Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
Hi Guys, I'm putting together the next shopping list and it looks like a significant investment in both WAVES and UAD-2. However, I do have some questions before I commit ... - I read lots of positive things, so can anyone share some troubles to expect or pitfalls to be aware of? I reckon I'm being over-cautious and shouldn't worry too much when buying big name products, yet I don't want to put a very stable Sonar X2a system at risk ...
- Downsides of the UAD satellite system vs the PCI?
- Which plugs from WAVES and UAD-2 you wouldn't want to miss ... as opposed to which did you buy and would not buy again (maybe that helps streamlining the investment)
Your input is much appreciated  Rob
GOOD TUNES LAST FOREVER +++ Visit the Rehab +++ DAW: Platinum/X3e, win10 64 bit, i7-3930K (6x3.2GHz), Asus Sabertooth X79, 32 GB DDR3 1600MHz, ATI HD 5450, 120 GB SSD OCZ Agility3, 2x 1TB WD HDD SATA 600 Audio-Interface: 2x MOTU 1248 AVB, Focusrite OctoPre, (Roland Octa-Capture) Control-Surface: VS-700C VSTi: WAVES, NI K10u, FabFilter, IK, ... (too many really)
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Bajan Blue
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/07 09:25:04
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Rob
I have some old Waves stuff - biggest problem for me has always been Waves themselves and of course the dreaded WUP (or whatever they call it now) This is a yearly payment you MUST make or no support. I stopped buying their stuff years ago so it may be worth checking the current situation with regards to this - personally I cannot believe they would / could continue treat their customers with such utter contempt so things may have changed!
UAD - always found them a very good company to deal with and love their products - I do not have a satellite system so can't comment on this but some of my favorite plugs are
1176
Space Echo
Distressor
Roland Chorus x 2
Fairchild
Neve EQs
All the SPL stuff
Cheers
Nigel
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bitflipper
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/07 10:42:32
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For years I avoided Waves stuff due to my no-dongle policy, all the while feeling left out of the party. So when they abandoned Pace I immediately picked up a few plugins. Big letdown; nothing I'd bought from Waves was any better than comparable plugins I already owned. The Waves mystique turned out to be just that.
Then one day I opened a project that had some Waves stuff in it, and all the Waves plugins refused to run, complaining that I had no license for them. I wanted to ask the vendor why that had happened, but guess what? You cannot even email them a question unless you've purchased the WUP. Zero support. No other software vendor I know of, music-related or otherwise, would refuse to tell you why their product failed unless you first paid for that information.
Fortunately I was able to restore the licenses (which requires an internet connection, possibly a problem for folks with dedicated DAWs). Waves say they only allow you to recover licenses once a year. Fortunately, that wasn't true because a month later, it happened again. Out of the blue, the plugins refused to work. This has happened three times now. Not for a few months, though, because I simply don't use Waves products in new projects anymore.
Waves products may refuse to run if you disable your network adaptor or change out your motherboard (neither of which applied to my situation, though). This crucial information is not included in those products' bundled documentation, nor are any other details of their convoluted copy-protection scheme. Making sure they get paid is obviously a much higher engineering priority than product reliability.
I have no complaints about Waves' product quality. Except for a few weird UI issues, they are mostly rock-solid, but then so are most of the better plugins from other quality developers. A decade or more ago, Waves represented the state of the art, but they are no longer in a class by themselves. Today we have a plethora of alternatives for bread 'n butter plugins, so there's no longer any need to put up with Waves' B.S.
