Apollo x8
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Produce album-ready sounds in realtime.
Apollo x8 gives creators running bigger project and bedroom studios the same professional analog tones heard on your favorite records. With elite‑class conversion and HEXA Core UAD plug-in processing, Apollo x8 is the only interface that lets you record through preamps from Neve, API, Manley, and more — with near‑zero latency — giving you professional sound in a sleek rackmount Thunderbolt 3 audio interface.
Get professional sound with the widest dynamic range and lowest noise available
Record your vocals and synths in realtime through classic mic preamp emulations from Neve, API, Manley, Avalon, and more
Link up to four Apollos for 156 channels of premium I/O and control it from Apollo Twin or x4
Create with seamless hardware-software integration and analog console modeling in LUNA Recording System
Hear Every Detail in your Recordings
Apollo x8’s proven A/D and D/A conversion gives you the same elite-class sound heard on thousands of hit songs and chart-topping albums. Widely praised for its open, natural sonics, Apollo's converters give you the perfect palette to paint your masterpiece.
Record Synths and Vocals through Iconic Preamps
With its four onboard Unison™ preamps, Apollo x8 is the only interface that lets you track in realtime through preamps and channel strips from Neve, Manley, API, and dozens more, giving you the same rich analog texture as the hardware used on decades of iconic music.*
Get the Pro Sounds of Analog Hardware, in a Single Rack Space
Right out of the box, Apollo's included plug-ins give you album-ready tones in realtime with professional tools like the UA 610-B Tube Preamp & EQ, Fairchild compressors, amps from Marshall and Ampeg, and more. Plus, Apollo lets you tap into the entire UAD plug-in library, giving you the proven hit-making sounds of Ocean Way Studios, Capitol Chambers, and hundreds more.
See Included Plug-Ins ›
Learn about Heritage Edition Plug‑Ins ›Record with a Fast, Natural Workflow using LUNA
Apollo works with all major DAWs, but only LUNA Recording System gives you seamless integration with Apollo, for big analog studio sound — in realtime — using a host of built-in features and extensions from API console modeling to genuine Neve summing and integrated Studer tape.
Learn more about LUNA ›Your New Analog Studio, Expanded
Link up to four Apollos for 156 channels of premium I/O as your studio grows,and control it all from your desktop using Apollo Twin or x4.
UAD Plug-Ins vs. Analog Hardware
Watch Grammy-award winning producer Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon) put UAD plug‑ins to the test in a live session featuring electronic-soul artist Jamie Lidell.
“I love my new Apollo x8p! I can mix without worrying about the amount of plug-ins I use, and the new converters reveal the most subtle details when I record. One of the best upgrades that I’ve added in a long time.”
– Derek ‘MixedByAli’ Ali (Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Childish Gambino)
“I'm really impressed with the Apollo X8. I hear more detail in the several sets of monitors I use, and I'm getting that little bit extra out of the Unison mic pre emulations – and they were already extremely close.”
– Jacquire King (James Bay, Kings of Leon, Tom Waits)
“This is the best-sounding Universal Audio D/A ever. By far. It has an extra octave of clear bottom, but it's not hyped. It's just very solid and full. It's like there’s no converter generated signature at all. It’s completely open and natural.”
– Fab Dupont (David Crosby, Shakira, Santigold)
“My Apollos are my sound.
Where I go, they go.”
– Trevor Lawrence Jr. (Dr. Dre, Herbie Hancock, Eminem)
“Apollo is a platform that grows more powerful with every innovation – the UAD plug-in processing onboard has changed the way I work forever.”
– Tony Platt (AC/DC, Bob Marley, Buddy Guy)
“The Apollo is the best I/O we've ever used, and we've tried them all. It has an incredibly clean, transparent, and accurate sound.”
– The Glitch Mob
“I’m totally blown away by the stunning sound quality of the Apollo. The ability to use UAD plug-ins in real-time is pure genius. It’s the centerpiece of my new studio.”
– Richard Devine
“The Apollo's ability to do low latency – I mean that's the whole ballgame right there.”
– Joey Waronker (Atoms for Peace, Beck, Other Lives)
“The Apollo is a powerhouse and a game changer for my studio.”
– Grieves
“Using my Apollos and Console 2.0, I'm able to front a live mix, create a monitor mix, and record, all at the same time. That’s pretty awesome.”
– Chris Dugan (Green Day, Iggy Pop, U2)
“Having the Apollo with UAD plug-ins at my disposal is like carrying a giant studio with outboard racks at all times. Minus the tech fees, down time, and electricity bill!”
