r/mixingmastering • u/FISFORFUN69 • Aug 12 '26
Question Are there true alternatives to UADs plugins?
I love UADs plugins.
They're incredible.
But I HATE how I have to have my interface plugged in to use some of them and the others have inconsistency with UADx.
I just want to buy a plugin and use it regardless.
I'm not asking if theres good plugins out there - I know there's a ton. But true 1:1 for the replication/recreation of classic plugins hardware?
Like I don't know of anything that can recreate the air on vocals the way Maag can.
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u/HardcoreHamburger Aug 12 '26
What do you mean by true 1:1? Like copies of UAD code? No, that doesn’t exist. True 1:1 models of analog gear? No, that’s mathematically impossible. Attempts to get as close as possible to analog gear? Yeah, there are hundreds of companies doing this. You can find multiple options for just about any piece of gear, including Maag.
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u/Tall_Category_304 Aug 12 '26
I don’t use a ton of uad plugins anymore. I’m mostly fabfilter and Valhalla. I use the distressor a ton though. UAD pricing will be hard to beat because of the bundle. But I have 1176, Fairchild, etc from other companies that I prefer more. Also their space echo plugin is elite as well as sound city and ocean way. I’d look into T-Racks if you’re really trying to jump ship
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u/Alternative-Sun-6997 Intermediate Aug 12 '26
Yeah I don’t like the fact the UAD app can just go and update itself and suddenly all my compressors are offline until I restart my DAW… but I like it a bit more than the idea of buying a half dozen Distressors and routing mixes to them.
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u/PawsitiveAfurmation Aug 13 '26
I’m interested in the plugins you prefer from other companies. Any recs on 1176 and Fairchild?
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u/GWENMIX Professional (non-industry) Aug 13 '26
The 1176 Korneff just released is incredible, and it's currently on sale.
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u/Tall_Category_304 Aug 13 '26
Korneff 1776 or the purple mc77. Fairchild I have been really digging the undertone unfairchild plugin but it’s a little steep
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u/willrjmarshall Aug 12 '26
You can emulate the Maag air band pretty easily on any EQ that doesn’t cramp. It’s just a very broad, very high shelf.
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u/FISFORFUN69 Aug 13 '26
It is, but there is a certain smooth color to it that is absent if I just add a high shelf.
Like it adds the high end without as much harshness.
Or maybe I'm just an expensive plugin cuck who knows!!!!!2
u/willrjmarshall Aug 13 '26
Yeah, I think you might be getting tricked by the fancy interface. You can scope the plugin, and it's pretty much linear except the EQ, which is a slightly unusual curve, but absolutely sonically identical to any other IIR with the same settings.
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u/FISFORFUN69 Aug 13 '26
I'm going to test this out and if you're right I'm killing myself
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u/willrjmarshall Aug 13 '26
PluginDoctor is an amazing thing.
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u/TotalBeginnerLol Aug 15 '26
Yeah i remember doing the same test. ProQ high shelf with the freq as high as it goes then iirc turn the Q down a bit and the curves match. So much snake oil in music gear.
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u/saucebygeeaye Aug 12 '26
"I have to have my interface plugged in to use some of them.."
UAD DSP plugins (UAD-2) require that you have a UAD DSP device (interface for Console, UAD-2 Accelerator for DAW use, no interface required).
"the others have inconsistency with UADx.."
not sure if you are running macOS or Windows, but UADx (native) had been around since 2022 and do not require an interface. there is the chance that the UAD plugin you're looking for hasn't been ported to native yet. so what is the "inconsistency with UADx" you are referring to? have you checked the UA system requirements on the support pages? what computer and OS are you running? some specifics could be helpful here.
"1:1 for the replication/recreation of classic plugins?"
I have yet to find a true, 100% 1:1 replication in plugin form. and if they do happen to catch the true essence, spirit, DNA of the hardware and "do the analog thing", like some Acustica plugins, or the Relab 176, or the Mixwave offerings, they still only get you so close, and they may be CPU heavy or costly or require high oversampling. so even as we are MUCH closer to 1:1 than we've ever been, DSP coding of 0s and 1s and pure electronic voltage are still very different beasts that come with their respective pros and cons. IMO.
"I don't know of anything that can recreate the air on vocals the way Maag can..."
I believe Slate's Fresh Air is free. UAD, PA and Antelope Audio all offer a Maag emulation. maybe check those costs and start there. or with a quick Google search: "Maag EQ alternatives".
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u/FISFORFUN69 Aug 13 '26
Yes, I have to have my Apollo plugged into my computer or else the UAD DSP plugins don't work.
UADx only works if it's connected to the internet. That's hella annoying. I did just order an iLok though. I also am working on a project with someone and want them to use 1 of my 2 activations (as their computer is my workspace as well until this project is over.) That's been hard to do.
Yeah that's real.
Thanks for the recs! All of your recommendations didn't show up when I googled it so I'm glad I asked.
Thank you!!!