 All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to. My Stuff
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Billy Buck
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/07 10:45:37
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I read lots of positive things, so can anyone share some troubles to expect or pitfalls to be aware of? I reckon I'm being over-cautious and shouldn't worry too much when buying big name products, yet I don't want to put a very stable Sonar X2a system at risk ... I use (2) PCIe cards (QUAD & SOLO) and an Apollo QUAD with SONAR X2a without any issues. Cake worked with UA many years ago to get the UAD plug-ins working stable and efficiently with SONAR. You do need to enable the "Extra Buffers" option in UAD Control Panel for SONAR use. Other than that, it is pretty much plug and play. I do recommend installing the mono (m) versions (optional during install), as using those on mono tracks instead of the standard versions will reduce DSP usage per plug-in instance. Downsides of the UAD satellite system vs the PCI? The PCIe versions will always outperform FW. The only advantage to the Satellite is portability. When using FW (Satellite) you lose the LiveTrack mode option and the plug-in buffer is constrained to 512 samples latency per plug-in instance and you have to be mindful of buffering issues when using FW. If you have a choice go with the PCIe versions. Which plugs from WAVES and UAD-2 you wouldn't want to miss ... as opposed to which did you buy and would not buy again (maybe that helps streamlining the investment) A few off the top of my head: Ampex ATR-102 Studer A800 LA2A Collection ($149 upgrade) 1176 Collection ($149 upgrade) Pultec EQ Collection ($149 upgrade) FATSO Bundle EMT-140 EMT-250 Neve 33609 Fairchild 670 Helios 69 EQ dbx 160 Cooper Time Cube Roland RE-201 As far as which plug-ins to choose, it depends on your needs. You really can't go wrong with most any UAD plug-in. UA has a nice promo going on right now when purchasing UAD cards/devices (SOLO, DUO, QUAD, OCTO). Depending on which one you get you receive free plug-ins during registration. http://www.uaudio.com/promotions.html Also, when you register, you are given the option to purchase additional plug-ins for a low price (any 3 plug-ins for $399 for example). https://www.uaudio.com/my/systems/specialoffer You can pick up a new QUAD PCIe card for around $849 (free shipping) if you shop round. Subtract the value of the free plug-in promo ($697 value) and the additional standard $50 plug-in coupon included with every UAD hardware purchase and the QUAD card essentially costs $102 bucks net. Go ahead and take advantage of the "any 3 plug-ins for $399" offer during card registration and you can get up to $1047 worth of plug-ins for even more savings. If you play your cards right and choose the high end UAD plug-ins ($299 & up) you can save a bundle! Good luck, Billy Buck
post edited by Billy Buck - 2013/08/07 10:48:15
Win 10 Pro x64 | i7 4770k | ASUS Z87 Deluxe/Quad w/ TB 2.0 | 16GB Corsair RAM | Apollo Twin Duo USB | UAD Satellite Octo USB | UAD-2 Quad + UAD-2 Solo PCIe | SONAR Platinum x64 ∞ | REAPER 5 x64| TranzPort
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yorolpal
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/07 10:52:52
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In the last few years WAVES has completely changed their image. And their copy protection scheme which, while being similar to the iLok system, DOES NOT use an iLok and is proprietary to WAVES. They seem much more customer friendly and support has much improved. They are constantly heavily discounting from their old sky high pricing structure and are continuing to release new, top shelf and innovative plugs.
UAD, on the other hand, while always being a friendly bunch to work with and a purveyor of top notch plugs, has, to my mind, stagnated in both a mindset and pricing structure from their heyday as the top dog of the plug in world. Most of their newer exclusive to UA offerings are IMHO fairly pedestrian and they seem to favor simply modeling plugs you can already get from other companies (and better ones at that). Their prices are still sky high and their sales are few and the big discounts are usually just on their oldest, outdated plugs. Plus, don't forget the most expensive part of the initial UAD experience...the dongle. Why UAD hasn't gone native yet is a mystery to me. But what do I know?
I own many plugs from both companies. But could I have a do over as of today I'd forego UAD in favor of other great offerings at lower price points from other vendors (like FabFilter, for instance).
YMMV.
