"UAD does not treat its customers well"

Discussion in 'Lounge' started by ret00, Oct 9, 2024.

  1. dkny

    dkny Platinum Record

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    That's for the DSP versions, which are separate from the native ones. And yes, you can delete the unused ones - there's even a utility made by users to clean up plugins you don't own from your plugin folders. And yes, installing everything by default is annoying, for sure. People have been asking them to change this for ever...
     
  2. Orglblork

    Orglblork Ultrasonic

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    I want to point out that it's not $10 for everyone to upgrade. It's $10 if you already owned BOTH the E strip and the G bus compressor.

    In my case I owned the strip but not the compressor. So I basically had to buy the compressor to get the native strip, for $49. I did so last night since I rely on SSL style strips and wanted to be able to run their version natively (I usually use bx E or J). Yes I got the UAD bus comp as part of the purchase, but tbh I'm not sure I really cared about that. I just wanted to use the strip finally (I don't have much UAD DSP in my mix room).

    The strip is great and I'm not sore about it - I never even paid for the strip to begin with, I got it free when I bought one of their interfaces. So I looked at it like, ok I'll buy the bus comp, maybe get some use out of it - but I'll also get the slightly nicer fidelity of their E strip over the brainworx. I used credit card points for the $49 so this whole wacky scenario kinda cost me nothing lol

    With that said, some pretty shady moves they're pulling here. They've also been really good to me at various times in the past so yeah.
     
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  3. dkny

    dkny Platinum Record

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    I agree it's not great for those in that situation, especially if you don't want the bus comp...
     
  4. bravesounds

    bravesounds Kapellmeister

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    It's not a matter of generosity. It was a promise to the customer and it is inexcusably clear that they lied.
    When the API channel strip was released natively, the same sidechain functionality was added and it was provided for free.
    They are not explaining these things properly and are just running away by calling the customer's voice 'negative'.
    It is just a greedy excuse and it is the most shameful thing in their history.
     
  5. dkny

    dkny Platinum Record

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    I understand that people are interpreting it as a "promise", but it just isn't.

    If I sell a product, and I say "My product is $50", that's a simple statement of a business policy - like UA saying, if you buy or own a DSP plugin, you get the native port for free if and when it happens. That's a current policy at the time of the statement. If after a few years, I decide to change the price (say, I now sell it for $40, or $65, or whatever), I wouldn't expect that people would complain I'd changed the price because when I sold it for $50, that was a promise that I would *always* sell it for $50.

    If UA decide to charge for all native ports now (we don't know if they will, probably not, but lets just go with the hypothetical) - it doesn't mean back when they did give free ports, and told people they gave free ports, they were "lying". They were indeed giving people free ports.

    The only possible complaint about breaking promises is if you have UA on record saying "We will always give you the native ports for free and never charge for them" - but companies don't tend to make those statements for fairly obvious reasons that no-one knows the future. If you can find that on their website, or in their official advertising or sales propositions, then I will give the broken promises argument a pass. But you won't. I suspect all you'll find are the official words on the website - which actually only say from memory that if you buy a plugin, you get both versions in that purchase - which was, is, and continues to be true.

    It actually says:
    "If you own or purchase a UAD-2 plug-in or instrument that has been ported to native, you may be eligible for a free license for the UAD Native version.

    Note: Not all natively ported plug-ins are eligible, and some exceptions may apply."

    https://help.uaudio.com/hc/en-us/ar...a-plug-in-how-do-I-get-the-native-UAD-version

    Like I say, when people interpret a policy as a forever promise, and then get upset when that policy inevitably changes, there's not really much else to say, I just simply don't see the world in that way, and UA are free to charge what they want for their products, and people are free to make purchase decisions accordingly...
     
  6. ChiQuita

    ChiQuita Member

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    Your best option would have been to open a ticket, you probably would have got it sorted. I've had to open tickets with them before and they've always resolved my issues.
     
  7. patatern

    patatern Rock Star

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    open a ticket for not paying the update? I am also very happy with the support but thats too much lol

    as stated, I will tell em at the end of the support I am currently having that I am not happy with the SSL update, I am disappointed and the should give me at least a demo reset and a 25 bucks discount for my next purchase. I will try to play my cards lol

    but the support wont give you the update for free...
     
  8. slowpoke

    slowpoke Kapellmeister

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    "I have owned almost 77 plugins"

    So 76 then?
     
  9. Gyorgy Ligeti

    Gyorgy Ligeti Rock Star

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    Guys, here the thing is quite clear. The old UA community that spent thousands and thousands of dollars has always had a grudge against the changes of the last 2-3 years, since UAD announced the entry into the native world, and the consequent change in the pricing policy. Today a user who subscribes to Spark practically gets with 99 dollars what an old user achieved with 15 years and at least 3000 dollars and with DSP limitations. Unfortunately life is strange, and things change. And those feelings in the forums are clearly visible. Come on guys, I will suggest you something. In the meantime, make a subscription and work with all the native UA plugins, and make money with music. For the perpetual versions we will wait R2R haha:bleh:.
     
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  10. ChiQuita

    ChiQuita Member

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    You're talking like you're the OP?! Lol!

    My message was for the OP, who wasn't talking about updates, they were talking about not getting the native version for free, which they should have received by default.

