Hi fellas, I'd like to know who's on UAD in particular so to share impressions on the latest UAD sale. Some things haven't been discounted as much as I'd like (Neve 33609 has been on my radar for a while now), and some things have been greatly discounted, like the Distortion bundle at $100 bucks or the tape plugins at $149 each.

What are you guys and gals demoing now? Any plugs on your wishlist?

Peace to you all, UAD user or not.

 

i have never really looked at UAD plugs before, but i am surprised to see that they are quite pricey even when on sale. but with their reputation they are probably worth it.

i have heard good things about the elysia mpressor and i know the maag eq4 is very good n the native world- and these are 2 of the cheapest of UAD plugs on sale, so maybe those would be a good buy?

 

Cheers,

As much as I do love what they create,
as much I consequently refuse to pay what I think is too much.
(Comes from price watching plus coupons since UAD-1 usage).

I.e. atm I don`t have the usual BF coupon in my account
which means I am not going to buy anything.

For the Neve 33609 I paid $49 at the right moment
and I personally think payments up to $99 can be considered,
taken the investment(s) of card(s) into account.

I recommend UAD users to design own principles and limits
to avoid bad feelings on particular investments.
Also always to wait for coupons, they may come late sometimes.

On my wishlist: Ampeg SVT-VR and API Vision.


Based on weight of low dsp and quality, my highlights -
on stock plugins:
Precision Reflection Engine

on purchased plugins:
EMT 250, Pultec-Pro Legacy


Outstanding quality:
Ampex ATR-102, UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection


Above I picked up plugins I believe can be used across any genre
and/or don`t go too specific on task.

 

Yep, also an UAD user, for several years now. Although I made the choice to sell everything at some point but I'm back in business again. Couldn't resist the Apollo Twin deal with some plug-ins included (Neve 1073, Fairchild 670, Oxide Tape). Already bought a few more in the meantime and will do the same in the following days. Upgrading the Pultec/LA-2A/1176 legacy tools and adding the LA-3A for example. My demo list is too big right now but the great thing is, after each buy you can demo 2 weeks for free again. And although their tools are pricey indeed, they have enough sales going on and give coupons away from time to time. Just be clever.

I used the native one for adding high-end with the air band (better results than most exciters) .. until Soundtoys gave away a free Sie-Q > even better results with the right amount of sparkle!

 

I´m thinking about this one http://www.uaudio.com/uad-plugins/mastering/oxford-inflator.html $89.00

 

I believe there are a couple of things to take into account when choosing plugins.

First off, of course is personal preference. Some people may feel they'd never make use of a Culture Vulture plugin at $300 bucks if they can tweak a sound in the same neighborhood with Decapitator. However, people who are fond of using the hardware unit will be more sympathetic toward buying the plugin for practical sake.

Another consideration is buying a plugin that hasn't been emulated by another manufacturer or whose emulation is not as good. Case in point, although arguably the UAD plugins sound as good as those from PA, the plugins from Plugin Alliance are a poor choice in UAD form for more than one reason: (1) Native processing power is cheaper than UAD chips. (2) PA holds its own sale regularly and some plugins get to cost very little money (they get to match UAD). (3) You might want to save UAD processing power for the absolute musts in a mix like Massive Passive or the Ampex machine, which consume a great deal of DSP.

One other thing is the resale value of your UAD rig. A Satellite or PCIe card will sell faster and more expensively if you have it stocked with the most expensive or harder to acquire plugins. You don't have to sell your licenses with your unit. You can simply give it the way it is. If the new user doesn't upgrade or update licenses, they'll remain in the unit for good.

That being said, I think anything Unison is worth buying because of the physical impedance change in your Apollo. The best bang for the buck in that area is the Pedals bundle for $99.

The Neve console EQs at $99 each are very attractive too, but I don't need any EQs for now.

The Plugin Alliance/Branworx stuff is at very good prices too, but they do exist in the native world. With a coupon thrown in, they become a bargain. I've just bought Vertigo VSM-3 for $49 bucks. Can't get any better.

However, the real deal is the Studer and Ampex tape machines at $150 each. If you are ever going to buy a plugin, these prices are the lowest they've ever been and those two plugins sound spectacular. I own U-He Satin and thought it was all I'd ever need. Now it's been put to pasture.

Just a loose thought: I own over 30 plugins, some of the most revered ones. It'd be nice to trade licenses individually, but UA doesn't want to get involved in second-hand markets. I'd gladly add someone to my hardware group if they bought me, say, 3 plugs that I'm craving about. That someone would get a fairly large collection witn minimum investment. Just a thought.

Any other plugins that should be considered? Which ones are the gems you drool about?

I'm dying to get the Neve 33609. It sounds so good on the mix bus! $199 is still a long stretch, though.

 

Last edited: Nov 22, 2016

Thank you a lot. This one's escaped my radar. The demo video showcases its magic. Damn! So many choices and so little money.

