Go behind the scenes with producer/engineer Fab Dupont (Shakira, Santigold) as he works with Grammy-winning producer Jacknife Lee (U2, The Killers) creating the Apollo Artist Session at London’s AIR Studios — the debut of Apollo X Audio Interfaces.

Dupont follows Lee and Two Door Cinema Club vocalist Alex Trimble as they reimagine the band’s 2012 hit “Sun,” bolstered by the London Metropolitan Orchestra. Over the course of four days, Lee and Trimble work from the original session files, selecting parts to keep, while also auditioning a variety of vintage synths for new textures.

Dupont then details how he tracks drums using three Apollo x8p interfaces and various realtime UAD plug-ins like the Neve^® 1073^®, UA 610 Preamp & EQ, 1176 Compressor, and more. Finally, Dupont interviews orchestral arranger Davide Rossi and engineer Olga Fitzroy about composing and recording the London Metropolitan Orchestra at AIR’s legendary Lyndhurst Hall via four Apollo x16 interfaces.

Learn more about Apollo X at: www.uaudio.com/apollo-x

Check out the Behind the Scenes video to see how the song came to life

Live Tracking

Exclusively using Apollo 8p and Apollo Twin Mk II Audio Interfaces, Che and engineer Eric Corson created a virtual Universal Audio 610 mixing board by running all of the mics through Apollo's Unison-enabled UA 610-B Tube Preamp & EQ plug-in. A Fairchild 660 compressor plug-in also resided on each channel along with the plug-ins. Top and bottom-end EQ on the 610-B was boosted slightly on the drums, and a top boost was added to the brass section. Only nine tracks were required to record the entire ensemble into Pro Tools.

Che leaned heavily on vintage mics that would be right at home on a classic ’60s funk/soul session: a single Coles 4038 on the drum kit; a Telefunken U-47 on the upright bass; a Telefunken U-48 on the Hammond B3; a Coles 4038 on the brass section (with a U47 for that section's vocals); an RCA 44BX on the reeds (with a U67 for their vocals); and an AKG C-24 stereo room mic which captured the tone, essence, and space of historic Preservation Hall, deep in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter.

The Mix

Inspired by the sound of Duke Ellington’s classic “Perdido,” Che kept plug-ins to a minimum on the final mix, relying on the Ampex ATR-102 Tape Recorder plug-in for vintage analog tape warmth and saturation. As for reverb, Che initially experimented with some plate reverb on individual tracks, but concluded that the room’s natural ambience was hard to beat. “We recorded right in Preservation Hall, which was built in the 1800’s,” says Che. “I mean, you can’t get more character than that.”

Session Notes

In this Apollo Artist Session, watch Grammy-nominated engineer/producer Joel Hamilton (Tom Waits, Pretty Lights) track and mix Lyrics Born exclusively through three Apollo 8s and one Apollo 16 High-Resolution Interface using Unison™-enabled mic preamps at Studio G Brooklyn.

Live Tracking

If you read our Commitment Issues blog post, you know Joel Hamilton is a believer in getting his sounds right the first time, on the way in, and printing them. This session with Lyrics Born is no exception.

For the drums, bass, and guitar, and room mics, Hamilton used go-to combinations of outboard preamps as well as his SSL 8048 G+ console. For drum mics, Hamilton used a Sennheiser e602 and Neumann FET 47 on the inside and outside of the kick respectively. For the snare, Hamilton used three mics — a Revox M3500 (top) a Shure Beta 56a (bottom), and an EV RE11 for the side. The toms were miked with two Oktava Mk012s and overheads consisted of a pair of Coles 4038s. Hamilton also used an Earthworks TC30K for a “center” drum kit mic. The bass was DI’d through an Avalon V5, and the guitar was captured with a single Shure SM7.

For room mics, Hamilton uses a mismatched pair for left/right — a Shure Beta 56a and Bova Ball respectfully. He also used a single Neumann U87 as a “high room mic.”

For Lyrics Born’s vocals, as well as backgrounds, synths and keyboards, and handclaps, Hamilton relied on the UAD Neve 1073^TM Preamp & EQ Collection. On the horns, a UA 610-B Tube Preamp & EQ plug-in was used in conjunction with the UAD Neve 33609^TM Compressor.

Neumann U87s were used for all vocals, and the horns were miked with a single RCA 77DX.

