What do you think,
is it still a big quality jump from imo the best Vst-plugs like Sonnox,
Softube, Fabfilter a.s.o to the sound quality of the UAD cards.
In times of high performance i7 processors and 64 bit engine the uad cards still work in 32 bit. 
has anyone here experience on how to handle them in 64 bit system
( via J bridge?  , is more then one instance possible? ).
Don´t have have the possibility to try them.
Thanks for every hind.
Pragi

While I wouldn't say that there is a massive difference in quality between Fabfilter (which I know) and UAD, I still think UAD plugins are worth it.  I still remember the first time I heard a UAD compressor and I couldn't believe the sound it had.

I think that these days there is no "better" quality, only that the sound is different, not better but different.  I have some Fabfilter plugins (limiter, eq and compressor) and I love them.  I use the Fabfilter EQ instead of the UAD one in everything now.

I tend to freeze or mixdown most of my plugins so I cannot comment on the performance of UAD, but my solo and quad are quite good at running multiple plugs and having some stuff UAD and some native is quite a powerful setup.

Bitbridge runs UAD flawlessly, you don't need Jbridge for UAD.  Sooner than later UAD will be 64bit so it won't matter.

I really like the UAD stuff, I have two cards (UAD1 and UAD2) in my xp32bit machine, works as good now as the day I got it. I haven't updated because I like to use the Nigel guitar FX. That and I'm lazy. New versions of the drivers don't have Nigel. There's a lot of new plug ins out that I don't have but the ones I have do everything I need. You might go used on ebay but you need to be up on how the system works so you don't get ripped off by someone selling plug ins with the card. I do think they add something over the native ones. Spend $2500 and get the interface with a quad DSP built in, Apollo.

I'd would spend the money somewhere else than UAD. Just my 2 cents.

The new UAD 1176 compressors can not be beat.... at all. I would get a solo card just for them alone.

I have been using UAD for many years now and am happy with the quality. I primarily use UAD plugins in my projects - the rest are mostly Nebula. Sometimes I have issues with Bitbridge and UAD causing Sonar crashes, but it's not a big deal (I save my projects obsessively before doing any major edits). The plugins will be 64-bit probably next month, but certainly by December (per UAD's announcement on the subject). I get by fine with a Duo, but sometimes wish I had a Quad for certain projects (without one, I occasionally need to freeze tracks in Sonar).

It can be a big investment, though, so be prepared to spend lots of money on plugins after you buy the card (do your research and buy smart - in the old days I used to buy anything by UAD that was new - but now I only buy what I think I absolutely need). 

I love my UAD plug-ins and have no trouble running them on my Sonar X1 64 bit system.

Take it from a guy who actually used tape for years, the Ampex ATR-102 tape machine emulation is fantastic. Their NEVE stuff is killer...the EMT reverbs are impressive...I could go on and on. The 1176 package is a major new accomplishment, but it's only fitting, because UAD made the hardware in the first place.

Universal Audio was a leader in working out deals with the manufacturers of the products they model, so they could actually use the brand names. This gives me confidence that even the manufacturers believe in Universal Audio's ability to accurately model quality processing units. They wouldn't risk their reputation otherwise.  

Check out comments online and in the recording magazines. More and more, major producers and mixers say they can't live without their UAD plug-in's.  

Once you've made the leap to a UAD-2 card, you can try any and all plug-in's for free to decide what you need in your arsenal. Beware! You may like them all. I'm not saying that a loaded UAD-2 system is cheap...but I do believe it's worth it.

Hi Pragi,
I actually own some of the hardware that is emulated in my UAD and I still like the plugs (not as much as the HW, but still...). The 1176 emulations are fantastic (and I own actual 1176's) and I really like the Manley EQ and Precision EQ. The Tape emulation, FATSO, and plate reverb are on just about every track I do these days as well. The LA2A is really very good as well...I don't own one but I do have a TLA-100 to compare against.

Are there other plugs that are as "good"? Possibly, but the UAD stuff is on pretty much everything I do. 

A couple suggestions: 
First, I wouldn't buy it for the DSP processing. The power of modern CPU's is such that I don't think the advantage of the processing being done on the card is really that big a deal. For me I just like the plugs.

Second, don't ever pay full price for the plugins. UAD has a different sale every month and if you're patient you'll find whatever you want for 15 or 20 percent off.

Good luck
Dean


EDIT - Oh, and I run them under Sonar x64 without a problem. I like Jbridge better than BitBridge, but BB works fine.

Thank you so far for the immediate reply.
The most answers here are a confirmation to what
I read in different books and magazines.
So I will try tacman`s  recommendation and   
buy an UAD 1 card on ebay for cheap just to try.
This makes sense to me cause my core 2 duo -32 bit -machine 
is being changed to a 64 bit machine next month,
but I will still take it for recording uses.  
If it is possible to run this card on 64 bit systems with bitbridge, it is possible to incorporate   it there too.  

I read in another forum, that the UAD 1 cards wouldn`t be supported in the future.Did I read it right, that they still run under Win 7 ?
Thanks for every answer !
Pragi


 

64-bit versions are forthcoming.