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Eddie TX
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/07 11:13:57
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Billy and Bajan have given you some good advice about UAD ... with the current promo, now is a good time to get new UAD hardware. A few other UAD plugins that I've been impressed with: Millienia EQ - very rich and smooth with awesome low-end control Ocean Way - most convincing room sounds I've heard Manley MP - great for shaping sounds, very useful on single tracks as well as 2bus Shadow Hills compressor - subtly adds a polish to full mixes when used sparingly API EQs - sound just like the real thing! EP-34 Tape Delay - so silky-smooth UAD plugs are expensive, so it's best to demo them before deciding what to buy. The demo scheme is cool, though -- you can turn on any plugins in a 2-week demo mode at any time, and when you make a purchase, everything is reset so you can start more demos. You could theoretically keep using things in demo mode indefinitely, as long as you buy something every two weeks. That might get expensive, though.  As for Waves, they do have some plugins that I like a lot, including the new RS56 EQ, the H-delay, the Vocal and Bass riders, and the SSL and REDD console emus. But their controls tend to be jumpy, not smooth like other plugins. This may just be a quirk of my setup, though. You can also demo all their plugins, so again, try before you buy. Have fun! Cheers, Eddie
Sonar X3 Producer / Win 10 The future exists in all directions.
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bapu
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/07 15:14:09
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☄ Helpfulby MakeShift 2013/08/08 16:41:56
yorolpal
In the last few years WAVES has completely changed their image. And their copy protection scheme which, while being similar to the iLok system, DOES NOT use an iLok and is proprietary to WAVES. They seem much more customer friendly and support has much improved. They are constantly heavily discounting from their old sky high pricing structure and are continuing to release new, top shelf and innovative plugs.
UAD, on the other hand, while always being a friendly bunch to work with and a purveyor of top notch plugs, has, to my mind, stagnated in both a mindset and pricing structure from their heyday as the top dog of the plug in world. Most of their newer exclusive to UA offerings are IMHO fairly pedestrian and they seem to favor simply modeling plugs you can already get from other companies (and better ones at that). Their prices are still sky high and their sales are few and the big discounts are usually just on their oldest, outdated plugs. Plus, don't forget the most expensive part of the initial UAD experience...the dongle. Why UAD hasn't gone native yet is a mystery to me. But what do I know?
I own many plugs from both companies. But could I have a do over as of today I'd forego UAD in favor of other great offerings at lower price points from other vendors (like FabFilter, for instance).
YMMV.
Pretty much +1 on dat MyOlPal
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Eddie TX
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/07 16:47:29
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yorolpal
Most of their newer exclusive to UA offerings are IMHO fairly pedestrian and they seem to favor simply modeling plugs you can already get from other companies (and better ones at that).
Eh, I find this puzzling. Most of the plugs I listed above have no equivalent from other vendors, and if they do, the UAD versions are MUCH superior to my ears. For instance, I never really liked the Waves API EQs, but the UADs rock my world. YMMV, indeed. Welp, I guess the only way to decide for oneself is to demo them! Cheers, Eddie
Sonar X3 Producer / Win 10 The future exists in all directions.
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yorolpal
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/07 17:19:56
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That's what makes a horse race Eddie, ol pal. While there are a handful of my UADs I could not live without, I find that most of my extensive list of UA plugs never get used anymore. I much prefer other stuff from other vendors. I am planning on demoing the Ocean Way plug as it looks interesting to me. And I'm sure I'd love the Shadow Hills as well. But this rash of putting out plugs that are already out by other top tier folks at prices that are not at all competitive seems counter-intuitive. Plus, while I think this is probably a good thing, they are now simply "updating" older plugs and charging top dollar for that as well. Weren't they accurately modeled to begin with?? Don't get me too wrong though...I still think UA makes great stuff...on occasion. But considering the cost of the plugs and the cost of entry to the system (i.e. the card(s) I'd now pursue other options if I could have a do over.
PS: I like WAVES more than you too. Go figure:-)
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Eddie TX
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/07 18:31:10
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yorolpal
Plus, while I think this is probably a good thing, they are now simply "updating" older plugs and charging top dollar for that as well. Weren't they accurately modeled to begin with??
