# UAD Spark



## mixedmoods (Mar 23, 2022)

Aaaaand another edition of mysterious teaser announcements we all love so much. 
(This time at least with a pretty knowledgeable music choice ...)


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## FireGS (Mar 23, 2022)




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## redlester (Mar 23, 2022)

UAD still don’t support Monterey for their audio interfaces, nor are they M1 native. I wish they would sort all that out first.


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## artomatic (Mar 23, 2022)

redlester said:


> UAD still don’t support Monterey for their audio interfaces, nor are they M1 native. I wish they would sort all that out first.



This!! ^^


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## mixedmoods (Mar 23, 2022)

artomatic said:


> This!! ^^


I am using their VST plugins on my M1 (Monterey) in native mode without any problems. As far as I understood only Console and a very few plugins are not converted yet.


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## anp27 (Mar 23, 2022)

That’s right, the plugins are native, Console is not (at the moment). 

Based on the patent filing UAD Spark sounds like it might be some sort of cloud based sample manager + Sampler? It’s definitely an app of some sort


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## KEM (Mar 23, 2022)

anp27 said:


> That’s right, the plugins are native, Console is not (at the moment).
> 
> Based on the patent filing UAD Spark sounds like it might be some sort of cloud based sample manager + Sampler? It’s definitely an app of some sort



Well that sucks, I was planning on getting an Apollo after my Mac Studio comes in, I don’t care about their plugins at all, I just care about the console since I’ll be recording guitars


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## anp27 (Mar 23, 2022)

KEM said:


> Well that sucks, I was planning on getting an Apollo after my Mac Studio comes in, I don’t care about their plugins at all, I just care about the console since I’ll be recording guitars


I mean they’re still working on native compatibility and the fact that the plugins have been ported over is a good sign. I think it’s only a matter of time, should be soon.


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## Fidelity (Mar 23, 2022)

Triphop vibes detected. Clearly a line of plugins that will make you sound like Massive Attack. Shut up and take my money.


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## mixedmoods (Mar 23, 2022)




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## Fidelity (Mar 23, 2022)

mixedmoods said:


>



I stand corrected. Guess such things were just one of many inspirations (moreso for groups like Zero 7).


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## mixedmoods (Mar 23, 2022)

Fidelity said:


> I stand corrected. Guess such things were just one of many inspirations (moreso for groups like Zero 7).


Absolutely! Also for "Air" I guess ...
There is even a cover version by Kirk Degiorgio's "Beauty Room" band project of this one.
Such a timeless tune ...


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## Paylight (Mar 30, 2022)

A NATIVE collection of legendary studio hardware and instrument plug‑ins for a low monthly price.

UAD Spark plug‑ins run on your Mac. No UA hardware required. (Windows coming Fall 2022).









UAD Spark


UAD Spark gives you a collection of iconic analog hardware and instrument plug-ins for a low monthly subscription price.




spark.uaudio.com


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## KEM (Mar 30, 2022)

Complete waste of money


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## charlieclouser (Mar 30, 2022)

Aww yeah, great news for those who already have a bunch of UAD plugins....


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## Fidelity (Mar 30, 2022)

Paylight said:


> A NATIVE collection of legendary studio hardware and instrument plug‑ins for a low monthly price.
> 
> UAD Spark plug‑ins run on your Mac. No UA hardware required. (Windows coming Fall 2022).
> 
> ...


This part gets me excited tho:






Native versions, guys. NATIVE VERSIONS!


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## Fidelity (Mar 30, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> Aww yeah, great news for those who already have a bunch of UAD plugins....


I'd say jinx, but you have jigsaw as your pfp so I'm just going to back away slowly. Holy shirt though, the coincidence.


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## Bee_Abney (Mar 30, 2022)

KEM said:


> Complete waste of money


Are they not good? They seem to cover the key bases.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Mar 30, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Are they not good? They seem to cover the key bases.


They’re very good - not necessarily better than other options (that’s subjective), but they are very good.


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## FireGS (Mar 30, 2022)

No PC till fall.  No M1 support with no timetable.


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## easyrider (Mar 30, 2022)

UAD moves from Sharc dongle to Ilok!


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## charlieclouser (Mar 30, 2022)

These UAD-X native plugins are Mac only (for now), Catalina and up required, M1 supported (but Rosetta), and the sample-based instruments require an SSD formatted as APFS for sample storage. 

And they're iLok protected, which I actually prefer. They say hardware key or iLok Cloud, and while they don't say machine-based authorization is supported I'm not sure if this is implied with iLok Cloud compatibility.

So... pretty good. Looks like I get a ton of free native UA plugs!


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## KEM (Mar 30, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> Are they not good? They seem to cover the key bases.



Their plugins are great, but $20 a month for like 10 plugins? Terrible value, you’ll get a lot more for your money with Slate or Plugin Alliance


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## ALittleNightMusic (Mar 30, 2022)

Given owners of the DSP versions get the native variants for free, this move makes it more likely that I will buy more UAD plugins. Best of both worlds. And yes, there’s still benefits to run some plugins on the hardware DSP.


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## charlieclouser (Mar 30, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> Given owners of the DSP versions get the native variants for free, this move makes it more likely that I will buy more UAD plugins. Best of both worlds. And yes, there’s still benefits to run some plugins on the hardware DSP.


Exactly. I've been slowly buying into the UAD DSP plugins for more than ten years, since UAD-1 Quad PCIe (now I have Octo TB), and using coupons and sales whenever possible, so I have almost everything by now. Getting free native versions is an awesome thank-you for years of "add-to-cart-ing".


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## Virtuoso (Mar 30, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> They say hardware key or iLok Cloud, and while they don't say machine-based authorization is supported I'm not sure if this is implied with iLok Cloud compatibility.


No machine licensing unfortunately, which means you need a dongle or a permanent dependable internet connection. With iLok Cloud, if your internet goes down, you have around 10 minutes before plugins/instruments stop working. VSL went the same way with their iLok transition. I guess it's on Pace to improve their machine licensing product to the point where their clients can actually trust it.

I think this is generally a great release! I've been griping since the UA VIs came out that they're Luna-only which made no sense as it's not exactly a composer's DAW. Now you can use them in any DAW!

The odd discrepancies are that the UADx plugins are VST3 but UAD2 is still VST2. And UAD2 is M1 Native but UADx currently runs under Rosetta.


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## AdamKmusic (Mar 30, 2022)

I like being able to use my current plugins natively meaning if I were to move away from UAD interfaces its not money wasted! But I'm a bit frustrated that windows is again an after thought for UAD!


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## charlieclouser (Mar 30, 2022)

Virtuoso said:


> No machine licensing unfortunately, which means you need a dongle or a permanent dependable internet connection. With iLok Cloud, if your internet goes down, you have around 10 minutes before plugins/instruments stop working. VSL went the same way with their iLok transition. I guess it's on Pace to improve their machine licensing product to the point where their clients can actually trust it.


Oof. Well, no machine licensing is a bummer I guess. Not for me, since I actually prefer the hardware iLok with ZDT, so if a boot drive goes down it's no hassle to recover authorizations, but I get why some folks like it.


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## Michael Antrum (Mar 30, 2022)

I've just tested positive for covid (happily, the symptoms are a light cold) so I've been stuck at home for a bit, and it seems that the timing matches a lot of upgrades that have just been unleashed.

First of all, I've just updated all my VSL libraries to the new iLok versions. Then I get this update from UAudio which means I have now finally updated my Mac to Monterey. 

(My broadband provider has been thrilled with my bandwidth use, I'm sure)

Only issue I'm having are that none of my purchased UA plugins are showing up in the new UAconnect app.......

Ah well, I'll revisit it in a while when things are more settled, as it appears I am not alone in this.....

It seems iLok are having a good year !


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## Bee_Abney (Mar 30, 2022)

Michael Antrum said:


> I've just tested positive for covid (happily, the symptoms are a light cold) so I've been stuck at home for a bit, and it seems that the timing matches a lot of upgrades that have just been unleashed.
> 
> First of all, I've just updated all my VSL libraries to the new iLok versions. Then I get this update from UAudio which means I have now finally updated my Mac to Monterey.
> 
> ...



I hope you get well soon and, with scarcely lower priority, that your plugins show up!


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## mscp (Mar 30, 2022)

Michael Antrum said:


> I've just tested positive for covid (happily, the symptoms are a light cold) so I've been stuck at home for a bit, and it seems that the timing matches a lot of upgrades that have just been unleashed.
> 
> First of all, I've just updated all my VSL libraries to the new iLok versions. Then I get this update from UAudio which means I have now finally updated my Mac to Monterey.
> 
> ...


Do the players also get updated or are they the same build?


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## AudioLoco (Mar 31, 2022)

But weren't those special external magical chips the getaway to superior quality plugins??


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## Michael Antrum (Mar 31, 2022)

AudioLoco said:


> But weren't those special external magical chips the getaway to superior quality plugins??


No - they were there for latency reasons, but of course with modern CPU's that's not so much the case these days. I do like their Unison technology though. I think Native Plug-ins have been on the Horizon for some times and in fact it might be apt to ask what took them so long.



mscp said:


> Do the players also get updated or are they the same build?


From what I understand there are two types of plug-ins now:

UAD2 which run on Sharc chips and present themselves as M1 native. They are also VST2

UADx which are the native plugins and do not require UAD hardware. There are VST3, but are not M1 native as yet.

So it seems there is still aways to go for them....we only got Monterey support yesterday...

Still, most of their target market are not ones to upgrade everything the instant it comes out....


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## davidson (Mar 31, 2022)

I can't tell what you get with the subscription, is it everything UAD have in their library or is it just a selection?


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## Michael Antrum (Mar 31, 2022)

davidson said:


> I can't tell what you get with the subscription, is it everything UAD have in their library or is it just a selection?


They have only converted 17 plug-ins to UADx (native) as of now - so that's all you will get until more are added. I am assuming they plan to convert them all, but that will take time.


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## mscp (Mar 31, 2022)

Michael Antrum said:


> No - they were there for latency reasons, but of course with modern CPU's that's not so much the case these days. I do like their Unison technology though. I think Native Plug-ins have been on the Horizon for some times and in fact it might be apt to ask what took them so long.
> 
> 
> From what I understand there are two types of plug-ins now:
> ...


I meant the VSL players. hehe.


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## windshore (Mar 31, 2022)

I'm a bit confused. Are they saying I can have my plugins in native form - and not pay the $20 a month? Unless I get more?


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## charlieclouser (Mar 31, 2022)

windshore said:


> I'm a bit confused. Are they saying I can have my plugins in native form - and not pay the $20 a month? Unless I get more?


I believe that is the deal. I own a ton of UAD plugs for my Octo Satellite Thunderbolt, and I just got an email from UA saying "Your free UAD Spark Plug-Ins are waiting". Haven't downloaded yet tho...


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## windshore (Mar 31, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> I believe that is the deal. I own a ton of UAD plugs for my Octo Satellite Thunderbolt, and I just got an email from UA saying "Your free UAD Spark Plug-Ins are waiting". Haven't downloaded yet tho...


I haven't either, but I'm assuming that once I download and install UA Connect and Spark, I'm in the 14 day trial period... not a free usage...? Anyone try it yet?


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## Fidelity (Mar 31, 2022)

windshore said:


> I haven't either, but I'm assuming that once I download and install UA Connect and Spark, I'm in the 14 day trial period... not a free usage...? Anyone try it yet?


The 14-day trial period is for the monthly sub. The plugins you own will appear slowly in the app and are free to use. I just got my first license today (stoked that it was the 224) after installing the app and adding my iLok account yesterday.


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## jazzman7 (Mar 31, 2022)

mixedmoods said:


>



O wow! Had almost forgot this old school piece of badassery! This was on my turntable almost constantly back in the day as well as Moraz's The Story of i. Thanks for the reminder!


