Hey guys,
 
hope you can help me out here. I´m planning to buy some new stuff for my studio. I´m getting more and more to do and it´s become more than just a simple homestudio.
So I need to get some proper stuff. :-)
 
I´m now working with a Roland UA-1610 Studio Capture which is eqipped with preamps but I want a external tube driven amp. I also thinking about getting hardware like a CA-2A amp and stuff. So far so good.
 
But there is this company called Universal Audio, which offers the UAD-2 OCTO Ultimate.
This card comes with a huge bundle of plugins and most of them emulates the hardware I was looking for.
 
Now here comes my question (and yes I´m specificly asking for your personal opinion!) ;-):
- Do you think it´s better to invest in real hardware or buy the ultimate bundle?
- Is the UAD-software much better in results than other software, like the UAD-software-CA-2A compared to the CA-2A ProChannel-Plugin for Sonar?
 
 
Thank you so much for your thoughts in advance. It´s much appreciated. :-)
 

One factor, driverless hardware never becomes obsolete.

Think of the UAD hardware as just another computer to run software on, which won't tax your main CPU. When those types of products first came along, they were generically referred to as "accelerators". Computers were far less powerful then and users often exhausted their CPUs. Adding a computer-within-a-computer (or an outboard equivalent connected via Firewire/USB) allowed you to add more effects before reaching your computer's maximum capacity.
 
That need is largely gone now, and indeed the other products of that type such as the TC Powercore have gone away. The reason UAD continues to survive has little to do with the hardware, but everything to do with the software that runs on it. That extra DSP processing power (it's got 8 SHARC processors) lets them write emulations of classic hardware without any compromises in the name of efficiency. Consequently, the UAD software is of impeccably high quality, often cited as the best in any given category.
 
The Ultimate bundle includes all of the UAD plugins, dozens of 'em. Reverbs, compressors, preamps, limiters, delays - you'll never have to buy another plugin again.
 
Mmm, sorry I've drifted off into gear lust just thinking about it. Five grand is what they get for that package, which is beyond my means. But it's still a fraction of what the equivalent analog hardware would cost you. It just won't be as impressive to clients as a rack-full of knobs and flashing lights.
 
Of course, the Doktor is absolutely correct: analog hardware doesn't become obsolete and does not care what software you're running. It will always be compatible.

real is almost always better than emulations....
 
especially in the case of mic preamps and compressors.
 
some of the high end emulations do a GREAT job...
but again, it's mostly AFTER the fact.
 
there's nothing like hitting a convertor with your color BEFORE it's converted.

I agree: it's hard to beat the sound of hardware. Especially on the way into your DAW. Save up and get yourself some really nice preamps. Compressors as you can afford them.
 
Once inside, there are numerous plugins that aren't all that expensive, that sound amazing. Plugins have come SO far in the last couple of years. Lot's of new start up companies are churning out great plugs for very little money. 

Thank you guys, and specially thank you bitflipper, for drifting away, lol.
 
This is exactly what I was asking myself... even the UAD is hardware-accerlerated, it still is software. I have some friends which are in posess of a uad quad and a apollo audio interface and they telling me over and over that they are the best plugins existing on the market. Sometimes I think it´s just because they spent so much money on it. ;-)
 
i really do like the plugins I have, especially the prochannel-plugins.
 
So I´ll get myself some pretty hardware-preamps (any suggestions) and I´ll stick to the plugins I already got.

budget?
 

andy_grahammer
 
So I´ll get myself some pretty hardware-preamps (any suggestions) and I´ll stick to the plugins I already got.

Give us some input on what you're recording, ie bands vs singer/songwriter. ie, how many channels do you want/need? And how much you want to spend.
 
My suggestion in general: don't buy cheap if you've got something that's working for you at this time. Save up to get really decent equipment that will last you many, many years. I can't even start to add up how much money I've spent on cheap sh*t, when I should have saved, waited and bought better pieces.
 
Just my 2 cents (from 25+ years in this crazy business)

Thanks for the good advice joel77
 
OK, here we go. I´m sorry in advance for any misunderstandings, since English is not my native language ;-)
 
I´m into music my hole life and started producing music with Cakewalk Pro 2.0 about 20 years ago. Making music was always a big part of my life, so I decided to start my own business with my partner: a recoding studio. I passed my audio engineer exams this year.
 
I just finished recording my first album for a metal-band, but our goal is to record different types of styles, mostly Pop/Rock. From a single performer to a complete band (one shot and overdub).
The focus is on recording and mixing, not mastering.
 
Mixing- and recording room are already optimized with Hofa acoustic modules.
 
Stuff we use and wanna keep:

• Roland Studio Caputure 16/10
  16 inputs will be enough for now. I would add a 2nd StudioCaputre if needed
• Sonar (dah :-P) with all it´s prochannel modules and plugins
• 3rd party plugins: Wave (Platinum Bundle), ReaPlugs, Marvel GEK, DensitymkIII, Voxengo SPAN
• Mics: Rhode NT1, Nady RSM2 Ribbon, Sennheiser e602 II
• Speaker: Behringer B1030 Truth (wanna keep them and add a subwoofer and add a additional pair of different speakers as well)
• Headphones: 3 AKG, 3 Audio-Technica, 3 Sony and 3 Samson and a Behringer headphone-bay

 
Stuff I wanna add and being pretty sure of buying it (I already checked them out at the local music store and tried them out):

• Mics
  • Neumann TLM 107, large diaphragm microphone with 5 polar patterns
  • Neumann KM184 Stereo Set miniature microphone cardioid
  • Shure SM 7B, dynamic microphone
  • Mic-Set for drums: AKG Drum Set Session I
• Speakers: Haven´t decided yet, but I think it´s gonna be a pair of Neumann KH 120 A. I checked out several speakers and I liked the sound pretty much
• Mackie Big Know (to switch between speakers)

Stuff I´d really appreciate your help/suggestions (Budget will be 6000 € max by now):

• Patchbay: Does anyone know a patchbay, which provides 6.3 mm jacks on the front (no tt-jacks) and any kind of clamp-system on the back? I have to connect a multicore-cable and I suck at soldering XD
• Preamp:
  • a tube and a transistor based would be nice, or a hybrid (I wanna have the freedom to chosse from a "coloured" and a flat amplification
  • Is it wise to use the built-in preamps in StudioCapture or better have a external muti-channel preamp?

The preamp is the only experience I have regarding analogue hardware. All the other stuff (dynamics, EQ, Reverb, etc.) I´m using software plugins. What are you´re expirience? Is there any hardware I should have instead of using a plugin?
 
Thank you again guys for being such a great help! I´m really having a good time here
 
 

If you're using hardware the maximum number of e.g. compressors you can use at the same time is the number you can afford.

If you're using plugins you can use as many as your computer can handle with each one after the first being effectively free.

There are lots af great plugins around these days. Personally where I do (mostly) stick to hardware is sound generation itself and overdrive/distortion. Once it's done past a moderate saturation, I find digitally emulated distortion generally sounds just wrong.