Is the UAD plugs really THAT much better?

[akisd28]

Definitely.

[StudioTan]

The issue is TapeOp #41 may/june 2004

all 5 chose the Uad-1 1176 over the hardware and BF

3 of 5 chose uad-1 la-2a over bf, all 5 preferred the hardware for the knee but thought the top end of the uad-1 sounded better.

3 of 5 chose uad-1 fairchild over BF's

bf pultec did win over uad-1's, they split up the test so the voting was confusing but the all liked bf's better on the high end, but they were comparing to a summit eq, not a pultec so thats a little weird.

what the article repeats often ,too, is that these are very subtle differences.

underscoring all this is the fact that UA make the hardware 1176 and la-2a.

I like my 3 uad-1's a lot. Heres a tip, try Nigel on Rhodes electric piano, its perfect.

I'd like to get hold of that article. Is it available somewhere/somehow? I'm wondering exactly how this test was done.

Shootouts of this type are very difficult to perform without obtaining unbiased and innaccurate results. What most people don't realize is that you cannot accurately compare two sources without these minimum requirements:

1) The "samples" have to be very short (no more than 5 seconds in length). Keep in mind that you can compare multiple samples, but when comparing you have to following the second rule:

2) These samples have to be soloed back and forth quickly with no delay in between them.

3) Obviously they need to be pre-recorded into a suitable application that can do the above.

4) The samples have to be from the same timeline and the same length. In other words, you can't compare one part of a song to another part of the song.

5) The candidates have to be blindfolded.

6) The candidates can in no way should be aware of what sample they are listening to.

7) This is related to #6. The person running the test should not identify the sample, but rather should say something like "Ok, this is the other sample. What do you think," EVEN THOUGH he/she may have not changed the sample at all... this is at his/her discretion.

#8 The person running the test should NOT take the notes and should have someone else who ISN'T a candidate take the notes for him/her. This person shouldn't be aware of what the tester is doing, by the way. The person taking the notes shouldn't be able to see the monitor, for example.

9) There should be a good number of candidates... Five is really not enough. Ten is a better number. Some of them should be engineers as well as producers. Also, they shouldn't all be male.

I wrote this pretty quick, but I'll probably end up editing it.

Sorry for getting so off-topic!!!

[jones-y]

Well Tape Op is a highly respected mag. Even if they didn't follow the law to the letter, I'm sure plenty of effort was given to ensure the accuracy of the test and results.

I don't think they give many details in the article pertaining to the particulars of the test setup though. Maybe you could ask them over at their forum?

[electro]

BREAK OUT OF THE HABIT OF COMPARING PLUGS TO OTHER PLUGS. We should be comparing them to hardware, and compared to hardware, the UA Comps do well.

[kylen]

http://www.tapeop.com/magazine/backissues/issue41.html

Looks like you can buy back-issues drill back up a few levels and you'll find it.

[jones-y]

BREAK OUT OF THE HABIT OF COMPARING PLUGS TO OTHER PLUGS.

Why? Aren't they competing products? And as such, should we, the cconsumers not compare them? Or should we just close our eyes and eenie meenie? Flip a coin maybe?

We should be comparing them to hardware,

Why? Not saying we shouldn't, but why should we be comparing them exclusively to hardware?

and compared to hardware, the UA Comps do well.

Okay, I wouldn't know either way, but why isn't a comparison between UAD, BF, Waves Ren, URS, Kljaerhaus (sp?), Voxengo, etc. products somehow valid?

[Amberience]

It is valid.

[electro]

It is valid.

But being better than each other doesn't necesarrily mean that any one of them is good. Only the hardware A/B test procedure can tell you that.

[Amberience]

It is valid.

But being better than each other doesn't necesarrily mean that any one of them is good. Only the hardware A/B test procedure can tell you that.

What brand of Cornflakes are you eating???