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## windshore (Mar 31, 2022)

Fidelity said:


> The 14-day trial period is for the monthly sub. The plugins you own will appear slowly in the app and are free to use. I just got my first license today (stoked that it was the 224) after installing the app and adding my iLok account yesterday.


OK, so it looks like you have access without the subscription. great! 

It's a weird strategy. Why would I buy their interfaces now. I have been wanting to move away from Avid Omni, but I'm not excited about buying an Apollo 6 or Apollo 8 with Sharc chips that are old and slow compared to what will be native on my new Mac Studio! ugh


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## ALittleNightMusic (Mar 31, 2022)

windshore said:


> OK, so it looks like you have access without the subscription. great!
> 
> It's a weird strategy. Why would I buy their interfaces now. I have been wanting to move away from Avid Omni, but I'm not excited about buying an Apollo 6 or Apollo 8 with Sharc chips that are old and slow compared to what will be native on my new Mac Studio! ugh



Yes, I don't have the subscription and just got my licenses for 11 of the 13 plugins in the subscription so far (because I own them). So it is really great for current UAD owners - and I think will become great for non-owners as they add more plugins to the sub (though they already have some of the big ones). I'd rather pay the $150 a year (instead of $20 / month) - and would rather pay for a sub with quality over the quantity (unlike some other plugin subs that pump out a plugin each month).

There are still reasons to run the DSP versions - tracking purposes or stability purposes in very heavy sessions. But yeah, limited compared to running the UADx native versions - which I think is the point and why this is a great move.


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## Fidelity (Mar 31, 2022)

windshore said:


> OK, so it looks like you have access without the subscription. great!
> 
> It's a weird strategy. Why would I buy their interfaces now. I have been wanting to move away from Avid Omni, but I'm not excited about buying an Apollo 6 or Apollo 8 with Sharc chips that are old and slow compared to what will be native on my new Mac Studio! ugh


The interfaces still provide zero latency effects on the inputs and have that unison preamp thing going on, plus they're more or less rock solid. Still thinking about selling my Apollo Twin since I don't use the inputs tho...


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## alcorey (Mar 31, 2022)

I think this still matters somewhat - from their site...​
How does UADx differ from UAD-2?​UADx plugins run on your computer's processor and therefore do not require that a UAD-2 device be connected to the computer to function.

On the other hand, UAD-2 plug-in processing is handled by UAD-2 device’s internal DSP accelerator cores. This allows for features like zero-latency monitoring (with Apollo interfaces) and reduces strain on your computer’s CPU. However, UAD-2 plug-ins require that a UAD-2 device be connected to the computer in order to use them.


It's kinda weird...almost like they're willing to kill a lot of their hardware sales for this subscription model. 

And will the subscription eventually include "all" of their plug-ins for $19.99 a month or $149 a year?


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## David Kudell (Mar 31, 2022)

So if I have no UAD hardware and I want to purchase a native version of one of their plugins (without subscribing to Spark), can I buy the UAD-2 version even if I don’t have the UAD hardware?


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## ALittleNightMusic (Mar 31, 2022)

alcorey said:


> I think this still matters somewhat - from their site...​
> How does UADx differ from UAD-2?​UADx plugins run on your computer's processor and therefore do not require that a UAD-2 device be connected to the computer to function.
> 
> On the other hand, UAD-2 plug-in processing is handled by UAD-2 device’s internal DSP accelerator cores. This allows for features like zero-latency monitoring (with Apollo interfaces) and reduces strain on your computer’s CPU. However, UAD-2 plug-ins require that a UAD-2 device be connected to the computer in order to use them.
> ...


I think UA has full confidence in their hardware’s ability to sell regardless of how people choose to run their plugins. Also, there are people / studios that still value the hardware DSP. Plain and simple.

Only time will tell what UA ports over but it is confirmed it’ll be more than the initial 17.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Mar 31, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> So if I have no UAD hardware and I want to purchase a native version of one of their plugins (without subscribing to Spark), can I buy the UAD-2 version even if I don’t have the UAD hardware?


No - at least not right now. Subscription only.


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## David Kudell (Mar 31, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> No - at least not right now. Subscription only.


Hmmm…but you get it if you already have the UAD-2 version. Do they check that you own the hardware?


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## alcorey (Mar 31, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> Hmmm…but you get it if you already have the UAD-2 version. Do they check that you own the hardware?


They know if you own the hardware through your account profile - you have to set up an account and that shows "everything" you own or have license to use


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## easyrider (Apr 1, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> Hmmm…but you get it if you already have the UAD-2 version. Do they check that you own the hardware?









Yes….


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## clintowenellis (Apr 1, 2022)

I was a little confused when I received the E-mail. I own/use an Apollo Twin and a few of their plugins - what are the benefits for me getting the Native versions? Is it only so in the future if I'm not using a UA interface I can still use the plugins?


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## mixedmoods (Apr 1, 2022)

clintowenellis said:


> I was a little confused when I received the E-mail. I own/use an Apollo Twin and a few of their plugins - what are the benefits for me getting the Native versions? Is it only so in the future if I'm not using a UA interface I can still use the plugins?


Yes, and in case you're running out of DSP power of your Twin, you can still use those plug-ins additionally.


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## AudioLoco (Apr 1, 2022)

easyrider said:


> Yes….


Wow so basically the hardware dongle thing is still on.... not for tech reasons....
(correct?)
Sneaky


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## guerrax (Apr 1, 2022)

Up to now only the L224 is showing up here. The LA2A & 1176 are missing. Is it me or some the plugins you own are missing ?


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## easyrider (Apr 1, 2022)

AudioLoco said:


> Wow so basically the hardware dongle thing is still on.... not for tech reasons....
> (correct?)
> Sneaky


UADx is a subscription….if you want UADx versions of the plugins you have then you would have already bought the hardware….

But you can’t buy UADx plugins outright….nor the UAD2 versions without the hardware…

I‘ll do the free trial when it comes available on windows then compare UAD with the plugins I already have and see what all the fuss is about…..if they don’t blow my mind I’ll move on….if they are the second coming I may buy into the eco system…..but at least Spark allows you to trial the plugins without Shelling out on a UAD interface.


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## mixedmoods (Apr 1, 2022)

AudioLoco said:


> Wow so basically the hardware dongle thing is still on.... not for tech reasons....
> (correct?)
> Sneaky


But still you *can* do the subscription without any UA hardware.
(If that was what you ment ...)


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## AudioLoco (Apr 1, 2022)

easyrider said:


> UADx is a subscription….if you want UADx versions of the plugins you have then you would have already bought the hardware….
> 
> But you can’t buy UADx plugins outright….nor the UAD2 versions without the hardware…
> 
> I‘ll do the free trial when it comes available on windows then compare UAD with the plugins I already have and see what all the fuss is about…..if they don’t blow my mind I’ll move on….if they are the second coming I may buy into the eco system…..but at least Spark allows you to trial the plugins without Shelling out on a UAD interface.


I have tried most of them in other studios as I have been very curious about the fuss.
Apart from the EMT140 which is a 20 year old plugin more or less, the only one that gives me envy and that doesn't exist as an alternative outside UAD is Ocean Way, which is amazingballs.
All the rest has equal or better alternatives elsewhere. 
(InmyopinionInmyopinionInmyopinionInmyopinion)

I would have been interested in purchasing Ocean Way Native but there is no way in the world I'd pay a subscription for anything. Ever.


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## playz123 (Apr 1, 2022)

guerrax said:


> Up to now only the L224 is showing up here. The LA2A & 1176 are missing. Is it me or some the plugins you own are missing ?


It‘s been reported it can take up to 4 days for all your plugins to appear and be ready for activation, after you first “Connect”. Their servers are being slammed so patience required.


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## berto (Apr 1, 2022)

windshore said:


> I'm a bit confused. Are they saying I can have my plugins in native form - and not pay the $20 a month? Unless I get more?


I have 30some UAD plugins and only one which is included in the current membership catalog is available for me to use as native. All the ones that have not been "converted" or "included" won't be available as native. I have not paid the subscription but i have the native version of one plug in.


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## redlester (Apr 1, 2022)

clintowenellis said:


> I was a little confused when I received the E-mail. I own/use an Apollo Twin and a few of their plugins - what are the benefits for me getting the Native versions?


I can see a benefit for me, as an existing Apollo owner. Ever since the launch of Luna I've wanted the UAD Minimoog, but it only works in DSP format on Luna itself, which I don't use.

However, if I now buy it I will be able to use the UADx version of it in Logic and Ableton. Ditto the new B3 Luna instrument they just released.


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## gsilbers (Apr 1, 2022)

AudioLoco said:


> I have tried most of them in other studios as I have been very curious about the fuss.
> Apart from the EMT140 which is a 20 year old plugin more or less, the only one that gives me envy and that doesn't exist as an alternative outside UAD is Ocean Way, which is amazingballs.
> All the rest has equal or better alternatives elsewhere.
> (InmyopinionInmyopinionInmyopinionInmyopinion)
> ...



glad you only had to do a free trial while i spent like $1000 on the dsp to come to the same conclusion 
And having to keep checking on dsp juice to see if i could use TWO of the SAME plugins. 
As long it has a nice pretty logo on the front of the GUI.. thats all it takes to make a plugin SOUND better to many folks at gearspace.


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## gsilbers (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> I think this still matters somewhat - from their site...​
> How does UADx differ from UAD-2?​UADx plugins run on your computer's processor and therefore do not require that a UAD-2 device be connected to the computer to function.
> 
> On the other hand, UAD-2 plug-in processing is handled by UAD-2 device’s internal DSP accelerator cores. This allows for features like zero-latency monitoring (with Apollo interfaces) and reduces strain on your computer’s CPU. *However*, UAD-2 plug-ins require that a UAD-2 device be connected to the computer in order to use them.
> ...


I think that HOWEVER is confusing. uad2 requires the hardware so its not a choice where a _however_ should be metnione or just the way its phrased is confusing. could just be two bullet points and done. 

uadx uses computer cpu and doesnt need uad hardware connected. 
uad2 uses UAD hardware DSP and needs the UAD hardware connected. 
(marketing stuff to sell dsp hardware here)


UAD just figured out something Avid/pro tools figured out like 10 years ago. eventially this was going to happen. 
And their volt series seems to be the future. low cost to manufacture and attach subscriptions to entice sales. 
might be more profit per sale this way. 

The zero latency on uad interfaces might be selling point for many. apollo sells mainly as high end good quality interfaces on its own w/o the dsp part imo. Since SSL came out with the low end interface AND making its own plugins, i guess uad needed to step it up in this market which presonus and motu has been struggling and focusrite is still king. (from what im seeing)


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## kgdrum (Apr 1, 2022)

Well I’m happy to say all of the available plugins were located and available to install within about one minute!
I’m using a Mac Pro 5,1 Mojave and it’s all working,this looks like a great move by UA. I only have a Quad and Octo card so being able to spread out some of the processing to the Mac will be wonderful.
I hope UA continues to port the entire UA plugin lineup so the plugins can be used natively,the potential of this move is imo ENORMOUS!


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## thebeesknees22 (Apr 1, 2022)

I'm happy with the move UA made. I'm still waiting for a few of my uad2 plugins to show up as uadx. The ones that are fine. No issues otherwise. It's great to finally have the option to use the uadx if i'm hitting my limit with uad2 (or vice versa)


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## rrichard63 (Apr 1, 2022)

Do I understand correctly that (1) if you don't like subscriptions, then you need the hardware, and (2) if you don't want to pay for the hardware, then you have to pay for a subscription, and (3) if you do have the hardware, then you can use the plugins natively as well as on the hardware?

