timmcallister
Active Member
It seems a rip-off to me to be told a card will process “x” number of instances, but the fact is, the cards don’t load plugs well, nor do they load balance properly, and not just often, but almost always, you will have significant unused CPU processing power you PAID for, but are unable to use.
Case in point: Here are details I sent UAD support. I have three cards running 16 plugs:
Card 1: 78%
Card 2: 71%
Card 3: 80%
This is 230% of the 300% I paid for, In other words, I effectively have 70% of a card available. Mind you, this is processing power I PAID for!
Based on UAD published charts, I should be able to load:
another thirteen 1176SE's or
another eight 1073SE's
But I can't load a single thing without UAD telling me: \"The plugin was unable to load. CPU load limit exceeded\".
WHAT?
I received the following from UAD tech support:
############################################# ###################################
When it gets to where the Dynamic Allocation is assigning plugs to the \"wrong\" cards, do this: A:Turn off the plug you want to move. B: Go to the information page and Uncheck ALL the cards you do NOT want the Plug allocated too, Leaving ONLY the one card open. NOW Activate the plug in so it assigns to that card. If you have DSP MAximum set, you may have to change or disable it. For this to work.
############################################# #############################
First – this didn’t work for me, and remember, I am trying to load an 1176SE (specified as consuming 4% of a card) on a card with a 70% load.
Second – this is insane to require a user to do this when a well written software algorithm should be able to do this for you. After all, UAD knows how much a plug will load a card, and they know the CPU load of the cards. Why can’t UAD software load the plug to the card with the lowest CPU load?
Finally – Watching the cards load plugs over multiple start/stops, I see the cards load the plugs differently (see below for examples). So even if I could get their suggestion to work, how could this reliably work for more a few start/stops?
Now, I can fully appreciate load balancing issues. I understand that depending on how the plugs are loaded across a multi card system, you cannot expect 100% utilization. But folks, remember I cannot load a 1176SE (4% CPU) on a card loaded at 70%
I am being charged $500 for a card that can’t cost UAD anymore than $50, UAD tells me how many instances I can load per their graphs. I pay $150-250 for each of their plugs, and then in practice find I can’t get more than 70-80% usage from the cards.
No big deal to you maybe, but I’ve given UAD a hair over $3,000.
As a test, I start with CPU load set to 95% (the default)
I loaded a 33609 on the master buss.
One Neve 1081 on the kick
One Neve 1081 on the bass.
One Neve 1073 on a guitar.
My cards are at 33%, 33%, 50%. I still have almost TWO cards worth of CPU power left.
Now try and load one more 1073 and guess what. Yep - \"The plugin was unable to load. CPU load limit exceeded\". So I’ve got 4 of the “high quality” plugs loaded, and the system is ready to give up.
Up the CPU load limit to 98%.
Now load one more Neve 1073 on a vocal.
Cards are 96% (2 plugs), 32% (1 plug), 50% (2 plugs)
Add a 1073SE to the snare
Cards: 98% (2 plugs), 56% (3 plugs), 32% (1 plug)
So, now UAD has reallocated the plugs to different cards. That’s OK by me, but tell me how that manually loading thing I was told to do would work now?
Put the Plate 140 on a vocal
Cards: 55% (3 plugs), 55% (2 plugs), 98% (2 plugs)
UAD has reallocated once again. Hmmm. About that manually loading plugs to cards thing…
Put a 1073SE on a second guitar.
Whoops. UAD gives up.
Cards at 56% (2 plugs), 38% (3 plugs), 55% (2 plugs) = 148%
Wow. My cards are only half loaded; I am trying to use a 1073SE. I am supposed to be able to run 16 of these on one card, and I have 1 and ½ cards of power in reserve!!! I should be able to load about another 24 of these, and I can’t load one.
Up Limit CPU load to 99%.
Nope – still get UAD telling me I am out of processing power.
I uncheck limit CPU load.
Cards load at 56% ( 2 plugs), 103% (4 plugs), 55% ( 2 plugs)
Of course with card two at 103%, its complete audio garbage.
Set Limit CPU load to 100%
Nope – UAD again tells me Load limit exceeded.
Cards are at 57% (2 plugs), 37% (3 plugs), 55% (2 plugs)
I try a few of the other “low CPU” plugs and get nowhere.
So there it is. I started this scenario thinking I would get to 70-80% but if fact, I only got to 50%
With this scenario, I get to use half the cards I purchased. Seven plugs running, total investment of $3,000. I just paid $428 per plug INSTANCE.
Yes. The plugs sound great. Yes, I usually can load 12-15 plugs and get it to 85% usage or so. But even with that, you’re paying $200+ per plug INSTANCE.
