I’ve been interested in picking up a UAD Solo or Duo. Stuck between the quirky plug ins that come with Logic Pro and using middle of the road rack based effects that use up alot of power, cables, etc. this seems like a good solution and if you look into their product, they Model equipment by keying the actual Schematic into their modeling engine so that the end result is much like the output of old-school discreet components. And it’s not ‘just’ software, they leverage Sharc Processors.
You COULD go buy all of the actual equipment (like the EMT-250 Reverb or Roland Space echo or the high-end compressors) then have them serviced but you’d go broke, especially when it comes to compressors and high-end EQs.
In any case, I noticed they have a Plug-in for the Moog Multimode Filter. I had questioned the Moog Apps forum sometime back about the difference between the $7.99 Filtatron and the $199 plug in for UAD and didn’t get much of a response. This time, I’m here to share the following links which give some interesting information about Moog (in General). There are a bunch of other links and references embedded. It’s a nice write up.
http://www.uaudio.com/blog/moog-ladder-filter
http://www.uaudio.com/blog/moog-multimode-filter-design
…and here’s a link to the Multi-mode Filter plug in demo/video itself. Is it live or is it memorex…
http://www.uaudio.com/blog/realism-moog-multimode-filter
Thanks for reading… (EM)
The UAD plugs are pretty good, but if you ask me, they charge way too much for their stuff. None of the pieces they emulate are famous for their specs, which is all that modeling can achieve. Just like no one would expect a Minimoog sampler to sound anywhere near the real thing, these plugs are basically caricatures of the originals. They can be useful, and provide a somewhat authentic way to experience unobtainable gear, but those who say they sound just a s good as the real thing are fooling themselves (which may not be a bad thing, considering music is hugely psychological). But I bet UA could take a stock Pro Tools compressor, slap a UREI GUI on it and people would laud it’s remarkable emulation of the original. They should charge at most $500 for access to all of their plug ins. There are cheaper or even free plugs that sound just as good, without the marketing and flash. However, if you have a studio and record bands, they are good for attracting clients.
Am curious as to what your opinion (or anybody else’s opinion is) of the Waves plug-ins. Some of them run into the $5,000-$10,000 range; two of the guys in the local Guitar Center “Pro Audio” boast some $12,000 package of plug-ins and that is only software.
At least with UA, you are getting some processing power.
Here’s a better question. If you had $2,000 and wanted to get a few compressors, a selection of reverbs, gates, chorus, etc. which way would you go? I’ve looked at the moderately priced TC Electronics gear and also some of their higher priced units; but they are typically only one or two effects at a time and at the end of the day, it’s just some [more] software running on either generic DSPs or some specialized hardware.
I love my foogers but they are primarily used for a single (typically mono) audio stream. Looking fwd to getting the Flux, but what about the rest of your studio?
Thanks.
I have only tried a few waves plugs, but are top notch from what I hear. The law of diminishing returns is super exaggerated in the field of plug ins. The best are insanely expensive and the worst are free, but the even the worst ones are at a certain level of quality that is very acceptable and just as good in some situations. I use Logic 9, and I have to say, the plug ins are very usable. I find that with all my analog gear, the plug ins are transparent enough to let recordings retain the gear’s sound. Many will disagree, but I think that high grade plugs are a total waste of resources that can be better spent on real solid analog gear. If I had $2000 to spend, I would get the best synth, amp, mic, analog effect, EQ, or compressor I could get my hands on, then use stock Logic plugs to complement and supplement them. I own one Neve style compressor and a massive passive EQ, and both are miles beyond any plug I have ever heard. I used to go to a school where they had all the UAD plugs, and I used them, and found good use for many, but they still lacked real “character” and sounded simply like a spec for spec emulation, or like I said, a caricature of the original.
That said, I still lust for the uad card and a few of their plugs, like the Studer a800, but would never spend the money. I’d rather get a new fooger or more mic preamps. Finally, I would say that the Logic plugs are more utilitarian and serve that purpose well, but for “mojo” or character or “uummph” I advise not to look in the digital domain. If you want any analog gear recommendations, let me know.
Thanks alot for the responses. I know what you mean about the fact that they are ‘modeled’ vs. being the actual hardware.
I bought the OP-X Oberheim VST but also have an SEM. Despite the greatness of OP-X, the actual hardware just has that extra something.
As for getting my hands on Analog gear, I have a good Allen & Heath board with a nice EQ in it but I don’t think I have the space or the money for anything more than what I have today (gear list on my signature). So it’s going to be virtual stuff for now.
In case you were not aware, UA has a special running right now that gives you a few of their more expensive plug ins for free and the Studer is among them; the catch is that you must buy the Quad version. Have a look: http://www.uaudio.com/premium-plug-in-promotion
Personally, I’m getting the Solo just due to shortage of funds and they throw in the EMT-250 which I’m hoping will be better than any low cost Reverb, etc. that I can get my hands on. I have a 3 yr. old Mac Pro so am getting the internal PCI-e card version. The nice thing about their product (I don’t have to tell you this if you’ve spent time with them) is that if I get a DUO later, the software will take advantage of the 3 SHARCs.
Thanks again.