KVR Audio

kylen · Post by **kylen** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:21 pm

Well - assuming UAD is currently the benchmark for digital plugins I wanted to get some opinions from plugin developers here. Weiss also produces digital effects along with others outside of my budget. The point is UAD is a possibility for me - I even priced one the other day but I don't want to go there yet. My idea is to continue to support KVR developers and other like minded developers so that at some point my favorite plugs can compete with the UAD - or whoever the top dog in my world is.

My problem is that I've never owned UAD or Waves or good hardware to be able to understand if my current set of software plugs can compete or even have a possibility to sound as good in the reasonable future.

This kind of question comes up here all the time but I wanted to try and make this one a little different. That's why I'm asking the developers here (or anyone else!) what it is they think seperates the plugins and why (if this is true) there is such a huge gap in quality sound between UAD plugs and everything else? The understanding of DSP algorithms, modeling, access to modeling details, licensing, access to test equipment? What is it?

...I'd love to be able to say that I have a Voxengo, Kjaerhus, PSP, TL, CWBudde, Vanilla (to name a few) processor that blows the doors off of that UAD card - or I could just go buy one and shutup. Which is it? Support development of other options or cave in ?

joachime · Post by **joachime** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:25 pm

IMHO, UAD is not superior. It's a complement to native VST.

Edit: I use UAD and Voxengo, mostly.

Stupid American Pig · Post by **Stupid American Pig** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:31 pm

I havent found a reason to switch from Kjaerhus Gold and Voxengo mesself

veseli koljac · Post by **veseli koljac** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:50 pm

uad plugins are far much better then voxengo,kjaerhus...native world still need some good compressor and non-Convolution reverb...

drinelli · Post by **drinelli** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:59 pm

Not being a plug in develloper my self, I don`t know if I should answer this, but I will try because I have both native and UAD1 Plugins. Listening to the difference between the Native Compressors, and the UAD1s, I think that Uads have a good balance between power and subtleness, in that it is not so easy to totally destroy a mix with them than with native Processing, but that may not have anything to do with the hardware part of the Uad1, but could be because those plug ins that comes along with it, instead of having the focus on alot of settings, it tries having the best sound possible, it is modelled on hardware that also had few settings, and that they allready knew had a good sound, and was easy to use. And the extra power that the card gives, is of course a bonus.

drinelli · Post by **drinelli** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:01 pm

uad plugins are far much better then voxengo,kjaerhus...native world still need some good compresor and non-Convolution reverb...l

Eh what about Arts Acoustic Reverb

veseli koljac · Post by **veseli koljac** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:08 pm

Arts Acoustic reverb is good,probably the best native reverb but plate140 is awesome.

drinelli · Post by **drinelli** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:10 pm

Arts Acoustic reverb is good,probably the best native reverb but plate140 is awesome.

Who made that one, Can`t remember hearing about it.

bmanic · Post by **bmanic** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:11 pm

veseli koljac wrote:uad plugins are far much better then voxengo,kjaerhus...native world still need some good compressor and non-Convolution reverb...

I'd say Kjaerhus Golden Compressor, Sonalksis Compressor Voxengo Crunchessor and Voxengo Polysquasher fills that compressor gap rather nicely. They all offer many different flavours. And now with the PSP Master Compressor you have yet another high quality, albeit cpu hungry, compressor.

As for the reverb, ever tried ArtsAccoustic Reverb? Just got my copy a few weeks back, it's awesome.

EDIT: looks like everybody answered at once so sorry for the repeating!

Cheers!
bManic

veseli koljac · Post by **veseli koljac** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:13 pm

#drinelli
http://www.uaudio.com/products/software ... index.html

drinelli · Post by **drinelli** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:14 pm

Wait the two reverbs in Uad1, is called Dreamverb, and what is the other, don`t tell is it this plate 140

kylen · Post by **kylen** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:14 pm

drinelli wrote:...but that may not have anything to do with the hardware part of the Uad1, but could be because those plug ins that comes along with it, instead of having the focus on alot of settings, it tries having the best sound possible, it is modelled on hardware that also had few settings, and that they allready knew had a good sound, and was easy to use...

This is my feeling too drinelli - that the UAD hardware itself has nothing to do with the quality of sound. Of course I'm just guessing and can't even spell DS...uh Pee

I'm just wondering - are those models so difficult, lock up, proprietary, patented - that no one else can figure out their sound or be given permission to produce something of that quality.

On the other hand I'm not saying I'm the best plugin user in the world so maybe I just can't work my own plugins well enough - I think I've got some good ones already...it sounds like some folks are putting them in the same league as UAD.

From my travels around many forums I see the UAD in high regard by pros coming into the DAW world. I hat to say this but I'm naive so - I wonder if the gui has an effect on what the mind hears...I already know from years of spectrum research that the eyes can really affect your ears a bit - ever tweak a processor and get it really sounding good 'cause you know 45ms is too fast - only to see it's in bypass mode later?

bmanic · Post by **bmanic** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:15 pm

drinelli wrote:
Arts Acoustic reverb is good,probably the best native reverb but plate140 is awesome.
Who made that one, Can`t remember hearing about it.

Umm.. he probably ment plate 140 from UA for the UAD and yes, it is awesome and has no competition on the native side yet (AA reverb can not really emulate it but can get a similar 'vibe' if you tweak it a bit).

- bManic

drinelli · Post by **drinelli** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:16 pm

, I haven`t used the reverbs in the Uad1 studio pack that much because I thought of Artsacoustic Reverb as better sounding.

bmanic · Post by **bmanic** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:18 pm

kylen wrote: From my travels around many forums I see the UAD in high regard by pros coming into the DAW world. I hat to say this but I'm naive so - I wonder if the gui has an effect on what the mind hears...I already know from years of spectrum research that the eyes can really affect your ears a bit - ever tweak a processor and get it really sounding good 'cause you know 45ms is too fast - only to see it's in bypass mode later?

I'd say a pretty fair bet is that the UAD compressors simply sound awesome. Ever tried a real 1176 or LA-2a (reissue or new, doesn't matter)? They do sound awesome on nearly any audio material so when a model gets as close to the hardware as UA did with their plugins, it's bound to be good!

- bManic

UAD digital plugins vs KVR developers brightest minds!