Hey. To each his own, what ever rocks your boat, YMMV, IMHO… But I herby vow not to give UA another penny until they address this.
Case in point: Here are details I sent UAD support. I have three cards running 16 plugs:
Card 1: 78%
Card 2: 71%
Card 3: 80%
This is 230% of the 300% I paid for, In other words, I effectively have 70% of a card available. Mind you, this is processing power I PAID for!
Based on UAD published charts, I should be able to load:
another thirteen 1176SE's or
another eight 1073SE's
But I can't load a single thing without UAD telling me: \"The plugin was unable to load. CPU load limit exceeded\".
WHAT?
I received the following from UAD tech support:
############################################# ###################################
When it gets to where the Dynamic Allocation is assigning plugs to the \"wrong\" cards, do this: A:Turn off the plug you want to move. B: Go to the information page and Uncheck ALL the cards you do NOT want the Plug allocated too, Leaving ONLY the one card open. NOW Activate the plug in so it assigns to that card. If you have DSP MAximum set, you may have to change or disable it. For this to work.
############################################# #############################
First – this didn’t work for me, and remember, I am trying to load an 1176SE (specified as consuming 4% of a card) on a card with a 70% load.
Second – this is insane to require a user to do this when a well written software algorithm should be able to do this for you. After all, UAD knows how much a plug will load a card, and they know the CPU load of the cards. Why can’t UAD software load the plug to the card with the lowest CPU load?
Finally – Watching the cards load plugs over multiple start/stops, I see the cards load the plugs differently (see below for examples). So even if I could get their suggestion to work, how could this reliably work for more a few start/stops?
Now, I can fully appreciate load balancing issues. I understand that depending on how the plugs are loaded across a multi card system, you cannot expect 100% utilization. But folks, remember I cannot load a 1176SE (4% CPU) on a card loaded at 70%
I am being charged $500 for a card that can’t cost UAD anymore than $50, UAD tells me how many instances I can load per their graphs. I pay $150-250 for each of their plugs, and then in practice find I can’t get more than 70-80% usage from the cards.
No big deal to you maybe, but I’ve given UAD a hair over $3,000.
As a test, I start with CPU load set to 95% (the default)
I loaded a 33609 on the master buss.
One Neve 1081 on the kick
One Neve 1081 on the bass.
One Neve 1073 on a guitar.
My cards are at 33%, 33%, 50%. I still have almost TWO cards worth of CPU power left.
Now try and load one more 1073 and guess what. Yep - \"The plugin was unable to load. CPU load limit exceeded\". So I’ve got 4 of the “high quality” plugs loaded, and the system is ready to give up.
Up the CPU load limit to 98%.
Now load one more Neve 1073 on a vocal.
Cards are 96% (2 plugs), 32% (1 plug), 50% (2 plugs)
Add a 1073SE to the snare
Cards: 98% (2 plugs), 56% (3 plugs), 32% (1 plug)
So, now UAD has reallocated the plugs to different cards. That’s OK by me, but tell me how that manually loading thing I was told to do would work now?
Put the Plate 140 on a vocal
Cards: 55% (3 plugs), 55% (2 plugs), 98% (2 plugs)
UAD has reallocated once again. Hmmm. About that manually loading plugs to cards thing…
Put a 1073SE on a second guitar.
Whoops. UAD gives up.
Cards at 56% (2 plugs), 38% (3 plugs), 55% (2 plugs) = 148%
Wow. My cards are only half loaded; I am trying to use a 1073SE. I am supposed to be able to run 16 of these on one card, and I have 1 and ½ cards of power in reserve!!! I should be able to load about another 24 of these, and I can’t load one.
Up Limit CPU load to 99%.
Nope – still get UAD telling me I am out of processing power.
I uncheck limit CPU load.
Cards load at 56% ( 2 plugs), 103% (4 plugs), 55% ( 2 plugs)
Of course with card two at 103%, its complete audio garbage.
Set Limit CPU load to 100%
Nope – UAD again tells me Load limit exceeded.
Cards are at 57% (2 plugs), 37% (3 plugs), 55% (2 plugs)
I try a few of the other “low CPU” plugs and get nowhere.
So there it is. I started this scenario thinking I would get to 70-80% but if fact, I only got to 50%
With this scenario, I get to use half the cards I purchased. Seven plugs running, total investment of $3,000. I just paid $428 per plug INSTANCE.
Yes. The plugs sound great. Yes, I usually can load 12-15 plugs and get it to 85% usage or so. But even with that, you’re paying $200+ per plug INSTANCE.
Hey. To each his own, what ever rocks your boat, YMMV, IMHO… But I herby vow not to give UA another penny until they address this.