– Andrew Dawson (Jay-Z, Fun.)
“Apollo's A/D and D/A conversion sounds incredibly detailed, with great clarity and a tight, punchy low end. And with the Console 2.0 app, I have all of the routing and monitoring options I need.”
– Dave Pensado (Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Maroon 5)
“The Apollo x8p is the workhorse for the majority of our mobile sessions. The flexibility is crucial to our workflow and once you’re familiar with the front panel controls and Console software, it becomes a seamless experience that allows you to truly craft your sound.”
– Mike Larson (Pharrell, Ariana Grande, Migos)Compare Apollo Models
18 x 24 Thunderbolt 3 audio interface with class-leading 24-bit/192 kHz conversion (backwards compatible with Thunderbolt 1 & 2 on Mac)
4 Unison-enabled mic/line preamps — giving you fully authentic preamp emulations from Neve, API, Manley, Avalon, and more*
Produce with LUNA Recording System — a fully-integrated recording application for Apollo (Mac/Thunderbolt)
Combine up to 4 Thunderbolt-equipped Apollos and 6 total UAD devices
Realtime UAD HEXA Core Processing for tracking through UAD plug-ins at near-zero latency, regardless of audio buffer size
Surround monitor controller up to 7.1 format
Includes “Realtime Analog Classics Plus” UAD plug-in bundle featuring UA 610-B Tube Preamp; Legacy Pultec EQ, LA-2A, and 1176 compressors; Marshall Plexi Classic; Ampeg SVT-VR Classic and more
Runs UAD Powered Plug-Ins via VST, Audio Units, and AAX in all major DAWs
Selectable +24 dBu operation for easy compatibility with professional mixing consoles and tape machines
Convenient front panel monitoring functions including Alt Speakers, Talkback mic, and assignable Dim or Mono
Free, industry-leading technical support — on the phone and online — from knowledgeable audio engineers
User Manual
For system requirements, go here.
*Apollo x8 includes the “Realtime Analog Classics Plus” UAD plug-in bundle. Other UAD plug-ins sold separately at www.uaudio.com. All trademarks are property of their respective owners.Customer Reviews
M. Maslik
October 4, 2024
Elegant
I have titled it elegant because it is such an elegant piece of hardware, both lookwise and soundwise. I have been looking at it for 3 years and finally decided to pull the trigger and...
Read MoreF. Mailloux
June 19, 2024
A powerful interface
The X8 is one powerful machine! Clean, easy to use once setup, DSP power galore. Can't ask for more for a flexible and more than...
Read MoreS. Abate
June 15, 2024
Satisfied.
I love that the Apollo x8 isn't susceptible to jitter or noise in my DAW at 24 bit to 32 bit in 96 kHz with whole projects whether I use macOS plugins or DSP plugins combined. I look...
Read MoreA. Giroux
June 11, 2024
Absolutely great unit
Quite the upgrade from my previous rig. Happy with my purchase
Read MoreF. Buitrago
June 2, 2024
Apollo x8
I just upgraded to the Apollo x8 from my old Scarlett 18i20, I made this decision from using the volt and loved the warmth from...
Read More.
March 8, 2024
best sound ever heard
i used to work on Rme fireface 400 for almost 20years and i wanted to change it cause i heard the volt seires at a friend's house...
Read More -
Realtime Analog Classics Plus Bundle
With the Realtime Analog Classics Plus plug-in bundle, you not only get legendary compressors such as the Fairchild® 670 and EQs like the Pultec® EQP-1A, but also stunning guitar and bass amp emulations from Softube, and UA’s landmark 610-B Tube Preamp and EQ plug-in.
- UA 610‐B
- Marshall Plexi Classic Amplifier
- Fairchild 670 Legacy
- Teletronix LA‐2A Legacy
- UA 1176LN Legacy
- UA 1176SE Legacy
- Pultec EQP‐1A Legacy
- Pultec Pro Legacy
- Ampeg® SVT-VR Classic Bass Amp
- Precision Channel Strip
- Precision Reflection Engine
- Precision Delay Modulation
- Precision Delay Modulation L
- UA Precision Enhancer Hz
- Raw Distortion
- RealVerb‐Pro
UA 610-B Tube Preamp and EQ
Impart your tracks with the iconic warmth and character of the classic hardware used to track everyone from Duke Ellington to Coldplay. By emulating the entire signal path, including tube amplifiers, transformers, and circuit nonlinearities, the 610-B Tube Preamp and EQ plug-in injects organic detail and saturation to any signal — whether you’re re-amping or tracking through the 610-B via Universal Audio’s Unison™ technology.