The Mix

Hamilton didn’t use very many plug-ins on the mix. The SPL Transient Designer was used to fine tune the snare top track, while the horns were massaged with the Neve 1081^TM and API 560 EQs. The SSL E Channel Strip was used for flavoring on the Moog, while all of the backing vocals are sculpted with the Sonnox Oxford EQ, and seasoned with a touch of the MXR Flanger/Doubler plug‑in.

Session Notes

In this Apollo Artist Session, watch Grammy-winning engineer/producer Vance Powell (Jack White, The Dead Weather) track and mix Marty O’Reilly & the Old Soul Orchestra exclusively through Apollo 8 High-Resolution Interfaces using Unison™-enabled mic preamps at Music Expo SF.

Live Tracking

A case study in getting a live session up, running, and rocking very quickly (an hour-and-a-half!), Powell used Mojave and Royer microphones exclusively for this Apollo Artist Session. The drums featured Mojave MA-100 tube condenser (toms, snare top), MA-101 FET (snare bottom, hi-hat,) and MA-301 FET (outer kick) mics, with MA-300s as the stereo overheads. O’Reilly’s guitar amp — a Fender Hot Rod Deville — was miked with a MA-100 and a Royer R-121 ribbon mic, while the bass was miked with a MA-300 as well as DI’d. The violin was captured with a Royer R-122, while room mics consisted of Royer SF-24 (a stereo pair) and a R-122 (mono). O’Reilly’s vocal mic was a M-1000 tube condenser.

For the bulk of this live session, Powell relied on the Unison™-enabled Neve 1073 from the Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection across Apollo’s Console channel strips, along with the 1176LN plug-in from the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection.

The Mix

Powell harnessed several UAD plug-ins across the mix. The Neve^® 33609^TMCompressor was strapped across the drum bus, as well as a “full band” bus and the drum overheads, while the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection was used extensively on the lead vocal, as was the Studer A800 Tape Recorder.

To shape the all-important transients of the kick and snare, Powell used the SPL Transient Designer, while on the electric guitar, he called on the Helios Type 69 and Neve 1073^® EQs as well as the 1176 plug-ins for extra flavor.

But it’s the bass and violin DIs where Powell’s subtle use of UAD plug-ins is especially crafty. For the bass, he artfully blends a signal chain that includes the Little Labs IBP (for phase coherency), Fairchild 660 compressor, Neve 1073, Thermionic Culture Vulture, and Ocean Way Studios plug-ins, giving the DI tons of vibe and character.

On the violin DI, he uses a signal chain of the Eventide H910 Harmonizer, Galaxy Tape Echo, 55 Fender Tweed Deluxe, 1176 compressor, and the Neve 1073 EQ plug-ins.

Reverb was provided by the EMT Plate and AKG BX 20 Spring Reverb plug-ins.

Finally, the API 2500 Stereo Bus Compressor resides on his on his 2- bus for the last bit of polish.

Session Notes

In this Apollo Artist Session, watch legendary producer Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits) track and mix Jamie Lidell’s “Walk Right Back” exclusively through Apollo 8 High-Resolution Interfaces using Unison™-enabled mic preamps at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio.

Live Tracking

For the bulk of the live session, including kick, snare, bass, guitar, keys, vocals, and percussion King relied on the Unison™-enabled Neve^® 1073^TM from the Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Collection plug-in. The Unison-enabled API Vision Channel Strip plug-in was used on the drum overheads. King also printed his compression, favoring the 1176LN plug-in from the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection on drum overheads, the dbx 160 Compressor/Limiter plug-in on the bass, and a gray Teletronix LA-2A plug-in from the Teletronix LA-2A Classic Limiter Collection on the lead vocal.

The Mix

For the mixing process, King harnessed the Fairchild Tube Limiter Collection for extensive parallel processing on the drum bus. On his mix bus, King used the Brainworx bx_refinement EQ, Neve 33609^® Compressor, Ampex ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder, Pultec EQP-1A, and Precision Limiter plug-ins.

Be sure to watch Jacquire’s Shoot Out! Vintage Analog Hardware vs. Apollo & Unison Plug‑Ins for more info on this session, including King’s parallel compression strategies and how he shapes his mix bus.

Session Notes

In this Apollo Artist Session, watch legendary producer Just Blaze (Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar) track and mix Phony Ppl’s “Why iii Love the Moon” through Apollo 8p High-Resolution Interfaces at UA's Studio 610 in Scotts Valley, California.

