UAD still worth it?

[jamcat]

Didn't UA themselves even say that their Galaxy 74 Tape Echo pedal uses a new model of the Space Echo compared to the plugin? I thought I recall reading that.

Yes, that is correct. Galaxy 74 is an improved version. IMO, UA also beat it with their EP-34, which is a wonderful delay if you're looking for lush ambience.

“The Galaxy ’74 pedal uses the same algorithm that drives Universal Audio’s superb Galaxy Space RE-201-style plugin, though the spring model is new in the pedal.”

https://www.premierguitar.com/gear/revi ... and-reverb

[planet_b]

Anyone know if UAD native plugin demos are crippled in some way? Strangely their FAQ doesn't tell.

Took the 90 days Spark trial for $1 and every plugin shows "DEMO active" and "BUY" button next to it. The iLok license manager shows Spark 90 day extended trial and it's activated.

[PAK]

Anyone know if UAD native plugin demos are crippled in some way?

No, they're not.

Took the 90 days Spark trial for $1 and every plugin shows "DEMO active" and "BUY" button next to it. The iLok license manager shows Spark 90 day extended trial and it's activated.

If they work it's fine. You can still buy permanent licenses for plugins whilst you demo. In that case you'd have both the active demo license and permanent license in your iLok account.

BTW - If you don't take up a sub at the end you should then get a $9.99/month offer

[planet_b]

If they work it's fine. You can still buy permanent licenses for plugins whilst you demo. In that case you'd have both the active demo license and permanent license in your iLok account.

BTW - If you don't take up a sub at the end you should then get a $9.99/month offer

Thanks for the info. At this point, the current offer of Signature Edition crossgrade seem more and more like a "no brainer", considering the normal subscription price of Spark..

[comfortablynick]

Back to the topic of UA Connect, many have said they uninstall it and only use it for updates or installing new plugins. I renamed the .exe file which has worked for the last week or two, but then I got this message today when I opened the Distressor in Reaper:



So it looks like I can't lose UA Connect altogether.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Bummer. I just kept it installed. It's getting annoying though with all these different vendor applications running in the background constantly.

[Uncle E]

Echoplex and Space Echo behave and sound very different, though.

Yes and I’ve never owned an Echoplex to compare. But I’ve had a 201 and several other Space Echo’s, and the UA plugin is much more crunchy and harsh. Still useful, just not a super accurate emulation.

[nusound mind]

Back to the topic of UA Connect, many have said they uninstall it and only use it for updates or installing new plugins. I renamed the .exe file which has worked for the last week or two, but then I got this message today when I opened the Distressor in Reaper:



So it looks like I can't lose UA Connect altogether.

I never renamed anything and it's always worked fine for me just installing/downloading/uninstalling. I've done this maybe 5 or 6 times and there's never been a single issue for me.

[_leras]

Thanks yeah I did that already for the Signature and got a great deal as well so felt a bit cheeky to do it again but in for a penny....

I think it's great that they can make such an offer. So many good tools for people to get onboard. They just need to ensure long term users also feel they can get a deal too!

I'm low key pissing myself with how kvr is awakening to UAD and they're getting well deserved praise, after so many years of ignoring, or talking down of their plug ins, by people that didn't have them.

But overall, the more good tools out there, the better standard of music.

[dionenoid]

Current sale is ending. Curious to see what they come up with next

[noiseboyuk]

Current sale is ending. Curious to see what they come up with next

134 plugins + a new car = $149 crossgrade from water

[jamcat]

I remember doing a mix with the UAD when it first came out, I bought it, bought into the hype, put it across about as many channels as I could on the rock band I was working for at the time, and the mix was just harsh. Right up until I turned it off the Studer instances. I never really used it much again and considered that a lesson learned.

I finally heard what you're talking about here. I have a song with some overdriven Marshall JMPs from TONEX. I had an IK Tape Machine 24 on it every track. I replaced all instances with the UAD Studer A800, and suddenly I was hearing this harsh fizzy sound on top, like the guitar had been double tracked with a kazoo mixed low in the background.

As you can imagine, this was quite distressing. I switched back and forth between the IK JH24 and the UAD A800 and it would be there with UAD Studer, but not with Tape Machine 24.

So then I tried the IK Tape Machine 80, for a more or less direct comparison. And the same fizzy kazoo sound was there with the IK 80. I won't say the UAD and IK sounded 100% identical. But they are pretty damn close. IK Tape Machine 80 sounds ever so slightly 'rounder' and little more bloated in the bass. But it absolutely had the exact same harsh fizzy overtone as the UAD Studer A800. I was using the Ampex 256 tape on both at 15ips, with all other settings at default.

I don't have the same, 'this sounds harsh', reaction to the IK Tapes. They're crazy CPU intensive and I actually seldom use them, usually preferring these days not to use tape plugins or saturators everywhere, but when I do, I dig them and think they're worth the CPU.

So that's my take: while UA makes generally great plugins, and I really love their compressors and EQs, I don't think their Studer is good.

I think your admitted lack of a lot of experience across many different sources with these Studer models plays a significant role here in your assessments. I had never experienced any harshness with either before, until I did. I don't know if it's an authentic Studer thing, or if it's an unintended consequence of modeling some other Studer behavior. But it seems to only appear on specific types of sources, such as one that have significant distortion/clipping.

I believe you just happened to try the UAD Studer on such material, but not the IK Studer. As I said, this is exclusive to both Studer models, but not other tape machine models from IK (that I have found so far.)

Also, I think it should be pretty easy to tame that harshness with the calibration controls of either the UAD or IK model. I haven't tried that yet, but I will when I come back to the song in question.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Interesting take. I haven't loaded up the UA Studer in a LONG time, nor done a direct head to head to with the IK one, but it could just be a Studer thing I suppose. I much prefer the IK 24, which I think is an MCI machine, for tracking anyway. I like the IK Studer on the master when tape is desired there.

[jamcat]

Interesting take. I haven't loaded up the UA Studer in a LONG time, nor done a direct head to head to with the IK one, but it could just be a Studer thing I suppose. I much prefer the IK 24, which I think is an MCI machine, for tracking anyway. I like the IK Studer on the master when tape is desired there.

Yeah, the IK 24 is a Sony/MCI JH24. It is aggressively mid-forward. Studers seem to have a mid scoop with exaggerated lows and highs. They are both tubby and fizzy at the same time.

I've been messing with the mix I was talking about, comparing the two Studers and MCI. I'm able to tame the fizz as I suspected on both Studers. But the IK Tape Machines really start to distinguish themselves as you push them further. Cleaning up the IK Studer is easier and more thorough than the UAD with the bias and HF controls, and it gets a fullness that leaves the UAD sounding a bit meek by comparison.

It's really just a shame the IK Tape Machines take so much CPU and don't have any kind of ECO mode. Tape Machine 80 takes even more CPU than Tape Machine 24, and the mix starts getting crumbly on my M1 Pro with all Tape Machine 80 instances on at just 48kHz. But I suppose if I upgraded to an M3 Max, I would finally be able to use the IK tape machines unencumbered.

[Sindikhate]

Is the get Spark free Volt2 offer over? Supplies gone?