That is, after they release native versions of everything for both Mac and Windows.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 1, 2022)

rrichard63 said:


> Do I understand correctly that (1) if you don't like subscriptions, then you need the hardware, and (2) if you don't want to pay for the hardware, then you have to pay for a subscription, and (3) if you do have the hardware, then you can use the plugins natively as well as on the hardware?
> 
> That is, after they release native versions of everything for both Mac and Windows.



Right now, yes, that's right in a sense. For 1, it's TBD which of the current DSP plugins they migrate over to native and which native plugins will be exclusively available natively. For 2, once again, for the migrated ones so far - which will increase in the coming months.

It is similar to the Slate subscription if you don't own any UA hardware.


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

I'm running 2 PCI cards on my desktop to use the 48 UAD plug-ins that I own and I don't know if the UADX plug-ins will benefit me so much on the desktop.

BUT - I just realized I can now install those UADX plug-ins on my MacBook Pro where I did not have access to them previously because of my hardware being confined to my desktop.

So - this is really a great thing for me - Without having to pay a subscription fee!!!


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## Fidelity (Apr 1, 2022)

redlester said:


> I can see a benefit for me, as an existing Apollo owner. Ever since the launch of Luna I've wanted the UAD Minimoog, but it only works in DSP format on Luna itself, which I don't use.
> 
> However, if I now buy it I will be able to use the UADx version of it in Logic and Ableton. Ditto the new B3 Luna instrument they just released.


RIP our wallets. Already eyeballing Ravel.


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## guerrax (Apr 1, 2022)

guerrax said:


> Up to now only the L224 is showing up here. The LA2A & 1176 are missing. Is it me or some the plugins you own are missing ?


All the other plugins went back in the UA connect list tonight. I can register and download them. I needed to mention this


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## rrichard63 (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> I just realized I can now install those UADX plug-ins on my MacBook Pro where I did not have access to them previously because of my hardware being confined to my desktop.


Before counting on this, I would try it to make sure it works. It's possible to code the installer and/or the plugins themselves to check for the presence of UA hardware as well for their iLok licenses.


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## Fidelity (Apr 1, 2022)

guerrax said:


> All the other plugins went back in the UA connect list tonight. I can register and download them. I needed to mention this


Lucky you. Mine haven't shown up yet. Might not be available for "Legacy" owners.


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

rrichard63 said:


> Before counting on this, I would try it to make sure it works. It's possible to code the installer and/or the plugins themselves to check for the presence of UA hardware as well for their iLok licenses.


Good Point rrichard63. I will give it a go this weekend and see what happens - I'll report back to let you all know.


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## kgdrum (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> I'm running 2 PCI cards on my desktop to use the 48 UAD plug-ins that I own and I don't know if the UADX plug-ins will benefit me so much on the desktop.
> 
> BUT - I just realized I can now install those UADX plug-ins on my MacBook Pro where I did not have access to them previously because of my hardware being confined to my desktop.
> 
> So - this is really a great thing for me - Without having to pay a subscription fee!!!




I have a quad and an octo card and I definitely will enjoy the ability to utilize more effects without maxing out the cards.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 1, 2022)

I have an Apollo x6 and still plan to use the DSP plugins for any incoming audio (vocals, piano, guitar, etc). Love that workflow. I also like using the DSP for my master bus chain since I can load up the heavy plugins there but my session CPU is unaffected. And then I'll be using the native UADx for per-track treatments (which is why it is nice to see then LA-2As, 1176s, channel strips part of the initial migration batch). I might also put some reverbs on the DSP and treat it like the old school external reverb devices. UA reverbs are pretty tasty (and CPU hungry as expected).


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## AndrewS (Apr 1, 2022)

mixedmoods said:


> Yes, and in case you're running out of DSP power of your Twin, you can still use those plug-ins additionally.


Sweet, with a Studio Ultra that's at least 2 more Massive Passives


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## redlester (Apr 1, 2022)

Fidelity said:


> RIP our wallets. Already eyeballing Ravel.


You can say that again. Have been demoing the Minimoog in Ableton tonight and it's wonderful. Even just with the default patch it has that almost intangible something in the sound that the Arturia and others get close to but don't quite manage.

I've had the LA2A, 1176, the Galaxy and the Lexicon come through on UA Connect, am just waiting for the Studer A800 to show up.


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> I'm running 2 PCI cards on my desktop to use the 48 UAD plug-ins that I own and I don't know if the UADX plug-ins will benefit me so much on the desktop.
> 
> BUT - I just realized I can now install those UADX plug-ins on my MacBook Pro where I did not have access to them previously because of my hardware being confined to my desktop.
> 
> So - this is really a great thing for me - Without having to pay a subscription fee!!!





rrichard63 said:


> Before counting on this, I would try it to make sure it works. It's possible to code the installer and/or the plugins themselves to check for the presence of UA hardware as well for their iLok licenses.


Loaded up the UAD software and UA Connect on the MB Pro and voila! So it does work out that way!!






It only downloaded the Galaxy Tape Echo and the 1176 Classic Limiter Collection though - on both the desktop and the MB Pro.
I also own the Lexicon 224, The Neve 1073 and the Studer 800 which are already ported to UADX but they are not showing up in UA Connect?

I may have to contact UA to find out why.

Anybody have these downloaded as UADX plugs yet?


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## kgdrum (Apr 1, 2022)

I’m also waiting for the Studer………


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> Loaded up the UAD software and UA Connect on the MB Pro and voila! So it does work out that way!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have downloaded them but the licenses are slowly being rolled out. Their servers are slammed.


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## Michael Antrum (Apr 1, 2022)

Studer is missing for me too, but I do have the Neve 1073.


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## charlieclouser (Apr 1, 2022)

Does anyone have the UA MiniMoog plugin and can answer a question? I'm curious whether it *only* works within Luna, or can be used as a normal AU / VST within our regular DAW software?

This information is not explicitly made clear on the UA site. MiniMoog is listed under the category "Luna Extensions and UAD Instruments" but there's no actual clarity on whether it's Luna-only or what.

If I can buy it to run inside Logic on my UAD Satellite Octo Thunderbolt DSP, and then get a free native version, I am in.


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

Michael Antrum said:


> Studer is missing for me too, but I do have the Neve 1073.


I have just read on the UA website that the rollout is expected to be completed by April 4th and if you haven't been able to get the plug-ins that should be available to you to please wait until at least the 4th before contacting them - so I will just wait and see what happens


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> Does anyone have the UA MiniMoog plugin and can answer a question? I'm curious whether it *only* works within Luna, or can be used as a normal AU / VST within our regular DAW software?
> 
> This information is not explicitly made clear on the UA site. MiniMoog is listed under the category "Luna Extensions and UAD Instruments" but there's no actual clarity on whether it's Luna-only or what.
> 
> If I can buy it to run inside Logic on my UAD Satellite Octo Thunderbolt DSP, and then get a free native version, I am in.


Yeah it's a little vague but this sentence from the UA site seems to point to it being only available to Luna or an Apollo interface users 

Developed in partnership with Moog Music, and available exclusively for LUNA Recording System and Apollo interfaces, the Moog Minimoog UAD Instrument thoroughly captures every nuance, anomaly, and quirk of the original hardware using Universal Audio's industry-leading expertise in circuit modeling, synthesis, and signal processing.​


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## Michael Antrum (Apr 1, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> Does anyone have the UA MiniMoog plugin and can answer a question? I'm curious whether it *only* works within Luna, or can be used as a normal AU / VST within our regular DAW software?
> 
> This information is not explicitly made clear on the UA site. MiniMoog is listed under the category "Luna Extensions and UAD Instruments" but there's no actual clarity on whether it's Luna-only or what.
> 
> If I can buy it to run inside Logic on my UAD Satellite Octo Thunderbolt DSP, and then get a free native version, I am in.


I ran a trial version of Ravel inside Cubase with no issue, so I’d expect the same with the MiniMoog….


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## Virtuoso (Apr 1, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> Does anyone have the UA MiniMoog plugin and can answer a question? I'm curious whether it *only* works within Luna, or can be used as a normal AU / VST within our regular DAW software?


Yes - it's now available as an AU and VST3, so it works fine in other DAWs - no need for Luna.

Like all the UA instruments and UADx plugins though, it does NOT run on your UA DSP. Only on your CPU.


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

Virtuoso said:


> Yes - it's now available as an AU and VST3, so it works fine in other DAWs - no need for Luna.
> 
> Like all the UA instruments and UADx plugins though, it does NOT run on your UA DSP. Only on your CPU.


How do you get that?
When I go to purchase it this is what I get....and it also states that you need an Apollo to even get the LUNA software


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## easyrider (Apr 1, 2022)

24 Tracks API Vision UADx 9% cpu on 10 core i9

24 Tracks UAD2 API Vision 86% DSP on Octo



Just goes to show how crap and outdated the sharc processors are….UAD have Milked it for years but I’m pretty sure UAD2 is dead now….I mean who would invest $1200 on an Octo Satalite now?


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## charlieclouser (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> How do you get that?
> When I go to purchase it this is what I get....and it also states that you need an Apollo to even get the LUNA software


Yeah, that's what I get too. I only have a UAD Octo TB box, no Apollo or other UA interfaces.


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## charlieclouser (Apr 1, 2022)

easyrider said:


> Just goes to show how crap and outdated the sharc processors are….UAD have Milked it for years but I’m pretty sure UAD2 is dead now….I mean who would invest $1200 on an Octo Satalite now?


Exactly. My Octo is almost ten years old, so no biggie. And if they came out with a DSP box that was at least 8x the Octo, I might consider it. But M1 chips with UADx Native are going to destroy any dedicated DSP for normal plugin use. I realize there is a use case for dedicated DSP so you can apply plugs with "zero" latency while tracking, and use their Console software, etc. But none of that matters to me. So, native it is!


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## David Kudell (Apr 1, 2022)

The subscription only thing is a hard pass for me. Its not even the cost, it’s the mental calisthenics required when opening old projects only to be blindsided by stuff needing to be re-subscribed to. Composer cloud, Output Arcade, iZotope, now UAD. I could see myself slapping these plugins all over my projects then one day switching to better plug-ins, then be stuck in a kind of activation hell any time I need to open old projects. But that’s just me. 😅
Hopefully they’ll allow a purchase option in the future for the native plugins.


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## ennbr (Apr 1, 2022)

David Kudell said:


> Hopefully they’ll allow a purchase option in the future for the native plugins


you can if you own UAD hardware and have purchased the plugins that are offered the native versions are free


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> Exactly. My Octo is almost ten years old, so no biggie. And if they came out with a DSP box that was at least 8x the Octo, I might consider it. But M1 chips with UADx Native are going to destroy any dedicated DSP for normal plugin use. I realize there is a use case for dedicated DSP so you can apply plugs with "zero" latency while tracking, and use their Console software, etc. But none of that matters to me. So, native it is!


So are you going to subscribe or just use the UADX plug-ins that you get free for what you already own?


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

I recall it taking UAD about 2 years just to move from 32 bit to 64 bit - there was a ton of bellyaching over it. 
It'll be interesting to see how quickly (slowly) they introduce more plugins to the sub service - and they are saying in the "Fall" for Windows users? That doesn't affect MAC users but I'm sure a lot of folks on Windows would like them to meet that announcement.
LUNA has been out almost 2 years now and still no Windows.
I don't think that sub service is worth what they're asking until they get at least 50 or so "useful" plug-ins added.
And what's the point of paying for the sub if you can't even gain access to the plug-ins that you really want to be using?


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## jcrosby (Apr 1, 2022)

Just jumped onboard today as well. I'm surprised how efficient most of these are...

For years support's talking points were always focused on how DSP heavy these would be if native. Well, turns out that for the most part that's utter nonsense. Even on an 19 MBP these run surprisingly lean.... Galaxy Echo appears to use less CPU than VH delay.

Itching for the Studer as well, and also see an ATR-102 license in my iok so hopefully that will port soon enough.


