Calling all UAD-1 users!

[gearboy]

It's a new year and I am thinking about the upgrades that I need to make to my studio. Aside from swapping out some gear for some bettr gear, I need to decide on a plug-in format. I have only been using the MOTU plugs, combined with some 3rd party AU freeware, since putting my system together over the summer.

I am thinking about picking up either a UAD-1 or the Waves Gold Bundle. I am in an unusual situation, since my job enables me to pick them up for much less than walking into Guitar Center or Sam Ash (though it's still a lot of cash!).

I know the Waves fans swear by them. I know that the L2 has become "industry standard". What I want to know, is how great the UAD-1 stuff really sounds.

I need the following:

*Channelstrip (Compressors / Limiters / EQs (MW EQ is nice, yes?)
*1 good-sounding Reverb (I can't swing Altiverb)
Gates that do not have latency issues
Mastering Limiter (MW Lim is ok, may pick up T-Racks as well)

Some Questions:

(1) What are the strengths and the weaknesses of this plug-in platform?

(2) How is it getting along with DP4.51?

(3) Are there any reasons why I should go with the Gold Bundle over the UAD-1?

(4) How does the Powercore compare? Are the plug-ins better on the UAD-1? I have head that they are, but I sure that some of you have used both or really did some research.

Let me know what you guys and gals think about plugging one of these puppies into my G5. I do "indie rock / indie folk" & electronica (prog house, trance, weirdness).

Jeff

[dweiss]

You're really comparing apples and oranges, but based on what your needs seem to be and your budget I'd say the UAD might be the way to go. The plugs sound excellent and I use them constantly. Or get the UAD Project Pack and one or two cheaper Waves packages, which is what I did. One great thing about the UAD is you can buy more plugs for it as you can afford them, at fair prices. If you like the idea of hardware emmulations of classic gear, UAD is the way to go. To be sure there are a number of great plugs in the Gold package. But for my needs, I would have payed a lot of money for only a few plugs that I really considered essential. The UAD plugs are very useful to me. Your needs may differ. Since Waves has functional demos you should take advantage of that and see for yourself. BTW, the L2 does NOT come with the Gold bundle. You have to spend a lot more money to get that.

[npinero]

I had both, I like the UAD-1 and kept it. good luck. I think the Waves stuff is overpriced.

[Henry Robinett]

UAD-1. Are you crazy? It's awesome. I'm considering getting another. With 4.51, so far it's been bery, bery good to me.

[thermos]

Waves are like rice plugins, staple food kind of thing. They work and will keep you alive, but thats it. I think uad is way cooler and more fun to use. The precison limiter is less colored than the L2, but I think the actual limiting is less transparent. Overall, uad is a better way to go, they have a decent gate and great comps. The plate is excellent.
In terms of plugin reverbs, the uad plate is really great. I actually don't have luck with altiverb. I prefer a combo of the uad plate and classicverb from the powercore card for my reverbs. The powercore is cool for that reverb plug and the chorus plug, and thats about it. Their 3rd party plugs are overpriced.
While your at it, check out sonalksis, urs, and last and most importantly, tritonedigital.com. The best stuff ever.

[Kind Of Loud]

Hey Jeff:

I happen to own all three..UAD/Powercore/Waves Gold...ain't I somethin'?

Personally, I tend to reach for the UAD/Powercore plugs more than the Waves. They're all great tools!!..Not knockin' Waves by any stretch!....plus the UAD/Powercore don't use up the CPU like Waves. Major plus with my wimpy DP800. If I had to do it all over again, knowing/hearing what I know now, I'd be lookin' UAD/Powercore. OH!!..one other thing...with Waves you have to update your WPU (Warranty Protection Plan) every year. Depending on what type of bundle you have, or plugin(s), your WPU is based on that. I have'nt renewed my Gold Bundle yet, and that freakin' thing is over $250 last time I checked.......Let's see....hmmmm......$250 to Waves......or better AD-DA converters?

[al carmichael]

I'm a UAD-1 project pak owner and user and I love the plugs. I'm still using 4.5 and haven't upgraded to 4.51 based on feedback here and elsewhere. Also, I haven't used the Waves plugs, so I can't provide A-B comparisons. Let me just say that in DP 4.5, the UAD stuff rocks and the card frees up more processor for other plugs. UAD plugs have a great sound going for them. I especially love the Pultec and Pultec Pro programs. Great stuff.

[Siryne]

I have not reached for my waves since getting my UAD1 Studio Pak. I am now getting another UAD1. The precision limiter ($199.00) is awesome and I also don't use L2 anymore.

[jaxsn]

UAD-1.

This is the 1st real plug-in to get, even before you decide to buy extra plugs from another company,
check UAD's website and buy / try (they should extend tryout to 25 full usage, instead of 15 days)
the other UAD plug in's. UAD may be all you need!

Face it, most of us are amateurs, and if we know anything about recording, or have the desire to learn about getting great sound,
we need to go back to the golden age of recording. (the fat tube sound, detailed EQ's, rich reverb)
Phil Spector, Bob Clearmountain, Bruce Sweden (even if I spelled their names wrong) you serious guys know who I'm talking about.

Our generation (X, and next?) need to build from that sound (so our tracks don't sound like it was recorded on a stereo system in a bathroom.)
even if your set-up is a stereo system in a bathroom, a UAD EQ MAY help. (try before you buy!) meaning you don't need a large square footage
studio any more to get BIG sound.