Marshall® Plexi Classic Amplifier
The undisputed alpha dog of rock and roll guitar amps, the Marshall “plexi” amplifier is as legendary as the music it helped create. From Jimi Hendrix to Jimmy Page, Duane Allman to Eric Clapton, the Plexi’s punishing melange of snarl, sustain, smoothness, and raunch defined the sound of rock. Developed by Softube, the Marshall Plexi Classic Amp plug-in gives you the sound of this iconic amp with a perfectly placed microphone from engineer Tony Platt who recorded AC/DC’s Back in Black and Highway to Hell.
Fairchild® 670 (Legacy)
The world’s most coveted compressor, the classic Fairchild 670 tube limiter will give your tracks and mixes unmistakable tube warmth and character. Whether you’re looking for subtle compression on a lead vocal, or grittier textures that can work on guitars, bass, or a drum bus, the Fairchild 670 plug-in adds a classic “glow” to anything you run through it.
Teletronix® LA-2A Classic Leveling Amplifier (Legacy)
With its gentle, program dependent optical compression and meticulously designed tube amplifier, the LA-2A is the go-to compressor for professional mixers around the world — especially for vocals. Incredibly easy-to-use Peak Reduction and Gain controls gives you the ideal optical compression sound for guitar, bass, drums, and more.
1176SE/LN® Classic Limiting Amplifiers (Legacy)
Get classic, ultra-fast FET compression from the world’s most recognized compressor. The 1176 will impart punch, presence, and character as well as its signature distortion overtones on drums, vocals, guitars, and bass. The 1176LN has graced countless recordings, from Led Zeppelin, to the White Stripes and Michael Jackson.
Pultec® Pro Equalizers (Legacy)
Mix with two of the most sought-after hardware EQs ever made — the MEQ-5 Midrange Equalizer and the EQP-1A Program Equalizer. Both of these tube-based icons deliver smooth and silky EQ curves with an abundance of warm analog character.
Ampeg® SVT-VR Classic Bass Amp
Introduced in 1969, the Ampeg SVT bass amp is still the reigning king of high-powered tube bass tone. Developed by Brainworx, the Ampeg SVT-VR Classic Bass Amp plug-in perfectly captures the raw power and punch that has made this the go-to amp for rock, funk, and soul players. Track in real time using Unison™ preamp technology for the tone, touch, and feel of a real SVT bass amp, or transform bland DI tracks with the thunderous roar of a stone cold classic.
Precision Mix Rack Collection
Featuring the Precision Channel Strip, Precision Reflection Engine, and Precision Delay Modulation plug-ins, the Precision Mix Rack Collection offers four modern, high-fidelity plug-ins for recording and mixing. Powerful and intuitive, Precision Mix Rack Collection gives you an impressive tool set — perfect for beginners and seasoned professionals alike.
UA Precision Enhancer Hz
Expertly dial-in your music’s low-end frequencies with the Precision Enhancer Hz plug-in. Able to yield exacting results with minimal adjustment, the Precision Enhancer Hz can add weight to kick drum samples, fatten up a synth bass, or simply make the low-end of your tracks more audible on smaller speakers.
Raw Distortion
Modeled from a vintage early-’80s Pro Co Rat, Raw Distortion delivers all the gritty dynamic raunch of the legendary stompbox. And with Unison™ technology, you can plug in to Apollo Twin, 8, or 8p’s front-panel Hi-Z instrument jack and experience the same circuit interaction, gain range, and clip points for the true tone, feel, and response of the original hardware.
RealVerb Pro
RealVerb Pro is a flexible, natural sounding reverb based on UA’s own unique set of algorithms. Allowing you to design the room just as you hear it, the RealVerb Pro goes beyond simply big/small or dark/bright, giving your sources distortion-free, smoothing diffusion control and ultra-long reverb tail.
