UAD-2 PCIe DSP Accelerator Cards

The only missing thing?
Harmonizers…. and 5.1 tools…..
But it's a bit like asking your wife/husband to get even better everyday,
when all you know is you just wouldn't envisage any n,ew project without her/him…
it's part of the way i live with sound…
UltrAD2…

Frédéric.

I love my UAD 2 Duo! I can't even think of the time when I didn't have the countless possibilities that this piece of gear has to offer. The stock plugins sound really good. Although upgrading to the amazing stuff is really pricy its well worth the extra penny because you get what you pay for. With the DSP power that the Duo has to offer you can mix for a while before running out of memory but freezing your tracks (if your sequencer supports it) gives you endless possibilities and saves you the cash that you would have spend on a quad card. Unless you mind freezing and unfreezing from time to time.

Overall I can't live without it!

For me it is a big leap....and i was cautious at first....but this platform is really helping me get a sound where so many other plugin combinations seem to leave me a little lost and wanting.
The UAD SSL channel is the last one i bought and i have all the other versions.
I never expected this to be of any more help than the others to be honest...and my experience has been ''looks good but it falls short somehow''.
The UAD version is like putting on a pair glasses after years of blurry vision!
All of a sudden the compressor and even the dreaded gate actually work !
And the E.Q just feels more secure.
I also just bought the dbx 160 and it is really good....and also the moog filter which has actually allowed my moog soft synths to begin to sound like a moog!
I had actually given up on that i must admit !
Great...really great!

The UAD-2 Quad and the plugs that run on it are AWESOME! I've always loved mixing "in the box" but the UAD system gives my mixes extra dimension and character that simply can't be beat. I've been lucky enough to have access to the best plug-ins available from every manufacturer but time and time again I have found UA's impart a dimension and character to sounds that I find more appealing than any other. Compared to the UA plug-ins everything else sounds "thin". People often comment that my mixes sound like records and I attribute that almost entirely to the UAD-2 system. Keep up the amazing work!

Got this after a dispute with Waves over their old update plan and haven't looked back. Very stable, even on 64 bit systems running SONAR X1. UAD plugins help take mixing and mastering to new levels. After trying almost every brand of highly rated VST plugin, these just have a certain magic to the sound that so many others lack and without hogging system memory.

Got this after a dispute with Waves over their old update plan and haven't touched a Waves plugin since. The sound quality is excellent and the plugins are very stable on a 64 bit system running SONAR X1: took the mixing and mastering experience to a whole new level. The only thing that keeps it from getting 5 stars is having to remove the card each time the software is updated, but since I got the Omni package it is rarely needed unless I want to add a new plugin.

Making music with my DAW is not the same anymore since I have installed my first UAD Card a few years ago. UAD Plug-Ins breathe life into my tracks and make them sound as they should. My music now has the punch, the warmth and the detail I was missing.

One of the most important points to buy this card was, that the investment would not loose soon its worth. I can´t stand the situation that i pay a lot of money for a software an then my neighbours kids tell me they found it fully working and downloadable for free on internet.
It is working as a large dongle. And that is its fault too. It is limited in workingpower because it doesn´t grow with your cpu power like native plugins and, may the PCIe standard changes later, you can´t use it annymore in your new PC.
But today it works fine, got enough power , consumes small amouth of energy (compaired to outboard gear) and the most important: it sounds well enough for even high professional jobs.
Don´t forget the real stable drivers (MAC) , the contious expanding and cultivated software. Plus : if you do really not like it at all - resell it and get the money back (most).
One thing to remember: you can´t sell parts of your plugin collection unlike hardware soundprocessors you don´t like annymore. Either software and hardware together, or hardware only - thats it.

I gave not highest ranking because of the told limitations. May UAD when times are comming, find a solution by making free upgrades or other customer friendly behavior. This can happen but actually is as described.

Im happy thi these products, very nice dps card, with the best sound to make music.

Stable DSP power for mixing great sounds up..The best plugins run on this!

I always use NEVE EQs and several compressors powered by UAD-2 for each drum parts of VST instruments when composing. UAD-2 QUAD is powerful enough to trim every sounds of kick, snare, hat, toms, crush and ride, also overhead. This makes big difference in my drum unit. It turns lively so much.
EMT-140&250 are also my favorite. Those are unique in UAD and you can't find them in other plug-in distributors. They will give some organic reverb to your vocals and guitar solo.
One thing I have to tell is that if you use UAD-2 DSP, soon you need more. I chose a UAD-2 QUAD for myself, but it is not enough to put plug-ins into every channel which I wanted to use them. I might buy another QUAD card, that is a problem.

I want this card in system 1 please... how can i do??

