#BEST UNIVERSAL AUDIO PLUGINS PORTABLE#

ThatвЂ™s something the Arrow wouldnвЂ™t be capable of doing. The Twin-series also features the ALT monitoring function which allows you to alternate between two sets of monitor speakers. ItвЂ™s useful if youвЂ™re playing the role of sound engineer and can even come in handy if you create podcasts/YouTube videos (itвЂ™s no replacement for an actual microphone though). If youвЂ™re going to need more DSP, youвЂ™re better off going big with one of the Universal Audio Satellites (HEXA/OCTO).ДЇor the most part though, you should be capable of recording two tracks with 2-3 plugins each.ДЄnother thing I like about the Twin-series is the built-in talkback feature. The Twin MkII is also offered in both DUO/QUAD, but I still encourage you to stick with the dual-core unit. In other words, I donвЂ™t think one is better than the other. The Apollo Twin MkII sounds more вЂњvintageвЂќ in my opinion while the Twin X sounds more вЂњmodernвЂќ.

#BEST UNIVERSAL AUDIO PLUGINS PORTABLE#

On the other hand, the Apollo Twin X ISNвЂ™T bus-powered, so it isnвЂ™t as portable as the Arrow.ДЄs we discussed in the previous section, the only real significant differences involve the preamps and AD/DA converters. However, I do recommend it for the minor enhancements pertaining to the preamps and AD/DA converters if you can appreciate that kind of thing. So, youвЂ™re only getting slight improvements if you decide to go with the Twin X vs Twin MkII. They can provide 127 dB of dynamic range compared to the 115/118 dB of the Apollo Twin MkII. I just donвЂ™t think the difference in price justifies the additional two cores.ДЄnother thing to consider about the Apollo Twin X is the enhanced AD/DA converters. Even if you feel that youвЂ™ll need more DSP down the road, you can always purchase one of the UAD Satellites. If youвЂ™re hesitating between the dual-core or quad-core model though, I highly suggest going with the DUO. Personally, I prefer the preamps on the Apollo Twin X because they provide more clarity. It just depends on your personal preference and whether or not your computer includes Thunderbolt 3 ports. However, the preamps arenвЂ™t necessarily better or worse. ItвЂ™s completely bus-powered by the Thunderbolt 3 cable (sold separately).ДЄs I mentioned, the preamps are different according to most people and the colour is different. Regardless, the Universal Audio Arrow is the most portable audio interface with onboard DSP/Unison preamps. If thatвЂ™s going to be a problem for you, then you can either consider another Universal Audio interface OR you can skip to the section on Universal Audio Satellites. Shockingly, you could probably host 2-3 plugins at the most without overloading the processor. The next question is, how many plugins do you use at once? ThatвЂ™s because most of us record one track at one time. The truth is most musicians/music producers would be more than satisfied with the Arrow.

However, it really depends on what youвЂ™ll be using it for.

The one complaint I always hear about the Arrow is its limited DSP. The question you need to ask yourself is if thatвЂ™ll be a problem. If youвЂ™re wondering why the Universal Audio Arrow is priced so much lower than all their other audio interfacesвЂ¦ ItвЂ™s because it only includes ONE single-core DSP processor.

Best universal audio plugins