UA Apollo advice

Vintage-TVintage-T Frets: 405
edited May 2021 in Studio & Recording
Now my band is back together, I'm looking at sorting out my recording rig so we can lay some demos down for new tunes we've all brought to the table. 

Previously I've been recording Amps into my Focusrite Scarlett into Logic or using a kemper. Now have an Iridium and a HX Stomp instead of the Kemper so for when I can't mic an amp I'll use one of these.

Problem is my old macbook has had a bit of a funny 5 minutes and doesn't seem to want to run much. So I'm sending it off for a health check, hopefully a ram upgrade and installation of a SSD. In the hopes of giving it a bit more of a fighting change. Was also thinking about picking up a Universal Audio Apollo to take some of the strain in terms of running plugins. But given how Apple likes to change their shit around so often rendering bits of equipment obsolete I don't know which model I'd need.

Macbook is a late 2012 Quad-Core i7 2.3ghz. Only 8gb ram, which I'm pretty sure can be upgraded to 16gb. Has a thunderbolt port and usb, guessing thunderbolt would be best to use?

Are the new ones like this compatible? https://www.andertons.co.uk/brands/universal-audio/apollo-audio-interfaces/universal-audio-apollo-twin-mkii-duo-heritage-edition-thunderbolt-2-interface

If not what would I be looking at and would they actually help the cause? I'd be recording guitars, bass and vocals through it. Will stick to the Focusrite for drums as need 8 mics.
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Comments

  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    edited May 2021
    You can't upgrade RAM in current Apple laptops.

    That Apollo is Thunderbolt 2, it works fine with TB3 laptops but you need a TB2 -> TB3 converter.
    You can expand the Apollo with an 8 channel ADAT converter and get 10 inputs for your drums by the way.

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  • Vintage-TVintage-T Frets: 405
    think my MacBook is a thunderbolt 2 anyway so that's encouraging. 

    In terms of performance....how much of the processing does the Apollo unit handle? Is it purely plugin running?
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    OK so you don't have a 2021 MacBook Pro then?

    Did you mean 2012?
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  • Vintage-TVintage-T Frets: 405
    What an unbeleivable twat!

    I meant 2012 ffs!

    Sorry!
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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33725
    edited May 2021
    Vintage-T said:
    What an unbeleivable twat!

    I meant 2012 ffs!

    Sorry!
    OK so I don't know if your 2012 MBP will be compatible with this device.
    Apple are pretty good though, but UA will likely publish a list of compatible devices.
    If you are buying with distance selling rules you can always return it if it isn't.
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  • My Apollo x8p works with my 2015 Macbook Pro.

    Bye!

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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10357
    On the last of the Unibody Macbook Pro line that used standard 2.5" hardrives it's often the flat ribbon SATA cable that goes faulty, if the drive is being changed then get that changed too as it only cost around £12

    I'm pretty sure the max supported memory is 8Gb, although you can fit 2 x 8Gb to get 16Gb you might find it will panic kernel a lot ... these machines are quite fussy about their ram 

    If you have a 2012 Retina then ram is non upgradable and drive is already an SSD 
    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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  • Vintage-TVintage-T Frets: 405
    It’s a non retina.

    We have a local Mac expert so I’m going to drop it into them to see what they can do
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