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## jcrosby (Apr 1, 2022)

rrichard63 said:


> Before counting on this, I would try it to make sure it works. It's possible to code the installer and/or the plugins themselves to check for the presence of UA hardware as well for their iLok licenses.


Nope. I don't have my Octo on my MB but UA Connect didn't care... It appears to be based on your account which is super useful.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> I recall it taking UAD about 2 years just to move from 32 bit to 64 bit - there was a ton of bellyaching over it.
> It'll be interesting to see how quickly (slowly) they introduce more plugins to the sub service - and they are saying in the "Fall" for Windows users? That doesn't affect MAC users but I'm sure a lot of folks on Windows would like them to meet that announcement.
> LUNA has been out almost 2 years now and still no Windows.
> I don't think that sub service is worth what they're asking until they get at least 50 or so "useful" plug-ins added.
> And what's the point of paying for the sub if you can't even gain access to the plug-ins that you really want to be using?


I have to ask - in what subscription (or even otherwise) are you actually using 50+ plugins? Very few of the PA plugins are really good and I’d actually want to use on a mix. Slate has far less than 50 and seems very successful. FabFilter has like 6 total and you very easily could only use them and be successful. If you’re using 50 different plugins when you mix, either you’re a Alan Meyerson-level mixer…or far from it.

Quality over quantity every day of the week and twice on Sunday.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 1, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> Just jumped onboard today as well. I'm surprised how efficient most of these are...
> 
> For years support's talking points were always focused on how DSP heavy these would be if native. Well, turns out that for the most part that's utter nonsense. Even on an 19 MBP these run surprisingly lean.... Galaxy Echo appears to use less CPU than VH delay.
> 
> Itching for the Studer as well, and also see an ATR-102 license in my iok so hopefully that will port soon enough.


There’s some interesting comparisons on the UAD forums - it depends on your CPU but even with an i9, for some plugins, it’s closer than one would expect depending on how many UAD chips you have (like an Octo). For example, you can run 7 instances of the Galaxy Echo _per chip._ So that’d be 56 instances on an octo. How many can you run on an i9 with tracks playing back with software instruments?


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## kgdrum (Apr 1, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> I have to ask - in what subscription (or even otherwise) are you actually using 50+ plugins? Very few of the PA plugins are really good and I’d actually want to use on a mix. Slate has far less than 50 and seems very successful. FabFilter has like 6 total and you very easily could only use them and be successful. If you’re using 50 different plugins when you mix, either you’re a Alan Meyerson-level mixer…or far from it.
> 
> Quality over quantity every day of the week and twice on Sunday.




fyi Drew the UA rep said in a thread @GS if a user who has a card installs the native plugins and then sells the card they will still have the plugins. 
Once they are installed they are the users plugins. 👍


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## jcrosby (Apr 1, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> There’s some interesting comparisons on the UAD forums - it depends on your CPU but even with an i9, for some plugins, it’s closer than one would expect depending on how many UAD chips you have (like an Octo). For example, you can run 7 instances of the Galaxy Echo _per chip._ So that’d be 56 instances on an octo. How many can you run on an i9 with tracks playing back with software instruments?


Just tested and I can consistently run 248 instances of Galaxy Echo using the generic Logic Drummer as the instrument. However the Generic Drummer patch also loads a multiband compressor, Compressor and EQ. It looks like those plugins eat about 25% of my overhead because after I stop playback but the delay tail rings out the CPU settles at about 75% until the delay falls away.

I'm going to Remove all of the Logic plugins and see if that's the case. If so Seems like I should be able to push about 300. Kind of curious now so we'll see...

*EDIT*: Looks like I'll be able to play more than that. After removing an Aux the drummer patch creates CPU drops to more like 60-65%. And after removing the Logic plugins I can play 304 with CPU sitting at about 85%. We'll see what the limit is...


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## jcrosby (Apr 1, 2022)

So it looks like 334 is the stable number of Galaxy Echoes I can run with my usual buffer of 256. That's actually way more than I expected. Looks to be almost equivalent to almost exactly 6 UAD Octo cards (which would be 336).


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 1, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> fyi Drew the UA rep said in a thread @GS if a user who has a card installs the native plugins and then sells the card they will still have the plugins.
> Once they are installed they are the users plugins. 👍


Nice way to get everybody you know a bunch of plugins haha. Just keep transferring the card amongst folks.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 1, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> So it looks like 334 is the stable number of Galaxy Echoes I can run with my usual buffer of 256. That's actually way more than I expected.


Nice! Well another reason to be happy with this move!


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## jcrosby (Apr 1, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> Nice! Well another reason to be happy with this move!


Definitely! These are far more efficient than UAD always claimed. I also found a video where a guy ran a 100% null with UAD2 and UADx, so the port looks to be completely 1:1 in terms of fidelity.


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> I have to ask - in what subscription (or even otherwise) are you actually using 50+ plugins? Very few of the PA plugins are really good and I’d actually want to use on a mix. Slate has far less than 50 and seems very successful. FabFilter has like 6 total and you very easily could only use them and be successful. If you’re using 50 different plugins when you mix, either you’re a Alan Meyerson-level mixer…or far from it.
> 
> Quality over quantity every day of the week and twice on Sunday.


Well, seeing you asked, not everybody wants to use the same plug ins - for various reasons.

Why are there multiple manufacturers of compressors and different styles of compressors - FET, VCA, Tube, Optical and Digital - they all have their place. Here's an overview for you - https://www.stockmusicmusician.com/blog/the-6-types-of-compressors

Same principals relate to EQ's, Reverbs, Delays, Flangers, Phasers, Chorus, Channel strips, Limiters, Tape emulations, Mic emulations and specialty niche type plugins.

You say - quality over quantity - which can certainly be a valid point - BUT - Choices are also a valid point - as most plugins by the top producers are all of the same very good quality.

6 different reverbs may all be excellent although each one can be suited to a unique use where it excels over another choice.

CHOICES - that's why.

I have over 50 UAD plug-ins and I have used every one of them at one time or another, along with Fabfilter, Izotope, Valhalla, Exponential Audio, Apple, etc.....

Could I get by with just 1 plug-in for each type of effect? YES.... Do I have to? HELL NO

Do you have just one string library, one woodwind library, one brass library, one percussion library and so on?

I'm anxious to hear the answer and the reasoning behind it if you have more than 1 of any of them
See you on Sunday


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## charlieclouser (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> So are you going to subscribe or just use the UADX plug-ins that you get free for what you already own?


Hell no I ain't gonna subscribe. I hate that model - I don't have any subscriptions to software and hopefully I never will.

But I own almost every UAD plugin already - except for the most recent round of Instruments and Luna stuff, and the only one I really care about would be that MiniMoog emulation. But if I'm locked out of that one because I don't have a UA interface, I think I'll survive...


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## Virtuoso (Apr 1, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> the only one I really care about would be that MiniMoog emulation.


The MiniMoog is killer! Very faithful recreation and that bottom end... 

However - although they did implement some common 'power mods', I wish they'd gone a little further. Synapse Audio's Legend also has Poly and Unison Modes with a great stereo Spread control.

Incidentally, one HUGE elephant in the room is that the UADx plugins that run on your CPU are totally separate from the UAD-2 plugins which run on DSP. I'm sure this is not an oversight - sadly it must have been technically impossible to implement.

This means you will not be able to easily transfer projects between your Apollo/Satellite equipped studio and your laptop sans hardware unless you use only UADx plugins - and of course there aren't many of those released yet.

For each DSP plugin you've used, you will need to replace it with the UADx equivalent and copy/paste your settings over. Or switch your workflow to only use the UADx versions, making your hardware somewhat redundant.


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> Nice way to get everybody you know a bunch of plugins haha. Just keep transferring the card amongst folks.


When you transfer a card, you either transfer it WITH the plug-ins or WITHOUT the plug-ins. If you transfer it WITH the plug-ins you don't get to keep copies of them - they will disappear from your account. 
If you transfer it WITHOUT the plug-ins... well, you're only transferring the card - no plug-ins.

So what you've suggested just plain doesn't work


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

Virtuoso said:


> Incidentally, one HUGE elephant in the room is that the UADx plugins that run on your CPU are totally separate from the UAD-2 plugins which run on DSP. I'm sure this is not an oversight - sadly it must have been technically impossible to implement.
> 
> This means you will not be able to easily transfer projects between your Apollo/Satellite equipped studio and your laptop sans hardware unless you use only UADx plugins - and of course there aren't many of those released yet.
> 
> For each DSP plugin you've used, you will need to replace it with the UADx equivalent and copy/paste your settings over. Or switch your workflow to only use the UADx versions, making your hardware somewhat redundant.


Very good (but sad) point - thanks for bringing that to light
So just having PCI cards is a real crutch if you were to move a project between the desktop and the laptop.
But a thunderbolt device could be swapped back and forth if necessary - although cumbersome to do if traveling


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## Virtuoso (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> But a thunderbolt device could be swapped back and forth if necessary - although cumbersome to do if traveling


The Arrow/Apollo Solo is TB3 bus powered, but only has 1 DSP. The rest of the range need a separate power supply, so not ideal for working on a plane for example. In that scenario you're going to want UADx with an iLok.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> When you transfer a card, you either transfer it WITH the plug-ins or WITHOUT the plug-ins. If you transfer it WITH the plug-ins you don't get to keep copies of them - they will disappear from your account.
> If you transfer it WITHOUT the plug-ins... well, you're only transferring the card - no plug-ins.
> 
> So what you've suggested just plain doesn't work


I was referring to the native plugins based on the previous post I responded to. So it actually would work.


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## jcrosby (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> Well, seeing you asked, not everybody wants to use the same plug ins - for various reasons.
> 
> Why are there multiple manufacturers of compressors and different styles of compressors - FET, VCA, Tube, Optical and Digital - they all have their place. Here's an overview for you - https://www.stockmusicmusician.com/blog/the-6-types-of-compressors
> 
> ...


At least in terms of compressors it's a lot more nuanced than that. Each compressor type reflects a new (at the time) shift in technology or topology. That's also not a fully comprehensive list of types, and _digital_ is not a type of compressor, (obviously, and I'm sure you get that...) It may be the method which compression is applied, but a digital emulation of an analog compressor is still a digital compressor AFAIC.

Just saying articles like this are vague at best... And calling the Distressor a digital compressor is just plain wrong, if not completely weird... While it may have had components controlled digitally under the hood the signal path is still analog... it's basically like saying the the Juno 106 was a digital synth because it had DCOs...

I'll steer clear of the rest of the post though... I see the point of both approaches... Choice is nice. But knowing your tools has its advantages as well. Each are equally valid and one isn't better than the other...

Carry on!


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

Virtuoso said:


> The Arrow/Apollo Solo is TB3 bus powered, but only has 1 DSP. The rest of the range need a separate power supply, so not ideal for working on a plane for example. In that scenario you're going to want UADx with an iLok.


I was thinking more like a Satellite Octo which could be swapped between both devices.
ie. - you create a composition on desktop using some UADX plugs and also some UAD2 plugs that you own that haven't been introduced into the UADX lineup yet.
In order to open that same project on the laptop you would just have to move the Satellite over to it and you now have the same functions and capabilities on the laptop - being able to rum both UADX and UAD2


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> At least in terms of compressors it's a lot more nuanced than that. Each compressor type reflects a new (at the time) shift in technology or topology. That's also not a fully comprehensive list of types, and _digital_ is not a type of compressor, (obviously, and I'm sure you get that...) It may be the method which compression is applied, but a digital emulation of an analog compressor is still a digital compressor AFAIC.
> 
> Just saying articles like this are vague at best... And calling the Distressor a digital compressor is just plain wrong, if not completely weird... While it may have had components controlled digitally under the hood the signal path is still analog... it's basically like saying the the Juno 106 was a digital synth because it had DCOs...
> 
> ...


