I was wondering if nowadays it still makes sense to invest in a UAD solution (hardware + software) and spend at least 2,000 bucks since other companies are providing similar value for a fraction of the price (I'm thinking about Waves)?

Happy to hear your feedback.

 

It make sense.. believe me

 

Can you please be more explicit?
Do you have some of their stuff?

 

@ Mr Psanter,

I'll first start by the end of your Question, I mean from : "since other companies are providing similar value for a fraction of the price (I'm thinking about Waves)?", and particularly because you're exactly talking about 'Waves'...

Well... for "a fraction of the price" (!?!)
Simply check the price of one of the most complete 'Waves' Plugins Bundle available : 'Mercury' = Now $7600 !!! (and it's clearly stated "Now", so in some sense, that means that before, it's price was bigger... )

For Reference :

'Waves Mercury' Bundle

By cons, it's also true that with this 'Bundle', you get over '140 stellar Plugins' and more than '400 Components'...

whereas if you buy separate ('third-parties') 'UAD Plugins' as well as 'original' 'UAD Audio' ones, you'll not get as much as with 'Mercury'... mainly because it doesn't exist as much Plugins done for 'UAD' ! *no*

About these 'third-parties' Plugins done for 'UAD', as for instance : 'Brainworx', 'Vertigo', 'Lexicon', 'Mainley', 'Softube',... , you must to plan about 300 $ per Plugin (the majority are comprised between 249 $ & 299 $).
Maybe the advantage with 'UAD' Plugins is that you buy only these that you really need, thus reducing the cost... *yes* Nobody forces you to absolutey get '100 Plugins', or these that you don't want or need, in the case of a 'Full Bundle' for instance...

Now, and maybe more important in relation about the first part of your Question : "I was wondering if nowadays it still makes sense to invest in a UAD solution (hardware + software)".

Well, in case that you (absolutely) need (or want) to freeing your 'CPU Resources', I'm really convinced that's the ultimate solution... *yes*

Some will argue that anyway as time go by, more powerful Computers come with better performances, increased CPU Resources,... , which is absolutely true !
But 'Plugins' developers (as they have more power 'in their hands') also make new 'Plugins' which need more powerful Computers, Systems, Resources,...
As a recent (and good !) example : the New 'H-Reverb' Plugin by 'Waves'. You can check some Comments of Users that are not able to run it properly within their Computers, mainly due to a not enough performant 'Graphic Card'... *yes*

In case that you want to get some similar 'Plugins' that these available for 'UAD' Products, 'Plugin Alliance' is certainly the more close, not only in terms of 'Models' available (most are identical *yes* ), but also in term of Audio Quality.
For instance, if you take some 'Brainworx', 'Vertigo', 'Elysia',... Plugins of both developers, they sound identical. The difference is that one solution : 'UAD', relies on its own 'DSP' Card (and number of available 'chips'), whereas the other one : 'Plugin Alliance', as a 'Native' Format, relies on your CPU Resources... *yes*

 

With UAD, you buy a system.
With Waves, you buy plugins.

With UAD, you buy "straight to the point" tools.
With Waves, you add a lot more specialized tools...but you pay them too.

There is no equivalent to some UAD tools, like there is none to some Waves tools. But there are a lot more Waves ones.

You can buy Platinum Waves at 650 bucks and invest 1000 bucks in a (lot) more powerful computer.
The only point to me with UAD is the sound : compare (or find comparisons) and you will ear (or not) if you like it (or not).
DSP power is a nonsense argument when you can buy a killer computer with the hardware cost.

Here are some points, raised by professionals who used it, and kept it. Some dropped it.
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/967500-worth-getting-uad-card.html

 

Reading about ''paying for Waves plugs'' on audioz sister site makes me laugh... Like, a lot.

BTW, I've always seen UAD as an ''update'' to Waves, since UAD has modelled a lot of hardware that Waves already had in software form (I'm talking about API, Pultec, LA2A and more ''famous'' hardware) and, probably, UAD is doing it better.

 

If you have to ask the question by all means stay on Waves.

 

In my view, as far as analog emulations go, to my ears, this is the list of quality (best to worse):

- UAD 2 plugins
- Slate Digital/U-He (Satin and Presswerk)
- Waves/T-Racks

Two advantages to using UAD plugins:

1. The new Apollo units feature UNISON preamps which basically model physically the plugins added (gain staging, impedance matching, and so on). This is the closest you can get to the real deal.

2. Although the entry price may seem unreasonable, UA is always encouraging to buy at sensible prices. Many times throughout the year they grant you discount coupons, they have a permanent sale price for upgrading the basic plugin bundle you get with your hardware and they have whole-store sales two or three times a year. If you plan sensibly, your plugin collection will grow as you seem fit. Of course, you can test any plugin they sell for 15 days.

 

Living in a country where UAD boards are far more expensive than in their country of origin. I've bought many boards in the US with custom bundles (3 plugins included) and resold them here without the plugins (core version) at the same price.

Little by little, i now own 100% of all UAD plugins up to their latest ones, some of those are real gems (lexicon 224 for instance) and some are more common and can be easily compared with plugin alliance or slate (not said as these were no good)
Regarding the confort, it's really an experience. My CPU is fully available for omnisphere, kontakt and other CPU hogs...

Owning 2 Octo boards, the turnover only affects one...

 

What a fantastic scheme!

 

This is the REAL point

 

maybe a bit late to the party, but wanted to put my 2 cents in

There are some fantastic UAD plugins (I love the precision de-esser and the moog filter)!
But keep in mind that you can only use a limited amount of plugin instances of your UAD plugins depending on your card!!
If you work on bigger projects with many layers, different vocalists or things like post production where every voice/character gets it's own mixer track and will need an individual instance of a plugin you might get some problems. The cards can only handle a certain number of instances and if you reach this limit you can't add any more UAD plugins to that project even if your computer would be able to handle it.

(one of my lecturers loves his UAD plugins but he always says that in the end it's just some fancy piracy protection )