Come on ... 249.- for a digital delay - huh!

[Bionic_Beats]

I like the UAD plugs very much, but the price policy for the last couple of plugs is pretty bad in my opinion (i.e. Dimension D). This is just my statement to Uaudio: for that price I will look for other good stuff.

The Fairchild for 149.- is nice! A Pultec Filter for 79.- is nice! etc.

Cheers,
Bionic Beats

 

[Halfdan]

I think the point is that these last plugs are licensed from Roland, which probably costs something.

Apart from that, UA plugs are still less expensive than Powercore's - and they sound absolutely wonderful. I think the expense is justified.

Cheers

 

[billybk1]

The last time I looked, the UAD-1 plugins are still a lot cheaper than other comparable plugins on other DSP platforms (Powercore, Scope, PT TDM etc.). I am sure the NEVE plugins won't be getting any cheaper either. What is URS charging, ($499.00 per EQ ) for their TDM EQ's these days? Come on for just an EQ? You can get (2) RE-201's for that price.

If you can't afford it than don't buy it.

 

[Doublehelix]

Yep, I agree with the other posters here...the price is quite fair.

This is an expensive business, and buying an awesome tape echo that you can insert into multiple places, and have no maintanence for this price is a GREAT price IMHO.

AS billybk1 mentions, you do have a choice where to spend your money, and if it is too rich for your blood, then there are certainly other choices.

Hell, I have a mic that costs over $4,500, and another that costs over $3,000. Now I know this is not an apples-to-apples comparison, just to point out that when you look at the overall costs of running a top-notch studio, $250 is quite cheap.

If you are doing this for a hobby, and cannot afford the $250, that is completely understandable, but at the risk of sounding rude, that is not UA's problem. They have priced the plugin where they need to price to make money and to continue to fund their R&D. Consumers will vote with their wallets and in the long run, UA will either survive or they won't. That is what a free-market society is all about.

 

[HotRats]

In my opinion the plug-in price policy is absolutley fair.

I also think that uad-1 hardware is too expensive.

 

[Bionic_Beats]

but I think the target group of the UAD card is not high fidelity super audio professionalls. I think it is the ambitious \"hobby\" producer or let's say indi-producer like me with some small releases and some multimedia jobs. Overall the big majority of artists who definetely have a lack of money.

The price setting is a question of addressing the desired target group. I just want to say that Uaudio risks to lose some ambitious hobby producers, if they put prices too high.

cheers

 

[Doublehelix]

but I think the target group of the UAD card is not high fidelity super audio professionalls. I think it is the ambitious "hobby" producer or let's say indi-producer like me with some small releases and some multimedia jobs. Overall the big majority of artists who definetely have a lack of money.

The price setting is a question of addressing the desired target group. I just want to say that Uaudio risks to lose some ambitious hobby producers, if they put prices too high.

cheers

Agreed to an extent, but there are still lots of folks that use the UAD-1 cards still those that are running a top-notch studio, otherwise, those at the lower-end of the food chain would be using the plugins that come bundled with their DAWs or are readily available as shareware or freeware.

If you care enough about your sound to buy a UAD-1 card to get great sounds (rather than mediocre sounds from the "freebie stuff"), then $250 for a great plugin is not a lot to ask.

IMHO, those that feel that the Tape Echo is too expensive do not see the need for it...it might be more of a "nice-to-have" plugin rather than an "I can't wait to get my hands on this puppy" plugin.

Obviously, we are in different places with our needs and our pocketbooks, and that is cool. I respect your opinions, but for me, $250 is a great price for what you are getting.

Rock on UA!!!

 

[RWIL]

I vote «fair», but honestly I can't tell here what is fair or not. Only what I'm ready to pay for a given product against other products and budget consideration, and that could be different for someone else. Maybe competition still for consumer the best price-guard since it will be more and more hard for company like UAD to sell something at a wrong (higher) price.

RW

 

[TheHopiWay]

but I think the target group of the UAD card is not high fidelity super audio professionalls. I think it is the ambitious "hobby" producer or let's say indi-producer like me with some small releases and some multimedia jobs. Overall the big majority of artists who definetely have a lack of money.

The price setting is a question of addressing the desired target group. I just want to say that Uaudio risks to lose some ambitious hobby producers, if they put prices too high.

cheers

Interesting view but I'm wondering how you developed the premise about the target group.

 

[Suntower]

S.b. $199.

 

[Giles117 DP]

but I think the target group of the UAD card is not high fidelity super audio professionalls. I think it is the ambitious "hobby" producer or let's say indi-producer like me with some small releases and some multimedia jobs. Overall the big majority of artists who definetely have a lack of money.

The price setting is a question of addressing the desired target group. I just want to say that Uaudio risks to lose some ambitious hobby producers, if they put prices too high.

cheers

So the TDM versions of UAD plugins are targeted for the low end people??????

Only UAD users I really know are professionals. Ones who make a living with this gear....

Matter of fact I have mixed over 20 albums over the past 3 years and wouldnt do it without my UAD cards. I am working on another national release and again my UAD-1 is at the center of it.

I had a choice Pro Tools again or My DAW with a UAD and Powercore Cards. I chose this route. It is less expensive than TDM and their software update policy doesnt cost me 75 bucks everytime there is an OS update. I just pay for new plugins to help them further development.

