Universal Audio Apollo Twin help

[mooncobra]

hey guys,
so, I have the new UA Apollo Twin mkii, and I have been trying to hook it up. I got a pc this time, I found that I could get a tremendous amount of power, speed, and storage in a pc for a fraction of the cost of an apple. So, I got the thunderbolt 3 to thunderbolt converter for the Apollo and when I plug it in, the computer and the UA software cant see the Apollo twin. anybody have this issue and if so, how did you solve it?
thanks!

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

Does it show up in your list of audio output devices? And is the Apollo powered on?

 

[slyym]

They have a bunch of articles on there website that address this. I’ll try to find you the link.

 

[slyym]

You should find an answer here somewhere.
https://help.uaudio.com/hc/en-us/articl ... _site=true

 

[Lumberjack]

I have the exact same problem with my old Apollo Quad Silverface that uses the first Thunderbolt 1 expansion card. My old PC was built around a Gigabyte Z87X-UD7-TH motherboard and the Apollo worked with that PC under Windows 10 Pro as well as Mac OS X without any problems. Now that I'm using a newer Gigabyte Z390 Designare motherboard with native Thunderbolt 3 ports (Titan Ridge controllers), it doesn't work under Windows 10 or Mac OS X Mojave and I've tried it with both the official Apple and Startech Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt adapters.

If you have an extra SSD/HDD somewhere, you could try to add mac os x to this storage and see if it works there. There are plenty of hackintosh tutorials out there (on youtube and on forums such as tonymacx86 or insanelymac) and Mac OS X is free. The most important thing is to have apple compatible hardware. If you've bought an Intel chip with a Gigabyte motherboard, chances are that it will most likely be compatible. You only need to enter your motherboard name plus your CPU and you will find descriptions and how-tos of successful builds with your specific motherboard.

But I doubt it will help, as I already have both systems and neither of them recognizes the Apollo interface. I've contacted UAD support and I'm still waiting (a week has passed already). Maybe you could contact them, too and see if you have better luck with your specific motherboard. If you ever fix this issue, it would be great to hear from you in this thread. If I fix it before you, i'll make sure to let you know how I did it.

 

[mooncobra]

Does it show up in your list of audio output devices? And is the Apollo powered on?

no, and yes

 

[mooncobra]

I have the exact same problem with my old Apollo Quad Silverface that uses the first Thunderbolt 1 expansion card. My old PC was built around a Gigabyte Z87X-UD7-TH motherboard and the Apollo worked with that PC under Windows 10 Pro as well as Mac OS X without any problems. Now that I'm using a newer Gigabyte Z390 Designare motherboard with native Thunderbolt 3 ports (Titan Ridge controllers), it doesn't work under Windows 10 or Mac OS X Mojave and I've tried it with both the official Apple and Startech Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt adapters.

If you have an extra SSD/HDD somewhere, you could try to add mac os x to this storage and see if it works there. There are plenty of hackintosh tutorials out there (on youtube and on forums such as tonymacx86 or insanelymac) and Mac OS X is free. The most important thing is to have apple compatible hardware. If you've bought an Intel chip with a Gigabyte motherboard, chances are that it will most likely be compatible. You only need to enter your motherboard name plus your CPU and you will find descriptions and how-tos of successful builds with your specific motherboard.

But I doubt it will help, as I already have both systems and neither of them recognizes the Apollo interface. I've contacted UAD support and I'm still waiting (a week has passed already). Maybe you could contact them, too and see if you have better luck with your specific motherboard. If you ever fix this issue, it would be great to hear from you in this thread. If I fix it before you, i'll make sure to let you know how I did it.

I am also waiting to hear back from universal audio. I got the startech converter because UA recommends it. I didn't consider that it could be that because they suggest that you get the startech?

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

Does it show up in your list of audio output devices? And is the Apollo powered on?

no, and yes

Have you tried a different Thunderbolt to USB cable?

 

[PatF]

You should probably run the latest mobo BIOS. Sucks the whole PC industry gooched TB. Does it work good on an Apple?

Seems like the motherboard mfg are promising what they can't deliver. You might have to get a daughter board PCIe TB card from them.

