Native UAD Spark VST3 Plugins Out for PC+Mac (UAD Hardware Not Required to Purchase)

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

In case anyone is interested and wasn't aware yet, as of about an hour ago, UAD Spark plugins are out on Windows. If you own the UAD DSP versions of the Spark plugins, you should see licenses in your iLok account. Or you can subscribe to Spark if you don't own UAD DSP hardware and still want access.

I don't know how much use my UAD-2 Duo DSP card will get with native versions out, but I'm thrilled to have these. Looking forward to see Spark expand (should be about 1-2 plugins per month according to UA). Good times!

If you have eligible hardware or a sub, you can download UA Connect for Mac and PC here: https://www.uaudio.com/downloads/ua-connect

EDIT:
As of Feb 14, 2023, owning UAD hardware is no longer a requirement. Individual plugins and bundles can be purchased. However, you do still need an iLok3 or iLok Cloud. No machine-based auths.

[_leras]

Nice!

My prediction... Over the next year KVR becomes much more familiar with UAD and they become firm favourites for anyone that uses them.!

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Nice!

My prediction... Over the next year KVR becomes much more familiar with UAD and they become firm favourites for anyone that uses them.!

I think most KVR'ers will avoid the sub model and continue to badmouth it, and a few folks may pick up secondhand UAD-2 cards on the cheap to get into this. Sales of Apollo's and other hardware may pick up a bit too. But if you're like me and already had UA hardware, this is a great deal. I feel like I just got 20 new plugins for free (even though I did pay for many of these).

Loving this so far! Except for the realization that the Minimoog has hardwired MIDI CC assignments.

[aMUSEd]

Can't see how much it is

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Can't see how much it is

The sub model is $19 a month or $149 annually.

https://help.uaudio.com/hc/en-us/articl ... d%20yearly.

If you want perpetual licenses, you just need some UAD-2/Apollo hardware and then just buy whatever additional plugins (that exist in Spark) that you want outright. Licenses get deposited to the iLok account linked to your UA account.

[dionenoid]

Well, installation went pretty easy.

First impression : Better browser + more presets for the plugins. Nothing else changed much, except i have now UAD and UADx versions of plugins to further clutter up everything.

[zvenx]

Why do you consider it cluttering up everything? Curious.
I quite like the Native installer as it only installs what you have licenses for unlike the dsp version which installs everything (now that clutters up for me).
The only two things I don't like about the Native is someone needs to sit UAD down and explain to them about resizable GUIs AND I do wish the plugins were interchangeable, that is if I dont have my dsp hardware it will switch to the native versions of those dsp plugins.
rsp

[SLiC]

Nice!

My prediction... Over the next year KVR becomes much more familiar with UAD and they become firm favourites for anyone that uses them.!

My prediction is the thread largely derails to a discussion on why subscription is evil

[zvenx]

...

My prediction is the thread largely derails to a discussion on why subscription is evil

Lol

+1
rsp

[_leras]

Nice!

My prediction... Over the next year KVR becomes much more familiar with UAD and they become firm favourites for anyone that uses them.!

My prediction is the thread largely derails to a discussion on why subscription is evil

Yes. That too! But remarkably quiet thread so far...

[rasmusklump]

You mean except the fanboys?

[SLiC]

Personally I just don’t need another reverb, delay, compressor or moog clone, it’s quite an uninspiring list of stuff and I wouldn’t buy it even if it wasn’t on subscription.

I have never had UAD but I had Powecore as they had a USP of the Virus synth….frankly by the end other providers native synths were just as good or better than the DSP driven stuff.

[aMUSEd]

Personally I just don’t need another reverb, delay, compressor or moog clone, it’s quite an uninspiring list of stuff and I wouldn’t buy it even if it wasn’t on subscription.

I have never had UAD but I had Powecore as they had a USP of the Virus synth….frankly by the end other providers native synths were just as good or better than the DSP driven stuff.

Used to have Creamware synths - they were amazing - Minimax was definitely the best Moog clone I've played until the au3 Moog one, and Pro One had no parallel until Repro, but that PC died a death years ago

[dionenoid]

Why do you consider it cluttering up everything? Curious.
I quite like the Native installer as it only installs what you have licenses for unlike the dsp version which installs everything (now that clutters up for me).

Because i now have for example 5 versions of the 1176 for UAD2 and another 3 versions for UADx in my plugin folder. As i don't know upfront which one i gonna be using, i have to have them all in there.

It ain't too much of a deal just now, but it will get more cluttered as they release more native versions.
But it was discussed in length before, when the Mac version was released. Would have been better to allow for choosing versions from the gui or something. Which i guess is technically very hard to do.

I agree with you that this is better as installing everything tho. I hope they start a similar system for the card plugins, would save us all a lot of hassle when updating.

[zvenx]

Got ya.. in my plugin list in Cubendo I have a UAD folder which two subfolders: DSP and Native, so it isn't as cluttered for me.
rsp