Universal Audio takes us back to the rich and authentic sounds of the analog era and brings them into the digital world. And now, you can even use their famous audio plugins in real-time over your Dante network.
Is this a dream? No, it’s real and you are about to hear what it sounds like processing live audio from a Sunday service at my church.
Watch the video for sound examples
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I spend most of my time working with entry-level digital mixers. So, as I was unboxing the Apollo x16D, it got me thinking, “What do I need the X32 to do better?” Three things came to mind: Vocal tuning, vocal compression, and live-stream audio mastering.
This only uses six of the available sixteen channels on the Apollo, so you can do a whole lot more than that. But since I keep things simple, that’s what I am sticking with for now.
Getting it set up was a breeze. Connect the ethernet port to your Dante network. Connect the Thunderbolt port to the computer running the UA software. Plug it in with the included power supply, and you’re ready to go.
The device popped right up in Dante Controller, making it easy to get audio from my mixer to the x16D and then back to the mixer.
On more advanced digital mixers, you can use channel inserts to get the job done. But on the X32, it will take up two channels every time you want to process audio with the x16D.
In my case, I have four raw vocal inputs from my digital snake plus four tuned vocals from the x16D. The raw inputs go to monitor mixes, and the tuned inputs go to the main mix.
Since my vocals now have access to the full suite of AUD plugins, I might as well do more than tune them. Since the X32’s compressor tends to make vocals sound dull, I want to use the most popular compressor ever made, the legendary 1176.
I’m not looking for anything crazy, so I started with the Gental Vocal Compressor preset. It is so transparent! It is like a sound miracle, giving you dynamic control while retaining the life and brightness of the vocal.
I also added vocal tuning. There are several plugins to choose from. I like Auto-Tune X. It sounds natural and can tune vocals in real-time. Incredible.
Now, let’s master the live-stream audio. With the X32, it’s tough to meet YouTube’s loudness standard with a bus mix. The onboard precision limiter effect can get you close, but it’s tough to get to negative fourteen LUFS without the limiter pumping and dulling the mix.
So, I gave the C-Suite C-Max limiter a shot, using the Natural and Open Master preset. I love the transparency of the C-Max limiter. No pumping action. It’s smooth. And it somehow brightens the mix in the process. Absolutely amazing.
Be sure to watch the video and check out the before and after at the end with all the plugins.
If you like the mix you just heard, download my Vocal EQ Cheat Sheet. It is completely free and has already been downloaded by more than ten thousand people.
I just tapped the surface of what you can do with the Apollo x16D. What would you do with a full sixteen channels of Dante audio processing UAD plugins in real-time? Let me know in the comments.
When you are ready to buy the Apollo x16D, get the best price from Sweetwater here. You’ll also need a thunderbolt and ethernet cable to get up and running. Don’t forget those.