Now, now, ol pal. You know the original versions of these came out a long time ago, and technology has advanced a lot since then. (Why do I have deja vu just now ... oh yeah, you said the same thang in defense of your new Ivory pianner the other day ... hee hee!). Anyhoo, the updates of the 1176, LA2A, and Pultec are well worth the $150/each upgrade cost, IMHO. To me, they are clearly the best plugins of their type. I suspect their Fairchild will be updated soon as well ... that should be interesting. If you do get around to demoing the Ocean Way, I have two suggestions for you. Try it in a standard reverb bus channel in one of its drum settings, sending pieces of a drum kit to it. See how it compares to other room-type verbs. Then send a DI electric guitar thru your favorite amp sim, bypassing its cab, then going straight into the OWS in guitar cab mode. Enjoy! Cheers, Eddie
Sonar X3 Producer / Win 10 The future exists in all directions.
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yorolpal
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/07 19:12:27
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Well, yor right acourse...but my tongue was only part way in my cheek.
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Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/08 17:44:19
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Thanks a lot for all of the responses. I really appreciate your input.
BTW, I finally watched some of the fabfilter videos (which I had never given much notice until now) ... and will definitely demo those plugs ...
GOOD TUNES LAST FOREVER +++ Visit the Rehab +++ DAW: Platinum/X3e, win10 64 bit, i7-3930K (6x3.2GHz), Asus Sabertooth X79, 32 GB DDR3 1600MHz, ATI HD 5450, 120 GB SSD OCZ Agility3, 2x 1TB WD HDD SATA 600 Audio-Interface: 2x MOTU 1248 AVB, Focusrite OctoPre, (Roland Octa-Capture) Control-Surface: VS-700C VSTi: WAVES, NI K10u, FabFilter, IK, ... (too many really)
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sharke
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/08 22:24:15
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Is it really true that you can't email Waves with a problem unless you have purchased their support plan? Because I emailed them with a question about hiding 32 bit Wave plugs from my DAW and they replied very quickly with an answer. I don't have a support plan.
I also emailed them with the issue about stuttery GUI's, and had a bit of a to and fro with them about that (turns out its a problem with Waves and Sonar btw - the GUI's were perfectly smooth when I tried them in Pro Tools and Reaper).
JamesWindows 10, Sonar SPlat (64-bit), Intel i7-4930K, 32GB RAM, RME Babyface, AKAI MPK Mini, Roland A-800 Pro, Focusrite VRM Box, Komplete 10 Ultimate, 2012 American Telecaster!
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yorolpal
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/08 23:02:57
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Waves has gotten much more "customer centric". All to the good IMO.
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Eddie TX
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/09 00:09:21
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sharke
I also emailed them with the issue about stuttery GUI's, and had a bit of a to and fro with them about that (turns out its a problem with Waves and Sonar btw - the GUI's were perfectly smooth when I tried them in Pro Tools and Reaper).
I have the same jittery GUIs in Studio One, so at least in my case it's not just Sonar. Cheers, Eddie
Sonar X3 Producer / Win 10 The future exists in all directions.
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Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/09 01:30:28
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Billy Buck
The PCIe versions will always outperform FW. The only advantage to the Satellite is portability. When using FW (Satellite) you lose the LiveTrack mode option and the plug-in buffer is constrained to 512 samples latency per plug-in instance and you have to be mindful of buffering issues when using FW. If you have a choice go with the PCIe versions.
Does the PCI (e.g. quad/octo with 4/8 processors) get warm enough to cause heat issues or require additional cooling?
