UAD 1176 vs WAVES CLA 76 vs Bombfactory 1176

[TCLguy1]

Has anybody compared the UAD LA3A, LA2A, 1176's with the CLA ones from waves and with the Bombfactory ones.

I use the bombfactory ones a lot in PT. I also would like to get a copy of all of them for the Logic rig so the choice is either UAD or Waves. Thing about the UAD is, that I actually don't like the idea of yet another PCI card to deal with (possibly upgrade down the line). The thing about waves is...well,..I don't want to get WUPed every year or deal with their crappy update policy (for example right now with Logic 9.1 64bit)

Ultimately, its the best sounding one I am interested in. Has anybody gotten to compare them?

Thanks

[Louisblanc]

The BF plugs are good and useful however they are not the best emulations.

UAD 1176 is great and is very close to the real flavor.

The Waves CLA 1176 just sounds amazing for a plug-in. For me they really shine and get the job done.

So to sum it up the CLA to my ears just has a special character as the UAD 1176 to me is more a really good emulation. Nothing wrong with that either.

[derF]

I have all of the above and really like the CLAs. That said I went back to Tiger and PT7.4 (from Leopard/PT8) and love having my TDM UAD 1176/LA2A back. The UADs are closer in their emulation, where as the Waves are better for grit and feel. If you've ever used the originals then the UADs are the ones for you. The downside is now having to have the PCIe card to run them!

Demo'ing the Waves CLAs is simple. Try them! I did, ended up buying them. The WUP is cheap now, especially if you have more than one Waves bundle. The new Kramer PIE and HLS are amazing!!!!!!

[systemexclusive]

Have both UAD 1176 and Bombfactory 76.
UAD better for sounds with sharp attack.
Bombfactory working nice for basses with slow attack and release (electronic, not acoustic) where UAD make sound to hot...

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by Louisblanc

The BF plugs are good and useful however they are not the best emulations.

UAD 1176 is great and is very close to the real flavor.

The Waves CLA 1176 just sounds amazing for a plug-in. For me they really shine and get the job done.

So to sum it up the CLA to my ears just has a special character as the UAD 1176 to me is more a really good emulation. Nothing wrong with that either.

Ditto

Absolutely right. the CLA stuff is great and the UAD is closer to the originals, whichever suites your needs.

Chris

[elicious]

don't have the uad, but do have the cla's and of course, the bf.
also have hardware 1176's.
for years the bf was my default comp for quick, simple touch ups,
and i still feel it is very underrated
(prolly cuz it's free!)

but the cla's are a whole other class;
particularly when you really slam them.
they make whatever you put through them very "sticky" in the mix
and they impart a great color on almost every thing they touch.

a great ex of a comp altering the sonics of a trak vs. a gain rider
like a vocal or wave rider which does not.

waves is making very sota stuff now
and their policies have vastly improved as of late.

b.o.l.
e

e.p.s.

untouched pacific coastline

have you been following the news lately?!?

[studiojimi]

Originally Posted by derF

I have all of the above and really like the CLAs. That said I went back to Tiger and PT7.4 (from Leopard/PT8) and love having my TDM UAD 1176/LA2A back. The UADs are closer in their emulation, where as the Waves are better for grit and feel. If you've ever used the originals then the UADs are the ones for you. The downside is now having to have the PCIe card to run them!

way to demonstrate the art of holding fast

it's a "no brainer"
to stay with the UA plugs
and be "recall-able" for your mixes of the past 5 years or more.

upgrading doesn't seem to respect the glory of virtuality to the level that it should

sometime one needs to change a word or out of tune note for a project and it is more than cumbersome to have to adjust a dialed in mix because of plug in incompatibility.

poo poo

hey Digi/AVID....
when your are doing all that work on the software with us in mind....
think on this.

the ability to recall mixes from the past without having to change the hard work one has already put into a detailed mix
is a paramount issue for producers/engineers

it's called being of service....
it's the same thing we are trying to be for our clients....try it.

[BaileyBass]

Originally Posted by studiojimi

way to demonstrate the art of holding fast


poo poo

it's called being of service....
it's the same thing we are trying to be for our clients....try it.

Hey Jimi, seriously consider that statements like this probably don't help the cause; in fact they probably hurt it. Think about it. SB

[TCLguy1]

Originally Posted by crizdee

Ditto

Absolutely right. the CLA stuff is great and the UAD is closer to the originals, whichever suites your needs.

Chris

Originals you mean the hardware, Urei 1176's or UA 1176's?

Thanks for all the posts, I wish one could demo the UAD stuff..and compare and try out. Also I like things to be on the ilok so you can bring it around with you. Not so easy with a PCI card.

thanks!

[Ted Spencer]

I haven't heard the UADs, and I haven't (yet) made a direct comparison to my hardware 1176s or LA2A, but for my money the CLA emulations are superb, and very close to the sound of the hardware units. On the other hand, IMHO, the BF 1176 is crap. It looks like an 1176, but that's pretty much where the 'emulation' starts and ends. I do like their later LA3A and Pultec emulations, but again the Waves ones (in the CLA and JJP bundles respectively) are vastly closer to the originals' analog mojo. The Waves API, SSL and Neve (aka "V" series) are also similarly outstanding. I only recently acquired these tools and they have made a huge difference in what I can do in a mix, both 'in the box' and out (I still do quite a bit of mixing via 32 channels out to an automated console).

The one direct comparison I did make was the Waves 1073 emulation ("V3 EQ") to my hardware unit. While the boost/cut knob positions required to match them were quite different (but not the frequency ones), I was able to match my real 1073 almost perfectly. The only difference was that the top end of the plug was slightly cleaner, which I liked. Old Neve modules do vary a lot, and it's perfectly reasonable to conclude that the one they used for emulation was cleaner than mine (like some other ones I've used). They got the hard part right though - the character. 1073s quite simply mangle the sound - in a good way when it works and in a bad way when it doesn't - and the plugs do just that. Stick one on a rock snare, crank up some 5k, a little 12k and some 100hz and you're in slam-city. Just like the hardware. Love it...

I'm also particularly fond of their API 500 series stuff. Incredibly true to the uniquely great character of the hardware...