DSP Cards HELP!

  • Thread starter Thread starter kalamaca
  • Start date Start date
K

kalamaca

New member
Hi, I'm debating on getting a dsp card - firstly what do you recommend? I've been reading a lot about the UAD ones, but I don't quite understand what the score is with using them.

Here’s a few questions maybe someone can answer...
How many plugins can you use on them?
If I get a UAD dsp card will it work with plugins made by other companies?

At the moment I have lots of voxengo plugins, and I like to use amp modellers like amplitube and guitar rig. Can I get a dsp card that will allow work with them?
 
As far as I know, most DSP cards like the UAD will only run the effects it comes with. It's meant to take load off of your CPU while providing good effects. I don't think they work with other plugins.

I remember hearing that the UAD can run 7 (or 12?) at once, but I could be, and probably am wrong. It should say on their website though.
 
I would avoid these like the plague

If you want to spend the money, get more cores.

I own a UAD-1 and the support is TERRIBLE. Horror stories abound with these things, and really, whats the point? My Opteron 248's can run as many waves SSL plugs as a PTHD5 Accel

Justin Frankel just bought an 8 core system to mess with, and it absolutely SMOKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The dsp cards cant possibly be the power of a modern CPU core (Float vs fixed point skeptics, I understand the GPU deal, whatever), but theyre sure a hell of a lot more expensive
 
Well, at this point you can kinda think of the DSP cards as hardware dongles to be able to use their brand of plugins. A modern dual-core processor should be able to handle way more plugin processing than the dsp cards. Just ask Justin Frankel; he bought an 8 core system to mess with, and it smokes.
And with PCI slots becoming more and more rare, the PCI DSP cards are becoming a nuisance. Sure you can get PCI-E cards now, but most motherboards nowdays don't have very many of either slot.

Look on the Universal Audio website for how many plugins you can run (only the UAD plugins run on the card). It can be 7 or 12 or 3 or 28. It depends heavily on what plugin it is and what sample rate you are running.
And by the way, if you are looking into TC Powercore, beware that the PCI card is friggin gigantic so make sure you have a long PCI slot in your case. The UAD card is about half the size.
 
BTW kalamaca, how did you come up with that nick?
 
cheers for all your advice - so upgrading my old comp is the best option...

Can't remember where i came up with my nickname, just popped into my head about 10years ago, and i've used it since :rolleyes:
 
The UAD cards can be fiddly with some daws, but their plugins are awesome in terms of the quality of their modelling - virtually indistinguishable from the original hardware
 
What about the Powercore Firewire?

I've had one for about 5 months now, and haven't been able to use it due to lack of Intel Mac drivers (they fixed that). From what my studio partner says, it's better than UAD and since it's firewire, no opening up the case.

I'm itching to test it out, since I've used a UAD at a small studio a while ago and thought it was pretty damn cool, but hearing about the Powercore pushed me to it.

It's all subjective, I prefer external units, while some people go for PCI.

Good luck with whatever you choose, as long as it's not one of those rackmount plugin boxes that use regular VSTs. I have no sympathy for a product that runs a select few plugins when there's so much potential, especially with marketing as bad as it is for them.
 
Bulls Hit said:
The UAD cards can be fiddly with some daws, but their plugins are awesome in terms of the quality of their modelling - virtually indistinguishable from the original hardware

Have you used the original hardware they model much?

It is my experience that it is indeed QUITE distinguishable from the original hardware! Most other engineers who I talk to who have used some of that original hardware seem to agree with me. Yes, I think the UAD stuff is quite good, but no, I don't think it is on par with the original hardware in most cases. 80-90% as good? Sure, maybe even 92.35868% ;) But certainly no closer.
 
Fireal402 said:
Good luck with whatever you choose, as long as it's not one of those rackmount plugin boxes that use regular VSTs. I have no sympathy for a product that runs a select few plugins when there's so much potential, especially with marketing as bad as it is for them.

I dont understand. The boxes that can run ANY VST are far more useable to me than a card being used as a dongle for only a few plugs. The Receptor, for instance, is made by a company that REALLY bends over backwards to help and support their customers. They also tend not to have all the buffering isues
 
I have 2 UAD-1 cards and have not had any issues with them at all. ANd they are more than jsut a "a dongle for only a few plugs". Sheesh.
 
Powercore is cool; I like the reverbs. But you have to pay a lot more for the good plugins. The stock compression/EQ is just "meh."
 
Im in the same boat, thinking about getting a UAD and a TC card but am trying to think of other options ie buying more cores and seeing what the cost vs results are

What did you end up getting?
 
I have 2 UAD-1 cards and have not had any issues with them at all. ANd they are more than jsut a "a dongle for only a few plugs". Sheesh.

Also two cards here with no problems. What's with all the hostility towards hardware emulations running off a dedicated DSP? UAD-1's dynamics are gonna walk all over your average freeware VST.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top