UAD-2 Satellite Firewire

As a UAD-1 (two cards) owner with a G5 I was a little skeptical at first about updating to a Macbook Pro and UAD-2 Satellite Duo system with latency performance concerns over firewire. After getting the new system that fear is long gone, it performs beautifully. More than surpasses my old system. Works great with my firewire 400 Tascam FW-1884 audio & control surface with no issues, does not effect plug-in count or performance. I have a full UAD powerhouse that is truly mobile finally. Great job UAD!

Jamie Downing
Gallery Of Voices
www.galleryofvoices.com

Thank you Universal Audio,

I can remember writing to ask would it you would consider something like this many years ago. Back then it was a dream for me to be on the road and be able work as if was in my own studio. But now it's a reality thanks to inventive vision and dedication to quality and detail. The unit is more than I ever dreamt it would be. It really is plug n Play with a power that relieves my cpu so I can do more. But still keeps the UAD quality. But not just that. The unit looks sexy, it's not something i say to piece of studio kit. Most of what my kit does is sexy. But this unit does it both. Plus it does it on the go as well. Thanks, not more I can say. Great job.

Nice solution, if you are not able to use PCIe. I'm using an UAD-2 Satellite DUO with an apple MacBook Pro and it works great!

Even daisychaining with my RME ff800 is no problem! The firewire 800 bandwidth for the UAD DUO is more then enough. The first that comes to it's limit is the DSP-processing not the bandwidth! It might get a bit short, if you run an UAD QUAD with full DSP-power...?! Unfortunately I can't prove that ;)

Very nice handling and overview of these issues comes with the firewire-bandwidth realtime-view of the UAD-control-panel!

So once more: a very professional and useful mixingtool!

I don't want to add any further comment on the plugin-qualitiy - they are the best I've heard so far ...

best regards
j.c.

Fonomen.Net

Hallo liebe Universal Audio Mitarbeiter und Nutzer,

ich arbeitete seit geraumer Zeit mit zwei UAD 1 Karten, zusammen mit einem PC System unter Cubase. Aufgrund des "Trade In" habe ich die UAD -2 DUO Firewire erworben. Die Integration in Cubase und dem neuen iMac verlief recht reibungslos. Nach verschiedenen Updates läuft das System einwandfrei. Sehr schön!!
Es macht einfach Spass mit den Plug-Ins zu arbeiten. Ich brauche nicht zu erwähnen, dass die UAD Plattform bei jedem Projekt und Mix dabei ist. Und die UAD-2 Satellite sieht einfach schick aus.

Vielen Dank hierfür und für die harte Arbeit!

Mit lieben Grüßen

L. Puschmann

Been using the satellite last week on a one week co-write trip for the first time. SO good to have all the plugs! First time it feels like theres no differences or compromises anymore.... One thing i'd recommend is to have at least 1 FW channel per DUO card otherwise you'll run our of bandwidth (e.g. when u use a fw audio interface).

I traded in my UAD-1 cards this month, (June 2012), for a Quad Satellite , so I could start using it in my audio-post mixes.

Just finishing an ABC Family/Disney Christmas musical with my new mix template using the UAD plugins. Busy show, lots of performances.
All I can say is WOW.
Love the efficiency and sound. Less work to get the dialog sounding the way I like it to sound. The UAD plugins have really brought my dialog up a notch. I can't praise the VOG enough for that. Instant magic for adding more body to thin sounding production dialog. The precision de-Esser sounds fantastic, and the Pultec gives some nice air to the dialog.
And all the music performances were brough up a notch with the SPL Transient Designer, by adding more punch.

I love plugs that makes a pleasant, audible difference. This thing with the plugs I have (LA2A, LA3A, Fairchild, Manley, 1176, Pultec, Cambridge, etc) makes a.....uh.....pleasant, audible difference. Undoubtedly. I only opted for the Compressors and EQs for now, as these are surely necessary for anyone creating music. I haven't used a plug that's as good as these are. Since I started mixing years ago. The Manley Massive Passive is a hog though. Warning!! I have two audio interfaces, a hard drive, and the UAD 2 solo on one firewire bus. Not enough bandwidth. If possible, use two separate busses. I'm gonna try and use the Thunderbolt as another firewire port.