GOOD TUNES LAST FOREVER +++ Visit the Rehab +++ DAW: Platinum/X3e, win10 64 bit, i7-3930K (6x3.2GHz), Asus Sabertooth X79, 32 GB DDR3 1600MHz, ATI HD 5450, 120 GB SSD OCZ Agility3, 2x 1TB WD HDD SATA 600 Audio-Interface: 2x MOTU 1248 AVB, Focusrite OctoPre, (Roland Octa-Capture) Control-Surface: VS-700C VSTi: WAVES, NI K10u, FabFilter, IK, ... (too many really)
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Billy Buck
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/09 02:44:00
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FreeFlyBertl
Billy Buck
The PCIe versions will always outperform FW. The only advantage to the Satellite is portability. When using FW (Satellite) you lose the LiveTrack mode option and the plug-in buffer is constrained to 512 samples latency per plug-in instance and you have to be mindful of buffering issues when using FW. If you have a choice go with the PCIe versions.
Does the PCI (e.g. quad/octo with 4/8 processors) get warm enough to cause heat issues or require additional cooling?
No, UAD-2 cards are quite energy efficient and don't require any extra cooling. If possible, use a PCIe slot furthest from the video card. Cheers, Billy Buck
Win 10 Pro x64 | i7 4770k | ASUS Z87 Deluxe/Quad w/ TB 2.0 | 16GB Corsair RAM | Apollo Twin Duo USB | UAD Satellite Octo USB | UAD-2 Quad + UAD-2 Solo PCIe | SONAR Platinum x64 ∞ | REAPER 5 x64| TranzPort
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bapu
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/09 10:09:54
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FreeFlyBertl
Billy Buck
The PCIe versions will always outperform FW. The only advantage to the Satellite is portability. When using FW (Satellite) you lose the LiveTrack mode option and the plug-in buffer is constrained to 512 samples latency per plug-in instance and you have to be mindful of buffering issues when using FW. If you have a choice go with the PCIe versions.
Does the PCI (e.g. quad/octo with 4/8 processors) get warm enough to cause heat issues or require additional cooling?
I've got two quads in my DAW and have never had a heat problem.
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Ham N Egz
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/14 10:02:09
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yorolpal
Waves has gotten much more "customer centric". All to the good IMO.
I wish some "other" companies that frequent these boards would become so rather than customer combative..
Green Acres is the place to be I dont twitter, facebook, snapchat, instagram,linkedin,tumble,pinterest,flick, blah blah,lets have an old fashioned conversation!
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Bajan Blue
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/08/14 10:47:27
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musicman100 - I don't know about waves becoming more customer centric as I stopped dealing with them when they were most certainly NOT customer centric. They have done nothing since to existing customers like myself as far as I am concerned to change my opinion of them, although I obviously accept what others say. Perhaps they will try and woo me back one day!!!!
What my point is, is that I think we all know the Company you hint at (The Company) and the thread involved. The Company does seem to have a somewhat high opinion of itself as far as I am concerned. I was a very early adopter of THE PRODUCT, lets call it ST. I think I purchased mine around 2005? All I know is that not much if anything has changed about ST since then. I also have Ampeg SVX, Amplitube and Tracks - due to what happened with ST, I stopped upgrading Amplitube and occasionally use it. I used to love Ampeg but again have not upgraded and now it gets used very rarely. Tracks is in the draw and I will not spend anything on this until I see where The Company is going. So whilst I have managed to still use my ST based products (I have the full package) by keeping them installed on a 32bit machine then using Vienna Pro, the Company's attitude and apparent idirection, have not instilled me with confidence as to their long term plans with DAW users such as myself. So I don't spend money any more with them. Their latest high handed attitude in the thread you reference, has only gone to somewhat reinforce my poor opinion of them.
We shall see what transpires, but I'm not sure things look promising - unless ST upgrades are extensive, useful and reasonably priced, The Company might be joining Waves as far as I am concerned, as one I do not deal with.
Nigel
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Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/09/01 08:44:20
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yorolpal
In the last few years WAVES has completely changed their image. And their copy protection scheme which, while being similar to the iLok system, DOES NOT use an iLok and is proprietary to WAVES. They seem much more customer friendly and support has much improved. They are constantly heavily discounting from their old sky high pricing structure and are continuing to release new, top shelf and innovative plugs.