Yes, ok. Hardware came first. We all know that. But why should something match up to a hardware unit? Why should software share the same characteristics as hardware for it to be branded "good" ?

[electro]

It is valid.

But being better than each other doesn't necesarrily mean that any one of them is good. Only the hardware A/B test procedure can tell you that.

But why should something match up to a hardware unit?

Nothing has yet. Software processors are still inferior to GOOD Outboard Hardware.

[flex42]

[electro]

What plug takes the API 7600 channel strip?
" " Trident EQ
" " Midas EQ
" " Manley Massive Passive
etc
etc
etc.

Software EQ and Comps need to be judged vs. the great Hardware EQ and Comps or else plugs will not get better than they are now.

[StudioTan]

What plug takes the API 7600 channel strip?
" " Trident EQ
" " Midas EQ
" " Manley Massive Passive
etc
etc
etc.

Software EQ and Comps need to be judged vs. the great Hardware EQ and Comps or else plugs will not get better than they are now.

This is only assuming you want to emulate these particular pieces of hardware. What if you want to take advantage of what only digital has to offer? There are certain things you can do in the digital domain that just can't be done in the analog domain. For example, the Weiss digital eqs. What? You say it's hardware? Many hardware devices are run by software. Mr. Weiss could program the same algorithms for use in a pc, but he's not that stupid.

Granted, I'll agree with you that their hasn't been a native eq for pc that has come close to some of the high-end hardware units, or even some lower end channel strip eqs. No, I haven't heard the Tritone or URS stuff yet.

[Lawnmower Of The Damned]

I like hardware perfectly fine. My Vetta II (Modeling amp), and soon to be Nord G2 Modular and UAD-1, all sound great in my opinion. They all have pure VST competition, and I don't claim that they are better by mere virtue of the fact that they are hardware. I just love the sounds that come out of them. It's that simple for me.

We all know that we have the warez kiddies to thank for the proliferation of these closed hardware systems. I'm sure Kazaa is teaming with copies of Amplitube, but no one can take my Vetta and distribute hacked copies.

Without the $1,700 amp, the software won't do you any good. It's this knowledge that causes a lot more money to be heaped into R&D with closed hardware systems. Mainly because of the fact that it's even possible to charge $1,700 for the hardware to begin with.

Is Amplitube 2 shaping up to be as cool as a Vetta? Well, it's a tough call. By sheer virtue of being a tough call, you could argue that IK Multimedia could charge $1,700 for Amplitube 2. This of course, would be a colossally bad move. Most people would be scared off by the price tag, while the warez kiddies would just download the damn thing. It makes more sense for Line 6 to spend more money researching the Vetta than it does for IK to spend staggering amounts of money for R&D on Amplitube.

I'm not saying software sucks. Quite the opposite, in fact. I just think that software tied to hardware tends to have more time and money spent on R&D. I'd love to see the trend reverse, and be able to get a killer set of EQs, compressors, amp sims, modular synths, etc., without having to install a dongle PCI card, lug an 80 pound amp around, or connect a tangle of cables from a synth box.

Unfortunately, I personally really like the sounds that these devices offer in comparison to their non-hardware brethren. I'm not saying that this setup is for everyone. Far from it. I'm just saying that I'm really happy with it, and to my ears, this is this combination of gear fits me like a glove.

[Henchman]

When you use rtas you do have an alternarive for the UAD vintage plugins. Bombfactory made them too. In fact UAD copied the Bombfactory concept including the Pultecs and Fairchilds. In a recent test the Bombfactory Pultec was choosen above the UAD and even above a Pultec hardware clone. Also the Bombfactory Fairchild sounds better then the UAD in my opinion.

Well I can tell you that the Bombfactory plug-ins sound like ass compared to the UAD plug-ins.

But then most of the people who claim the Bombfactory stuff is better are the same people who think that Pro-Tools is the best DAW in the world.

And it is...If you need a doorstop or boat anchor.