I've been hooked on the UAD cards for a while now, but I've never been able to take them on the road with me. Now, with the Satellite, I can run full sessions on my laptop wherever I want to. Excellent product. Recommended.

Combined with my Apollo Quad... Amazing! This thing makes life much easier and mixing in the box a lot more fun! Definitely a great addition to my studio.

I think its to early to have a solid opinion about the product. But I can say the plugins sounds really good, specially Pultec Pro and Fatso Sr.

I got a crash once or twice, just by opening some instances of Fatso. Which was quite weird, because it was a small project... actually i was only making some experiences with the new plugins.

Well, if I can, I would like to make this review in a few weeks. Probably I'll be more aware about this great device.

Dani M.

Great product!. It's of the best purchases I made so far.

It's a great device, now i can mixing/mastering music on my Mac Book Pro anytime and anywhere, Thanks, UA!!!

Excellent piece of equipment, everything in one small very stylish casing.. Replaces my 2 UAD 1 PCIe cards. Runs more stable and very easy to install. `i would recommend this to anyone who is still running UAD 1. Not much else to say really except that i can now purchase the UAD 2 Plugins :-) Keep up the good work....

I took the satellite quad to add it to the apollo quad. Fantastic! And I am using also a Uad2 pci in the same system. Flawlessly! I am happy!!!

As the production mixer for Chicago, I work with one of the most dynamic, musically complex bands of the past 45 years. Chicago has always depended on the wide dynamic range and authentic character of the world's finest analog hardware. Universal Audio has succeeded in creating a no-compromise solution for the band's twin DAW platforms. Rich emulations such as the Ampex ATR 102, the Manley Massive Passive, and the EMT 140 Plate are indispensable tools and ensure that I can achieve the sounds that have characterized Chicago for decades, no matter where we are. Running the UAD-2 Satellite Quad Firewire Accelerator on a MacBook Pro, we have dedicated the Thunderbolt port as a separate Firewire buss, which flawlessly provides maximum instances.

I've been using UAD cards since their inception. I had two installed in my trusty old Apple G5. I just couldn't live without it, for mixing and mastering. No other plugins even came close to giving me the quality and versatility I needed. When the UAD-2 was released, I bought a MacBookPro for no reason other than to get a UAD-2 SOLO and have access to all the new plugins. Now my old G5 has finally been retired to the back of my closet, and the new UAD-2 Satellite is in place. It's breathtakingly beautiful in its compact efficiency, and the new UAD-2 plugin classic reverbs and Ampex & Studer designs are to-die-for. I couldn't do my job without them. My digital mixes sound analog, and without UA, I just couldn't say that. UA RULES!

In a word. Wow.

I've been toying with the idea of a UAD-2 for a long time but the cost put me off initially.

Having taken the plunge, I can't believe how much my mixes have improved, even by when sticking to the 1176 and pultec eq and realverb pro.

If you do buy this though, it's well worth getting the Studer A800 to use on most of your channels.

Ein großes Kompliment an Universal Audio und alle beteiligten Spezialisten für dieses erstklassige Soundpacket. Ein Traum für alle Fans von analogem Equipment!
Die UAD2 Satellite ist absolut zuverlässig und stabil im Arbeitsprozess, die Sounds umwerfend und bereichernd für jede digitale Produktion. Meine Favoriten: EMT 250, die Bandmaschinen und natürlich Bruce Swediens Harrison EQ. Thank You All!

Great little box, fits nicely in the studio near the MBP 2011 and Duet 2. I'm slowly but surely drawn into using UAD plugins only as the quality is great and it's quite easy to dial in the appropriate settings, even if this means pushing them to the limits.
Would have loved it to be rack mountable though.

I've been using UAD products since the early 2000's, even before the host (Digital Performer) and the UAD cards could compensate for latency. The sound was so good that I manually slid the tracks by twice the buffer size in samples to align them, such was my urge to use UAD plugins when needed. Eventually I outgrew my system and my old UAD-1 cards remained installed in an unused G5 computer. I recently bought a UAD-2 Solo-laptop, and regained immediate use of my plugin library (no other manufacturer allowed me to use a 2000's plugin without several paid upgrades), so I went on and ordered 2 Apollos and 2 Satellite Duo's, one system for the studio and one for home. Haven't got the Apollos yet, but the Satellites and Solo rock big time. Kudos