I may be totally wrong, but I'd say it solely depends on what the usage will be,

do you wanna run plugins live?
then sharc-based external hardware is way to go, stuff like Waves Soundgrid Extreme Server being a choice (2500$ for quad-core i7 and 8GB seems like a joke to me imo though), same goes for UAD, Antelope and so on

do you need believably sounding hardware-simulation plugins?
then I'd say there's tons of stuff none of which being perfect, on the other hand some being better in a way of more options,
I surprisingly liked Overloud GEMs most

do you need just decent mixing plugins?
if so then you can get something precisely transparent such as Fabfilter bundle, or make use of your RME TotalMix FX hardware DSP processing

times when computers were not capable of handling lots of audio processing are gone, it's just about finding the right workflow, plugins and daw (in this order), you can spend money on better computer and plugins, there is no reason to buy processing hardware when you mix "offline"

getting rid of your RME Babyface Pro might be the worst decision in your life (seriously)

if you're desperately seeking on stuff to waste money on, then consider Genelec 8351 SAM coaxial active monitors, those are truly next-gen, I haven't heard something so balanced, small yet powerful

 

Thank artwerkski, though I should have been more concise, something to host any plugin, so non-propriety, unlike UAD or TC. I can't stand that. Something like a mini computer without being a laptop or tower but has dedicated power like a T-Rex chomping on vistors at Jurassic Park.

I'll now go back into Platos Cave and watch the shadows on the wall in my blind ignorance.

 

All good points above, by several, but I was a little surprised to see some complain about the underpowered DSP in the satellites or audio interfaces - to be honest, it's been so far deep in the back of my mind that I had stopped being aware of it. I mean, that's what the satellites are there for: need more power, add a satellite, cascade, cascade, cascade. And yes, I know how much they cost, but I also know I got mine free! How, you may ask? Well, UAD run these promos once a year, usually around Xmas: buy this, get a satellite Quad or Octo free. So I bought an Apollo 8, got a Satellite Quad for free (and yes, you can resell the Apollo to a friend or neighbor or eBay after you've bought it and keep the Satellite). RIght now I've got a Firewire setup and a Thunderbolt setup. I'm about to sell the entire Firewire rig, and stick to my Twin Quad + Apollo 8 + Satellite Quad... until Xmas.

Anyways, that's one point I wanted to make: those Satellites are like horses. Want more, get more, link them, pay the power bill and Bob's your uncle.

The other point I wanted to make is as a note, and reply to https://audiosex.pro/members/raddler777.28972/ who voiced that some UAD plug-ins "are too subtle a noticeable sonic change." I don't disagree at all with that assessment, but it's important to finish the thought and sentence there and add that track after track after track after track after etc, etc, of "subtle" changes is precisely what gives the bus groups and master their character. If each track had tons of character, they would prove difficult to sit in the mix the same way they do, or might, in the analog world (past or present). So that's my second point, if I may: subtlety (unlike greed) is good in the audio world : )

As to Softubes' quality, based on my experience at friend's studios, they're excellent. The one distinction that UAD might have over other plugin manufacturers (generalization, I know, but valid nonetheless) is that their ecosystem is stable and reliable. I know a former competitor of theirs, also mentioned above, who never managed to squash all their bugs and eventually had to throw in the towel. UAD (so far) don't (seem to be) cut(ting) corners. And professionals took notice. Hence their significant market share and competitors, Brainworx and Softubes among them, coming on board the platform.

So it's really a question of philosophy, and you have three options:

• Option 1: All UAD platform (expensive but gratifying especially for live band recordings and rock/country/jazz mixing)
• Option 2: Other interface (RME, Apogee, Lynx), with UAD (and Native) plugins
• Option 3: Hybrid system (UAD interface/s and plugins with Native plugins - maybe an RME/Audient interface via ADAT)

I chose the latter route: UAD and Apogee interfaces with UAD plugins and select (Eventide, Lexicon, FabFilter, PSP, Waves) native plugins.

Will UAD 'go Apple' and come up next month, or year, with a new platform called UAD-3 forcing all of us to ditch our Thunderbolt investments to keep up with them - if not with the times? I don't know. I've been on the platform over 10 years now, and I remember writing to complain that they were too conservative and needed to embrace Firewire (because I travel a lot, so DSP cards weren't as useful to me as for a studio owner), and they politely wrote back and explained the technology was not yet mature enough. And when it was, there it was the Firewire satellite.

So I can't in good conscience chastise them for being cautious and waiting for technology to mature (as they have with Thunderbolt, which the Arrow clearly demonstrates) and then scream bloody murder when the technology is mature enough to be embraced.

I hope all the above made sense - and that was my last and final point : )

 

UAD is designed for those poor people, sold the UAD hardware and account if they don't need. if you want to use soft plugins and give up on the road of music production, UAD is a best choice.

 

Last edited: Aug 5, 2018

if you dont have a girlfriend, watch a av or ordering a chick
if you are rich, go to sex party with many chicks
if you are UAD user, buy a sex doll then sold to another people

 

I have wife, and shitloads of almost all plugins, not UAD)

 

They're both good. There's your answer.

 

Nice to see you around @tooloud it has been a while. How come you're in "pending deletion" since like...a few months ? I hope you stick around....

 

Quality?
Go to billboard top 100 and tell me which one is using UAD or Softube or Waves.
They are as good as stock plugins.

 

Pending deletion is probably a reference to my brain activity. I don't use it much, so any threat of confiscation may give me a reason to ummmmm, maybe, you know..... like.... is 10am too early to have a drink?

 

Here it is.

 

Some plugins coded by Softube are already ported to UAD... They're the same bruh.

 

I own an Apollo twin. UAD plugs sound exactly the same as their vst counterparts. Like some one mentioned earlier, there's no magic coding in the dsp that makes UAD sound better. In fact the only UAD plugin I've been using lately is the Manley Passive EQ, and even still I use Fab's proq2 much more. As well as Cytomic The Glue, MJUC and eventide's omnipressor for dynamics.

 

Despite most companies claims, most plugins are good for something and promises of "this eq will blow your mind" don't add up to much. The only plugins I have that I swear have something magical are Acustica Audio. I feel compelled to say that every time I see how much I've spent.