    You can open a ticket for anything. If they've made a mistake and you're entitled to get plugin for free because you own the Apollo version, then of course they can help out.

    I purchased the Ultimate 12 Bundle in the sale, weeks later it was on sale at an even cheaper price, I opened a ticket to ask if I can get it at the cheaper price (£200 cheaper), I got refunded in full, and purchased it again at the cheaper price. They were very reasonable, and understood. If you're not happy about something, it takes very little effort to open a ticket and ask the question.
     
  11. patatern

    patatern Rock Star

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    I meant to be sarcastic lol

    anyhow you explained better in the second message, so my sarcasm was useful ahah.
    And I confirm everything you wrote about the support: they always solved what I asked and when did not 100% we always found a partial solution. You probably didnt read the whole thread because I suggested it in the first messages

    And I confirm here: write to the support

    I also wrote that I dont think they will refund the 9 bucks for the update, but probably will give a "thank you discount" for another purchase, which is reasonable. I will try to do this.
     
  12. patatern

    patatern Rock Star

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    I agree and I disagree lol

    maybe because I entered the UAD world as soon as the "low pricing policy" started so I was able to slowly build my collection with patience and very good prices, so when the Spark era started the change didnt disappoint me that much. Or better say that at the end I was happy because I still have my DSP power while mixing but can also use the UADx plugins while producing. And that was for free. UAD's demo policy is also very good because let you try the whole catalogue and if you know what to do you have unlimited use of all the plugins. This way I never failed an investment, always bought what I had fully tested for months

    I agree if you reffering to 15+ years UAD users, I have read em disappointed. But it is the same for all the plugin developers if we wanna be honest. Waves costed like a car in 2000, now they fly for 19 bucks

    That happened for a reason. There will be soon another huge revolution in the audio/computer world, like the VST in 1998 so the developers are giving em out so cheap. But thats another story...

    I obv agree on R2R. Cant wait to see the day that Witches break the thing... :bow: I am sure they can, it's just a matter of time, work and tools
     
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  13. Kluster

    Kluster Audiosexual

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    Their UA Connect authorization software stopped working on my computer.
    They gave me a list of programs to uninstall.
    It was half the programs on my computer!
    Since I can't legitimately purchase and install UA plug-ins, it looks like I'll be waiting for an alternative solution :winker:.
     
  14. patatern

    patatern Rock Star

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    well would you be so kind to write that list?

    I think we all here have 80% same software in our music computers, would be interesting to know more about your issue
     
  15. Somnambulist

    Somnambulist Kapellmeister

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    The funniest thing about the UAD like/dislike, is a large majority of people who dislike their products will among the first to download them the moment they are cracked. The penultimate hypocrisy.
     
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  16. Kluster

    Kluster Audiosexual

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  17. patatern

    patatern Rock Star

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    thanks! I dont have any of those things lol was thinking about proton though...
     
  18. saccamano

    saccamano Rock Star

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    UA has been a sketchy POS since the UAD-1. The UAD-1 - I got one back in 2002-03, and from the adverts it was supposed to revolutionize ITB audio processing like never before. The whole premise being that on a proper host machine you could load as many UAD plugins as you had RAM for, and the UAD-1 card was responsible for the processing of the UAD plugins which took that processing load off the host machine and freed it up to do other things. Well, it was a great "idea". But in reality it never worked. I went many rounds with UA tech support over it. UA tech support could never the answer the question WHY - when one had a proper host machine, and enough RAM onboard to load many UAD plugins, in reality only 2, maybe 3 could be loaded without pops and crackles from the UAD-1. The really shitty part was the plugins themselves (when they worked correctly) were really great - which is the only good thing I have to say about any of this. I finally gave up on the UAD-1 when UA simply shutdown support for it abruptly and altogether like they knew it was a worthless piece of shit all along and wanted to distance themselves from the stench. The UAD-1 still sits there on the shelf now for years - almost $1000 for plugins plus the card that is now just a paperweight.

    If the complete and abrupt shutdown of support for the UAD-1 wasn't enough of a slap in the face from UA, once the "native" plugins hit the scene there is NO (zilch, nada, none, negatory) upgrade path from UAD-1 to the native plugins for registered users of the UAD-1.
    so...
    FUCK YOU UA!!
    I wait patiently for the day when ALL your native plugins get cracked and I will use those cracked ones strenuously in every project I do.
     
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2024
  19. saccamano

    saccamano Rock Star

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    No hypocrisy at all. Most know the native UAD plugins work better than ANY of the one million knock off POS's released by no name dickhead devs who are only out to make a buck off the fact that the UA natives are not cracked yet. But, I will not sink another dime into UAD shit - not because the plugin operation is disliked, it is because UA has screwed me, and too many others over with their dubious corporate bullshit tactics...
     
  20. ret00

    ret00 Member

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    True! We forget that UAD is a company, that these are businesses, and that as such a business company, it can ask for whatever it wants for its products... take it or leave it!
    They also have the right as a company to do whatever they want, whenever they decide.
    I must have misunderstood!
    It is up to us as users to say what we want to do...
    That's right! As far as I'm concerned, I still have a very clear understanding of reality, no matter how much others want to disguise it...
    I will follow the premise of:
    If they fool you once, it's the other's fault, if they fool you twice, it's your fault!...
     
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