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Customer Reviews
Apollo x8
M. Maslik
Elegant
I have titled it elegant because it is such an elegant piece of hardware, both lookwise and soundwise. I have been looking at it for 3 years and finally decided to pull the trigger and cannot be happier. It fulfills my needs of I/O routing between my DAW and the outboard hardware. Sounds amazing, love it
j. gomes
des plugins de demo qui polluent votre mac et votre sequenceur
les plugins de démos polluent mon mac le pire c est que les vendeurs ne savent pas comment faire pour virer les plugins de demo, je peux le faire un par un vous imaginez le temps a passer dessus ? j ai achete sur sonovente la carte apollo x8 heritage edition avec des plugins mais je me retrouve avec une liste enorme de plugins en demo qui m agacent et me polluent mon logique audio un conseile avant de l acheter regardez a deux fois car c est cher pour un service quasi nul
F. Mailloux
A powerful interface
The X8 is one powerful machine! Clean, easy to use once setup, DSP power galore. Can't ask for more for a flexible and more than capable home studio. Awesome upgrade from the setup I had before.
S. Abate
Satisfied.
I love that the Apollo x8 isn't susceptible to jitter or noise in my DAW at 24 bit to 32 bit in 96 kHz with whole projects whether I use macOS plugins or DSP plugins combined. I look forward to learning and discovering more and more DSP plugins in my projects.
A. Giroux
Absolutely great unit
Quite the upgrade from my previous rig. Happy with my purchase
F. Buitrago
Apollo x8
I just upgraded to the Apollo x8 from my old Scarlett 18i20, I made this decision from using the volt and loved the warmth from it so I decided to upgrade. Definitely like how all the inputs and outputs L/R channel monitors are separate and the 2 thunderbolt connections! Unlike the Scarlett, a smoother interface overall and nice quality sound while mixing, bouncing files. Most of all enjoying all the realtime plugins that I’m able to use with the UA Console & DAW. Totally Satisfied, I believe I made the right choice…
J. Planinic
Worst customer support service in a world
I'm having issues installing my apollo x6. To be honest I wish I never bought it. Didnt know it was such a pain in the ass to install this sound rack. And on top of everything its easier to contact Donald Trump, than UAD customer service. I dont want to speak with your AI bot, I want to speak to a real person, to someone who can help me with my problem.
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best sound ever heard
i used to work on Rme fireface 400 for almost 20years and i wanted to change it cause i heard the volt seires at a friend's house and i was so suprised by the precision of the sound.. but i needed more inputs and outputs so i choose the apollo X8 and i'm really happy to have it, the sound is so clear,with details i have never heard on my last soundcard..
A great product for those who wants to level up their mixes or mastering.T. T
創造性をさらに高められる
Unison機能が最高！レコーディング時には掛け録り、PA時にはマイクプリとして使ったり多種多様な用途としてUADプラグインが使える！８xは直感的に操作ができ、見た目もサウンドも最高にCOOL！
J. Kim
Perfect gear, perfect company.
UA apollo x8, it’s a wonderful gear.
DSP, converter, preamps, everything is perfect to me.P. Tarján
Stardestroy of Interfaces
Definitely audio quality both on A/D and D/A side outshine other interfaces. It is very convenient to use the DSP effects. Personally my most favourite is to put C-Suit Vox on my vocal recordings to help me the imperfections of the home studio that I haven been built and suppressing unwanted noises.
The mixing console is all in all good, mimics a physical console however I feel in 2024 that imposes limitations on how you can use it and also not the most intuitive for those who are not having hands-on experience with hardware mixing consoles. I hope that the I/O matrix will have some re-work in the future.
Being able to control phantom power supply per channel individually is really nice. On many interfaces it is grouped like 1-4, 5-8.
For me it is really a feature that gets me to be able to not only link mono channels into stereo, but to be able to also control their volume together. With many other interfaces even if on the mixer they can be linked you still have to calibrate the knobs manually which is painful.
WDM driver is a bit clumsy as only the UNISON slot effect is applied, but not the whole track and unfortunately I cannot select which inputs to "expose" towards to WDM (like some other interfaces). Most typical use-case would be that I want to use only one of my MIC with C-Suite Vox and LA-2A towards to other applications such as Teams or any conferencing application. I hope in future this will improve!
All in all buying Apollo x8 was the best decision, no regrets at all!A. MARGINEAN
impecabilă
Impecabil
M. Magerkurth
In der Arbeit in der DAW Hammer.