Live Tracking

For the session, all of the drums were tracked through the API Vision Channel Strip Strip plug-in, driving its colorful preamp and using its filters and expander on the kick drum. The vocals were recorded through the Neve^® 1073^TM Preamp and EQ Collection plug-in followed by the 1176LN from the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection plug-in. The EQ on the Neve was flat and the vocal was compressed pretty hard on the way in — around 10 dB or so — enabling [Phony Ppl vocalist] Elbee’s dynamic style to sit just right in the band mix. The keyboards and synths ran through the Neve 88RS plug-in and the bass was tracked with the Ampeg B-15 Bass Amplifier plug-in. The guitar track was a combination of a DI and the ’55 Fender Tweed Guitar Amplifier plug-in.

The Mix

For the mixing process, Just Blaze and his engineer Andy Wright used a ton of SSL E Channel Strip plug-ins across all of the drums along with Ocean Way Studios plug-in to create a nice, tight “Studio B” ambience. For the bass, the Ampeg SVT3 Pro plug-in was used to add a touch of flavor along with the UA 1176AE compressor and Neve 1081 EQ. On the guitar subgroup there was an 1176AE, the Sonnox Oxford EQ to roll off lows and highs, focusing the the midrange before being finished with a Neve 1081^TM EQ for a little high shelf.

Vocal Mix & Effects

Just Blaze’s lead vocal mix chain on this track is formidable. He started with a Teletronix LA-2A Gray, compressing between 5-7 dB, then to a Sonnox Oxford EQ, high-passing up to about 100, then a Neve 1081 EQ for some high boost, followed by Oxide Tape Recorder and finally the UAD Precision De-Esser — quite a chain.For the time-based effects, he had Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb, EMT 140 Plate Reverberator, and Eventide H810 plug-ins, and a bunch of stock Logic tape delays and Space Designer. On his master bus, the mix was finished off the SSL G Bus Compressor, followed by the bx_digital EQ, and finally the Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder plug-in.

Session Notes

In this Apollo Artist Session, watch Grammy-winning engineer Mick Guzauski (Daft Punk, Pharrell) track and mix Big Data's "New Body" through three Apollo 8p High-Resolution Interfaces at UA's Studio 610 in Scotts Valley, California.

Tracking

Tracking in real time through UA’s Unison™ mic preamp technology, Guzauski recorded the drums through the Neve^® 88RS^® Channel Strip Collection and API Vision Channel Strip plug-ins, with the 88RS on toms and overheads and the API Vision on the kick and snare. He tracked the lead vocal through the 610 A plug-in from the UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ Collection.

Plug-Ins Used

Other UAD plug-ins used during mixdown include the Fairchild Tube Limiter, Teletronix LA-2A and 1176 Classic Limiter Collections, Sonnox Oxford EQ and Envolution plug-ins, Precision Limiter and De-Esser, Manley Massive Passive EQ, Marshall Bluesbreaker 1962 Amplifier, and the elysia alpha compressor Collection.

Microphones

Mics used on the session include a Sennheiser E 901 Boundary Plate, AKG D112, Shure KSM32 and SM57, AKG C4 B Small and C414 XLII, Lewitt DTP 340 TT, and a Josephson C42 FET.

Session Notes

Watch producer/engineer Fab Dupont (Jennifer Lopez, Mark Ronson) from puremix.net record a live collaboration between Snarky Puppy and Jay Stolar through the Apollo interface and UAD Powered Plug-Ins as they perform “When I’m Acting Crazy.”

Tracking

Tracked at MSR Studios in New York City, this session highlights Apollo Expanded software, as Dupont tracks a 13 piece ensemble with two first generation Apollo 16s and a single Apollo Twin.

Plug-Ins Used

The UAD plug-ins used on this session include the Cambridge EQ, dbx 160 Compressor/Limiter, EMT 140 Plate Reverb, and EMT 250 Classic Electronic Reverb, EP-34 Tape Echo, Neve^® 1073 EQ and Neve 33609^® Compressor, Oxford EQ, Precision Bus Compressor, Precision Limiter,and Maximizer, the Pultec Passive EQ Collection, Galaxy Tape Echo, SPL Twin Tube, Studer A800 Tape Machine, Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveler Collection, and the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection.

Micing

The mic setup featured an AKG D12 as well as an old Yamaha NS10 speaker inside a tom to record the kick drum. Two RCA 77 DXs for drum overheads, one Sennheiser MD 421 for both rack toms and one for the floor tom, and an AKG C414 on the snare. Two RCA 77 DXs captured the percussion, and two Neumann TLM 170s were used for the horn section with an AKG C24 as an ambient horn mic. Two Neumann U67s were used for the background singers while the organ’s Leslie speaker was miked with three Neumann U87s.