Universal Audio Arrow (and maybe Apollo Solo) Thunderbolt Audio Interface - 7 Months later [REVIEW]

[@dianallaguno1899]

I would’ve never guessed this was your first review. Great job! Very informative and really appreciate the other suggested products at the end.

[@davidvicars6688]

First review? You are a natural for this, great job and thanks for the awesome review, it was very informative.

[@erwickdsouza]

Thank you!

[@DanAloysius]

"you can bash someone's head in with it... but don't try it... it might affect your warranty". CLASSIC PUN!

[@marcoanastasio7076]

Great video dude, I’ve been looking to understand if this audio interface was for me and you really helped! Congrats 👏🏻

[@NasserSharaf]

For a first KZbin review you did an excellent job. Informative, well paced, and objective... as well as good audio and video quality. Keep up the good work Erwick, I look forward to more of your reviews.

[@erwickdsouza]

Thank you very much Nasser, I will put more out as soon as I can!

[@bilnabiln]

Awesome review- was entertaining and informative all the way through. I find myself falling asleep watching the typical product reviews from older dudes

[@YHProduction1]

Great Video :)) I bought the arrow one month ago and I am simply blown away by the sound-quality :)

[@MrMuppetbaby]

Erwick, Thumbs up! You are articulate and knowledgable about the product. You gave it a fair shake out. Thanks for that. You have serious editing chops too love the production value. I am a retired Hollywood video editor so I notice stuff like that. Lastly, you are a natural in front of the camera. You are ODD but GOOD ODD. :) Please keep making videos my new friend. Tod

[@erwickdsouza]

I somehow did not see this comment earlier. Thank you so much, friend Tod. It means much! Odd is good, no? ;)

[@tobiastheen]

Excellent, thanks. I like the editing, split screens, graphics!

[@HoracioMrJJimenez]

Cheers to you! Thoroughly informative and totally unbias. Such great points for people making a decision. I rarely give props to videos but you really give a great service to people watching this video. 1st video review? Wow. Thank You.

[@erwickdsouza]

Thank you! I'm afraid it is. I've moved out of that space and been bouncing around so I haven't been able to crank out more.

[@g.d.4304]

the arrow not working with obs is a killer. thanks for sharing this video, it saved me 500 bucks

[@erwickdsouza]

Check the other comments, there are workarounds

[@JCNOAOU]

G.D. What’s obs?

[@g.d.4304]

@@JCNOAOUa screen recorder

[@DISCOTEKED]

i just bought the Apollo solo, might do a review too, you're very good at explaining and charismatic too :) thumbs up

[@seunghagi]

wow this is a perfect review i was looking for. great job thanks!

[@erwickdsouza]

Thank you!

[@undercrackers56]

Thank you for an excellent review. Perfect balance of facts and humour. I was thinking of buying one of these, but won't because of the reasons you gave. For $500 I would want dual headphone ports with independent volume, midi capability and a bit more processing power. I can buy an SSL2+ for half the price.

[@PadmaSreeOne]

Great Review. The Back Ground Music and Voice Modulations have kept me engaging. The screen recordings are perfect. Looks like lot of hard work. More over, I like your language. Looking forward for many more.

[@cwestmont]

Excellent review. Love the pros and cons and the fact that you have obviously used the product and are conscious of its real capabilities. Most KZbin reviews I've see for audio interfaces are either shills or essentially unboxing videos, which are useless. Thumbs up and subscribing.

[@erwickdsouza]

Thank you so much!

[@dennisdilger358]

Great Job, no bla bla, real Facts. Wins - Fails very objective. Greetings from Germany

[@tonyp1945]

Hi Erwick, if I purchased the Arrow would I be able to track a vocal in Logic with the compressor but afterwards still use the waves plugins I have to mix using the computers CPU in the Project , still using the Arrow interface, thank you Tony.

[@erwickdsouza]

Yes. Use Monitor mode.

[@RonnieLeBlancMusic]

awesome job man!! And thank you!

[@handtophone1628]

awesome review, had the exact info i was looking for before deciding to buy this. great job!

[@erwickdsouza]

ANNOUNCEMENT: The new UAD Apollo Arrow is the EXACT SAME as the UAD Arrow. It's just got a new paintjob and a different name.

[@dponthebeatz]

How you connect UAD Arrow with Mac or PC ? Is Arrow can connect with window ? The Motherboard need some PCIE Slot ? Thanks

[@erwickdsouza]

@@dponthebeatz you need to have a Thunderbolt port

[@jamiewaters4135]

Personally, almost none of the "fails" you mentioned are actually problems for me so I'm probably going to buy it. The only thing that could be an issue was the limited DSP processing but I only plan on using maybe 2 plugins at once, if any, so it should be fine. Thanks for the great review.

