Christmas cash is burning a hole in my pocket and I want to invest in a new channel strip during the current UAD sale. My needs are simple. I'm a hobbyist, mostly producing backing tracks for 70's rock and singer/songwriter cover songs that my buddies and I can jam along with while we drink wine. In particular, I love using the UAD console to add real-time processing while jamming live without the signal ever going into the DAW. Of principal importance to me:
- Simple: I like the convenience of single-plug channel strips vs. chaining separate EQ & compressors together. As I get older (and *blinder*), I find myself gravitating towards simpler plugs that are quick and easy to read and simple to operate. An LA-2A is an ideal amount of complexity for me. If I can twist two knobs and hear everything a plugin can do for me, I'm golden.
- DSP Efficient: I have an Apollo Twin USB, so processing power is at a premium. The only UAD channel strip I have is Precision Channel, which feels super dated but is *extremely* low DSP-usage. I don't have the power to insert a UAD instance onto every channel in my mixes, so I'll often use on busses. Example, I'll use a low-cost DAW plug for gentle filtering and sculpting on kick, snare, hats, toms and OH channels, then route them to a drum bus with an 1176 for some flavor.
- Mojo: I've been doing this for many years for fun but am not a golden-ears engineer. I tend to start with a reasonable preset and sweep the EQ bands a bit and briefly toy around with compression ratios and attack/release timing, and call it good. I prefer "dripping and obvious" to "clean and surgical" every time.
I see 3 options currently at $49 as of today, Jan 2.
- Century
- API Vision
- SSL 4000
Honestly, I expected the Century to be my first choice. It definitely fits the "simple" requirement and I like the clean, clear UI. I also expected DSP usage to be lower than the others, but it is not. It's over 52% for a stereo channel with all components engaged. The API is under 30% and the SSL over 70%.
Finally, I don't care about two being household names and the other generic. I have no one to impress (none of my buddies have ever heard of API or SSL, I assure you!). Plus I already have emulations of the API and SSL from Waves, but since I got my Apollo I almost never use them anymore.
I'd demo these myself but I did so when I got my Apollo last year and think my demo time has expired. Given the above considerations, is there one you'd recommend above the others for my use case?
- Simple: I like the convenience of single-plug channel strips vs. chaining separate EQ & compressors together. As I get older (and *blinder*), I find myself gravitating towards simpler plugs that are quick and easy to read and simple to operate. An LA-2A is an ideal amount of complexity for me. If I can twist two knobs and hear everything a plugin can do for me, I'm golden.
- DSP Efficient: I have an Apollo Twin USB, so processing power is at a premium. The only UAD channel strip I have is Precision Channel, which feels super dated but is *extremely* low DSP-usage. I don't have the power to insert a UAD instance onto every channel in my mixes, so I'll often use on busses. Example, I'll use a low-cost DAW plug for gentle filtering and sculpting on kick, snare, hats, toms and OH channels, then route them to a drum bus with an 1176 for some flavor.
- Mojo: I've been doing this for many years for fun but am not a golden-ears engineer. I tend to start with a reasonable preset and sweep the EQ bands a bit and briefly toy around with compression ratios and attack/release timing, and call it good. I prefer "dripping and obvious" to "clean and surgical" every time.
I see 3 options currently at $49 as of today, Jan 2.
- Century
- API Vision
- SSL 4000
Honestly, I expected the Century to be my first choice. It definitely fits the "simple" requirement and I like the clean, clear UI. I also expected DSP usage to be lower than the others, but it is not. It's over 52% for a stereo channel with all components engaged. The API is under 30% and the SSL over 70%.
Finally, I don't care about two being household names and the other generic. I have no one to impress (none of my buddies have ever heard of API or SSL, I assure you!). Plus I already have emulations of the API and SSL from Waves, but since I got my Apollo I almost never use them anymore.
I'd demo these myself but I did so when I got my Apollo last year and think my demo time has expired. Given the above considerations, is there one you'd recommend above the others for my use case?
