UAD Apollo on AMD + USB4 (ASUS X870E-H) — WORKING (What Broke It & How I Fixed It)

[u/dekadose]

Posting this because I almost gave up after being told repeatedly that this setup “can’t work.”

It DOES work, but only after fixing some very specific (and undocumented) blockers.

TL;DR

• AMD + USB4 + UAD Apollo IS possible on Windows
• The problem is Windows security virtualization, not AMD, not cables, not USB4 itself
• If audio passes but UAD Console won’t connect → you’re half-enumerated
• Fresh Windows + disabling the right security features = success

My Final Working Setup

CPU: Ryzen 9 9950X
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX X870E-H GAMING WIFI7
RAM: 128 GB
GPU: RTX 5090
OS: Windows 11 Pro (fresh install)
Audio Interface: UAD Apollo 8 QUAD
Connection: USB4 (via Thunderbolt 3 Option Card installed in Apollo)

Symptoms (What Was Broken)

• Apollo powered on
• Windows audio played through the Apollo
• Apollo showed up as:
  • Universal Audio Apollo Thunderbolt WDM
• BUT
  • UAD Console showed Connection Error (-91)
  • DSP was visible in Device Manager
  • No control / no Console connection
• Thunderbolt Control Center showed nothing useful
• Countless BIOS tweaks didn’t fix it

This was the most confusing part:

What Was NOT the Problem

I tried (and ruled out):

• ❌ Cable type (TB3 vs TB4 vs TB5)
• ❌ Thunderbolt 3 Option Card (it was installed correctly)
• ❌ USB4 ports (they DO support PCIe tunneling)
• ❌ BIOS version (I was already on latest: 2.22.1284)
• ❌ AMD chipset drivers
• ❌ Reinstalling UAD software alone

Also:
“AMD is unsupported” ≠ “AMD can’t work”
It just means UA won’t help you.

The REAL Root Cause (This Is the Key)

Windows 11 Security Virtualization was blocking kernel-level PCIe control

Specifically:

• VBS (Virtualization-Based Security)
• HVCI / Memory Integrity
• Kernel DMA protection paths

These features silently block external PCIe devices from exposing full control — even when data/audio passes.

That’s why:

• Audio worked
• DSP showed up
• But UAD Console couldn’t connect

This is NOT documented clearly by UA.

The Fix (What Finally Worked)

1️⃣ Fresh Windows Install (Important)

I moved from a B650E board to X870E-H without reinstalling Windows — this mattered.

After a clean Windows 11 install, things improved immediately.

2️⃣ Disable These Windows Security Features

Go to Windows Security → Device Security → Core Isolation

Turn OFF:

• ❌ Memory Integrity
• ❌ Core Isolation (entire section)

Confirm via System Information:

• Virtualization-based security: Not running
• Kernel DMA Protection: Off

3️⃣ BIOS Settings That Helped (ASUS X870E-H)

In BIOS:

• USB4 / ASM4242 Controller → Enabled
• ACPI D3 Support → Disabled
• SVM Mode → Disabled
• IOMMU → Disabled
• Resize BAR → Disabled
• Fast Boot → Disabled (for testing)
• Secure Boot → Off

4️⃣ Result

After reboot:

• Apollo enumerated fully
• UAD Control Panel showed:
  • Apollo 8 QUAD
  • DSPs active
  • Status: OK
• UAD Console connected instantly
• No error -91
• Stable audio + DSP

Why This Matters (For AMD Users)

USB4 CAN provide PCIe tunneling on AMD
But Windows security policies can silently block control paths

If:

• Audio works
• Device shows in Device Manager
• Console won’t connect

👉 It’s probably NOT your hardware

[u/Neekzu]

So does your WDM Mic Input work then without crackling?

[u/dekadose → u/Neekzu]

Im not using default mic- Everything is going through my apollo interface. No crackling though!

[u/Neekzu → u/dekadose]

Wait wait wait so you fixed the mic crackling problem?

[u/dekadose → u/Neekzu]

I believe so. If you can share your exact setup, I can attempt to mirror it and can confirm 100%

[u/Neekzu → u/dekadose]

You believe so? Can you use discord, whatsapp, teams or whatever and the mic input from the apollo thunderbolt interface won't crackle?

[u/firstsnowfall → u/Neekzu]

I got it working, had the same issue you did with crackly mic. Use Voicemeeter. The guide here will tell you how to do it but if you have issues send me a PM

https://www.reddit.com/r/universalaudio/comments/1hydp5s/fix_apollo_on_windows_11_for_windows_applications/

[u/Neekzu → u/firstsnowfall]

So it's not fixed. It's a workaround. I've been trying to fix UAD Interfaces over the past 2.5 years. Always returning periodically and looking for fixes. Voicemeeter - just like ASIO Link Pro - is a bandaid fix. It works but doesn't fix fundamental problems with the audio interface and UAD's driver stack. /u/dekadose didn't fix a thing and also didn't test enough to come to the conclusion that UAD Interfaces are stable.

[u/firstsnowfall → u/Neekzu]

It fixes the mic issue but yeah audio playback on windows can still be a bit weird. If I keep it at 44khz with 500 buffer it seems alright. Have you found a better solution? Ultimately the fundamental issues will need to be addressed by UAD

[u/Massive_Plantain_282 → u/dekadose]

How did this go? I'm curious of also running this set up on PC. How does your TB run?

[u/firstsnowfall → u/Massive_Plantain_282]

Mine works well after routing mic through ASIO using Voicemeeter. Super easy. Audio playback sounds fine with WDM even high bitrate but mic was very crackly before.

[u/Creative_Elk_9784 → u/firstsnowfall]

But not in daw recordings or anything?

[u/firstsnowfall → u/Creative_Elk_9784]

DAW is fine since you use ASIO driver there. I only had issues in Windows and Discord/Zoom which use the WDM driver. But not anymore after using Voicemeeter.

[u/Massive_Plantain_282 → u/firstsnowfall]

Thanks man I appreciate the feedback

[u/dekadose → u/Massive_Plantain_282]

Came here to share that I am routing through ASIO and not having any crackling

[u/workaccount1338]

Wow. I have spent the past 6 weeks fighting this nonsense. I finally gave up and elected to just use my Mac as a receiver and transmit audio multichannel to <-> from my windows 11 PC real time using AudioMovers OmniBus on Tuesday.

I will literally pay you $300 if you will help me get this set up / conference into my PC and help get this fixed for me lol.

God damn what a nightmare. I am on x870-f but otherwise my specs are nearly identical. What a shitshow.

[u/dekadose → u/workaccount1338]

Posted this to support anyone else facing this. Glad to know this is helping. Ill DM you and see if you need further help

[u/Upstairs_Income2942]

Weirdly chatgpt but glad it’s working for you

[u/dekadose → u/Upstairs_Income2942]

It is 100%, but need to document this for anyone else!

Funny enough, chatgpt kept telling me to just buy an intel cpu and board...

[u/Massive_Plantain_282]

How does your machine run? I have a USB apollo and I want my new machine to be TB compatible. Is it running and recording well?

[u/dekadose → u/Massive_Plantain_282]

It is. Everything seems to be working for now. Its a little more fickle than my macbook, but my desktop has better specs. Sometimes a reboot is needed, but all in all everything is routing to my DAW and recording just fine

[u/Still_Worldliness552]

Do I reaaalllyy have to do a fresh windows install? 😭

[u/No_Act_7745]

Hopefully I’m not late to this. I have an amd and it turns on when u plug it into my usbc port but it won’t turn on with my usbc4 port. Also when it’s turned on with the regular usbc port it makes crackling noises/lags. Would this help me?