UAD, on the other hand, while always being a friendly bunch to work with and a purveyor of top notch plugs, has, to my mind, stagnated in both a mindset and pricing structure from their heyday as the top dog of the plug in world. Most of their newer exclusive to UA offerings are IMHO fairly pedestrian and they seem to favor simply modeling plugs you can already get from other companies (and better ones at that). Their prices are still sky high and their sales are few and the big discounts are usually just on their oldest, outdated plugs. Plus, don't forget the most expensive part of the initial UAD experience...the dongle. Why UAD hasn't gone native yet is a mystery to me. But what do I know?
I own many plugs from both companies. But could I have a do over as of today I'd forego UAD in favor of other great offerings at lower price points from other vendors (like FabFilter, for instance).
YMMV.
I gotta thank yorolpal for being so insistent on pointing out FabFilter. I finally took the Fab plugs through the test - and boy, the name really says it all: they are totally fabulous. I'll buy the whole PRO-x series, don't know if I can wait until they have a sale. I probably buy even at full price (there was a thread just recently about plugs worth buying at full price ... well, I reckon the Fab ones are ...) BTW, I also did a lot of WAVES testing and ended up taking advantage of the August sale on some of their standard pieces & vintage emus. Compared to the Fab stuff, the GUIs appear about a hundred years old, but they work on my DAW (contrary to some reports in this forum) ... the sound is out of debate & still great ... So for the time being I did not enroll as UA customer (as regards plugs), mostly as I still have lots of resources in the beefy DAW and I did not feel like spending a grant for something that mostly acts as a dongle while native power is idle ... Just out of curiosity: Is anybody really using the WAVES signature series plugs. I tested them for the fun of it (though I never really believed in that mangling of multiple processors into a single GUI), but I did not like them at all ... maybe just my prejudice ... Cheers, Rob
GOOD TUNES LAST FOREVER +++ Visit the Rehab +++ DAW: Platinum/X3e, win10 64 bit, i7-3930K (6x3.2GHz), Asus Sabertooth X79, 32 GB DDR3 1600MHz, ATI HD 5450, 120 GB SSD OCZ Agility3, 2x 1TB WD HDD SATA 600 Audio-Interface: 2x MOTU 1248 AVB, Focusrite OctoPre, (Roland Octa-Capture) Control-Surface: VS-700C VSTi: WAVES, NI K10u, FabFilter, IK, ... (too many really)
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scook
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/09/01 10:09:50
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FYI, you never have to pay full price for FabFilter plugins. Anyone that owns the plugins (myself included) can send you a 10% discount code via email generated from their FabFilter account. The person generating the email also benefits by receiving $13 credit against future FabFilter purchases when the discount code is used.
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Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/09/01 10:31:09
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scook
FYI, you never have to pay full price for FabFilter plugins. Anyone that owns the plugins (myself included) can send you a 10% discount code via email generated from their FabFilter account. The person generating the email also benefits by receiving $13 credit against future FabFilter purchases when the discount code is used.
Hi scook, That's a cool way of acquiring new customers  Would you be interested in earning that $13 credit? You could generate the code and send it to the address you'll find at the bottom of this link. Thanks Robert
GOOD TUNES LAST FOREVER +++ Visit the Rehab +++ DAW: Platinum/X3e, win10 64 bit, i7-3930K (6x3.2GHz), Asus Sabertooth X79, 32 GB DDR3 1600MHz, ATI HD 5450, 120 GB SSD OCZ Agility3, 2x 1TB WD HDD SATA 600 Audio-Interface: 2x MOTU 1248 AVB, Focusrite OctoPre, (Roland Octa-Capture) Control-Surface: VS-700C VSTi: WAVES, NI K10u, FabFilter, IK, ... (too many really)
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scook
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/09/01 10:39:12
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Done.
Yeah, Fabfilter not only makes good plug-ins. They are good guys too.
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bapu
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/09/01 12:55:04
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FreeFlyBertl
Just out of curiosity: Is anybody really using the WAVES signature series plugs. I tested them for the fun of it (though I never really believed in that mangling of multiple processors into a single GUI), but I did not like them at all ... maybe just my prejudice ...
