DSP veterans Universal Audio have announced that, for the first time, a number of plug-ins developed for their popular UAD platform will be available to use natively, in AU, VST3 and AAX formats. The UAD Spark collection will be available as part of a $19.99 monthly subscription, and includes some of UA's most popular plug-ins:
- Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Channel Strip
- API Vision Channel Strip
- UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection
- Teletronix LA-2A Leveler Collection
- API Vision Channel Strip
- Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb
- Studer A800 Tape Recorder
- API 2500 Bus Compressor
- Galaxy Tape Echo
- Pure Plate Reverb
The UAD Spark collection will also include four virtual instruments, of which two — the Minimoog Model D and Ravel Grand Piano — have until now been exclusive to users of UA's DSP-powered DAW, LUNA.
The other two instruments are brand-new releases, and comprise Waterfall B3, a meticulous recreation of the classic Hammond B3 organ and Leslie 147 rotary speaker cabinet, and Opal, a UAD Spark exclusive and a completely original design that UA say “blurs the lines between analogue and wavetable synthesis”. Boasting three continuously morphing oscillators, a noise source, twin filters, two LFOs and three envelope generators, Opal will ship with hundreds of “record-ready” presets, with sound sculpting further enhanced by a comprehensive built-in effects section offering reverbs, delays, modulation effects, 1176-style compression and more.
Universal Audio's new CPU-powered UAD Spark plug-in bundle is available now. A free 14-day trial is available to all, while owners of UA's Volt series audio interfaces will be eligible to a month's free subscription. Owners of perpetual licences for any of the above plug-ins and instruments on the UAD platform will also be eligible for free licences for the native versions.