I understand and appreciate what you are saying - that compressor comparison was just the quickest example I could use to make my point regarding choices - it all goes a lot deeper with each type of effect


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## jcrosby (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> I understand and appreciate what you are saying - that compressor comparison was just the quickest example I could use to make my point regarding choices - it all goes a lot deeper with each type of effect


It's a rabbit hole for sure...


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> I was referring to the native plugins based on the previous post I responded to. So it actually would work.


I'd be surprised if that was the case - but if so I'm sure UA will see it and fix it because it really isn't legal to give free software to anybody and everybody at UA's expense


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## alcorey (Apr 1, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> It's a rabbit hole for sure...


without a doubt

OT - but I grew up in R.I. and spent a lot of time in Boston years ago
having been in SoCal for a long time now I still pok my cah in the garage


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## jcrosby (Apr 1, 2022)

alcorey said:


> without a doubt
> 
> OT - but I grew up in R.I. and spent a lot of time in Boston years ago
> having been in SoCal for a long time now I still pok my cah in the garage


Nice! Ironically I was born in Cali but live in Boston now. So...
Drive HEV or get the hell off the road? Surfs up bro?? Eat Kale or die??

(I've completely lost touch with my Californian roots! But being a grumpy north-easterner for most of my life now I'm not sure if I'm supposed to even fawkin give a fawkin fawk anymaw )


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## easyrider (Apr 1, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> I was referring to the native plugins based on the previous post I responded to. So it actually would work.


So if I buy a UAD pcie express card used with plugins….and the seller has transferred the card and plugins to the new user…I install the card…get all the uadx plugins…in my account linked to the card….then I transfer the card and the UAD2 plugins from my account then the UADx versions stay in my account?


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## easyrider (Apr 1, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> I was referring to the native plugins based on the previous post I responded to. So it actually would work.


You sure? Why would the UADx stay in the account without any trace of the UAD2 version? Isn’t that what UAD connect does? Checks what’s there in the users account?


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## easyrider (Apr 2, 2022)

​​​

https://help.uaudio.com/hc/en-us/articles/5177690059668-UAD-Spark-Account-and-Subscription-FAQs

​Can I transfer my plug-ins & instruments to another user after I purchase them?​Software can only be sold at the time of hardware transfer. If you include your software in the transfer, the UADx & UAD-2 versions will be transferred to the new user.


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## kgdrum (Apr 2, 2022)

alcorey said:


> When you transfer a card, you either transfer it WITH the plug-ins or WITHOUT the plug-ins. If you transfer it WITH the plug-ins you don't get to keep copies of them - they will disappear from your account.
> If you transfer it WITHOUT the plug-ins... well, you're only transferring the card - no plug-ins.
> 
> So what you've suggested just plain doesn't work


That’s actually incorrect,the new plugs are authorized via ilok
Once they are authorized they are yours.
Drew from UA confiimed in the 25 page thread @GS
👍
What you are referencing predates the X plugs and is in reference to the UAD2 plugins,the X plugins are using a different path and authorization process.


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## easyrider (Apr 2, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> That’s actually incorrect,the new plugs are authorized via ilok
> Once they are authorized they are yours.
> Drew from UA confiimed in the 25 page thread @GS
> 👍
> What you are referencing predates the X plugs and is in reference to the UAD2 plugins,the X plugins are using a different path and authorization process.


But developers can remove licences and deposit licences in Ilok accounts….

Eventide just desposited Anthology XII NFR into my Ilok account…I didn‘t do anything…

what you saying is you sell your hardware and software and the UADx versions stay in your Ilok?

Don't think so….

says here

Can I transfer my plug-ins & instruments to another user after I purchase them?​Software can only be sold at the time of hardware transfer. If you include your software in the transfer, the UADx & UAD-2 versions will be transferred to the new user.


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## kgdrum (Apr 2, 2022)

This is from the thread @GS page 25 see post 741 and 742


Quote:





Originally Posted by *retractablezing* ➡️
@ drew , just out of curiosity, say, if i ever sold my Apollo Twin Duo but kept the plugins i bought, would i still be able to use the native versions without the subscription service since they would be in my system already and anyway? Thank you.


*yes. Once they're yours, they're yours.*

Share Reply Quote
​



20 hours ago | Show parent
#742
retractablezing
Lives for gear



🎧 15 years


Quote:
Originally Posted by *Universal Audio* ➡️
yes. Once they're yours, they're yours.
Thanks, that's great to know.


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## easyrider (Apr 2, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> This is from the thread @GS page 25 see post 741 and 742
> 
> 
> Quote:
> ...


Yes, everyone knows this….that’s not what people are asking ….

Selling your hardware and keeping the plugins is simple….

Someome suggested you could sell your hardware and plugins but still keep the UADX versions….I’m disputing it.


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## easyrider (Apr 2, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> I was referring to the native plugins based on the previous post I responded to. So it actually would work.


Nope


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## kgdrum (Apr 2, 2022)

Regarding a previous post where someone suggested sharing a card with numerous people so everyone could get these plugins I don’t think that’s doable. If my memory is still intact I think there might be a limitation that a UAD2 card or plugins with a UAD2 card can only be resold one time. I might be wrong but I seem to remember this when I sold UAD1 cards many years ago.


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## easyrider (Apr 2, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> Regarding a previous post where someone suggested sharing a card with numerous people so everyone could get these plugins I don’t think that’s doable. If my memory is still intact I think there might be a limitation that a UAD2 card or plugins with a UAD2 card can only be resold one time. I might be wrong but I seem to remember this when I sold UAD1 cards many years ago.


Yes , @ALittleNightMusic was talking out his ass…


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## redlester (Apr 2, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> Hell no I ain't gonna subscribe. I hate that model - I don't have any subscriptions to software and hopefully I never will.
> 
> But I own almost every UAD plugin already - except for the most recent round of Instruments and Luna stuff, and the only one I really care about would be that MiniMoog emulation. But if I'm locked out of that one because I don't have a UA interface, I think I'll survive...


I imagine you won't be fussed about this but for anyone else it might be an idea... if you really want the Minimoog you could buy the cheapest Luna compatible thunderbolt interface (The Arrow?) which would allow you to install Luna and then to install/try/purchase the Minimoog, which you can then use in any DAW without a subscription. Expensive solution but not as expensive as buying a Minimoog!


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## guerrax (Apr 2, 2022)

easyrider said:


> 24 Tracks API Vision UADx 9% cpu on 10 core i9
> 
> 24 Tracks UAD2 API Vision 86% DSP on Octo
> 
> ...



I just did a few month ago...and for 800€ / brandnew I thought it was a deal and couldn't afford a better Mac CPU as mini was maxed out. But I couldn't either imagine they would do subscription plan with (free !! Can't believe I'm writing this right know)native plugins for UAD2 owners 

SO,
could you show some respect for the deceased please.
😝


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 2, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> Regarding a previous post where someone suggested sharing a card with numerous people so everyone could get these plugins I don’t think that’s doable. If my memory is still intact I think there might be a limitation that a UAD2 card or plugins with a UAD2 card can only be resold one time. I might be wrong but I seem to remember this when I sold UAD1 cards many years ago.


Yeah I was just semi-joking based on what you mentioned Drew from UA said. But I’m sure UA wouldn’t allow for it. Either you can’t keep UADx while transferring the DSP plugins or there’s a limit to how many times you can sell the card or both. In any case, I have no plans to sell my Apollo system now with this change (had contemplated it in the past due to the ceiling on the chips).


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## alcorey (Apr 2, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> That’s actually incorrect,the new plugs are authorized via ilok
> Once they are authorized they are yours.
> Drew from UA confiimed in the 25 page thread @GS
> 👍
> What you are referencing predates the X plugs and is in reference to the UAD2 plugins,the X plugins are using a different path and authorization process.


Sorry, but what I stated is NOT incorrect. 

I stated that if you sell your card WITH the plugins that you own - You transfer both the UAD2 & UADX versions to the new owner - as referenced by @easyrider

You DO NOT get to keep the UADX plugins


easyrider said:


> Can I transfer my plug-ins & instruments to another user after I purchase them?​Software can only be sold at the time of hardware transfer. If you include your software in the transfer, the UADx & UAD-2 versions will be transferred to the new user.


And if you just sell the card and keep the software you get to keep both versions UAD2 & UADX because you PAID for that software - the new owner of the card gets ONLY the card and NO software



kgdrum said:


> This is from the thread @GS page 25 see post 741 and 742
> 
> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *retractablezing* ➡️
> ...


Again, he sells ONLY his HARDWARE and kept the software that he PAID FOR, so of course he gets to keep both versions.

It's really not terribly difficult to understand


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## charlieclouser (Apr 2, 2022)

redlester said:


> I imagine you won't be fussed about this but for anyone else it might be an idea... if you really want the Minimoog you could buy the cheapest Luna compatible thunderbolt interface (The Arrow?) which would allow you to install Luna and then to install/try/purchase the Minimoog, which you can then use in any DAW without a subscription. Expensive solution but not as expensive as buying a Minimoog!


Well, I do have a fresh MiniMoog Model D reissue - the real thing - and it is noticeably different to all of the software emulations I have, which is most of them. All of the emulations have enhancements and goodies which wind up being too tempting not to use, and that takes you toward results which have unison mode, stereo, blah blah blah. Then you've veered from the one true path. Most of the time I'm not a fan of "limitations breed creativity" but in the case of the MiniMoog that theory holds more water than in other cases. So I'm always interested in a TRUE 1:1 emulation if it really does have that sound, and the fact that the UAD version is authorized by Moog Inc. is a big plus.

For $149 on sale it's worth a throw - if only I wasn't locked out by not being an Apollo owner!

There is something going on with the real thing and how it reacts with whatever preamp + A>D it's plugged into that is lacking in the plugins I have. For instance, when you have a bass sound going on the hardware, there is a "thumpy" quality that is present across three octaves, but on the emulations that thump is only present in the bottom octave, as if it's getting transposed out of thumpy range as you move up the keyboard. I've been told this is the result of some unusual (incorrect?) component choices in the VCA and output section in the original design. (Not sure how true that is...) While this is not enough of a deal-breaker to get in a fuss about, it is the case that this sonic character makes you go, "THERE it is" very quickly when playing the hardware, and it takes two minutes to get the sound you heard in your mind. But when that aspect is missing from the software, you wind up getting close, and then using some of the enhancements like unison or stereo voices or whatever in an attempt to get "there", and your results may wind up different.

It's like having a straight shot to your destination with the hardware, but with the software you have potholes and lane closures that make you take your eyes off the road and possibly make a detour through the parking lot of the gas station.


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## Simon Ravn (Apr 3, 2022)

Anyone knows if plugins like the Minimoog and other VI's are only working with LUNA, or do their native versions work as normal plugins in DAWs....? I have an UAD-2 Octo, not Apollo...


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## redlester (Apr 3, 2022)

Simon Ravn said:


> Anyone knows if plugins like the Minimoog and other VI's are only working with LUNA, or do their native versions work as normal plugins in DAWs....? I have an UAD-2 Octo, not Apollo...


This is precisely what we were discussing above.

If you have a Luna-compatible interface, you need to install Luna* then buy or start the trial for the Minimoog (or the other instruments), Once you do that you will get the UADx version to use in any DAW.

If you don't have an Apollo or Arrow interface, then you can't do it. Unless you subscribe to UAD Spark.

*actually am not sure you need to install it, but your account has to know that you are eligible to install it.


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## redlester (Apr 3, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> Well, I do have a fresh MiniMoog Model D reissue - the real thing - and it is noticeably different to all of the software emulations I have, which is most of them. All of the emulations have enhancements and goodies which wind up being too tempting not to use, and that takes you toward results which have unison mode, stereo, blah blah blah. Then you've veered from the one true path. Most of the time I'm not a fan of "limitations breed creativity" but in the case of the MiniMoog that theory holds more water than in other cases. So I'm always interested in a TRUE 1:1 emulation if it really does have that sound, and the fact that the UAD version is authorized by Moog Inc. is a big plus.
> 
> For $149 on sale it's worth a throw - if only I wasn't locked out by not being an Apollo owner!
> 
> ...