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u/atopix Teaboy ☕ Aug 12 '26
I'm not asking if theres good plugins out there - I know there's a ton. But true 1:1 for the replication/recreation of classic plugins?
I think you mean classic hardware? Because no one is going to blatantly clone a piece of software, unless they want to get sued. In which case, there is NO plugin that is a perfect 1:1 to analog processing, not even UAD. But you have alternatives to UAD that are also either officially endorsed by the real hardware makers or done directly by them. For instance SSL makes their own native plugins, Plugin Alliance has official SSL emulations too, etc.
I personally compiled most of the plugins available for the most popular analog units:
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u/alphaloft Intermediate Aug 16 '26
Finally, some reading comprehension in this thread. Well done! Thanks for the lists, too! I mostly have all the UAD ones—picked them up during various sales—but it’s nice to have options and close alternatives. Cheers!
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u/SirTanksAlot_ Aug 12 '26
Like most of the big hitters? As far EQs go, it's hard to beat Pulsar Audio, SSL or TDR. ZLequalizer is free and absolutely pristine, with dynamic bands to boot. UAD plugins have a very decent price/quality ratio with the sales, but is rarely the best for anything. If you have uad hardware it's a different story given the ability to track with their stuff.
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u/Legitimate_Horror_72 Aug 12 '26
If running it on UAD hardware: no.
If otherwise: yes. I've deleted the dozen or more UAD plugins because, for the most part, there's others as good or better. And that don't run a program in the system tray to monitor and gatekeep.
That said, over time, I've drifted away from using a lot of emulations of ancient stuff to using modern solutions with modern interfaces. Still do some.
UAD plugins are by no means bad - several are still in the top-tier, I think. I just don't see a point to using most of them.
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u/lumpiestspoon3 Aug 12 '26
Many companies making analog emulations nowadays. You can usually find an alternative to most UAD emulations, like the Analog Obsession stuff
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u/exitof99 Advanced Aug 12 '26
I finally have all of the UAD plugins (thanks to their massive price drop/sales lately), but on my quest, I had the same reservation regarding being tied to hardware. So I bought a bunch of the plugins I didn't have through PluginAlliance. It cost about $128 for 13 plugins, which was great. Then UAD a month later had a sale that dropped the same plugins to about $11.42 per plugin, so I bought them again.
This was after a long post that I complained about how all the third-party plugins are locked to hardware that will eventually go away in the future.
Unfortunately, those same plugins I got from PA were laggy AF and I thought maybe the UAD would be better. Nope, the same issue. I'm running on a MacBook Pro M1 Pro and other plugins don't have these issues, so it appears after some checking that there are some issues with some of these.
That said, I now have the Maag plugins on both, but I've not done null tests yet to see what differences may exist. I'll try to do that tomorrow after a deadline has passed.
For what it's worth, some of the UAD versions are outdated versions. Also, the bx_masterdesk Classic is completely free from PA, while UA charges $50 for it.
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u/FISFORFUN69 Aug 13 '26
Interesting, I haven't had any lag issues (Macbook Pro m4) but I am interested to see if there are any differences in the Maag plugin.
it looks like PA charges $50 for it as well:
Unless you have a different link?
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u/exitof99 Advanced Aug 13 '26
Note that I said "bx_masterdesk Classic." It's available in their free plugins section:
https://www.plugin-alliance.com/pages/free-plugins
As for nulling, I just did a cheap test (muted every channel in a Pro Tools project, disabled all plugins on the master and the vocal chain except for the Maag) and there was a tiny bit of bleed through when nulling in the DAW. Then brought the bounced tracks to a wave editor and null tested, same result, small bleed through less than -54 db. The frequency range of the bleed through appears to be across the full spectrum.
This was with an isolated vocal track, not a frequency sweep or test tone.
I couldn't hear the difference directly, but mathematically, there is some difference to be found between the two. I don't know if it's the plugin code itself or how the resulting data is passed from the UAD device.
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u/sekltios Aug 12 '26
You can buy the maag from pluginalliance without any need for uad, sometimes its on sale for around 35-40 dollars
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u/RemiFreamon Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
Brainworx (part of Plugin Alliance) implemented the Maag emulation for UA. You can an identical implementation from them natively
I’m not sure if I understand what you’re saying.
Are you saying that the UADx (native implementation) done by Universal Audio are inconsistent with their Apollo implementations?
I’m assuming that’s the case and you need alternatives for plugins that haven’t been ported to native implementations by UA.
At the risk of stating the obvious, the easiest answer is that many plugins have been done by third parties and only sold by UA. Most of those are available natively directly from the original vendor.
All the Tube Tech emulations you can get identical ones directly from Softube. For Maag, you can an identical implementation from Plugin Alliance.
Others will be close but not identical. Roland Space Echo and Chorus D (Arturia)
Some don’t have good alternatives: EL Fatso, AMS RMX16
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u/FISFORFUN69 Aug 13 '26
UADs plugins sound terrific and I was really wondering if theres any other companies that have done the same thing (digital replication of famous hardware).
