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Universal Audio UAD1 Studio Pak DSP Card (Macintosh and Windows)
Includes 20 professional hardware-accelerated plug-ins.
"Best investment for serious mixing"
Feature:
Most of the effects are very simple, but don't need complex controls. For instance, the LA2A has but two knobs, but I've yet to find an instrument track that doesn't benefit from it.
Quality:
The plugs look good and sound great. The only dissappointment is the Nigel guitar processor, which falls short on high-gain guitar tones, but it's still very useful for light tones and especially for giving edge to synth and drum tracks, not to mention the fact that it comes standard. The stars of the show, however, are the 1176, LA2A, and Pultec. If you're wondering what your mixes are missing...
Value:
Let's see... dead ringers for the $30,000+ Fairchild, the $4000+ LA2A, the $3000+ UREI 1176LN, and the $5000+ Pultec, all used on more classic albums than I can count, for less than a grand? That's value, not even mentioning the reverbs, guitar FX, and channel strips.
Desirability:
You want it. Hop over to UAD's forum and ask around if you don't believe me.
Sound:
The compressors alone are worth the asking price. No native plug comes close to the 1176 LN, the LA2A, or the Fairchild 670. Additionally, the Pultec EQ makes anything sound better just by inserting it, and the CS-1 Channel Strip, while not a vintage emulation, is far more flexible and better sounding than any sequencer's. Did I mention it takes up none of your computer's CPU?
Support:
I've never had a problem with the card, and the plugins are rock-solid. UAD releases a few new plugs every year, and with each one comes driver updates. Each optional plugin has an unrestricted 14-Day demo, after which you simply purchase an activation code to continue using it. Simple.
Overall:
I'm considering maxing out my computer with four UAD cards, because I want every track I ever record from now on to be compressed, EQ'd, and reverberated by UAD plugs.
Most of the effects are very simple, but don't need complex controls. For instance, the LA2A has but two knobs, but I've yet to find an instrument track that doesn't benefit from it.
Quality:
The plugs look good and sound great. The only dissappointment is the Nigel guitar processor, which falls short on high-gain guitar tones, but it's still very useful for light tones and especially for giving edge to synth and drum tracks, not to mention the fact that it comes standard. The stars of the show, however, are the 1176, LA2A, and Pultec. If you're wondering what your mixes are missing...
Value:
Let's see... dead ringers for the $30,000+ Fairchild, the $4000+ LA2A, the $3000+ UREI 1176LN, and the $5000+ Pultec, all used on more classic albums than I can count, for less than a grand? That's value, not even mentioning the reverbs, guitar FX, and channel strips.
Desirability:
You want it. Hop over to UAD's forum and ask around if you don't believe me.
Sound:
The compressors alone are worth the asking price. No native plug comes close to the 1176 LN, the LA2A, or the Fairchild 670. Additionally, the Pultec EQ makes anything sound better just by inserting it, and the CS-1 Channel Strip, while not a vintage emulation, is far more flexible and better sounding than any sequencer's. Did I mention it takes up none of your computer's CPU?
Support:
I've never had a problem with the card, and the plugins are rock-solid. UAD releases a few new plugs every year, and with each one comes driver updates. Each optional plugin has an unrestricted 14-Day demo, after which you simply purchase an activation code to continue using it. Simple.
Overall:
I'm considering maxing out my computer with four UAD cards, because I want every track I ever record from now on to be compressed, EQ'd, and reverberated by UAD plugs.
"Great Sound, Good Value."
Feature:
These are the most useful plugins I've used. The unfortunate part about this card is the number of simultaneous plugs you can run when processing 24/96 audio. You can only run 2 or 3 of the high-powered plugs at that quality with a single card(1176LN, Fairchild, Nigel). I eventually bought a second card so I could run more plugins simultaneously. If you have a powerful computer, don't buy this card to take the burden off your processor as the UA suggests. I can run many more native plugs than UAD-1 plugs with my PC. Buy this card for the plug-ins.
Quality:
No problems here. They work great. Anyone who says they have noise and crackle with this card doesn't have a properly configured system.
Value:
For what these plugins cost, you can't beat them. These are not the same as the hardware they are modeled after, but they sound very, very similar. Imagine how many tens of thousands of dollars you'd have to pay to have actual hardware. For the best value, I personally don't recommend the Studio Pak. I initially bought the Studio Pak, then went back and bought the Plate and the Precision mastering bundle, along with a Project Pak to get a second card. Once you start using these, you're going to want them all.
Desirability:
These are very appealing plugins. I don't mix without them.
Sound:
Sound is fantastic -- other plugins in this price range do not sound as smooth or distintictive as these. I record and mix with Nuendo. I also own the Waves plugs, and these sound better. I use the Waves plugs primarily for utility purposes, and the UAD ones for special or distinctive effects like the 1176 or the Plate 140 (I purchased this plug separately about a year after I bought the Studio pack, and it's well worth the price).
