For me, if we were to go on traditional methods of creating plug-ins such as with algorithms or physical modeling, UAD(which falls under the latter) has always been a clear winner. Just look at the FATSO plug-in they released in ’09 and read my blog about it.
Recently it’s come to the audio community’s attention that Universal Audio would like some one-on-one time with their customers. Not to long before that, UA actually asked customers to take a short survey (with of course a touch of their generousity, as always, in offering a plug-in voucher for completing the survey). On the survey there were several user questions and also opinion oriented questions on what we, as the customer, would like to see UA create in conjunction with their plugin line. I think the two most important questions were “What plugins would we like to see next?” and “Would we like to see updated versions of the originals?”. Here’s what I’d like to see in order of importance:
- Tube and/or tape emulations
- More utility plugins, such as a very smooth gate or a sonic/soundstage enhancer/manipulator
- A few more classic flagships in audio like API, as an example.
To the second question, it’s an resounding YES! I’d love to see updated versions of the originals. Here’s the deal. I think the originals sound awesome. I do think their recent competition like IK or waves are in some ways outpacing UAD plug-ins but not entirely. I think the inclusion of harmonic distortion modeling these competitors have implemented in their versions of the same classics as UAD makes it appear they have pulled ahead of UAD. However, having harmonic distortion present in a signal doesn’t tell the entire story. First, the dynamism of harmonic distortion is important (a plug-in like Nebula are very exciting in this department! but that’s another blog). Second, the way the plug-in’s processing reacts with the signal is very important and so far, UAD stuff still sounds more organic to me. I think the hype of harmonic distortion and the excitement in and of itself in the competitors’ plug-ins put step ahead but in a novel sort of way. So just thinking about the smoothness of UAD coalescing with updated elements such as harmonic distortion is nice. I in fact think UAD would once again take the throne with MKII versions of their classics! Here we’ll have the best of both worlds. Really, I think the FATSO is perhaps the first illustration of that. Just as I mentioned in the previous blog about the FATSO, it’s huge, smooth, full, dynamic, and sports the correlating harmonic distortion for that final juiciness. So, just imagine what MKII versions could be like if they were to be incepted into our audio world.
A little over 2 years ago I posted a thread over at gearslutz.com comparing a few different compressor plug-ins and I wanted to not only emphasize how they sounded in action but also focus on their peak control and how they each controlled the signal: something that I felt like was mostly overlooked in the digital realm. Traditionally, it seems to me that users of plug-ins become remiss to how the signal behaves with a processor in addition to how it sounds. The enigma of analog hardware lies within this very paradigm.
Having said that, the UAD Fatso is by far a clear winner at this point, not only for how it sounds, functionality, and flexibility but of course how it controls the signal and handles the peaks of the signal. With the original “Daddy” of the Fatso, Empirical Labs’ Dave Derr at Universal Audio’s side, working in tandem, UA was able to muster up through their DSP brilliance, the Fatso in digital plug-in fashion. The UAD Fatso can be pushed and most importantly saturates like analog hardware. Anyone with a UAD-2 card can try it out and hear for themselves. Compare it to another saturation/compression plug-in and granted even some come close as far as getting the peak control somewhat impressive but does it deliver on the tone part as well is the question. With the UAD Fatso, the low frequency content remains really intact and the high frequency stuff, which really impressed me, such as let’s say a hi-hat, comes through silky but still present where as the biggest issue I’ve found in this department as always been a ratty high end or a sort of “shredding up” of the higher frequencies.
I think up until this point, as far as digital processing goes it’s always seemed to be one or the other. You get solid control of the signal OR you get high fidelity; a bit of a compromise. But with the UAD Fatso it seems like you get this full representation of the original signal along with the benefits of implementing high quality saturation within the mix. And if that wasn’t enough, UA also included a Fatso Sr., which actually isn’t even available in hardware version! The Fatso Sr. offers more control over parameters much like on a compressor. You take the sonic scultping to another level.
And just to vent here, the beauty in my eyes is that this is still a tool to compliment the engineer and the craft of mixing. That means it’s still up to the user in getting it to shine while actually mixing. It’s not like a hyped up “all-in-one” plugin that you can merely push a button and it supposed to the work for you or give an “instant sound”, like some of the stuff being peddled out there right now. Universal Audio has kept the integrity and the value of the engineer intact whilst creating a phenominal representation of our beloved analog counterparts. It’s an awesome plugin that keeps that sense of realism that we appreciate in the craft.
Take a look at some analyzing test graphics, courtesy of Dave Derr and Universal Audio:
Saturation 1Khz Comparascent, courtesy of Dave Derr
Dave Derr comments:
“Here is a comparison of the UA Fatso saturation to the Real EL Fatso saturation. The Red and Purple trace are the real Fatso, and the Yellow and Blue are the UA Fatso.
The upper traces are the actual output waveforms, while the lower traces are the “Distortion Residual”, from the output monitor of our Audio Analyzer. Basically the lower traces are the Distortion components without the original “fundamental” frequency. We are hitting both Fatso units pretty hard, with both producing just under 5% THD… which is pretty danged saturated!
I had to offset the traces a bit because if I overlayed them, they match sooOOoo close you wouldn’t be able to see them, or tell them apart. The saturation matches well up into the upper mid frequencies (even at 8Khz), where aliasing and non-harmonic crap usually pops up when you saturate in the digital domain. The only real difference is the harmonics above 20K, which no longer exist in the UA Fatso, and you couldn’t hear anyway.”
