
Universal Audio has announced UAD Spark, a new subscription service that puts UAD plug‑ins and new instruments into the hands of music creators worldwide. This evolving collection runs natively on Mac ($19.99/month), with Windows coming this fall.
Bill Putnam Jr., UA's founder and CEO, says:
Right from our start in 2001, UAD plug-ins have been about recreating the authentic, inspiring sounds of classic studio and music gear. With UAD Spark, we're able to extend that vision, and bring professional UA sound home for everyone.
UAD Spark features UA's most popular plug‑in emulations of legendary recording studio hardware, running natively for the first time. Studio gear includes:
- Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ
- UA 1176 Compressor Collection
- Teletronix LA-2A Compressor Collection
- Studer A800 Tape Recorder
- API Vision Channel Strip
UAD Spark also introduces exclusive new UAD instruments, benefiting from UA's expertise in modeling, sampling, and synthesis. Instruments include:
- Opal Morphing Synthesizer (exclusive to Spark)
- Moog Minimoog
- Waterfall B3 Organ
- Ravel Grand Piano
Sandeep Gupta, UA's Chief Operating Officer, explains:
Over the past few years, accelerated by COVID and lockdowns, the number of music and content creators has exploded. With UAD Spark, we're putting the top tier of audio processing — including exclusive titles from Neve, Moog, Studer, API, and Lexicon ‑ into everyone's hands. Combined with our new Volt audio interfaces, UAD Spark lets more creators experience UA's legendary sound.
Joe Richardson, President of Moog Music Inc., said:
We're excited to be a part of UAD Spark, which brings the Moog synthesizer experience and uncompromising depth of sound to a new class of creators. UA and Moog share a long history of collaboration and a common goal of designing tools that inspire musicians for a lifetime.
Another instrument exclusive to the UAD Spark service is the Opal Morphing Synthesizer, a new UAD instrument that blurs the lines between analog and wavetable synthesis, with built‑in UA effects and fast, record-ready presets.
Key Features:
- A collection of UAD plug-ins and instruments from Neve, Moog, API, Lexicon, Teletronix, UA, and more.
- Exclusive new UAD instruments including the Opal Morphing Synthesizer.
- Runs natively on Mac; No UA hardware required.
- Runs in all major DAWs that support AU, VST3, and AAX formats.
- Owners of perpetual UAD plug-in licenses receive corresponding UAD Spark (native) licenses for free.
Price: $19.99/month.
All UA Volt audio interface owners get an exclusive 30‑day free trial of UAD Spark, and all UAD plug-in owners get the native version of their plug-in(s) for free.