UAD still worth it?

[Uncle E]

I had the Stamchild. I found them to be interchangeable. So it’s at least equivalent to a $5,000 compressor, if not an $80,000 one.

[jamcat]

Why would you need a real Fairchild to determine which software model sounds best?

You just need ears.

[gaggle of hermits]

why would I need a Fairchild emu to get the best vari-mu action?

[jens]

Why would you need a real Fairchild to determine which software model sounds best?

You just need ears.

How would you know that the one that sounds "best" to your ears is the most accurate one?

Or does "have no equal" simply mean "I highly personally and absolutely subjectively like them the most"?

[jamcat]

AFAIK, only 3 devs modeled actual Fairchilds: UA, IK, and Waves.

As we all know, there are very few operational units left, and each one sounds quite different, due to aging components and maintenance.

So it’s silly to talk about “accuracy” when it comes to Fairchild models. There is no definitive Fairchild. There are only ones that sound better than others.

Each TIME CONSTANT position on the UAD alters the character of the input in distinct and musical ways that the IK and Waves models do not.

So assuming all are equally accurate to the units they modeled, the UAD 660 and 670 units are the ones I would want access to most.

[Uncle E]

IMO, he just wants you to add IMO.

[Britishboxer]

im frustrated with UAD native plugs, did you guys have issues trying to sell plugins you got in a bundle but cant cause UAD says you have to sell the bundle..what a pain in the neck, then working offline is not a walk in the park with them, I tried reading up how to do that and its annoying, def no worth the trouble for the money we pay them.

[zvenx]

I didn't know you could sell plugins period.
I think you can get special permission to sell your entire portfolio.
rsp

[jamcat]

I've got a subscription that I'm willing to sublet.

[jens]

So it’s silly to talk about “accuracy” when it comes to Fairchild models. There is no definitive Fairchild.

There are only ones that sound better than others.

Lol... first you talk about silliness, only to then straight afterwards claim that certain emulations "sound better than others".


Can we all please take a moment to praise jamcat's sense for comical timing? I for one am i awe!

[jamcat]

Once again you lie, Jens.
I was talking about how some of the remaining vintage hardware Fairchilds sound better than others, presumably because they're in better condition. Just like I was talking about actual hardware preamps, not "presmp-emulation plugins."

[hsgdisko]

Absolutely still worth it, just that the support and compatibility aren't great on certain systems and setups.

[Scotty]

This video is worth a watch. Universal Audio isn't featured but it is a good round-up otherwise. A really good comparison would have to take into consideration a variety of sources and would require some objective testing methods. I think it foolish to speak in terms of absolutes when there is so much on offer. Our ears are fallible. The Acoustica Audio Ultramarine caught my ear in the audio examples here. I don't own it. You missed a few Jamcat.

AFAIK, only 3 devs modeled actual Fairchilds: UA, IK, and Waves.

As we all know, there are very few operational units left, and each one sounds quite different, due to aging components and maintenance.

So it’s silly to talk about “accuracy” when it comes to Fairchild models. There is no definitive Fairchild. There are only ones that sound better than others.

Each TIME CONSTANT position on the UAD alters the character of the input in distinct and musical ways that the IK and Waves models do not.

So assuming all are equally accurate to the units they modeled, the UAD 660 and 670 units are the ones I would want access to most.

[jamcat]

You missed a few Jamcat.

It's possible others got ahold of actual original Fairchilds produced between the late '50s and early '60s. But the only confirmed models component modeled from in-house measurements of original vintage Fairchilds that I know of are UA, IK, and Waves. Do you know if any of the others were created by modeling primary sources (not replicas, impulses, or other software models)?

FWIW, Telefunken has relaunched Fairchild as of October and are producing new 670s to the original specs.

https://www.mixonline.com/technology/ne ... compressor

[gaggle of hermits]

but you've already decided that doesn't matter: they only have to sound good because there is no such thing as a canonical Fairchild limiter. frankly, I agree with the overall stance (though not the lack of a canonical specification) but it's somewhat at odds with your position that uad is the only one to consider out of a small selection simply because they have a specific set of measurements.