UAD Spark Subscription model opinions?

[trackbout]

It may work now, but being aware that's a gap right now, I'm sure UA will figure out a way to revoke said licenses. It's also such an absurd length to go for an 1176 plugin, that I'd think someone was a lunatic if they tried it. I mean, they're not THAT good. Just get TrackComp 2.

Ya I agree that would be way too much trouble to go to for a non-subscription UA plugin, but it's a good example of how atypical, and somewhat shaky, this new licensing scheme is.

[j wazza]

to buy their plugins can you have any uad hardware? eg could you get the cheapest one, i think the volt, and buy plugins to run natively?

No, it has to be an Apollo or a Satellite.

thanks for the info but damn theyre pricy, especially as i have no need for the hardware itself i just want the plugins but wont buy the hardware just for that, and wont pay a sub either

hopefully they will/are realising that everyone would want their plugins if you could buy them natively for a standard high end vst price, maybe theyre phasing in native this way to try and piss off less hardware owners (but prob to see if they can make lots of money from subs - hopefully not many do it)
they could just give extra discounts to haardware owners if they go fully native without subs

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

to buy their plugins can you have any uad hardware? eg could you get the cheapest one, i think the volt, and buy plugins to run natively?

No, it has to be an Apollo or a Satellite.

thanks for the info but damn theyre pricy, especially as i have no need for the hardware itself i just want the plugins but wont buy the hardware just for that, and wont pay a sub either

hopefully they will/are realising that everyone would want their plugins if you could buy them natively for a standard high end vst price, maybe theyre phasing in native this way to try and piss off less hardware owners (but prob to see if they can make lots of money from subs - hopefully not many do it)
they could just give extra discounts to haardware owners if they go fully native without subs

Do you have a desktop? You can get a UAD-2 Solo PCIe card for less than $200 used.

[zvenx]

I do get the realtime monitoring advantage in apollo (took me awhile to 'get it' ). I don't work that way ever so for me personally that is of no use to me...(I have invested in real hardware preamps and compressors etc to do what it does and I rarely record more than four audio tracks at a time.. my usual is 1 or 2.....

But to their 'regular' DSPs... the PCIe and the Satellites... I have a PCI UAD-2 quad on my pc and a satellite thunderbird uad-2 quad on my mac...
I was indeed hoping one day (though I don't need them since I have never had a session where I have maxed out either quad), they would maybe come out with a uad-3 or something with a lot more DSP.... now that they are releasing native, I doubt if I would still be a candidate for a uad-3 if it came out now, unless it was ridiculously cheap (and that is not UAD's M.O).

So maybe Apollo's sales will continue, but I have a hard time believing their Satellite and PCI-E Dsp wouldn't suffer sales..

(not that I mind.. I wanted them to go Native quite awhile now)..

rsp

[rasmusklump]

to buy their plugins can you have any uad hardware? eg could you get the cheapest one, i think the volt, and buy plugins to run natively?

No, it has to be an Apollo or a Satellite.

thanks for the info but damn theyre pricy, especially as i have no need for the hardware itself i just want the plugins but wont buy the hardware just for that, and wont pay a sub either

hopefully they will/are realising that everyone would want their plugins if you could buy them natively for a standard high end vst price, maybe theyre phasing in native this way to try and piss off less hardware owners (but prob to see if they can make lots of money from subs - hopefully not many do it)
they could just give extra discounts to haardware owners if they go fully native without subs

Do you have a desktop? You can get a UAD-2 Solo PCIe card for less than $200 used.

Yes, pay 200,00 for the privilege to be allowed to buy a plugin from the wonderful, godlike UA

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Yes, pay 200,00 for the privilege to be allowed to buy a plugin from the wonderful, godlike UA

Or just don't. I agree it's far from ideal but that's the reality we live in. But if someone wanted to know the cheapest point of entry, that's it - and that's what the conversation was about.

[_leras]

Yes, pay 200,00 for the privilege to be allowed to buy a plugin from the wonderful, godlike UA

Like most stuff, it's maybe a case of diminishing returns, but some of the UAD stuff is stunning.

Depending on the music you make you could probably run a mix/master bus on one of those cards that would be super high quality and still cost less that a single hardware compressor.

[_leras]

Apparently there is a loophole, which is to buy something like an Apollo, buy UAD2 plugins that have a UADX counterpart which puts the iLok licenses in your iLok account, and then return the Apollo. This whole business of attaching iLok licenses to non-iLok hardware seems pretty convoluted to me. Not aware of any other company doing this, not sure how smart of an idea it will turn out to be.

That would only work until the store resells the returned UAD DSP hardware to someone else. When the new buyer can't register it, than the buyer or store will contact UAD. I am sure UAD will be able to track where it is registered to and pull the iLok licenses associated with it. naughty, naughty

Well, if you bought the UAD2 plug ins - on top of the apollo - then they'd be your and paid for.