I can only imagine how it is to own a real one, and know what you mean about the enhancements in some emulations (like the option of polyphonic in the Arturia version).

For the vast majority the prospect of ever owning one is zero, hence my eagerness about the UAD one. I see there is a 1974 model on eBay at the moment for over $11k. I sometimes wonder why they discontinued the re-issue models, they would surely be selling like hotcakes if it were still possible to buy a new one?


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## redlester (Apr 3, 2022)

Still waiting for the Studer A800 here. When I booted up today it appeared briefly on opening UA Connect, then vanished again!


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## ennbr (Apr 3, 2022)

redlester said:


> Still waiting for the Studer A800 here. When I booted up today it appeared briefly on opening UA Connect, then vanished again!


Same here the Studer 800 never showed up or the API channel strip that I've owned for many years now. I can wait not like the original version stopped working thats ok. 

I'm an wondering what other plugins of there's will be converted to native in the future I have over 130 uad plugins that I've collected since 2003


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## redlester (Apr 3, 2022)

ennbr said:


> Same here the Studer 800 never showed up or the API channel strip that I've owned for many years now. I can wait not like the original version stopped working thats ok.
> 
> I'm an wondering what other plugins of there's will be converted to native in the future I have over 130 uad plugins that I've collected since 2003


Regarding the API, I own the “legacy” version which is now updated by the newer one with the EQ sliders. Does anyone know if the Spark one is limited to just the new version?

Edit: apparently not. It’s only the latest “non legacy” version available in Spark/UADx


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## bvaughn0402 (Apr 3, 2022)

Simon Ravn said:


> Anyone knows if plugins like the Minimoog and other VI's are only working with LUNA, or do their native versions work as normal plugins in DAWs....? I have an UAD-2 Octo, not Apollo...


I bought the Minimoog via Luna just in case I wanted to use (and found I never did because I didn't want to learn a new DAW).

So I was happy about this ...

And yes, I can pull up the MiniMoog and Ravel Piano inside Logic Pro! Now I'm debating buying the Organ.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 3, 2022)

bvaughn0402 said:


> I bought the Minimoog via Luna just in case I wanted to use (and found I never did because I didn't want to learn a new DAW).
> 
> So I was happy about this ...
> 
> And yes, I can pull up the MiniMoog and Ravel Piano inside Logic Pro! Now I'm debating buying the Organ.


I don’t need the organ but the early reviews are stellar. How do you like the MiniMoog compared to other emulations? Everything is 50% off right now until April 4th.


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## charlieclouser (Apr 3, 2022)

redlester said:


> I can only imagine how it is to own a real one, and know what you mean about the enhancements in some emulations (like the option of polyphonic in the Arturia version).
> 
> For the vast majority the prospect of ever owning one is zero, hence my eagerness about the UAD one. I see there is a 1974 model on eBay at the moment for over $11k. I sometimes wonder why they discontinued the re-issue models, they would surely be selling like hotcakes if it were still possible to buy a new one?


$11k is ridiculous for a 50 year old synth. I've had four of the originals over the years, some bought as cheap as $400, and they were all broken in one way or another, there's always something janky about the old ones.

But the re-issue is the first time I ever experienced a Mini in brand-new condition, with keys that are even and level and don't go "clack" when you hit 'em... I bought the re-issue not because I need and rely on it like Dr. Dre might, but because I'd had so many janky ones in the past and I felt I owed a karmic debt to the concept of a MiniMoog for all it's done for me!

I can only imagine that at a price of $3,500 they knew it wouldn't be a mass-market synth, especially with all the clones out there, including the Behringer which is like $300!


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## alcorey (Apr 3, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> $11k is ridiculous for a 50 year old synth. I've had four of the originals over the years, some bought as cheap as $400, and they were all broken in one way or another, there's always something janky about the old ones.
> 
> But the re-issue is the first time I ever experienced a Mini in brand-new condition, with keys that are even and level and don't go "clack" when you hit 'em... I bought the re-issue not because I need and rely on it like Dr. Dre might, but because I'd had so many janky ones in the past and I felt I owed a karmic debt to the concept of a MiniMoog for all it's done for me!
> 
> I can only imagine that at a price of $3,500 they knew it wouldn't be a mass-market synth, especially with all the clones out there, including the Behringer which is like $300!


This guy thinks maybe your re-issue has grown in value Charlie


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## redlester (Apr 4, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> I can only imagine that at a price of $3,500 they knew it wouldn't be a mass-market synth, especially with all the clones out there, including the Behringer which is like $300!


Well $3,500 is only about £2,600 in GBP which I would jump at without any hesitation! It's also about half the price of the Moog One which they are still selling so must be considered mass market? I think new "the real thing" Minimoogs would fly off the shelves in the current climate of Daw-less/hybrid setups being all the rage.

Having owned the Behringer Pro-1 clone for a while, and been totally underwhelmed, I wouldn't be interested in theirs.


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## redlester (Apr 4, 2022)

Still no Studer A-800 for me on UA Connect.


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## Francis Bourre (Apr 4, 2022)

redlester said:


> Still no Studer A-800 for me on UA Connect.


Same, I guess this one got something special needed to be fixed on their side.


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## redlester (Apr 4, 2022)

Francis Bourre said:


> Same, I guess this one got something special needed to be fixed on their side.


I think, from reading on the UAD forum, it's a glitch with iLok whereby because there is also the Studer Luna version, as well as the UAD2 DSP version, it's causing some issues.

My iLok Cloud is listing the Studer A800 as activated, alongside all the other UADx plugins and Luna. But it won't show up in UA Connect.


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## charlieclouser (Apr 4, 2022)

redlester said:


> Well $3,500 is only about £2,600 in GBP which I would jump at without any hesitation! It's also about half the price of the Moog One which they are still selling so must be considered mass market? I think new "the real thing" Minimoogs would fly off the shelves in the current climate of Daw-less/hybrid setups being all the rage.
> 
> Having owned the Behringer Pro-1 clone for a while, and been totally underwhelmed, I wouldn't be interested in theirs.


I am definitely guilty of buying some items because I know they won't be widely available for long, even if I don't have a pressing "need" for them at the moment. Korg MS-20fs and Arp 2600fs re-issues, the MiniMoog re-issue, etc. Especially if it's a piece I've owned a crappy used or vintage version of in the past! 

I think the Moog One was their attempt to silence people (like me!) who had been clamoring for a re-issue of the MemoryMoog. At one point I had three MemoryMoogs (!!!) but I never had all three fully working at the same time. But that was in the late 1980s when they could be had for under $1,000. I think I paid $600, $800, and $1,000 for mine. But back then they were a beeeyotch to keep in working order. The power supplies get hot and cause problems, the fans are loud and not strong enough, etc. Now you can get much better PSU and fans installed, but the instrument itself sells for $10k and up! Crazy.

I do like the Moog One but I haven't gotten one because they kind of miss what I loved about the MemoryMoog: the "always overdriving" feel of the thing. I don't know if it was an accident or on purpose, but you really had to be careful with oscillator levels if you wanted it NOT to saturate the oscillator mixer. But I DID want that, so I'd just crank the levels to max and the sound was just massive and brutal. The Moog One is much more of a complete and versatile instrument for sure, and the sound is gorgeous and the build quality is insane, but I've managed to hold out (for now....)


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## PhilA (Apr 4, 2022)

Hmmm as I’m trying to not spend money is shouldn’t have demo’d Ravel mans that’s a nice sounding piano. The Moog is also fantastic.


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## mixedmoods (Apr 4, 2022)

Softubes latest Marketing post is a fun side blow to UA's SPARK 
https://www.softube.com/take-the-leap-to-native-processing


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## Virtuoso (Apr 4, 2022)

mixedmoods said:


> Softubes latest Marketing post is a fun side blow to UA's SPARK
> https://www.softube.com/take-the-leap-to-native-processing


Ha! Nice shade - all the things you don't (currently) get with UADx


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## jcrosby (Apr 4, 2022)

The Studer finally came through on my end... Just installed it and have it up and running in Logic. 

Again, it's surprisingly low resource. No more CPU use than ST Tape....


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## alcorey (Apr 4, 2022)

jcrosby said:


> The Studer finally came through on my end... Just installed it and have it up and running in Logic.
> 
> Again, it's surprisingly low resource. No more CPU use than ST Tape....


As soon as I read your post, I refreshed my UA Connect and there was the Studer! Still missing the Leixcon 224 though


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 4, 2022)

I have all the UADx plugins perpetually now except API Vision strip (I have the API legacy strip and never upgraded) and the instruments. The more of the DSP versions you own as they migrate them over, the less valuable subscribing becomes (instead of 13 plugins for $20/mo, I would get 4). I hope UA figure out some sort of subscription discount based on the number of plugins you fully own.


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## Virtuoso (Apr 4, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> The more of the DSP versions you own as they migrate them over, the less valuable subscribing becomes (instead of 13 plugins for $20/mo, I would get 4). I hope UA figure out some sort of subscription discount based on the number of plugins you fully own.


I doubt they want that level of complication, but I can totally understand the desire for such a system. Right now I have zero incentive to subscribe as I already have 150 UA plugins (I've been on the platform for >15 years!), but if they start to release more UADx exclusives, like the Opal synth, I really won't want to pay again for the stuff I already have.


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## rrichard63 (Apr 4, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> I have all the UADx plugins perpetually now except API Vision strip (I have the API legacy strip and never upgraded) and the instruments. The more of the DSP versions you own as they migrate them over, the less valuable subscribing becomes (instead of 13 plugins for $20/mo, I would get 4). I hope UA figure out some sort of subscription discount based on the number of plugins you fully own.





Virtuoso said:


> I doubt they want that level of complication, but I can totally understand the desire for such a system. Right now I have zero incentive to subscribe as I already have 150 UA plugins (I've been on the platform for >15 years!), but if they start to release more UADx exclusives, like the Opal synth, I really won't want to pay again for the stuff I already have.


They could offer a subscription that includes only the UADx exclusives. If you want more UAD products than you already have, you buy them outright, just as you do now. It wouldn't have to be very complicated.


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## redlester (Apr 5, 2022)

Studer A800 now sorted, UA have issued a fix and it now loads correctly.


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## bvaughn0402 (Apr 6, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> I don’t need the organ but the early reviews are stellar. How do you like the MiniMoog compared to other emulations? Everything is 50% off right now until April 4th.


Hey sorry I didn't respond to this before the sale was over. Just briefly played with it ... and to be honest ... it is both stellar ... but I also am not sure I can hear a major difference from others. Like Charlie mentioned, there is certainly something nice about it just being ONE thing and not trying to add embellishments. So I'm glad I have it.


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## charlieclouser (Apr 6, 2022)

An update on the "Minimoog needs Apollo + Luna" situation: That was apparently an error on the UA website which has now been fixed. You can now add Minimoog to your cart even if you only own a UAD device, and do not have an Apollo or Luna.

Just bought it for $149, it showed up in UAconnect app right away, downloaded and installed and running as a native plugin inside Logic under Mojave - and it sounds great!

Another little FYI - I noticed that the UADx plugins (and many others) self-authorized into the iLok Cloud. Since I have ZDT on my iLok, I prefer to have the authorization stored there so I don't have to mess with any Cloud stuff or wonder why a plugin won't load if the internet is down, etc. When I checked the iLok app I noticed that tons of my plugins (Softube, etc.) which were running fine, actually did not have their authorizations stored on my ZDT hardware key, but were Cloud authorizations. So I went through them all, moving them to the hardware key and, for those plugins that give you more than one authorization, using the menu command "Deactivate" to deactivate the Cloud authorization, which returned their status to "1 of 2 Authorizations used". So that might be something to check for y'all who have hundreds of authorizations floating around....