 

[Lumberjack]

I have the exact same problem with my old Apollo Quad Silverface that uses the first Thunderbolt 1 expansion card. My old PC was built around a Gigabyte Z87X-UD7-TH motherboard and the Apollo worked with that PC under Windows 10 Pro as well as Mac OS X without any problems. Now that I'm using a newer Gigabyte Z390 Designare motherboard with native Thunderbolt 3 ports (Titan Ridge controllers), it doesn't work under Windows 10 or Mac OS X Mojave and I've tried it with both the official Apple and Startech Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt adapters.

If you have an extra SSD/HDD somewhere, you could try to add mac os x to this storage and see if it works there. There are plenty of hackintosh tutorials out there (on youtube and on forums such as tonymacx86 or insanelymac) and Mac OS X is free. The most important thing is to have apple compatible hardware. If you've bought an Intel chip with a Gigabyte motherboard, chances are that it will most likely be compatible. You only need to enter your motherboard name plus your CPU and you will find descriptions and how-tos of successful builds with your specific motherboard.

But I doubt it will help, as I already have both systems and neither of them recognizes the Apollo interface. I've contacted UAD support and I'm still waiting (a week has passed already). Maybe you could contact them, too and see if you have better luck with your specific motherboard. If you ever fix this issue, it would be great to hear from you in this thread. If I fix it before you, i'll make sure to let you know how I did it.

I am also waiting to hear back from universal audio. I got the startech converter because UA recommends it. I didn't consider that it could be that because they suggest that you get the startech?

What exact motherboard are you using? Have you checked if Thunderbolt is enabled in the bios, alomng with security level -> "no security" and GPIO3 Force PWR -> "Enabled"? Have you tried any other thunderbolt devices with it, be it Thunderbolt 3, 2 or 1? Have you tried Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 cables?

They wrote me that there is a miscommunication between my Thunderbolt DMA and Windows 10, which sounds like BS, as I'm using a freshly installed Windows 10 and the newest Thunderbolt drivers. Plenty of people have reported working rigs with my specific motherboard, though they did use newer apollos and not the first gen thunderbolt 1 apollo silverfaces. I've asked them where this miscommunication specificallly occurs, and I'm still waiting...

 

[mooncobra]

I have the exact same problem with my old Apollo Quad Silverface that uses the first Thunderbolt 1 expansion card. My old PC was built around a Gigabyte Z87X-UD7-TH motherboard and the Apollo worked with that PC under Windows 10 Pro as well as Mac OS X without any problems. Now that I'm using a newer Gigabyte Z390 Designare motherboard with native Thunderbolt 3 ports (Titan Ridge controllers), it doesn't work under Windows 10 or Mac OS X Mojave and I've tried it with both the official Apple and Startech Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt adapters.

If you have an extra SSD/HDD somewhere, you could try to add mac os x to this storage and see if it works there. There are plenty of hackintosh tutorials out there (on youtube and on forums such as tonymacx86 or insanelymac) and Mac OS X is free. The most important thing is to have apple compatible hardware. If you've bought an Intel chip with a Gigabyte motherboard, chances are that it will most likely be compatible. You only need to enter your motherboard name plus your CPU and you will find descriptions and how-tos of successful builds with your specific motherboard.

But I doubt it will help, as I already have both systems and neither of them recognizes the Apollo interface. I've contacted UAD support and I'm still waiting (a week has passed already). Maybe you could contact them, too and see if you have better luck with your specific motherboard. If you ever fix this issue, it would be great to hear from you in this thread. If I fix it before you, i'll make sure to let you know how I did it.

I am also waiting to hear back from universal audio. I got the startech converter because UA recommends it. I didn't consider that it could be that because they suggest that you get the startech?

What exact motherboard are you using? Have you checked if Thunderbolt is enabled in the bios, alomng with security level -> "no security" and GPIO3 Force PWR -> "Enabled"? Have you tried any other thunderbolt devices with it, be it Thunderbolt 3, 2 or 1? Have you tried Thunderbolt 1 and Thunderbolt 2 cables?

