UAD Software or a real preamp for recording, real hardware for compression?

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.

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)

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.

If you are serious about music production getting a nice single channel or stereo is about the best thing you can do for yourself. I got an RND Portico II channel and it made a world of difference.  But really, almost any preamp with a transformer in it is going to help de-digitalize your recordings.  It smooths the sound and can roll a little off the top end.  Here in the US Warm Audio makes great preamps and hardware for a reasonable price - their Pultec is my favorite now.  But there are plenty of others.  And a stereo comp is always great to have (like the Drawmer 1968) and you can run your two-buss signal through it.  Analog hardware is really good since you can use it several times.  You can play through it when tracking and use it as an instrument itself (audio transformers will saturate nicely before distorting).  You can re-record a signal through your analog hardware, a track at a time.  And finally, when you do the mix you can send it out and record it after it goes through a nice compressor, eq or both.
 
Another suggestion is switch the Neumann for a Micro Tech Gefell 930.  I'm loving the little guy and it is a second large step for my home recording.
 
Finally, the TASCAM UH -7000.  It is a usb interface but very high end, with a pair of nice preamps built in.  They are not transformer-based, but a step above Roland.  You can plug it into the Roland via SPDif or AES digital and that will give you a great 2-channel you can use when recording the whole band and for overdubs.
 
The software is great, too, and UA is known for their emulations.  Very high quality and great for mixing.  Cakewalk's software is very good, too, and the CA2a gets used on just about every song I do.  But if you record the instruments with good hardware then the software really shines and makes mixing easy. 

Thomann (big German box-shifter) currently list the TLM 107 at £864.33, which google tells me is $1324.

An SM7B from a UK dealer is around £310 = $475.

Both those prices include Value Added Tax (VAT) at 20%.

For most things made in the USA or supplied by a US company (e.g. Fender, Gibson etc) you can generally take the $ price in the US, replace the dollar sign with a £ and that's the UK price once tax and import duty have been added.

I made a price comparison on high quality pre amps and had arrived at around 1000.00 US per channel retail. This amount seems to hold more or less across makers of good pre amps. Since I frequently record in stereo I was looking at either two pre amps or a stereo unit..so a combo unit could run 2000.00  and up easily which I think is a small price to pay for a well made unit. In my studio all I really need is a decent stereo pre amp and a decent compressor, so the idea of having a lot of plug ins  in UAD seems redundant since , as someone already mentioned, we have options in software with Sonar already. 
 
I think Dave makes an excellent point in mentioning that computers are now faster and can probably do pretty much the same thing as UAD. I wonder how much of it is really perception when comparing UAD to other plug-ins. I don't doubt that UAD makes excellent plug-ins...I never have liked the proprietary approach, probably why I don't use an Apple computer. Another good point Dave made..it will eventually become obsolete. UAD has already been through a few upgrade cycles making older products harder to use.
 
 

i'll go fetch the firing squad.......
 
 

Take a look at the Coudlifter inline preamps for dynamic and ribbon mics. You cannot use them on condensers but they will make a dynamic like the SM-7b even better and will provide a lot of gain for a ribbon mic without exposing the ribbon to any voltage, they work like a diode. They have several models. They are a LOT of bang for the buck. With what you have I think one would add a lot for a little. Cloud makes good mics too as does Gauge.
I realize you were asking about real compressors VS stuff like UAD but these other things are things I would want to see if I were where I imagine you to be from what you have said.
Cloud: http://cloudmicrophones.com/cloud12/products/ (I have the CL-1, it's all I need)
Gauge: http://www.gauge-usa.com/Gauge_Microphones/Home.html more for less...
I wouldn't scrimp on real mic preamps in a commercial studio. I use the Octa-Capture and I'm pretty sure the preamps are the same as in the Studio-Capture, I like them just fine but I'm sure there are better ones.
On a budget, (if I were you) I would look into a single channel (maybe two channel) , high end preamp for tracking lead vocals and do the rest with the S-C.
I don't know but I think you can get more bang for the buck, be happy, and make good recordings without investing in Neumann until you really need to. I'd like to get an AKG 414 because it looks to me like it could handle a LOT of different voices. My voice generally sounds pretty bad through a LD condenser microphone, a good dynamic with the CL-1 makes me sound much better. My voice is airy and a bit high, every time, and I mean EVERY TIME, I go through I drive up window for food or anything, they ALWAYS ask me.. "is that all mam"? I gave up saying anything about it. I am a man... so, the best, high end, LD condenser might let you down with some people.
Just a thought... I hope you get what you need without spending all your money or getting a loan.
 
The last processing hardware I bought was the Alesis Nano series, they still work but rarely (if ever) see use anymore. Home studio, recording my stuff, for my pleasure... in the box works just fine for me.
That said, presentation matters. Remember those pictures of empty Marshall stacks onstage at big shows. Neil Young always played through a Fender Tweed Deluxe. Back in the 70s I went to a show, well before your time. The opening act was out of Tampa, FL. a band called White Witch, They were glam rock with face paint before KISS and before glam rock... Marshall stacks and LOUD! They opened for a band called LOBO. LOBO had a hit song called, "Me and You and a Dog Named BOO". LOBO was a three piece outfit with a guitarist/singer, bassist, and drummer. They came on after White Witch with the guitarist playing through a Fender Princeton Reverb, a small drumkit, etc... they got booed off the stage simply because they came on after WW.
I imagine the same thing can happen in a studio and a client seeing a big control board (even if you just have it turned on but don't use it) can make a difference, especially to a younger client. When people like what they see they have a tendency to like the product before they have even heard it. It is psychological.
Word of mouth referrals... it don't matter what you use or what it looks like, most referrals like you and your work before they have even met you. I guess bottom line, if I had a commercial studio without a stream of high end clients, I would buy what works best and fit my budget and try to (even if I had to buy an old board) try to make things look impressive.
You already have good tools. IF I were you I would add some cheaper mics first. The Cloudlifter for the dynamics and ribbons. Then look at some 500 series stuff. If I were doing a commercial studio I would probably opt for a rack of 500s over UAD, if for no other reason, the looks. You have to choose though, you know your clients. YMMV.
If nothing else, take a close look at the Cloudlifters. Especially if you're getting an SM-7b, that is my contribution!
I hope you do well.
Sorry for the rambling... I love to ramble off but I usually am trying to make a point. I just hope my point isn't lost from rambling off too far, lol.
 
Julien