[@erwickdsouza]

You're most welcome. None of the fails are a big concern for me. Do beware that turning up the volume on the headphone amp to unreasonable levels will shut down the unit temporarily

[@MrGrijseels]

Well great help, because there was no guide in the box , when I bought it today. They should have included a cable and guide how to start it up. That forthe fails.

[@erwickdsouza]

Adding a cable would increase the price. Very few manufacturers include TB3 cables in the box. Guides are online.

[@negador]

The only KZbin video so far that said how many plugins can you use at the same time. 5 it's enough for you? You fell it like too little for the coupe of plugins that comes with the interface? That will means that the Apollo can handle 10 plugins? (Probably this is not absolute, but should be a very close number)

[@erwickdsouza]

This interface has a single core. The new Apollo X Interfaces have six cores.

[@unbrkbl2473]

Good stuff bruh! Keep up the good work

[@Delvientosound]

Great review! This was super helpful!

[@Ratsgym12358]

Very helpful . I got my Arrow 1 year ago it has been great. I am thing of adding a thunderbolt Satellite .

[@deathbyleisure]

Props mate, great vid

[@HavikenHayes]

This interface is likely not for me. Gonna check out some of your alternatives. It would be awesome if you had them to review as well. Amazing first video. Keep it up! ✊🏽

[@erwickdsouza]

I need to get my grimy hands on them first!

[@ProxyRD1]

I recently bought the arrow but I have a connection problem with Thunderbolt 3 because I use Windows USB I don't know if there is any way to adapt it ?????????????

[@erwickdsouza]

Thunderbolt is a higher tier than USB. You cannot plug a Thunderbolt 3 device to USB, I'm afraid.

[@DjSirSparx]

Very informative video brother I was looking into that line of audio interfaces and you maze it clear for me...

[@p.m-audio]

very good video, good information with the aluminium case thanks for that cause i will buy the new Solo what looks like the arrow

[@ZigzagTheMusicwalaYT]

7:00 what's that white gear that connects two headphones? Is it good (any latency issue) ?

[@erwickdsouza]

It's an analog splitter. How can it add latency?

[@ZigzagTheMusicwalaYT]

@@erwickdsouza somebody told me that we need headphone amplifier to connect more headphones otherwise there will be latency in sound. That's why i asked you. Btw thanks ❣️🙏😇

[@viofuzzy1781]

Is there any way it could work with iMac late2015 thunderbolt 2? Thank you very much!

[@joonajks]

Hi, is it possible to use this interface for its preamps and output only, without using daw or plug-ins? Just thunderbolt cable to power it on. Thanks for your time!

[@erwickdsouza]

Absolutely

[@joonajks]

@@erwickdsouza thank you, I just subscribe to your channel

[@sonikculture]

very good video... I have been looking at the Twin X for my Windows FL Studio system but I am getting more and more confused. I am worried about spending 1 lakh and not having a stable Windows audio interface. I dont think I want one knob for everything. I read in the comments that you thought there was a noticeable difference between your focusrite and the arrow, I was wondering was the difference in the Preamps or the DAC. I am considering investing in an Audient ID44 for its superior AD/DA and excellent value....its half the price of the TwinX Duo and has a lot more connectivity, excellent Pre's....no UAD plugins and DSP, but I think I might be able to live without that. I dont know how much of difference there is bewteen UAD and Waves etc anyways

[@erwickdsouza]

There is a difference between a Twin X and an Arrow. Namely Pres and DSP.

[@herbbakerproductions]

Great review man!! Keep it up!

[@vbakhda]

Good job bud, really helpful review

[@QLFProductions]

In-between Arrow and ID-14. Leaning toward ID-14 as I upgrade from 2i2.

[@jdstarek]

I have the the iD14, have had it for 18 months and it’s a mess. I’ve had to uninstall/reinstall several times. It completely disconnects from Ableton randomly while I’m working and I have to go into preferences to re-select my device.

[@QLFProductions]

jason starek Windows OS?

[@Digiphex]

I really have liked my Focusrite Clarett Thunderbolt for years, but they have stopped making it.

[@erwickdsouza]

They only make the 8 and 8 PreX in Thunderbolt now.