Ease of Use:
These plugins are easy to get good sounds with. Most have just a few knobs and meters, and are much more fun to use than the down-to-business Waves plugs. If you're a novice, you'll probably find these easier to use, and if you've been mixing for a while, you'll probably find that you can get cool, distinctive sounds much faster with these plugs than most others.
Support:
I have used UA's support once, and they are very helpful. When you call, the phone is answered by an actual person, and you're transferred to the tech support department in seconds, unless he's at lunch. i'm not kidding.
Overall:
I keep buying plugins and cards, so I don't think I'm going to migrate away from these plugins anytime soon. There is no single bundle of plugins that will solve all of your needs, so you will almost certainly want to supplement these with something else. For the mixing I do, I find I get great results with the UAD-1 and the Waves bundle.
These are the most useful plugins I've used. The unfortunate part about this card is the number of simultaneous plugs you can run when processing 24/96 audio. You can only run 2 or 3 of the high-powered plugs at that quality with a single card(1176LN, Fairchild, Nigel). I eventually bought a second card so I could run more plugins simultaneously. If you have a powerful computer, don't buy this card to take the burden off your processor as the UA suggests. I can run many more native plugs than UAD-1 plugs with my PC. Buy this card for the plug-ins.
Quality:
No problems here. They work great. Anyone who says they have noise and crackle with this card doesn't have a properly configured system.
Value:
For what these plugins cost, you can't beat them. These are not the same as the hardware they are modeled after, but they sound very, very similar. Imagine how many tens of thousands of dollars you'd have to pay to have actual hardware. For the best value, I personally don't recommend the Studio Pak. I initially bought the Studio Pak, then went back and bought the Plate and the Precision mastering bundle, along with a Project Pak to get a second card. Once you start using these, you're going to want them all.
Desirability:
These are very appealing plugins. I don't mix without them.
Sound:
Sound is fantastic -- other plugins in this price range do not sound as smooth or distintictive as these. I record and mix with Nuendo. I also own the Waves plugs, and these sound better. I use the Waves plugs primarily for utility purposes, and the UAD ones for special or distinctive effects like the 1176 or the Plate 140 (I purchased this plug separately about a year after I bought the Studio pack, and it's well worth the price).
Ease of Use:
These plugins are easy to get good sounds with. Most have just a few knobs and meters, and are much more fun to use than the down-to-business Waves plugs. If you're a novice, you'll probably find these easier to use, and if you've been mixing for a while, you'll probably find that you can get cool, distinctive sounds much faster with these plugs than most others.
Support:
I have used UA's support once, and they are very helpful. When you call, the phone is answered by an actual person, and you're transferred to the tech support department in seconds, unless he's at lunch. i'm not kidding.
Overall:
I keep buying plugins and cards, so I don't think I'm going to migrate away from these plugins anytime soon. There is no single bundle of plugins that will solve all of your needs, so you will almost certainly want to supplement these with something else. For the mixing I do, I find I get great results with the UAD-1 and the Waves bundle.
"Ignore the moron who ripped this product. Read professional reviews. You will find this product and universal audio in general"
Feature:
Product is excellent
Quality:
Works perfectly
Value:
If you can only buy one thing make it this or a 610 preamp.
Desirability:
Please read "professional" reviews of this product they know more than me or the moron who ripped this product in the other review. I love it som much i just had to defend the company. They are the leaders of the pack and affordable(sub $3000) digital and analog audio products!!!!!!!!!!
Sound:
The sound is incomparable. Frank Filipetti says they are the best, and if you dont know who he is you should.
Support:
They have a great website and respond to emails.
Overall:
It is not replacable
Product is excellent
Quality:
Works perfectly
Value:
If you can only buy one thing make it this or a 610 preamp.
Desirability:
Please read "professional" reviews of this product they know more than me or the moron who ripped this product in the other review. I love it som much i just had to defend the company. They are the leaders of the pack and affordable(sub $3000) digital and analog audio products!!!!!!!!!!
Sound:
The sound is incomparable. Frank Filipetti says they are the best, and if you dont know who he is you should.
Support:
They have a great website and respond to emails.
Overall:
It is not replacable
"READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY ONE OF THESE"
Feature:
I think Universal Audio is wack for not including all their available plugins for the Studio Pak. I paid $1,000 for this thing and every time they come out with a new plugin they want me to buy it. And they aren't cheap! So yes, the card has a lot of features, but it could easily have more if UA wasn't so greedy. Not a musician-friendly company IMO.
Quality:
In all fairness the card is well built and uses quality components as far as I can tell. I've never had any problems with mine in this respect.
