Universal Audio goes native.

[Stephen Bond]

Makes sense. The UAD plugins are overpriced though. Just look at the Plugin Alliance equivalents

Let's see if UAD soften. They certainly are evolving, if all be it slowly. I'm not likely to buy their hardware just to get access to expensive plugins so I can run the native versions

It likely won't happen immediately but maybe they will offer native versions direct at some point? $30 is the going rate! I'd maybe stretch to $50 for one or two particular plugins. Beyond that they would have to be exceptional. I'd stump more for something like Capitol Chambers.

Stephen

[noiseboyuk]

I could be wrong, but I strongly doubt we'll see UAD drop to those kinds of prices. What sets them apart from other devs has not just been the hardware requirement, it is the official licensing and branding of old gear. There's a huge psychological comfort factor in UAD. I know in broadcast UAD has replaced a huge amount of physical hardware - plug in your rack and go. The software responds the same as the hardware they know, looks the same, is even named the same. (And it's likely more reliable!)

What is also true is that other developers can and do make stuff as good or better. It just may not look 1:1. But that - in no small part - is what you are paying for with UAD. A safe, comfy feeling.

[Stephen Bond]

Let's wait and see.

UAD plugin prices have crashed in recent years. The odd or bi-annual sale has been replaced with perpetual sales, with many products 50% off or more, just like the other companies. UAD have been loosing market share and are forced to adapt and change in line with the market forces.

Plugin prices are going one way, at that is down! I probably have paid an average of $15-20 for my Plugin Alliance plugins. Waves have long been similar if you get the bundles.

Even hard-nosed Softube have seen the light in recent months. There are regular sales and prices are making more sense. I've bought a few at $39-$49 recently. I have the Volume bundle and they were much less priced per plugin.

Cheap plugins don't mean less revenue for the vendors. Just look at Plugin Alliance. They have grabbed huge sales and clearly huge revenues.

Stephen

[s.d. finley]

UA always has sales and discount codes so I would imagine this would continue

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by Stephen Bond

Makes sense. The UAD plugins are overpriced though. Just look at the Plugin Alliance equivalents

I've been stacking compressor and eq plugins on top of each other for years, buying those latest/greatest as their introduced, watching (hearing) them get better and better. Many of these have come from PA. I had a hardware 1176, then a Purple Audio 1176, then auditioned the plugin and felt that it was close enough that I could sell the hardware. That is the 1176 I've reached for for quite a while.

Then I installed UA and put them face-to-face. There was quite a difference (relatively speaking, we're not talking about massive differences at this level) and I was surprised by how much I liked UA's version. Same with their LA-2a, which I've become a very big fan of. I'd even say the same about the 224 verb. I have more verbs than brain cells, but there was a 3rd dimension to this that I don't immediately hear in what are considered the best emulations from other companies.

Plugins are in a great place today. The best of them are so good that they're nearly indistinguishable from our favorite hardware, and others are beginning to surpass what hardware is capable of. It's rare to try a new product and think "revolutionary?" The bar is just so high. But I'm fully excited about what I've heard from UA so far.

Now, are they overpriced? With the current offering, yes, $19/month is too much. Even if you spring for the annual plan it's 12.50/month and for 17 plugins (several of which are just different versions of the same hardware, which some would argue qualifies as a different product). Once the lineup expands it will be more attractive. Speaking strictly about quality, however, these are hard to beat, they're even hard to match in several cases.

[audiolex1]

Originally Posted by Eric Lambert

I've been stacking compressor and eq plugins on top of each other for years, buying those latest/greatest as their introduced, watching (hearing) them get better and better. Many of these have come from PA. I had a hardware 1176, then a Purple Audio 1176, then auditioned the plugin and felt that it was close enough that I could sell the hardware. That is the 1176 I've reached for for quite a while.

Then I installed UA and put them face-to-face. There was quite a difference (relatively speaking, we're not talking about massive differences at this level) and I was surprised by how much I liked UA's version. Same with their LA-2a, which I've become a very big fan of. I'd even say the same about the 224 verb. I have more verbs than brain cells, but there was a 3rd dimension to this that I don't immediately hear in what are considered the best emulations from other companies.

Plugins are in a great place today. The best of them are so good that they're nearly indistinguishable from our favorite hardware, and others are beginning to surpass what hardware is capable of. It's rare to try a new product and think "revolutionary?" The bar is just so high. But I'm fully excited about what I've heard from UA so far.