[@BL-lw8wn]

damn man i wouldve expected you to have at least 100k subs because of how good this was haha

[@MikeG-js1jt]

me too.......but unfortunately, we know why thats not the case

[@Kosich2]

very helpful to know this info

[@JohannBerby]

Great Job Mr Warwick :-) I was missing your voice and your craziness. I love your video, I gived you one more thumb Up bro. Take care. Johann PS : GROOVE LIKE A PIG

[@erwickdsouza]

Thank you very much Johann! I miss you too and your lovely bass shreds. Hope you are keeping well and that everything is good!

[@JohannBerby]

@@erwickdsouza yeah, pretty good. My familly and I moved to live in Estonia. One of the best decision ever as a familly. Take care.

[@ROSCOEV]

Hi nice first review. Just wondering how you found the pre amp compared to the 212 Focusrite was their much of a difference in audio quality between the two?

[@erwickdsouza]

Yes, there was a difference and it was night and day in the Arrow's favor.

[@dbw1405]

I have two usb type c ports in my asus windows laptop but no thunderbolt 3. I read that thunderbolt 3 and usb c uses the same port but the former is 40 Gbps and later 10 Gbps so, does it mean that I might face latency issues while using the interface?

[@erwickdsouza]

It won't work. Thunderbolt is a type of PCIe interface

[@MikeG-js1jt]

Whats missing is the dingbats didn't include a usb interface

[@LektroK]

very good video. I wish you can compare the apollo arrow vs the apollo solo vs the apollo twin plz & thx ??

[@erwickdsouza]

I don't have the other two mate

[@lousekoya1803]

Very helpful............thanks !

[@loukes116]

Nice title change! Would you recommend the new Solo over a Motu M2/M4 or Focusrite Scarlett?

[@erwickdsouza]

Depends on what you want it for. If portability is key, yes! If not you can get the Scarlett 18i20 for the same price

[@loukes116]

@@erwickdsouza yep I'm a so called "bedroom producer" Who needs a good interface for recording and amping my monitors+headphones, gonna get it!! Thanks for the video.

[@lilwolfgx]

This was a great video man

[@cleon5967]

Great review mate! Could you do another small review on the actual dsp power of the arrow? That’s what’s making me a bit unsure if I buy or not. I’m a small studio producer but would like to take advantage of the unison pre amps and the plugins without overloading all the time. Keep doing great reviews!

[@erwickdsouza]

Do not Buy the Arrow for it's DSP capabilities alone. They are a nice bonus, but that's all they are. The DSP capability is minimal at best

[@AnthonyMartinsRock]

I own the Apollo Twin Duo and if you are producing, this would be a minimum (unless you are supplementing the arrow with other outboard gear).

[@miguelmoreira5248]

You can use 5 plug-ins in real time before the DSP reaches 100%? I read comments saying that it can only handle 1 😶 this now looks like a great deal!

[@erwickdsouza]

Overview 0:14 Wins 4:50 Fails 6:44 Alternatives 10:04

[@kobbyampofo]

Erwick D'Souza is the OBS issue still present?

[@erwickdsouza]

@@kobbyampofo it would appear so.

[@alanohagan6999]

Great job and high quality

[@Rooster7six]

Great job!!! Is the audio quality a lot better than say a 2i2? Looking at the arrow, the 212 and the Motu M2.

[@adamapple910]

Hey there. I got this and it’s a little too much for me as I’m a beginner. As he states if you’re a beginner you’ll need several KZbin videos to figure stuff out. That being said if you’d be interested in buying mine send me a message!

[@Rooster7six]

@@adamapple910 how do i message you? I am interested

[@timfrieden4639]

I'm going to purchase one soon. What brands of thunderbolt 3 cables work well with the Arrow?

[@chrisjohannsen8268]

Super review - So do you need a separate interface for midi?

[@erwickdsouza]

Just use USB. It's far superior.

[@uhu4677]

Wait what? I can't select the Arrow as a source in OBS? I wanted to get that interface exactly for OBS to be able to include some low latency processing in my recording chain for live-streaming. :/

[@erwickdsouza]

Don't,you don't need something that expensive. Any USB interface would do. I'd suggest buying a mixer actually...

[@flatfishstudio]

hi Erwick, is there any chance of you creating a STEP-BY-STEP-VIDEO-FOR-IDIOTS on the connectivity of the Apollo Twin with LUNA?

[@erwickdsouza]

I don't have an Apollo Twin or a Mac. So neither is possible, I'm afraid

[@flatfishstudio]

@@erwickdsouza no worries, Erwick - still, great video presentation

[@vincentgaglio5106]

Great review thanks so much for the wind and fails

[@nazlogin5520]

What is the roundtrip latency for 44.1 khz 128 buffer size on windows, ableton 10?

[@derrickvision9547]

I liked and thanks for all the info!