Cheers,
Rob
Rob, I find that some of the presets in CLA are nice for vox and acoustic guitar, I have recently found that I really like JJP for my vocals. Have not yet tried it on others vocals yet.
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Rob[at]Sound-Rehab
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/09/02 14:30:24
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scook
Done.
Yeah, Fabfilter not only makes good plug-ins. They are good guys too.
so are you. thanks for that discount voucher !
GOOD TUNES LAST FOREVER +++ Visit the Rehab +++ DAW: Platinum/X3e, win10 64 bit, i7-3930K (6x3.2GHz), Asus Sabertooth X79, 32 GB DDR3 1600MHz, ATI HD 5450, 120 GB SSD OCZ Agility3, 2x 1TB WD HDD SATA 600 Audio-Interface: 2x MOTU 1248 AVB, Focusrite OctoPre, (Roland Octa-Capture) Control-Surface: VS-700C VSTi: WAVES, NI K10u, FabFilter, IK, ... (too many really)
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brconflict
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/09/04 12:34:21
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The thing I favor for Waves is that, not only do they painstakingly model antique hardware by brand, they go after specific units that have been used with great success, and simply allowed you to duplicate that exact device many times. UAD does the same thing, but where Waves has gone after specific favored units, I don't sense it would be wise for UAD to do the same as this would potentially compete with their hardware line of sales. Does UAD model their vintage equipment for plug-ins, or do they believe the ones to model are the latest and greatest hardware offerings? I'm setting myself up to be contradicted here, but does UAD specify which exact unit(s) they modeled?
More, I agree with [yorolpal] in that Waves support has significantly become more customer-centric. Where some DAW makers don't study the ways of the plug-in makers, Waves knows the in's and out's of Sonar, and know how to work an issue to close without you having to conference in a Sonar support agent. Sure, Cakewalk cannot be help responsible for what Waves does to your DAW, but Waves support seems to know this demarcation.
I didn't care much for the WUP plan when I first became aware of it, but I will admire this about it. When sales are slow, and Waves isn't getting new products out the door in a profitable fashion, they don't suffer the lack of revenue they need to keep advancing or updating/fixing the existing plug-ins they already have. To be honest, if Cake instituted a reasonable CUP (like WUP), I would buy into it, because that would propose that Cakewalk could spend the extra time/effort for releasing patches, etc.
For Waves licensing, I agree that the licensing is tricky, and I read some Russian kid cracked it's security in less than a week, but I still think it's far superior to the ailing iLok technology.
For UAD, another thing to consider is the need for the PCI card. PC/Mac Hardware will almost always devalue and become outdated. You can't always trade-in the old hardware. That's what kept me away from the UAD, from the start, even though I had already invested in Waves.
Brian Sonar Platinum, Steinberg Wavelab Pro 9, MOTU 24CoreIO w/ low-slew OP-AMP mods and BLA external clock, True P8, Audient ASP008, API 512c, Chandler Germ500, Summit 2ba-221, GAP Pre-73, Peluso 22251, Peluso 2247LE, Mackie HR824, Polk Audio SRS-SDA 2.3tl w/upgraded Soniccraft crossovers and Goertz cables, powered by Pass-X350. All wiring Star-Quad XLR or Monster Cable. Power by Monster Power Signature AVS2000 voltage stabilizer and Signature Pro Power 5100 PowerCenter on a 20A isolation shielded circuit.
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ltb
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/09/04 12:47:34
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brconflict
I didn't care much for the WUP plan when I first became aware of it, but I will admire this about it. When sales are slow, and Waves isn't getting new products out the door in a profitable fashion, they don't suffer the lack of revenue they need to keep advancing or updating/fixing the existing plug-ins they already have. To be honest, if Cake instituted a reasonable CUP (like WUP), I would buy into it, because that would propose that Cakewalk could spend the extra time/effort for releasing patches, etc.