If some were bundled with the apollo - well, those they might want back.

Personally I think it's a bit sucky to buy and return electronic equipment like that. I'm sure in time people can just buy and add to iLok.

[j wazza]

Do you have a desktop? You can get a UAD-2 Solo PCIe card for less than $200 used.

i do, thanks thats good to know, maybe when they go native on pc ill try the sub to try the plugins and see if theyre worth it but its a lot for effects which im pretty set for already

Well, if you bought the UAD2 plug ins - on top of the apollo - then they'd be your and paid for.

If some were bundled with the apollo - well, those they might want back.

Personally I think it's a bit sucky to buy and return electronic equipment like that. I'm sure in time people can just buy and add to iLok.

are you sure it works like that? do you definitely not still need hardware to keep the license?

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Do you have a desktop? You can get a UAD-2 Solo PCIe card for less than $200 used.

i do, thanks thats good to know, maybe when they go native on pc ill try the sub to try the plugins and see if theyre worth it but its a lot for effects which im pretty set for already

Well, if you bought the UAD2 plug ins - on top of the apollo - then they'd be your and paid for.

If some were bundled with the apollo - well, those they might want back.

Personally I think it's a bit sucky to buy and return electronic equipment like that. I'm sure in time people can just buy and add to iLok.

are you sure it works like that? do you definitely not still need hardware to keep the license?

Their plugins are very good, among the best in the industry, but there's a few companies already putting out plugins at or near that quality these days. So don't worry about it just for another 1176 emulation for example. Their plugins aren't cheap either. I think if most people had first-hand experience with UAD cards they'd realize that: 1) the plugins are really good, but also, 2) they're not the only game in town when it comes to that these days.

Regarding the returning the hardware approach: why risk it? They could probably pull licenses from iLok accounts in the future for people abusing the system and then you'd be up a creek without a paddle. Either go all-in and get the hardware to keep, or stay out. I wouldn't recommend anyone try to be cute and game the system as that's liable to blow up in your face down the road.

[j wazza]

Their plugins are very good, among the best in the industry, but there's a few companies already putting out plugins at or near that quality these days.

do you mean stuff like softube, uhe, acustica, slate? any others you mean?

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Their plugins are very good, among the best in the industry, but there's a few companies already putting out plugins at or near that quality these days.

do you mean stuff like softube, uhe, acustica, slate? any others you mean?

Sure, you've got companies like DMG Audio, Kush, Softube, PSP (the E27 is up there with any UA EQ), Pulsar, U-he, Relab, even IK Multimedia if you look at their Tape Collection (which is better than the UAD Studer by a long shot), etc. Acustica is kind of it's own thing with their own quirky pros and cons.

There was a whole UAD alternatives thread a while back where lots of examples were given but if you name a UAD plugin, there's usually something in native land of similar quality.

[_leras]

Well, if you bought the UAD2 plug ins - on top of the apollo - then they'd be your and paid for.

If some were bundled with the apollo - well, those they might want back.

Personally I think it's a bit sucky to buy and return electronic equipment like that. I'm sure in time people can just buy and add to iLok.

are you sure it works like that? do you definitely not still need hardware to keep the license?

No - I'm not sure at all. Hopefully no one uses this a way to jump on it.

I'm just saying if you buy a plug in - you'd hope you'd be able to transfer it to iLok.

All of mine are tied to hardware though... and i'm on PC, so not really paying much attention so far.

[j wazza]

Their plugins are very good, among the best in the industry, but there's a few companies already putting out plugins at or near that quality these days.

do you mean stuff like ? any others you mean?

Sure, you've got companies like DMG Audio, Kush, Softube, PSP (the E27 is up there with any UA EQ), Pulsar, U-he, Relab, even IK Multimedia if you look at their Tape Collection (which is better than the UAD Studer by a long shot), etc. Acustica is kind of it's own thing with their own quirky pros and cons.

There was a whole UAD alternatives thread a while back where lots of examples were given but if you name a UAD plugin, there's usually something in native land of similar quality.

thanks, i havent tried dmg or pulsar (except for the free smasher but heard good things about the vari mu), been meaning to get round to it, havent seen any dmg saturation though

for me in terms of analog sound quality/how close it gets to real analog id say it goes

• acustica/nebula libraries

• softube, uhe, slate about equal

• arturia

• lots of others on a similar level that are all good in different ways - eg psp, soundtoys, ik, audiothing, kush, fuse, black rooster, kazrog, eventide, overloud, tal, sonimus, waves, klanghelm, xln, audified, a few pa ones, klevgrand, wavesfactory, kuassa etc

[zvenx]

Indeed as a 17 year uad veteran gone are the days when they were the only great plugins in town.

Rsp