UAD plug-ins in low-latency over Dante. With Dante, audio signals are transmitted via a standard Ethernet connection, and each device on the network communicates with others seam...

Learn how the UAD A-Type Multiband Dynamic Enhancer plug-in gives you the classic sound used by Queen, The Cars, Fleetwood Mac, and more. For modern music producers, the name “A-Type” conjures images of analog recording studios and ancient equipment used for workhorse tasks like noise reduction and tape transfers to digital. But such associations don’t tell the whole story. The legacy of the Dolby A-Type noise reduction system* isn’t just about preservation — it is also a story of transformation. What began as a groundbreaking noise reduction circuit in the golden age of magnetic tape quietly shaped the sound of some of the most iconic records of all time as a creative effect. Now, reimagined as a modern tool for music producers and engineers working in DAWs, the A-Type Multiband Dynamic Enhancer plug-in brings this forgotten “studio secret” back into the spotlight. We sat down with Universal Audio Product Designer Will Shanks to uncover what makes this mythical machine so special.   A pair of vintage noise reduction units with removable CAT-22 A-Type encoding/decoding cartridges. These iconic studio staples were originally used to reduce tape hiss and were later repurposed for their distinctive analog enhancement.   What intrigued you about the A-Type system? Like everyone else, I thought about it as a tool for noise reduction — namely magnetic tape hiss. I’d heard about engineers hacking A-Type systems for the “air trick” on vocals, but I never pieced it together until I noticed modern plug-in and hardware recreations. Then I became curious and started digging into classic records to hear exactly what A-Type was doin...