They wrote me that there is a miscommunication between my Thunderbolt DMA and Windows 10, which sounds like BS, as I'm using a freshly installed Windows 10 and the newest Thunderbolt drivers. Plenty of people have reported working rigs with my specific motherboard, though they did use newer apollos and not the first gen thunderbolt 1 apollo silverfaces. I've asked them where this miscommunication specificallly occurs, and I'm still waiting...

I heard back from Universal Audio this morning. They said that even though my computer has the new thunderbolt port, that my computer uses a different data protocol so it wont work with my computer!!!!!!!!!!!!! So pissed. When I was buying this computer I asked UA if the Apollo Twin mkii was compatible with this computer and they told me it was so I bought it. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Lumberjack]

@mooncobra - what computer have you bought? Can you tell me the motherboard it uses? Or is it a laptop?

I also found out that newer motherboards with titan ridge thunderbolt 3 aren't backward compatible with Thunderbolt 1 and 2 devices. The Twin MKII uses Thunderbolt 2, correct?

And this info can only be found hidden in Intel's thunderbolt driver release notes. I'm wondering why UAD hasn't read through them. They just assumed titan ridge was backward compatible. It's a really sad state of affairs. You should be pissed... I know I am pissed the fukk off...

And no manufacturer will tell you this simple incompatibility fact! You have to buy it first to see it for yourself! I hate Thunderbolt. USB is always backward compatible, with thunderbolt it's always a crapshoot.

 

[mooncobra]

@mooncobra - what computer have you bought? Can you tell me the motherboard it uses? Or is it a laptop?

I also found out that newer motherboards with titan ridge thunderbolt 3 aren't backward compatible with Thunderbolt 1 and 2 devices. The Twin MKII uses Thunderbolt 2, correct?

And this info can only be found hidden in Intel's thunderbolt driver release notes. I'm wondering why UAD hasn't read through them. They just assumed titan ridge was backward compatible. It's a really sad state of affairs. You should be pissed... I know I am pissed the fukk off...

And no manufacturer will tell you this simple incompatibility fact! You have to buy it first to see it for yourself! I hate Thunderbolt. USB is always backward compatible, with thunderbolt it's always a crapshoot.

hey, I bought an HP, and I contacted UA before I bought it and they said it would work great when I told them the specs. Its a desktop, and it has the new i7, lots of storage, a SSD, etc. I contacted them to make sure it would be compatible and they said with the thunderbolt to thunderbolt 3 converter it would be good to go. so irritating. Its been a few months since I bought the computer and I have used it for a few months. I cant return it. HUGE BUMMER!!

 

[lll]

The main problem is UA needs to stop with all the Apple knob-polishing. They used to offer USB and Firewire alternatives, but seems they've dropped those and now do strictly Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt isn't strictly proprietary to Apple, but... it is the Apple way.

I don't know why people seem to think, "I want a DAW computer... I'm going Apple!". I don't know why manu's like UA seem to think "The only good DAW is an Apple!". You can build a PC that blows any Apple out of the water for half the cost.

Seriously, fuck Apple. And the OS/X filesystem sucks per Linus Torvalds (the Linux dude).

Wake up, UA.

 

[bhuard75]

I don't know why people seem to think, "I want a DAW computer... I'm going Apple!". I don't know why manu's like UA seem to think "The only good DAW is an Apple!". You can build a PC that blows any Apple out of the water for half the cost.

Seriously, fuck Apple. And the OS/X filesystem sucks per Linus Torvalds (the Linux dude).

This is exactally what I did. I built and loaded a PC to the gills that will probably take years to even come close to outgrowing.

 

[japetus]

The main problem is UA needs to stop with all the Apple knob-polishing. They used to offer USB and Firewire alternatives, but seems they've dropped those and now do strictly Thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt isn't strictly proprietary to Apple, but... it is the Apple way.

I don't know why people seem to think, "I want a DAW computer... I'm going Apple!". I don't know why manu's like UA seem to think "The only good DAW is an Apple!". You can build a PC that blows any Apple out of the water for half the cost.

Seriously, fuck Apple. And the OS/X filesystem sucks per Linus Torvalds (the Linux dude).

Wake up, UA.

Times have changed but it takes time for peoples thinking to change. 10 years ago the answer was Mac. Not anymore.