David Bock has left UA

Why am I not surprised by this? My suspicion - Dave's standards are simply too high for the UA bean counters. Remember that they got their commercial "weight" by family ties and that UA does not now make the definitive versions of ANY of their famous pieces - and their prices are generally on the high side.

I’d imagine it’s more like 1%

For every person that has a LA-2A reissue I’d say there’s 1000 with an Apollo. Pretty much every musician I know has an Apollo interface of some kind.

David does have high standards. I had a Bock 241 for awhile and the tube started to fail (noisy and microphone). He wanted $600 to check out the mic and replace the tube…so I bought 5 different ones on eBay for $5 each, installed the quietest, and sold the microphone. Every other high end company has gone above and beyond to resolve any issues I’ve had…and on kit a lot cheaper than the 241.

I can’t imagine what he’d want to charge to look at my custom shop 49 if something were to happen to it…

Not throwing shade at David he’s very knowledgeable and forthcoming with his knowledge, especially in the past, but not sure that business approach would work at UA

I kind of assumed that, David Bock aside, these recently discussed lay offs had something to do with whatever is going on with the Spark mini-debacle currently unfolding. It's starting to sound like a bit of a shit show. Which is disappointing. I like UA, but this seems problematic. Glad I don't use Spark right now.

Wonder if this has anything to do with UA brass prioritizing the new Spheres ? Maybe, they were always planned first and everything got caught up in covid supply chain delays ?

I don't use Spark, so I haven't experienced this myself, but it seems to be affecting Windows (not Mac, I think?) users. Something to do with really high CPU usage. There seems to be a lot of complaints about it on the Spark thread over at GS.

Go read the last five to ten pages, if you're so inclined. It'll give you some context. People can't finish projects. UA doesn't offer a way to roll back to a previous version of Spark, etc.

gearspace.com/board/product-alerts-older-than-2-months/1376805-universal-audio-announces-uad-spark-uadx-native-subscription-service-123.html

The re introduction of hardware was strategic, it sells software. Can’t afford a 1176LN here is a plugin buy the guys who built the 1176! I never understood why a decent self respecting gearpimp with a high school education would push UA, so I sell the gear and you get to sell all the additional plugins? Umm see those little plugins are the long term $$$$. Know why Waves is still around? Because while they do sell direct a dealer can push it and sell it!

Huh, I do have some sessions that have gotten weirdly maxed out since adding Spark. But, I'm on Catalina.

I'm sure its still going to be a fine mic and who knows... down the road I may even end up buying one! 

But as of now the appeal to me is gone. I don't need more mics to get anything done. Plenty of stuff here... about 3 dozen total with couple different flavors of Neumann, old Latvian made Blues... if someone's after a real hi fi piece? Things like a real 1971 U67 or a Manley Reference? All I gotta do is phone a friend. 

The appeal to me was getting something of a legacy piece. Yeah that's UA Bock serial number #23... yeah its cool. 

Now without him there in my mind there's no difference between #23 and #2300. So why stay on the pre-order? I was going to have the first one through the door at Sweetwater, and now I don't. Life goes on. 

To me pieces like that have some appeal... the collectors thing. My pair of Blue Baby Bottles are within the first 50 made. I also have two of the first thousand UA 1176's ever made. Bought way back when they were a new company and it was their only product 20 years ago.

How has the industry changed in that time..? And UA themselves? 

I remember ordering them from guiTarget and the guy I was dealing with, the dept manager when I picked them up... he's going - "What are these things?" Its a limiter? And its analog? What would you use this on? Why not use waves L1... that's what everyone is using these days! 

Uhhh huh. Shut up Beavis. Gimmie the boxes before you hurt yourself. True story! 

In my mind a brand spankin' new 2022 UA Bock mic would've fit in great with all my other low serial # junk. But now..? Why? Whats the point? Now its just another mic. And that's not all that interesting to me. 

Well at least my Soundelux U195, is serial number (get this)...
007
I expect at least a $5K CASH offer from Plush now. Goes with that Walther PPK.

And he even has a Degree in,
Triggernometry.
Hmm... Maybe $5K is too low guys?
Chris

They might have but I bet you have to go through UA to get and use your coupons.

They do have the Slate system 😎 new Dave Bock inspired plugins?

On another note anyone notice that the 2 Bock mics that didn’t get reissued by UA use different body work? Wonder if Dave wanted to do some of his own ideas and they just wanted clones that fit in with the parts they already had like Peavey’s design ethos of “ you use these resistors we buy them by the million “.

Thx Quint, that sounds frustrating for Windows users.

Dropped Windows years ago and moved on.