Your New Desert Island Plug-in Collection
Trim the fat, cut to the chase, add some depth, get to the point … however you phrase it, this Universal Audio UAD Essentials Edition plug-in bundle does it. Exclusively featuring what Sweetwater studio engineers deem “desert island” plug-ins, the UAD Essentials Edition fulfills every modern studio need. Inside, you’ll get the Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection and the Pultec Passive EQ Collection — both of which contain three plug-ins just by themselves! Then, there’s the Century Tube Channel Strip that oozes vintage character, followed by the Oxide Tap Recorder for a definitive analog sound. How about effects? You’ll get the Galaxy Tape Echo and Pure Plate Reverb. Finally, for those times when you’re feeling creative compositionally, PolyMAX Synth is sure to inspire your next masterpiece.
Note: Do you own Apollo hardware? By purchasing this plug-in, you will receive two licenses: one license allows you to run the plug-in via your computer’s CPU and the other allows you to run it via your Apollo hardware. Please contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer if you have any questions.
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Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection
Dating back to the early 1960s, the LA-2A has reigned as the most sought-after opto-compressor for studio engineers worldwide. Its unique and mellow multi-stage release is a characteristic that no other dynamics processor has. The Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection gives you precise emulations of three of the most revered LA-2A models: LA-2A Silver, LA-2A Gray, and even an original LA-2! Each one had its entire circuit paths modeled, including tube amps, transformers, and the all-important T4 optical attenuator photocells. Sweetwater studio engineers concur that this plug-in collection captures the undeniable sound and program-dependent response of a true analog LA-2A. With additional plug-in presets from renowned LA-2A users, the UAD Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection puts 60-plus years of the world’s most celebrated opto-compressor sound into one convenient, cost-effective package.
Pultec Passive EQ Collection
Handmade Pultec EQ units are among the most sought-after pieces of outboard gear in history. The Pultec Passive EQ Collection allows you to tap into the legend, arming you with a trio of incredibly accurate Pultec models: the EQP-1A Program EQ, the MEQ-5 Midrange EQ, and the HLF-3C Filter Set. Incorporating their characteristically thorough approach to analog emulation, UA has captured the entire electronic path of all three units, including their transformers and tube amps, to ensure that every bit of that coveted Pultec magic is realistically represented. The UAD Pultec Passive EQ Collection also features presets from legendary Pultec users. It all adds up to the most cost-effective way to augment your recordings with the revered Pultec sound.
Century Tube Channel Strip
The Century Tube Channel Strip’s warm analog sound, simple controls, and logical left-to-right signal flow arrangement have already won over many producers and singer/songwriters here at Sweetwater. The plug-in is a case study in efficiency, with each module — a tube mic preamp, a 3-band EQ, and an optical compressor — featuring only what is truly needed to get excellent results quickly. Firstly, the tube mic preamp packs a wide range of tones that can lend presence to a vocal or dialogue, or add gnarly grit to a guitar or bass in seconds. Next, the 3-band EQ is just as quick at adding body to bass, making a vocal more coherent, or sculpting fret noise and other details of an acoustic guitar. Finally, the opto leveler might be the fastest of all, as it can tame transients or add vibe with just one knob! Taken as a whole, the UAD Century Tube Channel Strip is perfect for imparting vintage-style polish to your tracks as effortlessly as possible.
Oxide Tape Recorder
The Oxide Tape Recorder plug-in makes it easier than ever to get the magical sound of magnetic tape right in your Apollo interface or DAW. A collaboration between Audio Engineering Society magnetic recording expert Jay McKnight and UA’s outstanding team of DSP engineers, the plug-in features selectable 7.5 or 15 Inches Per Second tape speeds and a choice between NAB or CCIR frequency curves, imparting warm, punchy, analog mojo on up to 24 stereo tracks with just a single UAD-2 QUAD DSP Accelerator Card. Sweetwater studio engineers love how the Oxide Tape Recorder turns their Apollo interfaces into variable tape machines, not to mention how effortless it is to tweak the amount of tape saturation with the Input/Output controls. The UAD Oxide Tape Recorder is an excellent creative tool for naturally smoothing the edges on a track instead of automatically reaching for an EQ. Custom presets from engineer/producer John Paterno round out this easy-to-use and musical tape emulation plug-in that’s sure to find its way into many of your sessions.
Galaxy Tape Echo
Universal Audio's illustrious DPS engineering team has done it again! With its UAD Galaxy Tape Echo plug-in, you get an impeccable emulation of the Roland RE-201 Space Echo, the same analog tape delay and spring reverb unit used by the likes of Lee "Scratch" Perry, Pink Floyd, and David Bowie. UA has captured every facet of this beloved '70s hardware unit, down to its input-driven distortion and added new enhancements for modern workflows. Sweetwater producers particularly love the added Tempo Sync, which allows you to time-align effects with note duration values. A blinking display lets you know when your settings wouldn't be possible on the original hardware – a testament to UA's authenticity. There's also a new Tape Select feature that lets you choose between New, Old, and Used tape for different wow and flutter variations, plus new Effects Pan knobs for placing effects precisely in your mix. Finally, great-sounding stock presets immediately give you legendary analog delay/reverb effects. A Wet Solo knob can be turned on/off for using the UAD Galaxy Tape Echo as a traditional aux send or track insert, respectively.
Pure Plate Reverb
The distinctive sound of plate reverb has been used in virtually every genre of popular music. It makes recordings bloom and come alive like nothing else when used methodically. However, it’s also easy to overdo it. One big reason Sweetwater mixing engineers love this Universal Audio Pure Plate Reverb is that the controls make it effortless to dial in the exact amount of plate reverb depth and shimmer they want. In fact, the UAD Pure Plate Reverb plug-in comes with many more sculpting options than an actual plate reverb! In addition to classic plate reverb controls such as mechanical damping and input filters, the plug-in also features pre-delay, decay, 2-band Baxandall EQ for bass and treble, and Balance controls. There’s also a Dry/Wet mix control for inserting reverb directly onto a track instead of using it in a traditional aux send fashion. (Sweetwater tip: if you’d prefer using it as an aux send, then click the “Wet Solo” button.) Finally, artist presets from esteemed mixing engineers make it clear that the UAD Pure Plate Reverb needs to be in the plug-in library of every modern mixing engineer.
PolyMAX Synth
Keyboardists and synthesists alike will appreciate how Universal Audio has blended old and new elements in the UAD PolyMAX Synth Plug-in. First, UA modeled multiple analog filters and oscillators based on vintage SSM and CEM chips. The resulting sounds pay loving tribute to early Oberheims, Jupiters, and Prophets. The PolyMAX Synth’s UI also has a classic left-to-right layout that should look familiar to anyone who’s spent time with vintage analog synths. Modern touches include an analog/digital hybrid approach to frequency modulation that allows you to get stable pitch control even with linear FM-based analog oscillators! There are also onboard UA effects, such as the classic “Hall B” digital reverb, analog phasers and flangers, tape delay, and more. Finally, production-ready presets and an intuitive knob-based control scheme mean that synthesis pros and novices can get great sounds immediately.
