[jman1977]

I recently acquired a UAD Apollo Twin interface and received a couple of promo offers that will enable me to purchase 4 plugins at a greatly discounted price. Wanted to see if anyone in the SOTW community has had sufficient experience using UAD plugins to suggest 4 plugins that I should purchase with the promo. I've heard a lot of good things about the EMT 140 plate reverb (from other forums), so that will probably be 1 of the 4 that I buy.

Thanks in advance!

 

[HeavyWeather77]

Primarily posting so I can follow this thread, because I'm on the verge of getting an Apollo Twin of my own! Nearly every single producer friend of mine owns one and loves it. I've seldom seen a piece of gear so universally loved. So to speak.

But from what I've heard from all of those producer friends: the Neve channel strip (and EQ/compression) plugins are amazing. The SSL channel strip emulators also look fantastic. If you don't already have those, they'll probably be well worth getting.

I have no doubt the EMT plate verb is great too, that'll be a solid choice!

 

[jman1977]

Primarily posting so I can follow this thread, because I'm on the verge of getting an Apollo Twin of my own! Nearly every single producer friend of mine owns one and loves it. I've seldom seen a piece of gear so universally loved. So to speak.

But from what I've heard from all of those producer friends: the Neve channel strip (and EQ/compression) plugins are amazing. The SSL channel strip emulators also look fantastic. If you don't already have those, they'll probably be well worth getting.

I have no doubt the EMT plate verb is great too, that'll be a solid choice!

I'm really liking my Twin so far, although I like the Babyface Pro just a little bit more at this time (got it at the same time as the Twin). The Babyface just seems more intuitive and simpler to use (basically just plug the inputs and connect the USB cable to the laptop and you're good to go). It also has more gain than the Twin. Also, the zero latency tracking ability is huge. I know there's a way to do that with the Twin as well, I just haven't quite figured out how to do it yet (requires some tweaking of the virtual console and DAW settings, while with the Babyface, no latency tracking is there from the get-go).

Having said that, I know that the UAD plugins are the best ones and they only work with UAD equipment. If I do decide to keep the Babyface, I'll probably just get a UAD satellite so I can still use the UAD plugins.

Yeah, I'm also looking at the Neve plugins as those are well reviewed as well. I'm just hoping to get more input from folks who use the plugins for saxophone tracking/mixing, although I'll also be using the plugins for vocal recording. The EMT plate verb has been identified in other forums as a really great reverb plugin for horns.

 

[jman1977]

I ended up buying a slightly used UAD Satellite Quad that came pre-loaded with the previous owner's plugins (including all the Neve channel strips/EQ's/Comps, the Ampex ATR102, SSL 4000, Studer A800 and the API Vision strip). Now I'm planning to sell the Twin Duo and Satellite and get a proper Twin Quad instead. For my purposes, I don't think I need more than 4 SHARC processors.

 

[Fader]

The EMT 140 is an excellent choice. UA lets you demo any of their plugins with a fully functional version. I highly recommend going through the list as your needs arise. You can print the FX to its own track and skip buying entirely until you need something a second time. That’s when you know you really need a certain plug-in in your toolbox. I wasn’t super impressed with the Neve stuff, but they do a great job emulating legacy UA gear. Go figure. The UA compressors are all spot on.

No time today, but I’ll list my favorites when I get a chance.

 

[jman1977]

The EMT 140 is an excellent choice. UA lets you demo any of their plugins with a fully functional version. I highly recommend going through the list as your needs arise. You can print the FX to its own track and skip buying entirely until you need something a second time. That's when you know you really need a certain plug-in in your toolbox. I wasn't super impressed with the Neve stuff, but they do a great job emulating legacy UA gear. Go figure. The UA compressors are all spot on.

No time today, but I'll list my favorites when I get a chance.

Thanks for your input and I look forward to seeing your list. The plugins that came with the Satellite included the EMT140, Lexicon 224 and AMS RMX 16 reverb emulators. I do love the EMT 140 but have yet to try the other 2. I also bought the Ocean Way Studios plug in since it was selling for 50% off and UA sent me a $50 off coupon.

Based on reviews in other forums, the plugins I am looking to get in the future (I heard UA has really great sales towards the end of the year) are the 1176, Fairchild, Manley Massive Passive, Pultec, Fatso, UA 610 and LA2a plugins. I'm also monitoring eBay for equipment sales that come with plugins. That way, when I am able to sell the equipment, I can reduce the net cost of the plugins themselves. I've seen that there is still an active market for just the equipment (which will come with the 14 legacy plugins anyway).

