i’m more into comb filters and weird delays… but weirdo multi-fx plug ins get my attention… especially when the dev is Brian Clevenger
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I’m a big fan UAD plugs usually, but these look like very unappealing to me based on what I saw in the demos. They’re sort of toy-like, but not in a way I find particular interesting, engaging or appealing. I’m not sure what market they’re trying to appeal to, but it’s not me evidently. I could see newer producers who don’t have much technical background being into the visual aspect of it and perhaps that becomes a gateway into the UAD echosystem? I’m not sure, really. I’ll be curious to see what folks do with them.
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With you 1000% @infiniteposse ….it almost seems like UAD got bored???
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I’m guessing they’re looking at a new revenue source aimed at a younger generation.
There’s tons of emulations already. This simplified set of tools seems in line with many new releases. UJAM seems to have been created with the same idea.
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UAD seem to be having some struggles. Their hardware interfaces always were interesting cause of the DSP and exclusive plugins, that’s gone and now there is no reason to really use a UAD interface anymore. There are far better ones out there for their target audience. They are still great interfaces, but little value compared to other brands in 2024.
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Agreed! I have two Apollo 8(x)s and I‘m thinking about switching over to an RME UFX III to decouple from that ecosystem. I do love the UAD plugins, their compressors in particular are second to none (the Distressor emulation for example is just so special). But especially when primarily working with hardware, there are some issues with Console and its routing flexibility — their current Preview of the new Console app is almost an insult to us UAD users, it’s a reskin with little new relevant features at all.
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I just bought the Fireface UCX II a week ago, after 10 years of rocking a Fireface UCX (which is still going strong after so many years), and I am blown away. I’d say go for it! The quality is top notch, ultra stable, clear and beautiful sound, and with the UFX III you have some features (which the UCX II also has) like direct recording to USB without a computer, integrated room correction with no extra latency (as it runs on the internal DSP), loopback, etc. that not many other audio interfaces offer and that are a game changer for me. Just being able to record my evening piano improvisations without having to turn on the computer is fantastic. I swear I don’t work for RME 
(Sorry for the off topic)
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It’s the opposite for me. I have 4 Apollos (2 8s, a 6, and a 16), which work as one device in DAWs etc, which is still hard to find decent devices that do the same. I did look at the Antelope devices, but their support is atrocious, and their drop and burn rate of products, equally off-putting.
There’s still value to be had with offloading effects to the Apollos, and freeing up CPU for other plugins, especially power hungry UAD ones. They’re also still very handy if you want to print with effects baked in, a la Unison.
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RME Digiface USB + 2 Ferrofish Pulse 16 = 32 ADAT I/O’s
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I have 3 Audient adat preamps plugged into the 2 Apollo 8 and Apollo 6, for a total of 62 inputs, as well as 3 spdif totaling 67
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I felt like the deep package discounts over the Black Friday period (which I took full advantage of) was my sign that things were shifting within the ecosystem. I’m a fan of getting out while resale is high, so I decided to move my Apollo x8p. I’d sort of migrated over to my SSL Big Six, so it wasn’t the hardest decision. I was loosing the extra DSP for plugins though, so I found someone selling their TB3 Octo Satelite for $400 and decided that would be a good measure to ensure I was good with DSP while UA sussed out however it was going to change things up.
I love UA’s plugins and really don’t feel they’ve been bested in most regards. I’ve been very pleased with the slow migration to Native (the plugin instruments sound amazing imho) and I think it’s a smart move for the company. I’m not sure what the ultimate goal is, but they’re definitely trying to diversify and move into lots of differing music markets. Their work in guitar-related pedals has been very good, which makes perfect sense, and this pivot into cute plugins seems like a shift towards the Garage Band user, perhaps. Maybe the end-goal is to have a little of something for everyone, which I could sort of see working for them, unlike almost any other manufacturer out there.
It’s been nice to be reminded of how good the RME stuff is. Years ago I had one of the earlier Fireface 8 firewire interfaces which was great. Then I moved to Apogee, then to the UA interfaces. I’m super impressed by how consistent RME has been over the years and how much support they offer to their older interfaces. Apogee was trash in that regard.
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Sorry off-topic.
Despite my previous comment, I do like UAD’s approach and have owned their interfaces in the past. However, I really do not like the lack of I/O on the Twins. No ADAT out is a real kick in the teeth at that price.
I think UA always sat comfortable in the semi-pro/pro market, but they are losing that position hence all the plugin sales. The Audient Evo 16 is a great example of how interfaces have evolved and stepped up the entry level semi-pro game.
For the pro’s I think most are eventually upgrading to Lynx aurora which offers a lot more than the UAD rack mounts in terms of customising.
Ok, back on topic:
I tried those free UAD plugins, they are good for what they do.
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FREE until April 21
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Completely agree here.
The lack of ADAT out on the Twins really bugged me, and even on the 4x there’s only 1 pair of ADAT ports, most other interfaces of this price would have 2 pairs of ports. The fact that you have to buy a far more expensive rack unit to get 2 pairs of ADATs really annoyed me as a business decision.
I sold my twin and upgraded to an RME interface which is a huge improvement in round trip latency and stability.
I haven’t looked back, and now can run a fair few plugins directly in my DAW with live monitoring, still with very low latency, something I could previously only do in the UA mixer with exclusively UA plugins.
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Krotos Concept 2 for $1 (click on ‘2 Item Bundle’ button)
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FYI - Mac users, Concept 2 is not M1 native (but runs in Rosetta per their website)
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Tone Projects have 30% off through the end of April.
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I guess Fabfilter didn’t feel like throwing a party for their 20 years old birthday 
I wonder why? They did, when they turned 10 and 15. Why not 20?
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Maybe it’s on the way… 
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