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## redlester (Apr 6, 2022)

I too turned my Minimoog trial into a purchase. There was just no way I could not have it once I’d tried it. What I particularly love is that the default patch is so absolutely useable with just minor tweaking required to taste. So many soft-synths default to patches I would never use, which means having to faff around for a while. Sometimes for quite a long while, which is an inspiration killer.


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## zvenx (Apr 6, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> An update on the "Minimoog needs Apollo + Luna" situation: That was apparently an error on the UA website which has now been fixed. You can now add Minimoog to your cart even if you only own a UAD device, and do not have an Apollo or Luna.
> 
> Just bought it for $149, it showed up in UAconnect app right away, downloaded and installed and running as a native plugin inside Logic under Mojave - and it sounds great!
> 
> Another little FYI - I noticed that the UADx plugins (and many others) self-authorized into the iLok Cloud. Since I have ZDT on my iLok, I prefer to have the authorization stored there so I don't have to mess with any Cloud stuff or wonder why a plugin won't load if the internet is down, etc. When I checked the iLok app I noticed that tons of my plugins (Softube, etc.) which were running fine, actually did not have their authorizations stored on my ZDT hardware key, but were Cloud authorizations. So I went through them all, moving them to the hardware key and, for those plugins that give you more than one authorization, using the menu command "Deactivate" to deactivate the Cloud authorization, which returned their status to "1 of 2 Authorizations used". So that might be something to check for y'all who have hundreds of authorizations floating around....


Softube installer does that if you tell it to automatically authorize. (you have to disable that in the settings of the softube central).... even if you have it already authorized on the ilok dongle attached to that very computer... (uacontrol also asks you for a default authorsiation location.)


Definitely looking forward to more from you on the minimoog.. I know you have the hardware reissue.. Do you have any other software emulations? how does it compare with them so far?

thanks
rsp


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## charlieclouser (Apr 6, 2022)

zvenx said:


> Softube installer does that if you tell it to automatically authorize. (you have to disable that in the settings of the softube central).... even if you have it already authorized on the ilok dongle attached to that very computer... (uacontrol also asks you for a default authorsiation location.)
> 
> 
> Definitely looking forward to more from you on the minimoog.. I know you have the hardware reissue.. Do you have any other software emulations? how does it compare with them so far?
> ...


I definitely like the UAD MiniMoog. It feels a lot closer to the hardware than some of the others out there. 

Here is an A<>B comparison I made very quickly. I pulled up a preset on the UAD Minimoog, then duplicated it by ear on the hardware. (I found that not all knob settings correlate 1:1 between hardware and software, but they are very close.) 

Then I made a two-bar quick-n-dirty MIDI track, and duplicated it for both the hardware and software synths, level matched them pretty dang close, and recorded the result. No plugins or other processing, and the hardware was coming from the High output to the instrument input on the MOTU 1248.

Can you tell which is which?

View attachment MiniMoog+UAD.mp3


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## szczaw (Apr 6, 2022)

I think the real analog is first.


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## CGR (Apr 6, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> I definitely like the UAD MiniMoog. It feels a lot closer to the hardware than some of the others out there.
> 
> Here is an A<>B comparison I made very quickly. I pulled up a preset on the UAD Minimoog, then duplicated it by ear on the hardware. (I found that not all knob settings correlate 1:1 between hardware and software, but they are very close.)
> 
> ...


I'm guessing Hardware then UAD?


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## CGR (Apr 6, 2022)

szczaw said:


> I think the real analog is first.


You just posted that as I was finished typing!


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 6, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> An update on the "Minimoog needs Apollo + Luna" situation: That was apparently an error on the UA website which has now been fixed. You can now add Minimoog to your cart even if you only own a UAD device, and do not have an Apollo or Luna.
> 
> Just bought it for $149, it showed up in UAconnect app right away, downloaded and installed and running as a native plugin inside Logic under Mojave - and it sounds great!
> 
> Another little FYI - I noticed that the UADx plugins (and many others) self-authorized into the iLok Cloud. Since I have ZDT on my iLok, I prefer to have the authorization stored there so I don't have to mess with any Cloud stuff or wonder why a plugin won't load if the internet is down, etc. When I checked the iLok app I noticed that tons of my plugins (Softube, etc.) which were running fine, actually did not have their authorizations stored on my ZDT hardware key, but were Cloud authorizations. So I went through them all, moving them to the hardware key and, for those plugins that give you more than one authorization, using the menu command "Deactivate" to deactivate the Cloud authorization, which returned their status to "1 of 2 Authorizations used". So that might be something to check for y'all who have hundreds of authorizations floating around....


Btw you can change where UA Connect authorizes (cloud or usb) from within the app. Have to click the “Manage” option under one of the settings icons.


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 6, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> I definitely like the UAD MiniMoog. It feels a lot closer to the hardware than some of the others out there.
> 
> Here is an A<>B comparison I made very quickly. I pulled up a preset on the UAD Minimoog, then duplicated it by ear on the hardware. (I found that not all knob settings correlate 1:1 between hardware and software, but they are very close.)
> 
> ...


The first one has more background noise, but ignoring that, tone-wise they’re very close.


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## zvenx (Apr 6, 2022)

szczaw said:


> I think the real analog is first.


I think so too... the legato is smoother on the first one which caught my ear..

And of course the background buzz... Very interesting.
Thanks for doing this.
rsp


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## charlieclouser (Apr 6, 2022)

ALittleNightMusic said:


> The first one has more background noise, but ignoring that, tone-wise they’re very close.


Good call. The hardware is indeed first. And, yes, the legato behavior is where the emulations fall short (or are just different...) 

I didn't notice the background noise at first because I had the doors and windows open and cartoons playing on the tv! I just grabbed whatever 15' guitar cable was closest to my hand, some ancient Whirlwind cable. Probably could get it cleaner going into the Avalon U-5 DI or just paying attention....

As another exercise, I did the same attempt to duplicate the hardware patch on all of the other pure MiniMoog emulations I have: Arturia, MiniMonsta, and The Legend... and I threw in Logic's ES2 for good measure. Not surprisingly (to me), ES2 stands tall in the saddle, even 20 years later!

Also, most of the emulations are cleaner than the "always saturating" real thing. So for some of the comparisons below (Arturia and MiniMonsta) I had to use a little bit of Soft Sat on Logic's stock compressor to get them to speak up a little.

Here are those comparison files:

Arturia:

View attachment MiniMoog+Arturia.mp3


The Legend:

View attachment MiniMoog+Legend.mp3


MiniMonsta:

View attachment MiniMoog+Monsta.mp3


And my old friend, ES2:

View attachment MiniMoog+ES2.mp3


Who do ya love?


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## Zanshin (Apr 6, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> As another exercise, I did the same attempt to duplicate the hardware patch on all of the other pure MiniMoog emulations I have: Arturia, MiniMonsta, and The Legend... and I threw in Logic's ES2 for good measure. Not surprisingly (to me), ES2 stands tall in the saddle, even 20 years later!


Have demo'd Softube Model 72 yet? That's my current favorite. I do miss having a real Moog around though.


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## zvenx (Apr 6, 2022)

The Legend for me, but indeed the ES2 isn't doing badly at all.
My favourite is the Model 72 by Softube (the others I have are the Legend and Monark)..

Thanks for doing this... hard to find anything comparing either uad's minimoog and others or their B3 waterfall and others.
rsp


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## Zanshin (Apr 6, 2022)

zvenx said:


> My favourite is the Model 72 by Softube


Jinx


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## zvenx (Apr 6, 2022)

The one thing the Model 72 and Legend fail at though is the OverDrive/OverLoad..
rsp


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## charlieclouser (Apr 6, 2022)

zvenx said:


> The Legend for me, but indeed the ES2 isn't doing badly at all.
> My favourite is the Model 72 by Softube (the others I have are the Legend and Monark)..
> 
> Thanks for doing this... hard to find anything comparing either uad's minimoog and others or their B3 waterfall and others.
> rsp


I don't have Model 72 - yet. I do have Monark and although the tone is quite good, the legato behavior is not even close - the filter envelope always re-triggers. Not cool man.


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## zvenx (Apr 6, 2022)

Ahh... of course I am sure you would know you can change Monark's Legato Behaviour on the B (back).

rsp


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## charlieclouser (Apr 6, 2022)

zvenx said:


> Ahh... of course I am sure you would know you can change Monark's Legato Behaviour on the B (back).
> 
> rsp


Well, shit, I did not know that! This is actually the first time I've ever even tried Monark and didn't see the A+B buttons to reveal the rear panel. The tone of the thing is very nice but even with the env set to legato-no-retrig, I can't get it close enough in terms of filter env depth and legato behavior. At least not in five minutes, which is about the limit of my attention span for something like this!


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## zvenx (Apr 6, 2022)

Appreciate the effort.
Monark's parameter settings are very different than Legend and Model 72 and try to visually map them is a lost cause and indeed matching by ear will take longer.
Thanks.
Appreciated.
rsp


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## ALittleNightMusic (Apr 6, 2022)

Not sure if it is down to the patch programming, but the UA one sounds much closer to the real recording than the others here.


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## bvaughn0402 (Apr 6, 2022)

charlieclouser said:


> Good call. The hardware is indeed first. And, yes, the legato behavior is where the emulations fall short (or are just different...)
> 
> I didn't notice the background noise at first because I had the doors and windows open and cartoons playing on the tv! I just grabbed whatever 15' guitar cable was closest to my hand, some ancient Whirlwind cable. Probably could get it cleaner going into the Avalon U-5 DI or just paying attention....
> 
> ...


Sometimes I wonder about my ears ... like when people rave about different compressors or reverbs. I just never hear it.

Because in a way, all of these sound good to me, including the real one. Honestly, I do not think in a song mix I could spot real vs fake ... and even solo like this, I would have a hard time with that.


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## charlieclouser (Apr 6, 2022)

bvaughn0402 said:


> Sometimes I wonder about my ears ... like when people rave about different compressors or reverbs. I just never hear it.
> 
> Because in a way, all of these sound good to me, including the real one. Honestly, I do not think in a song mix I could spot real vs fake ... and even solo like this, I would have a hard time with that.


Oh I agree. In context, any of them would be fine. I was more surprised that The Legend and MiniMonsta took so much effort to get even partly close, and to get the sound close, the settings were very different to what was on UADx or the hardware. Control ranges and all that...

To be fair, perhaps the UADx Mini had an advantage in that I started with a factory preset on it and then duplicated the sound on hardware, and then tried to match the other synths to the hardware. But still the UADx version is dang close, even in the tricky legato behavior of the envelopes etc.

And it's that kind of little subtlety of behavior that makes the real thing such a winner, and so easy to get the job done. It just.... works. Every thing you try to do on it is musical, all the control ranges are so perfect that it's really hard to get an un-musical result. The others.... not so much. That makes for more of a struggle, and "maybe this isn't the right synth for the job" with them, while with the real thing it's like, fiddle, fiddle, done.

ES2 is also very musical and sounds great to me, and it's been my main synth for decades (the horror!). But working with it is not helped by it's UI - if you know what you want and how to get there, it sounds great but there's not really any indication of which way to turn. Might as well be typing parameter values into a text editor.


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## kgdrum (Apr 7, 2022)

easyrider said:


> But developers can remove licences and deposit licences in Ilok accounts….
> 
> Eventide just desposited Anthology XII NFR into my Ilok account…I didn‘t do anything…
> 
> ...