So this Tape delay is very fair to me. the thing sounds awesome.....

 

[Ericcc]

but I think the target group of the UAD card is not high fidelity super audio professionalls.
cheers

Well, I am sure those hifi super audio pro's would want a Roland Space Echo, Roland Dimension-D and Roland Chorus without the noisefloor in the originals so I think you are wrong
On top they can have multiple instances which saves them some real money.

I get real tired of all this moaning about the UAD prices. They are simply cheap when you consider what you get and when compared to others. The solution is real simple if you think the prices are too high : don't buy 'em.....

 

[billybk1]

I think the best value, for the money, is to get the Roland FX Bundle. There are three ways to look at the deal, from a money saving's perspective:

1) You are essentially getting a 20% discount on all three plugins
Regular ala carte price $497
Bundle sale price $399
Savings $98

or

2) Buy two get one free. The bundle price is essentially like buying the RE-201 & Dimension D at regular price and getting the CE-1 free.
RE-201 $249
Dimension D $149
CE-1 $99

or

3) Buy the Dimension D & CE-1 at regular price and essentially get the RE-201 for $151.


Pick whichever deal/angle makes you feel better. $399 for all three is not a bad deal at all, when you really think about it.. :wink:

 

[Bionic_Beats]

I just want to help Uaudio as a company by telling them what a customer like me thinks. Without hesitation I bought the fairchild, the pultec pro and the plate 140, because I felt this is a good price. But I will not buy the RE-201 even I would like to, because I love tape delays.

And I don't understand the logic behind the prices. Why is the fairchild which is, in my opinion, defenitely irreplaceable by any other plug-in and which costs about 20k as real, almost 50% cheaper than a \"delay\". O.k. the licensing argument could be one.

@TheHopiWay: I think the price is the most important determinant for addressing a target group. Marketing and maybe the user-interface could be some more but the price is the most imporatant one, provided that the quality is good.

greets from vienna

 

[Sixela]

What is fair?
If you start by selling you stuff 500$ and two years later you sell it 500$, it is fair... :wink:
The average price was 150$ per plug, today it is 250$. Makes 60% progression.
If the quality, complexity and licence charge make the same progression it is fair!

 

[stonefree]

Howabout this : Purchase the two most soguth after chorus effects ever, then pay $100 for a premium digital delay and $100 for an terrific spring reverb emulation (bundled together). Sounds pretty fair to me.

 

[Halfdan]

I'll say it again: dealing with Roland and borrowing their trademark is gonna cost something.

RE-201 isn't necessarily your bread-and-butter plugin. Given that it has less potential buyers than, say, plate 140, it is fair to recoup some of the man hours spent on developing it by pricing it a step higher.

As for target groups: anybody can join the UA camp, and that's the beauty of it, compared to TDM. The card and the most common plugs are cheap, and the nerds can take it a step further if they have the dough.

For my part, I'm probably a pro - I can buy the hardware I want to, but I choose the same card as the bedroom enthusiast because it is GOOD. not because it is relatively cheap. This is what the digital revolution is about.

and

I love it !

cheers
Halfdan

 

[Bionic_Beats]

okay, the name licensing and the cross financing argument are pretty plausible. But then I am afraid of paying just for the name. Ok it is not different in the hardware market but there you have the bling bling factor by showing it to customers or your studio site

but anyway I think the DAW-plug-in market is in an increasing competition. small firms enter the market with loss leaders and very good quality. If the last couple of uad-plugs would be a little bit cheaper I also would buy another dsp-card, because I would need more performance. Now I take native stuff and I don't need another dsp-card...

 

[Eric Dahlberg]

And I don't understand the logic behind the prices. Why is the fairchild which is, in my opinion, defenitely irreplaceable by any other plug-in and which costs about 20k as real, almost 50% cheaper than a "delay".

Perhaps that's part of the answer. The Fairchild is something that's pretty much guaranteed to sell well for UA since they already know most UAD-1 users buy the card for the compressors, so they could safely amortize R&D costs across a larger number of sales. These Roland products are more niche, it could be that UA anticipated lower sales of these plug-ins & anticipated having to amortize R&D costs across a smaller number of sales, thus necessitating higher prices. I don't know why Dimension D should cost more than CE-1 by this logic but it makes sense that R&D costs of the Space Echo would be higher than with them.

Also, consider that the Flexi Pak effectively gives you $500 worth of plug-ins for $300 (since it's basically a Project Pak with a $500 plug-in voucher). This wasn't around when the Fairchild was released.

 

[Doublehelix]

And I don't understand the logic behind the prices. Why is the fairchild which is, in my opinion, defenitely irreplaceable by any other plug-in and which costs about 20k as real, almost 50% cheaper than a "delay". O.k. the licensing argument could be one.

The price of the original does not really factor into the amount that is required to model that piece of gear.

Good tape emulation is difficult, and most likely took a boatload of work compared to the Fairchild (I am just guessing here).

Plus, as mentioned, the Roland stuff has to be licenced from Roland, which most likely means that a portion of each sale has to be paid to Roland, whereas there is no Fairchild company to pay and UA owns rights to the LA2 and 1176.

Besides, as I mentioned, $250 is really *nothing* in the grand scheme of things. A mere pitance really.