[@newrockorder]

Excellent job!

[@beeisbad]

GREAT JOB BRO! But I got a question.... I noticed that you listed the Apollo Twin as a viable option instead of the Arrow. I understand you listing Focusrite, Arturia and Apogee.... but isn't the Apollo much of the same as the Arrow? What is it that the Apollo Twin has that the Arrow doesn't?

[@erwickdsouza]

Extended I/O, better connectivity, better processing

[@AnthonyMartinsRock]

I own the Twin and was looking at the Arrow at first. the biggest difference is the number of plugins you can use before it says no more plugins. you can Google this it check the website for the exact number as each plugin uses up a portion of the shark chip which means that the arrow is extremely limited. where it shines is being used as primarily an interface and tracking converter. The best Arrow work flow would require tracking with "unison" enabled and then freezing of tracks etc or you will get frustrated quickly. before buying plugins watch as much KZbin examples as possible and research the actual hardware each is emulating. This will minimise disappointment and ultimate disillusion. You may love it or hate it. it may even inspire you to purchase the actual outboard gear!!

[@thenamesguess]

very concise review, thanks

[@laughingboy-tk6ut]

great vid - subbed - like the minimilism but hate that button diving

[@aurora-a1901]

If I do n’t use UAD, then you recommend me to use RME Babyface or Arrow？maybe Apogeet Duet？

[@erwickdsouza]

A Focusrite Scarlett Gen3 will do better for the money

[@JakeRegala]

can u teach me a setting for my neumann TLM 103 i get too much distortion unison 610B

[@TheMetaphorical]

Hey erwick would I be able to connect an MPC Live to the arrow and then connect audio monitors to the live using it for more connectivity? The MpC live has more input outputs ... would this work and function well?

[@viewfromfen9181]

Hey, this is great review, thank you.

[@ajitbabu241]

Pretty good for a first video!! Can you do one to compare this to Apollo twin?

[@erwickdsouza]

I don't have an Apollo Twin, though I can say that except for round trip latency and bus power, the Twin is far better in every way.

[@jastrass]

If its your first one, you did a great job. So this isn'teven a duo with respect to DSP horsepower, its a Solo? At least its an entry way into UADs suite of plugins. I have Thunderbolt 3, but thinking of the twin X or even the Twin Quad. OR keep my old crap and buy an Axe-FX 3. Thanks fo ryour effort

[@erwickdsouza]

If you can afford an X Series interface they have better everything.

[@jastrass]

@@erwickdsouza That's likely where I am heading, in fact Quad not Dual, its 1200 but I'll get into really being able to run the UAD pluggins effectively. thanks!

[@marcaboga9976]

Hi! Thank you for the video! Tell me please, what to buy? Twin mk I or arrow.

[@erwickdsouza]

What is your budget?

[@erwickdsouza]

Hello, MarcaBoga, what is your budget?

[@soulfonic23]

To me the MAJOR selling point of this interface ( kind of THE point) is that it’s BUS powered, enabling one to lay down some vocal or guitar overdubs on the run. Not so much designed as your main rig at your desktop workstation. So anything bus powered is going to be limited to the bus wattage rating. Adding a hub as the reviewer put in the fail list could easily max or exceed the power rating of bus. If I can plug my sm7b into the mic in and have enough gain with a quality plugin or 2 I’m in. Also if you already own universal gear and plugins this is a no brainer to give you mobile capability

[@allowmeasme]

You did a great job with this review sir. The only thing i would like to know is if it's compatible and work on a mac book air with the latest i5 dual core processor cos UAD recommends i7 Quad Processor. Would appreciate a feed back.

[@SamtheWarden]

Good review thanks

[@helix4771]

should you have the polarity phase on while recording?? thanks for the review also!

[@arminverwest220]

Hello, Why you don't test the maximum output level of headphone? I have headphone 600 ohms impidence. I want to know if the UA ARROW work well with my 600 ohms impidence headphone or not ? Please help, Thank you..

[@erwickdsouza]

That can be found in the manual. It should probably work just fine.

[@grimelawd1050]

I have a new yahmaha hs8 an JBL 308 witch i want to connect can i

[@ShredSixx80s]

hey what if my computer has only usb 3 and usb 2 ports is there a way for a converter? like usb 3 from 1 end and from the other its the miniport

[@sos8747]

If im not wrong usb its backward compatible but you're not going to have the benefits of usb 3. Someone correct me if i'm wrong

[@shubhshinde4438]

how do you feel this interface compared to RME baby face pro

[@ishaanalagh]

I have a 13inch macbook pro 2013 model. It has a thunderbolt 2 , can I use a thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 apple adapter for this device ?