Eins vorweg, arbeite ich nur in Cubase 13 Pro funktioniert das x8 wie gewünscht. Glasklarer, knackiger Sound. (Windows 10)
Außerhalb der DAW funktioniert es als Mikrofon grauenhaft. Weder über Skype, noch zB Adobe Audition, noch bei OBS/ Nvidia Shadowplay lässt es Aufnahmen ohne Pops, Klicks, Distortion und leichtem Hall zu. Ich habe echt alles versucht. Driver updates Mainboard ect., Consolen Einstellungen, ect. Da es in der Dawn läuft, tippe ich auf Treiberprobleme im zusammenhang mit Windows. My guess ist dass die Samplerate nicht passt. Leider kann ich sie in Systemssounds bei Windows nicht umstellen. Es wird 2 Kanal 48khz 32 Bit angezeigt, jedoch ist es ausgegraut, sodass ich nichts anderes auswählen kann. Da wäre wie vorher Mono 48khz 24 Bit sicher die beste Wahl. Es ist frustrierend, da ich so zwar Musil machen kann, jedoch ist Gaming erstmal vorbei... die Recherche im Internet zeigt, dass es einige mit den gleichen Problemen gibt.
Ich möchte dennoch festhalten, dass die Qualität des Interfaces wirklich spitze ist. Einzig der Windows Treiber Support scheint nicht zu klappen. Ich hatte zuvor ein Apollo Twin USB und hatte nie Probleme. Dies stellte sich nach schließen der DAW immer automatisch richtig ein. (Hörte man) . Ich werde weiter nach Lösungen suchen und hoffentlich klappt es irgendwann, denn dieses Interface will ich auf jeden Fall weiter nutzen.B. Rodgers
Worthy upgrade
Have now daisy chained this with an Apollo twin and it has substantially increased the power of my home studio. I now have the ability to add more DSP heavy plug ins, more inputs and more outputs. It is perfect for my workflow which mainly revolves around recording guitars and vocals. Very happy
B. Harrison
Brilliant!
I needed additional I/O for my studio and added the x8 to my existing Apollo 8 Quad. Integrating was seamless, and managing all of the routing is simply glorious in Console. The sound quality is incredible, and with both interfaces running my UAD plugins I couldn't be happier with the reduced load on my CPU. I purchased the x8 while on promo with the Sphere mic, which I haven't received yet, but look forward to trying that out soon! Thanks, UAD. Now stop taking all my money for a little while, ok?
K. Kessler
Incredible conversion and sound quality
I have moved from Apollo Twin to the Apollo X8. First very noticable difference - the output sound quality is way cleaner - the low end is smoother, the high end is extremely detailed, compared to the Twin. Even the headphones output sounds dramatically better! The stereo image is very clear. Headroom is just enough for working with loud and modern music. I/O is perfect for a hybrid setup (production and recording / mixing and mastering). It's probably one of the most important purchases for my studio.
J. Schroeder
WDM audio in Windows STILL BROKEN after 2 years
!!! WARNING TO WINDOWS USERS !!!
WDM audio is still busted as of November 14, 2023. What does this mean? Anything outside ASIO playback, like YouTube, Spotify, video games, etc. is glitchy. Pops and crackles.
Universal Audio is aware of it and still has no solution. I’ve been using their products for almost 10 years now, and I absolutely love the plugins and hardware itself. Very well made. Heck, the tech support around this issue was top-tier as well. However, I cannot fully recommend this product with how obviously busted it is outside of your DAW integration. Which may be a non-issue for you, but it’s absolutely a problem for myself and many others.
If it wasn’t for this issue, I’d give the product a 5 star review. It’s a wonderful tool for the studio. It’s just a real pain in the @$$ and embarrassing every time a client wants to reference a YouTube song, or something on Spotify, or literally anything outside my DAW.
Do better, Universal Audio.V. Ciesielski
X8
Incredibly powerful addition to my work space. Plays well with my X4 and LogicProX. Easy set up. The information from UAD and YouTube makes the entire process easy and seamless
S. Cordingley
A Worthy Upgrade
Pretty easy to install and connect, which is great. It definitely is a step up from my previous Apollo Twin X Duo. More inputs, two independent headphone jacks/pots, and push button to alternate monitors. Impressive routing flexibility, which does require some mental effort to grasp fully. Improved my plugin potential when recording . It meets my current needs with ease. I can confidently recommend it for an intermediate home studio (and more!)
S. Burgan
Top notch quality x8 Apollo with sphere mic
So glad I took the plunge and upgraded to the x8 Apollo and got the sphere mic thrown in for free. Sound quality is awesome and plenty of options with inputs. The Sphere mic is an absolute game changer too. Things just sit in the mix without having to tweak and stack up plugins. Great stuff UAD!