Drew said this in the GS thread:


Quote:

Originally Posted by nyerking ➡️
Hi UA,

What if someone bought an Apollo, then purchased the Analog Classics Pro Bundle, then created an account with Spark, they would then have those plugins as UAD-2 and Native UADx versions. What if then they chose to return the Apollo but kept the UAD-2 plugins. Would they then be able to still use the native UADx plugins?

Drew:”Yes, you can do this, but you'd be stuck in this state and never be able to buy a plugin again, nor would your Spark offerings grow because you are not subscribed.”










Universal Audio announces UAD Spark UADx native subscription service - Page 42 - Gearspace.com


Quote: Originally Posted by Deleted 9ca40cc ➡️ Are there plans to radically optimise the plugins CPU wise? I can use 21 API Vision instances on UADx, 17 on my UAD (7 core system), but for example 'other' API emulation from PA could be used in up to 400 instances at the same buffer size. M1 Mini...



gearspace.com


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## easyrider (Apr 8, 2022)

Yeah you either sell your hardware and keep the UAD2 plugins or sell both….

The former means You are stuck in limbo and can’t buy any more plugins….


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## oxypoxy (Apr 8, 2022)

easyrider said:


> Yeah you either sell your hardware and keep the UAD2 plugins or sell both….
> 
> The former means You are stuck in limbo and can’t buy any more plugins….


You could buy another Arrow or Apollo and do the very same thing again, and once the Spark licenses are deposited in your iLok, you sell it again. And UAD mentioned that Spark plugins will eventually be available for direct purchase. UAD hasn't plugged the loophole and is trying to spook people from exploiting it with vague and dramatic language.

"you'd be stuck in this state and never be able to buy a plugin again" very final

less dramatic but without consequence: "nor would your Spark offerings grow because you are not subscribed." Just subscribe again, they have a monthly option.


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## easyrider (Apr 9, 2022)

oxypoxy said:


> You could buy another Arrow or Apollo and do the very same thing again, and once the Spark licenses are deposited in your iLok, you sell it again. And UAD mentioned that Spark plugins will eventually be available for direct purchase. UAD hasn't plugged the loophole and is trying to spook people from exploiting it with vague and dramatic language.
> 
> "you'd be stuck in this state and never be able to buy a plugin again" very final
> 
> less dramatic but without consequence: "nor would your Spark offerings grow because you are not subscribed." Just subscribe again, they have a monthly option.


Direct from Universal Audio

“If you have UAD hardware, you can buy Moog, Ravel, and Waterfall. And you buy the UAD2 versions which trigger free perpetual UADx versions. 

Otherwise, no you cannot outright buy Spark plugins.”


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## Simon Ravn (Apr 10, 2022)

easyrider said:


> Direct from Universal Audio
> 
> “If you have UAD hardware, you can buy Moog, Ravel, and Waterfall. And you buy the UAD2 versions which trigger free perpetual UADx versions.
> 
> Otherwise, no you cannot outright buy Spark plugins.”


I was told you need LUNA-working hardware = Apollo. That you can't get those synth plugins working with a UAD-2 card.


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## ennbr (Apr 10, 2022)

Simon Ravn said:


> I was told you need LUNA-working hardware = Apollo. That you can't get those synth plugins working with a UAD-2 card.


I have 2 quad PCIe cards in an external Thunderbolt case, and Octal Satellite on 2 computers and the new Native plugins are running just fine and since I owned all of them they are Free


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## redlester (Apr 11, 2022)

Supported hardware for Luna is as follows (from the UAD web site):

Supported Apollo Models (Thunderbolt connection only)​
Arrow
Apollo Solo Thunderbolt
Apollo Twin (silver 1st generation) – NOT USB model
Apollo Twin MkII
Apollo Twin X
Apollo x4
Apollo x6
Apollo x8
Apollo x8p
Apollo x16
Apollo 8 (black 2nd generation)
Apollo 8p (black 2nd generation)
Apollo 16 (black 2nd generation)
Apollo FireWire (silver 1st generation)**
Apollo DUO (silver 1st generation)**
Apollo QUAD (silver 1st generation)**
Apollo 16 (silver 1st generation)**
** Notes:


Apollo rackmount models with FireWire ports must have a Universal Audio Thunderbolt Option Cardinstalled and must be connected to the host computer via Thunderbolt. 
All UA Thunderbolt Option Card models (Thunderbolt 1, 2, and 3 cards) are supported.


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## Simon Ravn (Apr 13, 2022)

ennbr said:


> I have 2 quad PCIe cards in an external Thunderbolt case, and Octal Satellite on 2 computers and the new Native plugins are running just fine and since I owned all of them they are Free


Yes, but you can't download and authorize them without an Apollo (Luna compatible) card, right....? That's what UA say.


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## ennbr (Apr 13, 2022)

Simon Ravn said:


> Yes, but you can't download and authorize them without an Apollo (Luna compatible) card, right....? That's what UA say.


No I don't own an Apollo and I've downloaded and authorized on my iLok all of the plugins I currently own as UADx versions. I thought I was pretty clear what UAD products I own 2 quad PCIe cards and an Octal Satellite


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## rrichard63 (Apr 13, 2022)

ennbr said:


> No I don't own an Apollo and I've downloaded and authorized on my iLok all of the plugins I currently own as UADx versions. I thought I was pretty clear what UAD products I own 2 quad PCIe cards and an Octal Satellite


Do the plugins you own include any of the virtual instruments: Waterfall B3, Minimoog, Ravel, Spitfire series for Luna? I think these are what the Apollo discussion is about.


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## gsilbers (May 20, 2022)

I just found out that this service is for only 15 plugins. So $150 a year for 15 specific plugins. I was under the impression its the whole catalog, thus the long thread and positive comments here and at geaspace.

So help me understand. I see slate all access for what seems to be a ton more plugins. Ik multimedia has $240 for a lot (huge) more and its perpetual. And plugin alliance which would be the closest at $250 for 80+ plugins. And NI with its NOW plan of $100/ye for the efftecs but a lot of instruments. And or course waves which i didnt check but im sure its steep discounted... and surley im missing some.

Im ok with one brand or the other for the emulation fx hardware. so maybe im missing something? If you own any uad plugin (thats not part of those 15) youd get that plugin but in UADx/native version ?

If i where to pick which 15 plugins of all the catalog id maybe might be ok with $150 a year.
But so far from what im noticing it doesnt seem to give a lot of value so i rather ask first.


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## KEM (May 20, 2022)

gsilbers said:


> I just found out that this service is for only 15 plugins. So $150 a year for 15 specific plugins. I was under the impression its the whole catalog, thus the long thread and positive comments here and at geaspace.
> 
> So help me understand. I see slate all access for what seems to be a ton more plugins. Ik multimedia has $240 for a lot (huge) more and its perpetual. And plugin alliance which would be the closest at $250 for 80+ plugins. And NI with its NOW plan of $100/ye for the efftecs but a lot of instruments. And or course waves which i didnt check but im sure its steep discounted... and surley im missing some.
> 
> ...



It’s a complete waste of money, basically no other way to put it


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## Bee_Abney (May 20, 2022)

gsilbers said:


> I just found out that this service is for only 15 plugins. So $150 a year for 15 specific plugins. I was under the impression its the whole catalog, thus the long thread and positive comments here and at geaspace.
> 
> So help me understand. I see slate all access for what seems to be a ton more plugins. Ik multimedia has $240 for a lot (huge) more and its perpetual. And plugin alliance which would be the closest at $250 for 80+ plugins. And NI with its NOW plan of $100/ye for the efftecs but a lot of instruments. And or course waves which i didnt check but im sure its steep discounted... and surley im missing some.
> 
> ...


I may be misremembering, but I believe I read speculation - speculation only - that more plugins could be coming.

As to whether it is worth it... Some plugins cost more than others. Sometimes cheap plugins are fantastic, and sometimes expensive ones are fantastic; but if your heart is set on a particular plugin (or set of plugins) and it is expensive, it could still be worth it. I haven't subscribed to anything, and a high subscription is tough to bear; but I have paid a lot for Zynaptiq and Sonnox Oxford plugins, and I certainly haven't found them to be a waste of money. I've also spent very little on Black Rooster, Fuse Audio Labs and Tokyo Dawn Labs and have been just as impressed by the quality of the plugins.

In the end, there are certain qualities I'm after; and sometimes they come cheap and sometimes they don't.

I just realised that this post doesn't help you at all. Sorry!


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## kgdrum (May 20, 2022)

It’s not speculation the bundle will gradually have more products,Drew from UA confirmed on GS.
It’s kind of a weird bundle as a subscription model in its present form but if you already have UAD cards like I do,having the UAD-X plugins as native plugin choices is really nice and add a ton of available horsepower to the arsenal.
Once UA adds a bunch more native plugins to the roster this will probably be more advantageous for all users but as a UAD card user I already really like being able to use additional instances of these effects without taxing the cards.


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## Bee_Abney (May 20, 2022)

kgdrum said:


> It’s not speculation the bundle will gradually have more products,Drew from UA confirmed on GS.
> It’s kind of a weird bundle as a subscription model in its present form but if you already have UAD card like I do,having the UAD-X plugins as native plugin choices is really nice and add a ton of available horsepower to the arsenal.
> Once UA adds a bunch more native plugins roster this will probably be more advantageous for all users but as a UAD card user I already like being able to use additional instances of these effects without taxing the cards.


No, I only meant that what I remembered reading was speculation. Not that there was only speculation. I didn't know either way about official announcements.

It sounds like it makes sense for their core market, at any rate. And maybe it will gain value for more of us as time goes on.


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## SoftSynthLover99 (May 20, 2022)

For what it’s worth they did just add the new Hitsville EQ collection to the subscription, so you’re not paying $150 a year for just 15 plugins, they have already said UAD spark will grow over time. Which seems to be true considering they just added the new EQs. 

It’s only a complete waste of money if you don’t like/need UAD plugins in your setup. However they do sound great and have always been useful.


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## kgdrum (Jul 13, 2022)

A word of warning for people that are using Spark in rigs that are using Mojave,the graphics get blurry with the latest update which many users want to use to take advantage of the addition of the Pultec in UADX. This is being discussed on GS,DREW suggests people start a tech support ticket so UA hopefully fixes this for people with older Macs.


from the thread: 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Universal Audio ➡️
We no longer support Mojave. 

Come up to Catalina.


Hi Drew,
Mojave is the latest supported OS for people that are using computers like a Cheesegrater MacPro 5,1 so we are unfortunately stuck in Mojave. There are workaround hacks but it is beyond my comfort zone and level of computer expertise. Many users have also reported Mojave as being a more stable OS for these older Macs.
Please see if there’s some kind of workaround because this will also mean no more UAD purchases while I’m using this one of the last MacPros which is also able to house multiple UAD cards(Quad and Octo) I was actually contemplating adding another Octo so this would also prevent me in adding another card besides buying more UAD plugins. 
Thanks
KG



Drew fromUA: 

Hi all,
Support is tracking this and I recommend getting a ticket open ASAP. 


https://u.audio/support


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## ALittleNightMusic (Jul 13, 2022)

Spark now has the Pultec EQ collection in it. Free permanent license if you already owned it on UAD.


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## khollister (Jul 17, 2022)

Hoping for 480L, Fatso and Fairchild sooner rather than later


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## Raphioli (Oct 2, 2022)

Really wish they went the rent-to-own model for users who don't own UAD hardware. 
For example, at the end of an annual subscription, you get to choose one plugin to own/perpetual. 
Of course, since the annual fee is $150, you'll have to buy it considering the cost of some of their plugins, but I still think that would have been nice.

I hate subs, but I would sub if I was able to get a perpetual license for a plugin of my choice.


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## easyrider (Oct 5, 2022)

Thinking of getting a solo heritage to use as a standalone preamp get the UADx plugins meaning you could actually mix and not be held back by one DSP chip.


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## easyrider (Nov 13, 2022)

Update working well!


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