Value:
I think the product is WAY overpriced. Why? Because I have a 3GHZ, 2GB RAM system running top quality components all the way around and after using several plugins my CPU use is at about 80%. Oh yes, this baby is a RESOURCE HOG!! You would think that given it's "hardware" status (and all the hype about it not taxing the CPU) that it would be an economical solution in terms of CPU overhead, but that is NOT the case. And God forbid you use a few instances of Nigel. You will immediately begin to hear crackles and pops. What's worse is that when you MIXDOWN your audio files in Cubase SX (I have Cubase SX3) that use UAD-1 effects, it's a total crapshoot. Often times you will have all kinds of static and crackles and pops in the output and this has been echoed in the Cubase forums on MANY occasions. Thereis now apparently some workaround that mitigates this, but it goes to show the product is far from perfect/stable.
Desirability:
This is a very mediocre product despite the hype and marketing to the contrary. Trust me on this. There is a reason UAD-1 has multi card support - think about it. In order to really get the most out of these effects in a REAL WORLD song project, you're going to need about three of these cards installed and that is not an exaggeration. Don't believe the hype on these cards, folks. One card will get you at most three effects on a high-powered system.
Sound:
I think the sound is good.. but don't get caught up in the comparisons to the hardware counterparts. These very loosely emulate hardware, but by no means are as warm, fat and wonderful as the real things. Waves plugins are every bit as good as these plugins. Truly, the difference in quality (to my ears) is negligible. Also, it's difficult to rate the sound because it really depends on what you feed the card and the quality of your signal. One thing is for sure, though, crackles and abnormal noises are very commonplace with these cards and don't let anyone tell you different.
Support:
Pretty good support - especially on the UAD1 forums. In my experience, and granted this was a couple of years ago when I had the previous version of UAD-1, i never got any real nice responses from UA when I emailed them. They practice brevity and would rather you count on other users in the forums - in my experience.
Overall:
Overall this is just another middle of the road product that promises to be the solution to all of your problems but doesn't even come close to delivering - unless you have the money to buy several of them. No, I would NEVER buy another one. In fact, I JUST sold mine on eBay a few minutes ago (that's why i waited to write this review as a matter of fact) and I'm using Waves plugins now and they are fantastic - and use about the same system overhead in terms of CPU and RAM.. with no crackles, pops or other abnormalities.
I think Universal Audio is wack for not including all their available plugins for the Studio Pak. I paid $1,000 for this thing and every time they come out with a new plugin they want me to buy it. And they aren't cheap! So yes, the card has a lot of features, but it could easily have more if UA wasn't so greedy. Not a musician-friendly company IMO.
Quality:
In all fairness the card is well built and uses quality components as far as I can tell. I've never had any problems with mine in this respect.
Value:
I think the product is WAY overpriced. Why? Because I have a 3GHZ, 2GB RAM system running top quality components all the way around and after using several plugins my CPU use is at about 80%. Oh yes, this baby is a RESOURCE HOG!! You would think that given it's "hardware" status (and all the hype about it not taxing the CPU) that it would be an economical solution in terms of CPU overhead, but that is NOT the case. And God forbid you use a few instances of Nigel. You will immediately begin to hear crackles and pops. What's worse is that when you MIXDOWN your audio files in Cubase SX (I have Cubase SX3) that use UAD-1 effects, it's a total crapshoot. Often times you will have all kinds of static and crackles and pops in the output and this has been echoed in the Cubase forums on MANY occasions. Thereis now apparently some workaround that mitigates this, but it goes to show the product is far from perfect/stable.
Desirability:
This is a very mediocre product despite the hype and marketing to the contrary. Trust me on this. There is a reason UAD-1 has multi card support - think about it. In order to really get the most out of these effects in a REAL WORLD song project, you're going to need about three of these cards installed and that is not an exaggeration. Don't believe the hype on these cards, folks. One card will get you at most three effects on a high-powered system.
Sound:
I think the sound is good.. but don't get caught up in the comparisons to the hardware counterparts. These very loosely emulate hardware, but by no means are as warm, fat and wonderful as the real things. Waves plugins are every bit as good as these plugins. Truly, the difference in quality (to my ears) is negligible. Also, it's difficult to rate the sound because it really depends on what you feed the card and the quality of your signal. One thing is for sure, though, crackles and abnormal noises are very commonplace with these cards and don't let anyone tell you different.
Support:
Pretty good support - especially on the UAD1 forums. In my experience, and granted this was a couple of years ago when I had the previous version of UAD-1, i never got any real nice responses from UA when I emailed them. They practice brevity and would rather you count on other users in the forums - in my experience.
Overall:
Overall this is just another middle of the road product that promises to be the solution to all of your problems but doesn't even come close to delivering - unless you have the money to buy several of them. No, I would NEVER buy another one. In fact, I JUST sold mine on eBay a few minutes ago (that's why i waited to write this review as a matter of fact) and I'm using Waves plugins now and they are fantastic - and use about the same system overhead in terms of CPU and RAM.. with no crackles, pops or other abnormalities.
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