The UAD is a great foundation to start with. and end with (and extremely cheep, compared to what the hardware would cost if you can find it).

I am not an old guy, neither 100% old school.
I just know Quality. I don't think UAD software is the best thing out there (I'm still looking, but have not found anything yet!).
but it's the best FOUNDATION to start with on a computer based recording system.

THE GOOD OLE DAYS, I WAS NEVER A PART OF was; lexicon 480, AMS, focusrite, neve, neumann, I went after that sound
when I started my studio 12 yrs ago. now I'm known in these parts (Hartford, Connecticut) for having that "Jaxsn Sound"
(it's just Big major sound, on a budget). thanks to UAD, I can get more of the type of sound that made my business grow.

JAXSN
:p

[Fibes]

Originally posted by jeff:
I am thinking about picking up either a UAD-1 or the Waves Gold Bundle. I am in an unusual situation, since my job enables me to pick them up for much less than walking into Guitar Center or Sam Ash (though it's still a lot of cash!).

I need the following:

*Channelstrip (Compressors / Limiters / EQs (MW EQ is nice, yes?)
*1 good-sounding Reverb (I can't swing Altiverb)
Gates that do not have latency issues
Mastering Limiter (MW Lim is ok, may pick up T-Racks as well)

Some Questions:

(1) What are the strengths and the weaknesses of this plug-in platform?

(2) How is it getting along with DP4.51?

(3) Are there any reasons why I should go with the Gold Bundle over the UAD-1?

(4) How does the Powercore compare? Are the plug-ins better on the UAD-1? I have head that they are, but I sure that some of you have used both or really did some research.

Jeff,

In the end only you can make this decision but...

I dropped Waves, their plugs are FINE but their constant upgrade path is a bit expensive, especially since they haven't really broken much new ground in years. OTOH I own a UAD-1 and love it, it smokes the Bombfactory stuff and to be honest is the closest i've seen an 1176 work to the original.

If you pick up the Uad card, mastering limiter and the Plate you'll have a good palatte right there and will want to buy another card soon... Fortunately you only need the project pack after that...

The Sonalksis 315 and 517 eq and compressor is a good bet, you could get by with just the compressor, it really smokes, all marketing hype aside. 30 day full demo available...

I hope this helps...

PS The DUY Everpack is a cool bunch of stuff too. Very cool stuff, kinda a secret weapon.

[FM]

my recommends:

waves L2 - for an idiot like me it's perfect. sooo easy to use.
waves LMB - ditto
i only use those on my master fader.
waves verb on vocals.

UAD-1 reverbs/pultecs/cambridge on percussion only

and what has become my all time favorite plugs:

URS classic consoles on voice, guitars and bass.
man, that URS stuff is absolutely amazing.
too bad we only get two plugs from them, none of the rest has been ported.
PLUS, you can rent to own. nice.

peace!

FM

FM contains phenylketonurics.

[eriknorlander]

I swear by UAD-1. I would buy it for the Precision Limiter and LA2a alone. But their 1176LN is also great, as are their reverbs (I use Dreamverb on every project as my basic starting reverb).

I really dragged my feet upgrading to OSX and DP 4 as I had to leave my Bomb Factory plug-ins behind (no OSX version due to their Digidesign assimilation). But the UA stuff COMPLETELY filled the void. In fact, as much as I love the BF plug-ins, I would say that UA has them beat.

The only thing I miss a little bit now is the BF Sans Amp plug-in. That worked so well on many instruments. The UA Nigel can do it, just in my experience it takes a little more fussing to get there.

Waves ... they are great sounding plug-ins, but what stopped me from using them (temporarily, at least) is the expensive upgrade path. $400 to upgrade my Native Gold Bundle. As I posted elsewhere on the site here, for that money I bought a second UAD-1 card. So for now, my Waves Gold Bundle is gathering virtual dust back in OS 9.

If anyone knows of a cheaper Waves upgrade than the $400, please post! I would love to use these along with the UA stuff, but $400 is just a little steep to re-buy something I already bought.

Universal Audio's upgrade charge from OS 9 to OS X? Free. Yep. Totally freaking free. Bravo, UA -- you win!

Best regards,

Erik

[Jeroleen]

Another vote for UAD-1. They really do sound great. The Cambridge EQ is nice, the compressors are great etc. What they all said above.

Also, for musicians that are not specifically engineers, the presets are a good starting point and give you a road map of some of the uses for the plugs.

Now that I have had it for a while I understand why some want to add another card. Basically there is something for every track in there.

[mortvillefugitive]

I've got 2 UAD cards, and I love both of them. I haven't gotten to use the Precision Limiter or the Plate Reverb, but the Cambridge is incredible... clean and accurate. The Pultec sounds great too, even when it doesn't have anything boosted or cut, and the LA-2A is wonderfully easy to use. Buy them. PS- Is the Plate Reverb worth the money? How about the Precision Limiter? I'm interested, but a little hesitant to have too much wrapped up in software.

<small>[ January 03, 2005, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: mortvillefugitive ]</small>

[Hiddenstory]

UAD....Love it. Compressors and limiters are killer.
Chorus is nice and has lots of space. Dreamverb real nice.
To me all virtual guitars are thin. Line six stuff better for
almost real.

Brian