[@erwickdsouza]

I doubt it. Contact UA support and ask them. Check the system requirements on the product page

[@konieong9637]

Hi You mention using it without issues. Are you using it on windows or Mac? If windows which laptop model? Thanks! Some forums says UA still a hit or miss, when it comes to thunderbolt on windows!

[@erwickdsouza]

Hey, I have clearly mentioned all details in the video. I run a Windows 10 Alienware r3(2016). It is MANDATORY to have a Thunderbolt 3 to run the Arrow. I have had a few issues but they are too far and few in between to be a problem.

[@TheSloppyDingo]

Did you have any trouble getting it to play nice with windows? I have read quite a few negative experiences with this gen of UA stuff and Windows.

[@erwickdsouza]

No trouble at all. It's perfect. More stable than USB interfaces, actually.

[@Samsonmanase]

Best review thanks ! I’m settle for an alternative that has USB comparability and works with a decade old MacBook

[@charmurff7422]

What micophones is this compatible with

[@mcchickenmcdicken]

Does the arrow have enough to power high impedance headphones, like 250 ohm?

[@chumaki5]

Great video! Thanks

[@Hermanbey]

how is this compared to focusrite 2i2 when recording live through a software like ableton? is the latency lower? (im not talking about tracking the vocals through the UA CONSOLE software)

[@erwickdsouza]

You cannot track through the console. Think of it as a mixer to route audio only. It has lower latency, far better preamps, lower noise floor etc.

[@skence5795]

can you fake 2 additionnel outs with the Headphones output ?

[@erwickdsouza]

It can be done, but idk about the quality

[@Z.a.a.z.m]

Hi,I have arrow from few days and I got it as gift but my Mac have only the Thunderbolt 2 as port can you explain me how can I fix this problem?thank u

[@erwickdsouza]

I don't think you'll be able to run it.

[@Z.a.a.z.m]

Erwick D'Souza thank you!but how is possible 2020 have this kind of problem I still can’t believe!so the only solution is buy a new Mac?i bought this on 2017 😫

[@redmase1]

what type of computer u use and the specs. great vid by the way

[@erwickdsouza]

Thanks! I use an Alienware 17 r3. i7 Skylake, 32 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 256GB boot PCiE nvme SSD, 1TB 7200rpm HDD and a GTX 980m

[@redmase1]

@@erwickdsouza thanks

[@PhearNone7]

Great review. How do you think the Apogee Element 24 compares to the Arrow?

[@erwickdsouza]

Thanks! I do not like the ELement. If an Audio interface does not have a User Interface, it is dead to me. The EIN of the UAD is -128dB and the Apogee is -129dB making it a hairswidth better. Both have DSP but as far as I know the UA Arrow's is meh.

[@silverbulletin846]

so im wanting to get a new dac, so i can run my 250 ohm headphones louder, then whit my m audio 2+2m, will this do the job and can i connect this to pc somehow? thanks uhh just saw the badd stuff, sould i buy aniother dac like audio fuse or adacity,?

[@lenmancan]

Is it normal that the thunderbolt port is a little “loose”? Recognized when I put the cable in. It has a little play to the right and left. Can you. Confirm that?

[@itsaminhossein]

Can you convert the thunderbolt to a usb and use it that way?

[@buckwitme1]

thats what i wanna know! i have a 2010 MacBook pro with no thunderbolt

[@MillanMusicMMS]

still waiting on the apollo mk3, hopefully TB3 bus powerd

[@erwickdsouza]

Your prayers were answered

[@nickbuchmiller646]

does the limited DSP processing only effect you while recording, or does it hurt you if you add plugins in post as well? ie can i have 10 tracks with 2 or 3 plugins each that i add during mixing process and still be ok?

[@erwickdsouza]

You will find a single SHAARC core woefully underpowered to hndle more than five plugins on average at a time, regardless of recording or post work.

[@nickbuchmiller646]

@@erwickdsouza ok wow, thanks for the quick response. so this interface would be better served for very light recording (only one or two tracks total) or podcasting, not really recommended for layering tracks of a full band.

[@erwickdsouza]

@@nickbuchmiller646 I use it as a supplement to my workflow and for the low latency performance for recording. This is a KILLER for podcasting one or two sources, but that's it.

[@ishaanalagh]

Can it be used on 2 systems? Let's say my mac dies...and I buy another one. Will it allow me to use it on the other system ?

[@erwickdsouza]

Absolutely.

[@buriedkings3256]

Hey dude, nice review.

[@erwickdsouza]

Thanks mate!