What other UA plugs should I buy?

[Phil Jeffers]

Hi all, I'm keen to get some opinions on what extra UA plug-ins to purchase after discovering that the UAD-1 I bought only comes with a lousy 5! (I feel a little ripped off I have to admit). Never mind. I have:

Dreamverb
Fairchild
1176LN
LA2A
Precision Limiter

(Studio Pak?)

Of course I have their whole range to trial, but I wanted some real life hints on what would be best for me. I have the Waves Platinum bundle and intend on getting an accelerator for them shortly, so basically limiters, and reverbs are covered (their new IR reverb is pretty amazing I must say and the Renaissance reverb is killer, if CPU thirsty). C4 is fantastic too. So, a really nice parametric EQ plug-in, with high Q would be great to off-set to the UAD-1, same with any broad-band noise filters for dialogue 'cleaning'. I mainly mix for film and TV, but will be doing more of my own music mixing in the near future.

[Frodo]

I would first say that the CS-1 is an amazing little thing of a plugin. I use it more than anything else on UAD-1. I like what I can do with the EQ stage as well as the other ambient processors-- it's really like getting 4-5 different processors in a single wack. I guess anyone who has a UAD-1 has CS-1. At least on the site it shows the CS-1 as part of all paks. Didn't you get that one?

A lot depends on what sound you like. Some people swear by the Oxford. An engineer buddy of mine was pleasantly surprised at the Roland stuff while another engineer friend is totally unhappy with his Pultec Pro. Others are frothing at the mouth over the Neve-- while yet a few others are cringing at the prices. As long as you have the trial versions, see which plug comes closest to your ideal sound at different insert stages. Not all EQs are created equal.

I do like the Oxford on the master fader, for example. It doesn't color the sound without considerable effort, which is why some people don't like it. I use it for fine tuning more than anything else, but I don't put it to use too often. Cambridge? Not my favorite, but someone else may have better insights than I can offer.

I would definitely say that a package would be the best deal. What's odd is that the FlexiPak, the ExpressPak, and the ExpertPak are all the same except for the UAD$ vouchers included. I guess that must be weighed against the prices for each and in what ways you'd most likely want to spend those UAD$. That also must be weighed against whether or not such paks can be had without having to buy a second card. A friend of mine wanted enough of the plugs that it was a better deal just to buy a whole pak with the card than to buy them separately without the card.

But isn't it getting towards that time of year when UAD offers end-of-season deals?

[Phil Jeffers]

Hey thanks Mr. Frodo. I'll kick off the CS-1 trial and see what I think. Those 5 are definitely it... I double checked with the original owner. The card is a few years old, so maybe the bundles varied at the time. I need to have a good scour over their website for deals, and if specials are coming up I'll definitely grab a bargain. Thanks for you input.

[giles117]

Neve EQ is a MUST!!!!!

[Phil Jeffers]

Thanks Giles. Just the name Neve gives you that all over warmth doesn't it? Thanks for your input. I've got a music mix coming up, so I'll trial the Neve for that. Cheers, Phil

[Hide]

Neve 1073 or Plate 140, I recommend!
You already have Dreamverb but it's still worth you get Plate 140.
I mostly use Plate140.
And Neve 1073, that's a brilliant EQ.

Yes, acutally MUST HAVE BOTH IMO.

[mcevilley]

I've really come to love the Fairchild compressor. I know you've already got it--spend some time with it. It's awesome.

[Siryne]

Here is a another vote for Neve 1073. it really is a MUST! I also really like the Fairchild.

[Phil Jeffers]

Thank you all for you input. I'll trial all the plugs mentioned soon. Cheers, Phil