I’ve spent a lot of quality time with my Apollo Solo, integrating it into Logic Pro.  It’s a bit of a game changer – you can hear the difference in quality, especially on playback, and the plugins are better than my stock Logic Pro plugins.  I should also add that the included plugins are extremely useful.  I’m mixing my new album “Attack of the 80s Synths” right now, and the UA plugins are on every vocal track.  Spend the time, learn how to use them, and you’ll level up.  It’s one of my smartest purchases.

That said, UA reminds me of Apple.  Using Apple (or UA) products is like dating a super model who gives you great sex and is fun to be with, but who every once in a while slaps your face for no reason.  That’s likely sexist.  Sorry.  Anyway, here are the five most annoying things about using the Apollo Solo…

  1. Thunderbolt (aka USB-C).  That’s what my interface uses because it’s industry standard for higher end audio these days, but the Thunderbolt/USB-C port design itself is beyond horrible – every jack will eventually weaken.  Slightly bumping the cable leads to big trouble.  This is not UA’s fault, but it’s still extremely annoying.  When compared to USB, Firewire, Firewire 800, and Ethernet, Thunderbolt/USB-C has the worst jack connection by a factor of 10.  I can’t wait until something else replaces it.
  2. Plugin dump.  The Apollo Solo came with a good collection, but the software dumps EVERY plugin UA makes into my DAW, 90% of which I do not have a license for.  That’s a horrible way to treat customers.  In Logic Pro you can use the Plugin Manager to hide all those plugins, which will take you ten minutes worth of clicking.
  3. RealVerb-Pro.  This is supposedly a high end reverb, but it looks horribly dated and I don’t think it outperforms the best reverbs in my DAW.
  4. UAD Meter and Control Panel.  I don’t understand why I need an app to be able to use the Apollo Solo.  Most other interfaces don’t add this level of annoyance.
  5. No Tube Screamer.  You get a classic Marshall amp, which sounds pretty good, and a… RAT clone?  The classic rock sound is a Tube Screamer into a Marshall, not a RAT into a Marshall.  If they’d included a Tube Screamer, this would have made a massive difference.  As it is, I never use the Marshall.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a record to finish mixing with my Apollo Solo.