Post by viciousbliss on Oct 18, 2018 22:55:45 GMT -6
With holidays coming up, I was debating about what to add to the arsenal. There weren't many native plugins left that I had an interest in. Using NLS again made me think of adding a Soundgrid Impact Server. But I was also really interested in the AMX RMX 16 and the Lex 224 from UAD, along with some other stuff they have. The idea being I could maybe use some of their stuff to offload the type of processing that overloads a DAW. DSP servers are really the only way to expand your single core capabilities. Most every decent processor hovers around 100-110 on cpuuserbenchmark, even the $2000 stuff. Only the 7700k/8700k/8086 have single core scores above 140. As far as I know this is the best indicator of how many cpu intensive plugins you can stack up. Supposedly we won't see many huge gains in silicone chips due to physical constraints or something. It'll be many times more powerful type of computing that provides a big boost. But it'll also make Smarteq2 look primitive with the AI it'll be capable of. So my thinking is just to get whatever sooner than later because there's the inevitable obsolescence on the horizon. Might be 5 years, might be 10. If I heard that the 9900k was gonna have a single core score of 200 and a multi of 1500 like a 7820, I might just forget about the servers for extra power. But I'm guessing these servers will be relevant for a while.
For experimentation's sake, I tried converting a Pro Tools session from 88 to 48. The 48k session was a real downgrade in terms of clarity, depth, smoothness, just sounded a lot more lo-fi. The high frequencies seemed a lot more constrained too. Reminds me of some modern recordings I'm not a big fan of in terms of their engineering. I know some of that Lady Gaga stuff was mixed at 48k using a bunch of old plugins, including some of that Avid/Bomb Factory stuff people aren't big fans of. I've always thought it sounded a bit shrill and lacking depth and all that. Even back when it was first released and I'd never used a DAW. The 48k also reminded me of when I've turned on the cpu light mode of Seventh Heaven Pro and all this reverb information disappears. I'm definitely not looking at using 48k as a solution to intensive workloads.
There's a lot of negative comments about the UAD 224, but it doesn't sound that off in the comparison video. Maybe 10% thinner. They didn't say what sample rate they were using. I wonder if a lot of the negative comments about it at the purple place are due to people using it at 44/48, since like 95% of the people say that's the sample rate they use whenever anyone does a survey. The RMX sounds brilliant in all the videos I've seen. I'm a bit worried if I sprang for some USB satellite and got these that they could end up being underwhelming. Or maybe something else like Nomad's 80s Spaces, the pasttofuture IRs, Tsar-1, or SHP's nonlins will sound too close and I'll feel like these UAD verbs are redundant. UAD also doesn't say what the 88/96 dsp usage is for anything. With some of the newer Waves stuff, 96 is the same usage as 44 or better. If the AMX and 224 get half at 96 what they do at 44, a handful of instances will eat up a whole Quad. That means I need an Octo.
I've read about there being all these coupons and no one paying full price for UAD plugins. Does it make any sense to do the custom deal at Sweetwater and add 3 plugins for an extra $400? Or would it be better to get a satellite and then wait for coupons and sales? If I had the cash I might get a usb Apollo Twin and a satellite. Tracking with that unison pre sounds cool, but I don't know if it actually is. There's plenty of other UAD plugs I want to try. I'm just not sure of the overlap.
I'm guessing the included Analog Classic Bundle is better than their old Waves counterparts. I tried using some old Waves plugins again and their SSL E channel strip is just so edgey and thin compared to the BX SSL E. The new L1 is leagues better than the original. Smoother, more depth and space. I've been demoing the Oxford Reverb since I'm not big on any of the Waves reverbs. The Oxford is better to me, though it's a bit smaller sounding than SHP or Tsar-1. It has a ton of options but can take a while to get a good setting with. The tail is definitely thinner sounding. I'd get it if it were cheap or if I got an Impact Server. The main reason I'd have for using an Impact Server would to be to offload NLS instances, Center, the occasional CLAEffects/Scheps 73/H Delay, and use Oxford Reverb and/or Dynamics. Those two would be an added expense. Plus the costs of adding Soundgrid to Inflator and Oxford Limiter. I don't use much Waves stuff beyond what I mentioned.
Thunderbolt isn't really an option for me at this point. I have usb 3 inputs on this motherboard. Just thought I would ask everyone here about their UAD experiences and see if it makes sense for me. Thanks in advance for any tips.
For experimentation's sake, I tried converting a Pro Tools session from 88 to 48. The 48k session was a real downgrade in terms of clarity, depth, smoothness, just sounded a lot more lo-fi. The high frequencies seemed a lot more constrained too. Reminds me of some modern recordings I'm not a big fan of in terms of their engineering. I know some of that Lady Gaga stuff was mixed at 48k using a bunch of old plugins, including some of that Avid/Bomb Factory stuff people aren't big fans of. I've always thought it sounded a bit shrill and lacking depth and all that. Even back when it was first released and I'd never used a DAW. The 48k also reminded me of when I've turned on the cpu light mode of Seventh Heaven Pro and all this reverb information disappears. I'm definitely not looking at using 48k as a solution to intensive workloads.
There's a lot of negative comments about the UAD 224, but it doesn't sound that off in the comparison video. Maybe 10% thinner. They didn't say what sample rate they were using. I wonder if a lot of the negative comments about it at the purple place are due to people using it at 44/48, since like 95% of the people say that's the sample rate they use whenever anyone does a survey. The RMX sounds brilliant in all the videos I've seen. I'm a bit worried if I sprang for some USB satellite and got these that they could end up being underwhelming. Or maybe something else like Nomad's 80s Spaces, the pasttofuture IRs, Tsar-1, or SHP's nonlins will sound too close and I'll feel like these UAD verbs are redundant. UAD also doesn't say what the 88/96 dsp usage is for anything. With some of the newer Waves stuff, 96 is the same usage as 44 or better. If the AMX and 224 get half at 96 what they do at 44, a handful of instances will eat up a whole Quad. That means I need an Octo.
I've read about there being all these coupons and no one paying full price for UAD plugins. Does it make any sense to do the custom deal at Sweetwater and add 3 plugins for an extra $400? Or would it be better to get a satellite and then wait for coupons and sales? If I had the cash I might get a usb Apollo Twin and a satellite. Tracking with that unison pre sounds cool, but I don't know if it actually is. There's plenty of other UAD plugs I want to try. I'm just not sure of the overlap.
I'm guessing the included Analog Classic Bundle is better than their old Waves counterparts. I tried using some old Waves plugins again and their SSL E channel strip is just so edgey and thin compared to the BX SSL E. The new L1 is leagues better than the original. Smoother, more depth and space. I've been demoing the Oxford Reverb since I'm not big on any of the Waves reverbs. The Oxford is better to me, though it's a bit smaller sounding than SHP or Tsar-1. It has a ton of options but can take a while to get a good setting with. The tail is definitely thinner sounding. I'd get it if it were cheap or if I got an Impact Server. The main reason I'd have for using an Impact Server would to be to offload NLS instances, Center, the occasional CLAEffects/Scheps 73/H Delay, and use Oxford Reverb and/or Dynamics. Those two would be an added expense. Plus the costs of adding Soundgrid to Inflator and Oxford Limiter. I don't use much Waves stuff beyond what I mentioned.
Thunderbolt isn't really an option for me at this point. I have usb 3 inputs on this motherboard. Just thought I would ask everyone here about their UAD experiences and see if it makes sense for me. Thanks in advance for any tips.