 

If working in 44.1, keep in mind that the Inflator doesn't offer internal oversampling. Most of the Inflator effect is actually a big load of aliasing (no joke!). I also never liked to buy a plugin which is available as native version also (e.g. Plugin Alliance, Sonnox). Therefore I would recommend to buy one of the UAD-only plugins.

 

I also tend to buy stuff that is also available in native in the native format just in case I ever go off of UAD or so that I can use it on non-UAD equipped computers as well. I think the sales are great. They usually indicate that new plugins are arriving soon. From the latest batch of plugins I had to get the Zener Limiter. It is so colorful and useful to me. The M/S abilities are spectacular. I am really temped to blow up the budget and get the API compressor too. I really like what it does, and when you buy stuff they almost always tend to give you more coupons to spend right after. That may have sealed my fate. After being on the UAD platform for a couple of years I finally broke down and got the SSL console too (I am sure they are going to do a UNISON version as soon as I don't qualify for the upgrade). I compared it against the WAVES versions and that reinforced what I thought about how much I liked the UAD version and how much I prefer the sound of UAD versions in general compared to the competition. The same with the API compressors.

Not sure what you are in the market for, but if you are recording real instruments you owe it to yourself to check out the little labs phase alignment tool. Incredibly useful.

The 88RS for $99 is a must have if you don't have it. The Shadow Hills is incredibly useful to me, I highly recommend it. The Lexicon 224 is also a fantastic sounding emulation and I use it all the time over virtually every other reverb plugin available. The Moog Filter for $99 is super useful and fun to have. The AKG for $99 is a steal too.


The tape plugins - The Ampex is great for adding "depth" to a mix. It has an effect of hyping the lows and highs and "boxing" in the sound which at first sounds wrong but quickly grows to a "so right". The Studer does "depth" but also tends to color things a little darker and smears the sound a little bit in a nice way.


< Advice > I have bought a few of the Sonnox plugins from Sonnox and they are pretty generous with the follow up coupons as well if you are interested in a few. Buy them one at a time...

 

Question, have you tried the 88RS compressor (Unison version) as a two-buss processor, maybe bypassing the other modules? What's your take on it? BTW, buying it a while ago was one of the happiest purchases I've made. And this time the price is to go loco.

 

I am going through that phase where I want to use the Shadow Hills the 2 or on any buss that has a lot of energy in it like drums. The dynamics in the 88RS have a nice character to them, but much like the EQ on a 1073 it is a little too wide focus for me on a complex group of instruments or a mix. I somehow feel like I can't get precise enough control on what it is that I am trying to process if there is a lot going through that channel. It feels too loose and wild. I do like the character and color it adds, especially when you have many instances or tracks that were recorded through unison. I probably just need to work with it more. It is great on a single instrument or simple buss like rhythm guitars or background vocals. It is always enough without over doing anything. I love having it in the tool box, but I go for the Shadow Hills when it is time to actually "start" mixing.

I also like the DBX160 on simple groups that are pretty much there. It is fast, easy and light on the CPU.. and I like the results for most of the elements in the music I make (especially on guitars, small percussion, small acoustic stringed instruments). Tight but loose. The Waves version isn't as bad in comparison to UAD like most of the rest are. It has the parallel mix knob that I wish the UAD had, oh well.


Since you started this thread I went and bought the last Marshall amp that I didn't have. I actually regret buying the Blues Breaker (just sounds gross), but I demo'd the 2203 and I can't let it go.

I sound like a broken record here, but before you blow your budget on UAD you owe it to yourself to demo the Kush Audio Electra and Clariphonic. Two of the best things I have ever heard in the box. Can't explain why, but I can't live without them now. They are elegant solutions to dilemma of computer assisted music creation.

 

I finally went for dbx 160 and Maag eq, maybe inflator next time!!!

 

It seems for me the Holiday sale is much more beneficial. The Neve 33609 compressor for $99 is just so great. I'd been drooling for this compressor for long. If you like Cytomic The Glue (SSL Type), this one will give you the shivers.

EDIT: I'm glad I passed the 33609 in November. I'd be kicking myself if I had grabbed it then. Remember it was $199 on sale. I bought it for $74 with a coupon.

 

Last edited: Dec 6, 2016

That's my experience as well. Electra's downside is that it uses a lotta cpu. Way too much for me to use it on many tracks.
Kush and Sly-Fi plugins are all really good. I prefer his modded Distressor on the drum bus or room tracks over the Arouser
for example. The Hammer EQ is on my 2Bus since weeks. It just works.

Looking forward to The Nail compressor and eventually the Pacifica for Omega. Coles mic into Pacifica, greatest mono OH
sound I've ever heard.

 

Try Airwindows Density http://www.airwindows.com/density/ great plugin (not inflator) but i slapped on the drum bus and it does wonders. Also...free