Compatible with windows and mac $ 499 , is that the new device that going to open uad pluging world to a lot of user's maybe , What do you guys think ?
https://www.uaudio.com/audio-interfaces/arrow.html

 

Its shit. It is only Thunderbolt 3 Audio Interface and you cannot use it with USB 2.0 or 3.0 , even with TB1 or TB2.

Alex

 

yeah , uad sent me a mail yesterday...
could be a good thing , specially for guitarists ...
if I had not already twin duo ... it could my next investment .... BUT !!!!
the big question is the thunderbold-3 compatibility with win users and old macs ...
if not ...not interesting

 

if its that the case its not worth-ed

 

That might be intersting in teh future :
https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboard-Accessory/ThunderboltEX-3/

That could work with Windows / Hackintosh


A dedicated MONO button would be nice to have on teh interface as well :/

[EDIT] I just saw that there are other boards available with onboard TB3.

 

Last edited: Jan 20, 2018

its is great connection, a lot of acceptability to the machine , well i really like it . don't forget about windows laptop users . it may be more likely for mid end / and some high end application .

 

At first glance:

Pros

• The cheapest way to access UAD plugins
• High quality Unison preamps that change impedance and gain staging as you change hardware-emulated plugins, especially useful for guitar amp emulations.
• High quality AD/DA conversion
• Portability (it kicks Twins in the ass as they need no external power supply)
• Unison-enabled, next-gen Marshall Plexi for free in the bundle (great sounding)
• 2ms latency for recording
• Great way to record high quality tracks on the cheap
• Plug-in blundle is as good as any other high quality algothythmic plugin (Waves, Slate) including the UA610 preamp and the Marshall Plexi, which are Unison-enabled.

Cons

• Thunderbolt 3 without backward compatibility (new computer?)
• The gems of UAD world are a separate cost.
• Solo Core2Duo processor gets maxed easily.
• No mono button on the monitor section (same as Apollo Twin)
• On the pricey side of the market for a 2x4 interface
• No ADAT expandability

All in all, this fills the portability gap that the Apollo Twin can't fill very well with its wonky wall-wart power supply. Sound quality and ease of use must the the same as any other Apollo intereface. It's like a baby Twin, which is a Baby Apollo. I've had the Apollo Twin since its inception in 2014, and it's a solid piece of gear, engineered to last forever. It's a great chance to get your foot on the door of the UAD world, if that's your interest. I've said it before, the market place of realistic, well engineered hardware emulations is reaching an amazing level like never before. The fact that Universal Audio is targeting the entry-level market is a sign that even they are feeling the heat.

 

Ye, but this card is compatible only with those models :

Z170-PREMIUM
Z170-DELUXE
Z170-PRO
Z170-A
Z170-AR
SABERTOOTH Z170 MARK 1
SABERTOOTH Z170 S
MAXIMUS VIII EXTREME
MAXIMUS VIII HERO
MAXIMUS VIII RANGER
X99-DELUXE II
X99-DELUXE
X99-PRO/USB 3.1
X99-PRO
X99-A/USB 3.1
X99-A
X99-A II
X99-E
SABERTOOTH X99
RAMPAGE V EXTREME/U3.1
RAMPAGE V EXTREME

I work in a big Audio Manufacturing company and i can say only one thing, which nowadays is the biggest marketing bullish. The Audio Industry is not Ready for USB-C. You wont have less latency with USB-compared to TB1 mathematically. If you have USB 2.0 compared to USB 3.0 you also wont have less latency. The problem is when you increase the channel count of your interface how your Interface,Driver, buffer size, AD Converters will affect the latency.

USB-C Is marketing bullshit and i really hope that ppl are smart enough to realize that.
GG.
Alex

 

Last edited: Jan 19, 2018

UAD and Access still selling those $20 SHARC DSPs at Y2K prices. $499 is not too bad, but still marked up by about $100 for a 2x4 interface with a $20 DSP.

 

Hardware dependent, Apple connection dependent, price of plugins .... No thanks...

 

the design was so ugly, and I hate all shit UAD plugs.

 

I can understand you don't like the design, but can you please elaborate "shit UAD plugs"? Do you own some?

 

luckily ive played with some of those plugin in another studio, uads are completely bundled shit not worth the money like waves shit. and more, universal audio doesnt has any ability to develop a new digital plugin, just vintage graphics with shit digital quality, and with their ugly high priced hardware. maybe mac users doesnt care the quality of product, they just like 'mac users oriented product with thundrbolt pluging in to their ass'

 

Dude, you just made my day firing up your flamethrower
Ok, cool... now calm down Peace!

 

why still talking about a closed and expensive system like UAD after the raise of Acustica Audio technology?
Soundwise AA is eons forward.
(I own 2 UAD-2 Duo and since 2016 I use UAD barely, at the start I still used them to spare CPU but after some comparisons I preferred to invest to a recent PC and sometimes to trust in the freeze function. Not to mention that I can finally use all my projects also in my laptop when out, without having connected boxes and more power plugs)
I'm keeping the UADs just to backward compatibility...

 

I don't own and I probably won't own an UAD interface, but I've Installed and used a couple of these and their plugins sound really good IMO. I think it's a fabulous solution for those who can afford it [it's a $$$ bottomless pit] and don't like to fiddle with their computers too much. It's rather simple to install and just use.

That doesn't mean I'm not happy with my setup... on the contrary, I'm very happy with it! It is important to buy gear slowly and plan carefully what you're going to spend your money on, depending greatly on your vision of what it should sound like. Future corrections are costly and painful.

I totally agree about Thunderbolt being a PITA. It is great on paper, but fiddly in practice. Especially weird is the backwards [in]compatibility. Let's hope that one day it will become a real standard, because TB is really great when it works. On the other hand USB-C is all that, too... and it's cheaper to implement so my guess is that TB will remain in marginal use and USB-C will become a standard. It also has its own set of problems currently. I really have high hopes for USB-C.

But still, these days, you get the most bang for buck with good old Firewire and ADAT standards.

 

Thunderbolt is not an Apple technology, it is made by Intel and also available for PC:

eg:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-Z170X-UD5-TH-rev-10#ov

 

Last edited: Jan 20, 2018

"Since Thunderbolt is allowed almost straight access to the CPU, it is able to lower the “round trip” audio latency from about an absolute minimum of about 4.5 ms through USB, to under 1 ms."

Source:
http://proaudioblog.co.uk/2015/09/usb-3-vs-thunderbolt-interfaces/

 

why do you need compatibility when you have a compatible computer ? I see it just as a future option. When I built my next Hackintosh, simply ge a Mainboard with onboard TB3 . done all options open

 

Ohh yes you are right sorry... But still not enough general connection.

Almost everything usb is backward compatible and it has proven it's stability and speed.
USB 3 is more than enough for musical use.