You may have got an inkling that I like the UA Apollo; in fact I like it a lot.

However great it might be as an interface, there are a few things UA might want to consider when they refresh it.

1. I like the mixed XLR/Jack inputs on the front of my Omni, you only get jacks on the front of the Apollo. For those with project studios this is a helpful addition, having to reach around the back of the unit to plug XLRs in gets a little tiresome. Granted one could buy a patchbay, but that’s a little overkill to solve the problem.
2. Make the headphone controls notched. Right now the volume pots for the headphones are rotary without notches, being able to set them on a notch would be helpful. If you think this is a silly point, then use an Apollo for a few days and you’ll see how helpful this would be.
3. Either give us the option to keep the console software on top of other windows or allow us to use cool apps like Cinch to be able to quickly divide up our screen real estate, for some reason the Console app doesn’t like Cinch. Right now the endless flipping between Windows can prove tiresome. There is a cool little app “Apollo Software Recall” that comes supplied that allows you to use a Mini Console as plug-in within your DAW, but why not give the option to be able to see the whole Console app?
4. Think about giving users credits towards UA plug-ins rather than a supplied bundle. Of course the supplied bundle makes sense, some cool UA plug-ins to get any Apollo user started, however what if the user either doesn’t need or want the bundle? I already have a Duo card so most of the FREE stuff with Apollo I don’t need. It would be cool if a user could either grab 3 or 4 plug-ins or blow all their credits on one killer plug-in. UA have one of the most sophisticated customer account systems, so I know this wouldn’t be hard to do - but it would be damned nice!

Don’t get me wrong, the Apollo is one of the most exciting and indeed rewarding things I’ve had in the studio for a very long time - I love it! However, as they say there is always room for improvement. I hope my suggestions are helpful for the Apollo product development team.