What didn't you like about the Neves?

 

[Fader]

OK....Here are the UA plug-ins I have on my templates for most mixes. I also use a lot of Waves Plug-ins.

I like the Apollo preamps "as-is". They are very clean. I have some hardware units I use if want a more colored sound, but sometimes I use the API Vision plug-in, or the SSL 4000
Compressors: Teletronix, UA1176LN, and the LA2A
Delay: EP34 Tape Echo -
Reverb: Lexicon 224 or the EMT 140. I am not a fan of the Ocean Ways plug-in. I think the modeled spaces are too 'harsh' for lack of a better word, and the interface is clumsy.
Mastering: The Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor is nice, but I use it in conjunction with some Waves plug-ins and some old outboard gear I have.
EQ: The Pultec Passive EQ is pretty good, as is the Manley Massive Passive, but there are Waves EQ Plug-ins I like better for many things...

As for the NEVE stuff...I'm not really sure why I don't like it - I think it's that I just like other stuff better. Once you settle in on your 'go-to' gear, you get more comfortable with it, and end up reaching for it time and time again.
I'm running the latest Pro-Tools, and I just have templates built for most sessions that I call up with all the channel strips preset with EQ's, compressors, etc. - plus I have a series of busses with various FX already assigned. That lets me concentrate more on content than mixing. I can usually just set levels and start tracking without any down-time...

hope that helps...

 

[Pete Thomas]

I'm also monitoring eBay for equipment sales that come with plugins. That way, when I am able to sell the equipment, I can reduce the net cost of the plugins themselves. I've seen that there is still an active market for just the equipment (which will come with the 14 legacy plugins anyway).

I can tell you through bitter experience, that this may not be the best way to go in the long run. It's OK providing you print all your plugin effected tracks to audio for backups, but when you have plugins that rely on specific hardware that you may not have in the future, but you need to go back for a remix, then you are stuffed when the pugins are no longer available.

This is not an issue if you are just recording tracks for yourself, but I have been in the situation where a good paying client comes back 10 years later for a remix or stems and the plugins I had then are no longer there because I decided that UAD, or protools or whatever is no longer the hardware I want to use.

Just something to think about.

 

[Fader]

I can tell you through bitter experience, that this may not be the best way to go in the long run. It's OK providing you print all your plugin effected tracks to audio for backups, but when you have plugins that rely on specific hardware that you may not have in the future, but you need to go back for a remix, then you are stuffed when the pugins are no longer available.

This is not an issue if you are just recording tracks for yourself, but I have been in the situation where a good paying client comes back 10 years later for a remix or stems and the plugins I had then are no longer there because I decided that UAD, or protools or whatever is no longer the hardware I want to use.

Just something to think about.

This is a good point. Always print your FX busses. Still you'll have problems with eq's and whatnot on individual tracks. I probably would have moved away from Pro-Tools years ago, but I have too much time invested in mixes...

I still have a PC running in my 'B' room just for old Sound Forge mixes....it's been so long since I've launched the software that I fear those mixes are gone. I guess it's time do do some archiving.....

Crap.

 

[jman1977]

Thanks, Pete and Fader. Your suggestions are much appreciated. What are some non-UAD plugins that you like? Fader, I think you mentioned Waves... I've heard some not so good things about their plugins and a lot of sentiment that Slate is better?

 

[HeavyWeather77]

I'm always curious to hear various opinions about these things (and I'm susceptible to going plugin-buying sprees far too easily), but I do have a lot of plugins I like quite a bit. Many of my favorite ones are very affordable, too.

For REVERBS: my very favorite is Valhalla Vintage Verb. For me, it sounds perfect, and I use it on every project. It's an extremely affordable plugin. At this point I think I have everything Valhalla has made, they're reasonably priced but sound insanely good. https://valhalladsp.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrd-rl4SA3gIVGJ7ACh0OJwpFEAAYASAAEgLID_D_BwE

For COMPRESSORS and SATURATORS: Klanghelm makes GREAT stuff, and it's also crazy affordable. It's just some dude in Germany (I think) who does a fantastic job emulating cool vintage gear. They're all very useful and can be transparent or dirty and colorful, depending on how you tweak them. https://klanghelm.com/contents/main.php

For EQ and filters, you can't beat FabFilter. Less affordable than the two above but they're industry-standard and awesome. User interface and sound quality are both absolutely on point. Can't go wrong with anything they make, most likely (not that I've tried them all, but everything I've ever used or seen has been superb). https://www.fabfilter.com