Now, are they overpriced? With the current offering, yes, $19/month is too much. Even if you spring for the annual plan it's 12.50/month and for 17 plugins (several of which are just different versions of the same hardware, which some would argue qualifies as a different product). Once the lineup expands it will be more attractive. Speaking strictly about quality, however, these are hard to beat, they're even hard to match in several cases.

Yeah, for the offering even at $149 a year, with what they have that is native it is expensive.

I have the Mega PA, which I got at 149 a year because I was a power user, is far more worth it at this time with their plugins.
I do think the UA and PA plugins are some of the better plugins out their over many others.

So eventually 149 a year for UA might be worth it. However, I wonder if they will create a tiered system.

I didn't see any of the "fine print". Is there any indication of a sub price going up the more plugins they make available?
Is 149 a year introductory and subjected to change? PA stays at 149 for as long as I pay the license.

1ms is pretty great. I imagine that is low enough to record with on an Aux. I think the DSP is about half of that or lower.

Like you said, there isn't that much of a difference, but there is a difference. The reverbs are excellent. I have the 224 and the 480, as well as capitol chambers, 140, 250 (one of my favs), RMX (another fav), Ocean Way (good for some things) and like you, even more than brain cells.

Same goes for Tape EMU. I think I have everything there is. I like the 102 and I really like Phoenix II. The Studer is nice, I just really doing use it much.

Thanks for the update on your experience. Would love your feedback on tracking with say a compressor on something coming in.

I'm not in any rush to get the Native versions just yet, but UA did a solid for their DSP users by providing them for free to those of us who already own the DSP version.

The only thing I've been wanting for the past 10 plus years has been the DMX, which they have. Just waiting for that sale.

[audiolex1]

Originally Posted by Stephen Bond

Let's wait and see.

UAD plugin prices have crashed in recent years. The odd or bi-annual sale has been replaced with perpetual sales, with many products 50% off or more, just like the other companies. UAD have been loosing market share and are forced to adapt and change in line with the market forces.

Plugin prices are going one way, at that is down! I probably have paid an average of $15-20 for my Plugin Alliance plugins. Waves have long been similar if you get the bundles.

Even hard-nosed Softube have seen the light in recent months. There are regular sales and prices are making more sense. I've bought a few at $39-$49 recently. I have the Volume bundle and they were much less priced per plugin.

Cheap plugins don't mean less revenue for the vendors. Just look at Plugin Alliance. They have grabbed huge sales and clearly huge revenues.

Stephen

As a member of Plugins anonymous, yep the prices are getting more reasonable which is why I have so many.

I agree that UA had to make a change in the business model. I use to always buy on the half yearly sale. Sometimes 3 or 6 plugin bundle, and sometimes I would do it twice. Over 5 years, I ended up with almost 100 of them.
Then I just didn't buy much anymore and I think that carried on to many other users.

As well, for users like myself who has a Quad FW satellite, they offer NO upgrade path to Thunberbolt or USB which really turned me off on buying anymore hardware.
Someone said that it is just a PCIe in a case but I don't want to rip it open to find out otherwise.
Either way, UA could offer a path for users who will lose their product when using Big Sur or Monterey.

PA makes great stuff as well. There is more than enough out there to get what you need done. I like having the Mega license.
Its just another option for good plugins.

I think Softube is learning that if they don't start with competing pricing they are going to get left behind.
I like there 2inch tape machine.

[audiolex1]

Originally Posted by s.d. finley

UA always has sales and discount codes so I would imagine this would continue

Probably for the DSP, but it looks like the Native plugins will be subscription only.

[Phil O'Keefe]

Originally Posted by Eric Lambert

Then I installed UA and put them face-to-face. There was quite a difference (relatively speaking, we're not talking about massive differences at this level) and I was surprised by how much I liked UA's version. Same with their LA-2a, which I've become a very big fan of. I'd even say the same about the 224 verb. I have more verbs than brain cells, but there was a 3rd dimension to this that I don't immediately hear in what are considered the best emulations from other companies.

The UA Lex 224 plugin really is quite good, isn't it?

I really like a lot of UA's plugins. I'm not a big fan of subscriptions, so my UAD Octo Thunderbolt isn't going anywhere any time soon. It is kind of nice that they're offering us the native versions of things we already have (and that are part of the native bundle) for no extra charge, but out of the 24 UAD-2 licenses I have, only two of them are currently available as native plugins - the 224, and the Studer... and I'm still waiting for them to put the Studer into my UA Connect account.

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by audiolex1

Thanks for the update on your experience. Would love your feedback on tracking with say a compressor on something coming in.

I've not yet tracked with one of these but I've tracked with many other plugins that exhibit 1ms of delay and had no issues with them.