Liquid Mix by Focusrite vs UAD DSP

[adverbialsensationalist]

Info on Focusrite Liquid Mix and UAD DSP Cards

I am wondering who has had experience with these 2 options. I really am not interested in Duende so please lets keep the feedback to these 2.

I plan on using what I decide on with a Macbook Pro and a iMac, both c2d and with 2gb ram. Seq's are Logic and Ableton with some rewire and Reason slaved into the latter choices.

I realize I could use the UAD Card only with the MBP thus making the Liquid Mix seem more desirable, but if the UAD sounds THAT much better then I could settle using it on the laptop machine alone.

I am curious as to who prefers what and for what reasons? How does one sound compared to another? How are the products supported? Does the company take care of their customers?

Your help in determining what route I should go is appreciated. Also, accept my apologies if this has been discussed prior my posting... I do not have much time to research forums and really prefer to be notified via email when ppl respond to my inquiry.

Thanks in advance.

[Alan]

I realize I could use the UAD Card only with the MBP.

Unless you have something like a Magama PCI chassis, your not going to be running a UAD PCI card on a laptop(MBP), or an iMac for that matter. Other than that, both have great EQ/Comp emulations with UAD going further with Reverb and more.

[Alan]

I forgot to mention UAD also has their own Magma like PCI box called the Xpander that hooks up to laptops via an express card, but it's not availible yet. Here's the link to that http://www.uaudio.com/products/uad/xpander/index.html

[adverbialsensationalist]

Yes, the Xpander Extreme or Express (unsure yet) is the route I would have to go due to the iMac not having expansion slots. I am leaning towards the Liquid Mix due to the ability to build hybrid compressors/eqs and such.

[Alan]

Just so you know, since the iMac doesn't have cardbus slots(required for UAD Xpander),they do make FireWire/card slot adapters, and USB as well. http://www.keenzo.com/showproduct.asp?I ... 4&ref=FRG0 As far as the difference between UAD and liquid Mix, my only experience is in the studio with them and Iv'e only heard the liquid mix once breifly. Iv'e alway's loved UAD plugins and the Emulations are very close to hardware and it has the advantage of more variety than the liquid mix, but my main complaint is the limited DSP power on them, and the cardbus solution bears the same limitation(same card in a box), and then there's the issue of how new drivers with this card slot based box will perform since it's new. The Liquid Mix sounded good but more hybrid than the UAD to my ears(going by what I heard breifly), has more DSP power and worked fine on the Mac in the studio I was in, but I have seen driver complaints on the net with some people. Hopefully some people with more experience with both will chime in here.