Technical information

Apollo Software Manual Chapter 9: Working With Apollo 163
Using Apollo Without A Computer
Standalone Use (single unit only)
Although the Console application and/or a DAW are required to unleash the full potential
of Apollo, a single unit can be used as a standalone digital mixer with limited functional-
ity without any Thunderbolt connection to a host computer.
Console settings that are retained on power cycle
All currently active I/O assignments, signal routings, and monitor settings are saved to
internal firmware before Apollo is powered down, and recalled when power is re-applied.
Therefore these last-used settings are available even when a host computer is not used.
UAD plug-ins are not retained on power cycle
UAD plug-in instantiations are not retained after powering down then powering up again,
because the plug-in files must be loaded from the host computer.
Standalone use with UAD plug-ins (single unit only)
If UAD plug-ins are active when Apollo’s connection to the host computer is lost (ei-
ther by disconnecting the cable or shutting down the computer), Console’s current UAD
plug-in configurations remain active for Realtime UAD Processing until Apollo is powered
down.
Disconnecting
Upon disconnection from the host computer, the following changes occur:
• Auxiliary buses are unmuted
• Solo is deactivated on all channels
• If multi-unit cascading, the clock source switches to Word Clock
Operation
After disconnecting, the following behavior applies:
• The LINK switch on Apollo’s front panel cannot be used to link or unlink stereo
channels. This point only applies if the host connection was lost; the switch does
operate when Apollo is powered on before connecting to a host computer.
• If channels 1 & 2 are stereo linked and an instrument is plugged into one of the
Hi-Z inputs, the stereo link is unlinked, and UAD plug-in processing is bypassed
on both channels. The stereo link, and UAD processing, returns when the Hi-Z
input is removed.
Standalone use with Apollo Multi-Unit Cascading
Apollo uses Thunderbolt for inter-unit clocking and audio distribution when multiple
Apollo devices are connected. Because the host computer is the master Thunderbolt
controller, inter-unit clocking, and therefore standalone use, is not possible with Apollo
multi-unit cascading.
Important: Standalone use is not compatible with Apollo multi-unit cascading.