Hi everyone , i m currently an owner of a steinberg ur44 and planning really soon to upgrade my sound interface. Now i m between buing Apollo Twin USB or Antilope Discrete 4 (as i m reffering in the tittle)
Both are around the same price ( 900 euros ) and my goal with one of these is recording mostly DI guitars, bass, vocals and also mixing ( for rock - metal ) ... so , i would like everyones opinion , which one and why ? considering the quality of preamps , A/D and D/A conversion , plugins , latency , drivers and every aspect... Pros and Cons of each one and even whatever you have to comment about them ! I m really tight on budget so its a big step for me , if i ll get one i'll stick with it for a long time so please help me decide the best option ! I 'm in windows and i own a gaming laptop that lacks thunderbolt connections. Thank you all in advance !!! Any opinion is welcome

 

hiya

if you are considering to buy into the UAD ecosystem it doesn't seem to me that you are really tight on budget. also the uad has only 2 inputs for mike or guitar, the uad plugs are great but very expensive. what is it that the steinberg doesnt give you? quality? latency ? the antelope has 4 headphone outs thats a big winner of you are recording 4 artists at the same time , each can have their own monitor mixes. so yeah the antelope is clear winner here.

 

Thank you for your time ! i m saving money for some time so i ll be able to buy a better interface, the problem with ur44 is the conversion , i noticed many times that the instruments i record lack something , they sound different,also compering my emgs 81 85 di track with others recorded through higher end interfaces i notice they sound with less detail (i ve checked battery , new strings , emg height etc)... my mixdowns also sound different than what i m hearing in my daw (cubase) so mostly i need an interface that wont "downgrade" my dry signal in analog to digital conversion and vice versa , i mostly record one artist at a time , so many inputs/outputs is not in need !

 

FWIW you can find the apollo usb cheaper than 900 if you look around. Especially if youre willing to take a chance on ebay. I got a brand new one for $720. That wasnt ebay but you can find similar deals on there. UAD is currently running a promo where you get the analog classics pro bundle free for registering a new Apollo.. meaning the new versions of the 1176, LA-2A, pultec, fairchild and 610 preamp collections in addition to the legacy stuff that comes with the interface. if that sort of thing matters to you and you don't need more i/o than the apollo has to offer, its worth considering. If you need to record a band or something, then yeah go with an interface with more io.

 

I would say, you dont need a new interface from what info you share on your needs.

for me, new interface would mean, more in/outputs that is important.
quality can be gained from external sources like treating your room to make it a real studio. Or buy better monitorspeakers if you have "bad ones" - they are chaper than buying "better interface". i mean, will you be able to hear that improved quality in the room if you splurge 7-900USD on UAD?

only you will know

 

Last edited: Aug 6, 2019

Thanks everyone for feedback! I have a pair of yamaha hs-5 but I also have the option to grab my laptop and mix in an already better treated room that belongs to a friend, my first goal is to achieve a better quality signal from the source, so if a new interface won't have an audible impact in my Di tracking I'll stick for now with my ur44.

 

the steinberg has stellar sound quality , you won't notice much difference in audio quality playback. if you record one artist at a time who maybe sings and play an acoustic guitar where you'll need to mikes , go with the UAD. my friends have it and they are very happy with it and say its their best interface EVER.

 

Seriously? Stellar sound quality?? Compared to the Antelope, clock, jitter, converters? Mate get a grip.

Steinberg U44:

A/D: Asahi Kasei Microsystems (AKM) AK5359
DAC: Wolfson Microelectronics WM8728
Preamps: Yamaha D-PRE

Verses
Far superior 6 transistor Pre's, DSP modeling
Way batter AD's and A low jitter clock comparable to an apogee big ben... mate thats stellar

 

Guys let me explain the issue I have, when I download raw mulrltirtacks and insert an amp sim, the guitars already sound crispy , full and good in the mix, without a lit of processing, the raw Di tracks sound with a lot of detail and crispy... When I record my guitar with emgs, the Di sounds kinda muddy, like the strings are old even if I have installed fresh strings, and when I insert an amp sim, it sounds fizzy ... So is there a great interface for my needs with crystal clear pres and conversion ? Even with a single input I'd be happy,the lower the cost, the better , also if I will not get uad I'm gonna buy fortin nameless amp instead of engl savage 120. Back in the subject.. .Any solutions ? Is it my pres? Or the conversion ? A new interface will improve my tracking quality?

 

Ask around some more honestly, no personal experience here with UAD recently, so my memory can be jadded for good or bad :P

but you can look at it in a different way, If you buy UAD You invest in yourself and your music. you are stepping up your "serious effort and goal setting with your music" - now you want to make the money return to your, with your investment

or it could be a "nice2have" but doesnt change anything
if money is not a big deal, go for it.
worst case scenario: you can resell it if you arent happy with it.

 

MAYBE its just lack of experience in recording, and mic placement is crucial for getting what you want,
spend more time on the EQ/compression when you are recording, so you get the best possible sound that you want to archvie,

the goal is; get it right at the source, so you dont have to "waist" time on "fixing" later. you would rather want to spend that extra time on enhancing the recording instead of fixing it.

 

I'm talking about Di recording , straight into the hi-z input of the interface, the raw Di track of the guitar before any processing. Sorry if I did not explained it right, that's why I need a better preamp

 

Get a metering mic and software like Sonarworks or IK Multimedia Arc 2 first. Then upgrade your sound card.

 

Interesting, any suggestions about budget mics that are compatible with sonarworks ? I 'd like to also sy that i haveas alternative a nice treated mixing room , and the problem remains the same ... i hear my guitar di track the same way :/ ...

 

For latency check https://www.gearslutz.com/board/showpost.php?p=14004379&postcount=3210

 

Mr. Grimm: I'd suggest you checkout the new IK Multimedia AXE I/O interface. Just got one here recently and I'm impressed, especially with its great latency numbers. The street price is $349.99. https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/axeio/

 

The original Sonarworks costs 60 euros. I haven't try anything else.

 

Thanks guys ! After all these welcomed informations i d like to ask about the sound quality of a recorded di track through hi-z , any opinions on preamps ? Better analog to digital conversion and vice versa ?

 

What kind of speakers/headphones do you use?

 

Uad plugins are dope no questions about it. I just did this research last month.

I chosw antelope for the simple fact of not getting locked into a very expensive eco system. Uad had quality plugs but i rather have antelope and Plugin aliiance bundle