For Waves licensing, I agree that the licensing is tricky, and I read some Russian kid cracked it's security in less than a week, but I still think it's far superior to the ailing iLok technology.
You don't need to purchase a WUP every year since their plugins work as advertised & seldom require fixes. Unofficially they'll try to help anyone who isn't covered. Never had problems other than the sync issue using their Delay with Cake's software. ( & fixed by reg. tweak)
post edited by carl - 2013/09/06 10:23:59
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Eddie TX
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/09/04 14:22:43
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brconflict
The thing I favor for Waves is that, not only do they painstakingly model antique hardware by brand, they go after specific units that have been used with great success, and simply allowed you to duplicate that exact device many times. UAD does the same thing, but where Waves has gone after specific favored units, I don't sense it would be wise for UAD to do the same as this would potentially compete with their hardware line of sales. Does UAD model their vintage equipment for plug-ins, or do they believe the ones to model are the latest and greatest hardware offerings? I'm setting myself up to be contradicted here, but does UAD specify which exact unit(s) they modeled?
<snip>
For UAD, another thing to consider is the need for the PCI card. PC/Mac Hardware will almost always devalue and become outdated. You can't always trade-in the old hardware. That's what kept me away from the UAD, from the start, even though I had already invested in Waves.
IMHO, UAD is unmatched when it comes to emulations of real hardware units, including their own hardware (e.g. the various UA 1176 models). Their emus of the classic 1176 and LA-2A/LA-3A compressors; Pultec, API, Manley, Helios, and Neve EQs; SSL and Neve channel strips; Echoplex and Roland tape delays; and Ampex tape machine are, to my ears, clearly the best of their kind. And they have several tools unavailable elsewhere AFAIK, including the new ENGL amps (which rock!) the Empirical Labs Fatso, and the spectacular Ocean Way reverb. Yes, the UAD hardware is a sizeable investment. But with the current promo, where you get some nice plugins free with purchase, it really isn't too painful considering what you get. Example: you can buy a new Solo card for around $250 if you shop around (check jrrshop.com and use the "group" discount code) which comes with the original 1176 and LA-2A, Fairchild, Pultec, and RealVerb plugins; PLUS the promo throws in the Neve channel strip, which normally sells for $299. That's a nice set of tools right there. Of course, this could be considered a gateway drug to a long, expensive habit of buying pricey plugins and ever-more powerful hardware. But if you can exercise some restraint and wait for the usual sales and vouchers, you can generally pay much less than the advertised prices -- right now, their BOSS chorus plugin is selling for $49, which is more than fair, I think. And you CAN trade in your old hardware to some retailers (jrrshop again) or sell it for good money on ebay. I also like Waves plugins for several things, but whenever I've compared their products with the UAD equivalent, I've preferred the UAD in nearly every case. YMMV. And as for customer service, I've had great experiences with both vendors. They're both class acts, IME. Cheers, Eddie
Sonar X3 Producer / Win 10 The future exists in all directions.
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Eddie TX
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Re: WAVES and UAD-2 - FAQs, Problems, and Plug Poll
2013/09/04 15:20:56
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FreeFlyBertl
Just out of curiosity: Is anybody really using the WAVES signature series plugs. I tested them for the fun of it (though I never really believed in that mangling of multiple processors into a single GUI), but I did not like them at all ... maybe just my prejudice ... I've found that the Signature plugs are very useful for some things. It's not always easy to duplicate what they do with other plugs, and they usually save time. My favorites are CLA Vocals, CLA Guitars (I frequently prefer this over other amp sims), Maserati Drums (for kick and toms), Kramer Drums (for snares, overheads, and rooms), CLA and Kramer Bass, Kramer Guitars and Effects (for classic rock tones) and JJP Vocals. The Marroquin series is also very good, but those are more akin to traditional general-purpose plugins like EQ, reverb, and delay. Cheers, Eddie
Sonar X3 Producer / Win 10 The future exists in all directions.
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