I started out with the UAD-2 Solo and I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY with the quality of this card, considering it is "just a solo" I can hardly wait to see the results I will get with the quad, (which I am currently waiting on now) and it is FREE as a result of purchasing the 6176 Vintage Channel Strip during the Premium Studio Upgrade Promotion. AWESOME DEAL! When I say "quality" of the card I am not just talking about the quality of the plug-in emulations of real world NICE analog gear, which I know the sound of since I was fortunate enough to come up in a studio that was equipped with a few really nice pieces of old analog gear, on which we relied heavily. We all know they nailed the sound, feel, and warmth of this iconic gear, which is absolutely essential in ANY studio setting in order to achieve that highly sought after, be it rarely acquired feeling of a live performance, with all the nuance, energy, and warmth that implies.
The quality I am speaking of now is the quality of workmanship in the actual hardware that you receive in the box. You can tell that these guys know what they are doing, and they go out of their way to make SURE that you receive a product that will last under the heavy use and abuse any recording musician, producer or song writer is bound to put it through. Very well made, and durable equipment_ (When I first received the card I was also very impressed of how easy the registration process was because of their extremely easy-to-use & instructive web-site)
That said I think that I should say a little about my experience with UAD- 2 powered plug-ins platform. The way that I record has completely changed, and my music has come back to life with the color, vitality and definition that it seemed to lose after being run through a computer based recording platform. I can say that the same thoughtful workmanship that they put into the hardware is very evident in the attention to detail that they put into reproducing every nuance of tone in the plug-ins which I rely on most heavily. Some of which include the Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Machine plug and the Helios 69 which are two of my ultimate favorites so far! As well as just the basic graphic Cambridge EQ with its very natural curve and response! They ALL add a TREMENDOUS amount of depth and character to ANY recording! There are just too many to speak of in much detail, except to say that the color, depth of tone, ease of use, and flexibility of these plug-ins provides for an intense palette of tone and warmth that is rare to come by in ANY real world situation, and is now at your fingertips! That is truly astounding for those of us who grew up turning knobs, pushing faders, and for the most part just DREAMING of a studio with the capability of this one card. Knowing that it was WELL beyond our reach!
The bottom line is that you absolutely cannot go wrong with this card, it is VERY MUCH worth every penny and the quality of your audio after installing this little monster will increase TEN FOLD! I really feel that this is one of the two best investments I have ever made in my studio, or into music in general. The other one is a UA product as well, the 6176 Channel Strip I mentioned earlier, but I guess that is for another review_ TRY IT!!! YOU WILL BE BLOWN AWAY!!!!

Hi,

my suggestion is to rebuild the Eventide (as a Plugin), specially the Harmonizer function or an other great harmonizer-effect. That would be great...

Best regards...

Cengiz

A bit of kit I can't live without! Worth it's weight in gold for the 1176 alone, the UAD-2 plugs are my 'go to' sound sculptors. You can't go wrong with these!

When the UAD-2 systems came out, I already had four UAD-1 cards in an external expansion chassis. I bought the UAD-2 QUAD and had it running in a slot in the computer (not in the expansion slot) at the same time as the UAD-1 cards. They worked together without any problems. However, as I was hoping, the UAD-2 was more than powerful enough to replace the four UAD-1 cards. So, I eventually sold the UAD-1 cards and the expansion chassis to simplify my hardware setup.

I'm loving all the UAD plug-ins and the UAD-2 Quad gives me more than enough power for almost every mix I do. With some of the new intensive DSP plug-ins, I can occasionally manage to max out the card, but that is fairly rare, and I can also freeze tracks to free up some DSP when needed.

The only negative I have to say about the UAD-2 QUAD card I have (which is one of the earliest ones), is that the PCI-E connector is very small, and didn't fit very tightly into the slot on the original computer I had it in. Plus, it didn't seem to line up correctly with the backplane of the computer, so when I screwed it down, it was angle slightly, and sometimes it wasn't making proper contact in the slot, and one or two of the QUAD's processors wouldn't show up, or sometimes the entire card wouldn't even show up, and I'd have to shut down, and reseat it in the slot. I ended up have to loosen the screw on the card itself that held the backplane bracket so that I could pull that bracket a little further back to allow it to fit better into my computer.

I have since built a whole new studio computer system, and the QUAD seems to fit tighter and lines up slightly better with the backplane in the new computer, although it's still not a perfect fit. But, no problems so far with the card not being recognized.

Even with my new i7-950 based system, which can handle quite a bit of plug-ins all on its own (I also own Waves Mercury + SSL, plus many other Native plugs), the UAD-2 Quad is a major part of my mixing arsenal. UA makes great sounding plugs that I rely on for every mix, even though I have other similar native options. Something about the UAD versions just sound right to me and seem to be easier to dial in to get the sound I want.

Dear Uaudio,
I took advantage of the fantastic deal recently, purchasing a 6176 channel strip and UAD-2 Quad card here in the UK.
I have used a UAD-1 since 2002 and would like to review the UAD-2.
Firstly, installing and, more importantly, porting over all my existing plug-in licences to
the UAD-2 was a breeze-unlike recent iLok hassles I have experienced. Brilliant, thankyou. Workflow problems eliminated.
Next, the capacity for the plug-ins I mainly use is massive on the UAD-2 Quad. No more nervously checking the meter as I mix. However, I haven't bought any new plug-ins compatible with my new OS, so will see what happens when my wallet has recovered from the above purchases.
Finally, this review is also to pass on my own thoughts re. Uaudio as an ex Music Technology tutor. I used to joke that music software reflects its origins. Uaudio software is proper California-laid-back, cool and easy to use but with an underlying
excellence. All the furious calculations happen deep in the background as I say WOW! at each new plug and then just use it as I see fit with minimal disruption to that all important flow. You forget the technical enormity of what's going on as you create-I feel sure that's a great compliment to the UA crew. Cheers

I give my system a 5 star rating because it continues to deliver time after time. It has been very stable and has the right amount of power for the mixes I do.

Every job, whether commercial or a full song, performed 10 times faster. Simple controls and of course the highest quality sound. UAD - the choice of any modern studio, from home to highly skilled.

all plugins work vonderful thank to all the team
philippe ritter, sound engineer