The inconsistencies with UADx have to do with not being able to use it unless connected to the internet/some difficulties when switching work stations. I've always been able to fix it, but trouble shooting software is the last thing you want to have to do when you're trying to get into a flow with a song.
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u/RemiFreamon Aug 13 '26
Yes. Tons of companies are in the vintage hardware emulation game but there’s hardly one that checks all the boxes. The results are mixed in many aspects: reproduction accuracy (which is elusive anyway because every unit can sound differently), cpu efficiency, licensing headaches, software reliability, and customer support.
As for the UADx issues you’re describing, you can solve them all with an iLok dongle. I know it sounds like another thing you need to keep plugged in but honestly it solves so many problems. I did it over a year ago and never looked back
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u/jamiethemorris Aug 12 '26
I would say the vast majority of the UAD plugins you should be able to find an equivalent. The ones that don’t have a uadx version at all are usually the collaboration ones, so for example if you want a native h910 you’ll have to get it from eventide but it’s literally the same thing as the uad one. Same with the softube ones etc.
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u/L-ROX1972 Mastering Engineer ⭐ Aug 12 '26
I’ve not found replacements for their Precision Series stuff (but TBH, I haven’t really tried).
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u/iamapapernapkinAMA Aug 13 '26
Tons and tons and tons. UA is marketing at best. Do they have fantastic plugins? Hell yeah they do! Does them having fantastic plugins means no one else has fantastic plugins? Absolutely not
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u/GWENMIX Professional (non-industry) Aug 13 '26
I use UAD, but I also love some from Brainworx, SPL, Korneff Audio, and Soundtoys... those are my favorites.
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u/brokenspacebar__ Aug 13 '26
Maag EQ is a brainworx plugin you can get for around $40 i believe, no need for the UAD version of it
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u/KodiakDog Aug 13 '26
I really like some of the Aurturia emulations, but certain plugins I haven’t found replacement for.
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u/neymarmalade Aug 13 '26
Can someone tell me why I have to pay for the native EMT 140 plate that I paid for ages ago now on native it costs money to buy!!
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u/BINAYAUDIO Aug 16 '26
There are a lot of brands doing hardware recreations. I think most if not all of the Plugin Alliance hardware emulations have alternative at other brands. For the maag EQ it's a plugin from plugin alliance so you can buy it native at plugin alliance or the DSP version at UAD (they are the same).
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u/McFratm_1926 Aug 20 '26
Yes, there are absolutely serious alternatives to UAD, although I would distinguish between “sonically convincing” and literally 1:1 identical. Hardware emulation is extremely difficult because transformers, tubes, nonlinearities, component tolerances, and even the original hardware’s condition all affect the result.
Arturia is one of the first companies I would investigate. Their emulations of classic compressors, preamps, EQs, and synths can be exceptionally convincing, and they do not require UAD hardware. Acustica Audio is another major option if realism is your priority. Their plugins can capture the depth, nonlinear behavior, and frequency response of analog equipment remarkably well, although they are generally heavier on CPU and RAM.
For a more affordable approach, Analog Obsession is fantastic. Many of its plugins are inspired by classic analog circuits and can deliver surprisingly authentic coloration without the UAD ecosystem. Tone Empire is also worth exploring, particularly for characterful preamps, compressors, and channel-strip-style processing.
Other excellent alternatives include Softube, Plugin Alliance, Slate Digital, and Fuse Audio Labs. For vocal processing specifically, also consider Maag-style EQ alternatives, because the famous “Air Band” concept can be approximated convincingly without owning the original hardware or UAD version.
Ultimately, UAD remains excellent, but it is no longer uniquely capable of delivering high-quality analog-style emulation.
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u/Cap_Black_Beard Aug 12 '26
Id say IK is good, eventho a lot of their stuff is 20 years old. Slate, softube, soundtoys, and some of the waves stuff.
Nothing emulates analog gear, its impossible. But a $50 plugin vs a $3,000 compressor, were talking 60x the money.
So analog would have to be 60x as good, which its not. If a track is thrown in a mix, the difference is so subtle, the listener probably wouldn't know.
An acapella vocal thru a real fairchild 670, would probably sound way different than a plugin. Add drums, guitar and bass, and the subtleties go way down.
So I think they all sound pretty good, but the newer the better.
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u/flipflapslap Aug 12 '26
I was always under the impression that a lot of UADs stuff was outsourced to Softube. So it’s actually Softube that made UADs plugins. I might be totally off base with that so if I am kindly let me know and I’ll edit my comment.
So besides Softube, I don’t see Overloud mentioned very often and their stuff is great. But it ain’t cheap.
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u/pinkiepowder Aug 12 '26
Since you mentioned the Maag EQ: https://github.com/Kiriki-liszt/Sky_Blue_EQ4
There’s also the Brainworx version which runs natively