Tuesday, October 2, 2012

UA announces UAD-2 OCTO DSP Accelerator Card


Universal Audio Announces New UAD-2 Hardware and UAD Powered Plug-In Software Bundles

New Flagship 8-Processor UAD-2 OCTO DSP Accelerator, New Custom and 
Ultimate UAD Plug-In Bundles, More Affordable Pricing Across the UAD-2 Lineup

Universal Audio sent me this press release announcing their new UAD-2 OCTO DSP PCIe card. Not only is it double the DSP of the UAD-2 Quad (8 vs 4 DSPs) it uses a faster chip. I'm going to inquire if and when they will release a Thunderbolt equipped OCTO Satellite and OCTO Apollo. They are also offering "Custom Software Bundles". Note the reduced prices on the Solo, Duo and Quad cards.
Read the full press release below for more details.
SCOTTS VALLEY, CA • October 1, 2012 — Universal Audio (UA), a leading manufacturer of professional audio recording hardware and software, is pleased to announce a complete re-imagination of the popular UAD-2 Powered Plug-Ins platform. Highlighted by the new flagship UAD-2 OCTO DSP Accelerator card, featuring eight SHARC processors, the UAD-2 Series offers new Custom and Ultimate software bundles and more affordable pricing for all UAD-2 SOLO, DUO, and QUAD DSP Accelerator models. 
 
New OCTO DSP Accelerators — Heavyweight Processing Power
The new top-of-the-line UAD-2 OCTO DSP Accelerator ($1,499US) features eight SHARC processors on a single PCIe card and easily installs into a PCIe-equipped Mac or PC workstation or compatible expansion chassis — giving music producers and engineers twice the processing power of its UAD-2 QUAD DSP Accelerator counterpart. For UAD power users running large audio sessions with high UAD plug-in instances and/or high sample rates, the UAD-2 OCTO DSP Accelerator is the uncompromising professional solution.
New UAD-2 “Custom” Bundles — Pick Any 3 UAD Plug-Ins
For just $400US more than a UAD-2 DUO, QUAD, or OCTO “Core” DSP Accelerator model, UAD users can now step up to UAD-2 Custom bundles, selecting any three individual UAD plug-ins within 45 days of their new UAD-2 hardware registration. With a world-renowned UAD plug-in library that includes Ampex®, Manley®, Lexicon®, Studer®, EMT®, Empirical Labs®, Neve®, SSL®, Roland®, and more, UAD-2 Custom bundles deliver a potential software value of more than $1,000US (depending on UAD plug-ins selected), at significant savings to new UAD-2 users. 
 
New UAD-2 “Ultimate” Bundles — The Definitive Collection
Combining the most powerful UAD-2 DSP Accelerator hardware with the most complete UAD plug-in bundle available, the new UAD-2 OCTO Ultimate (PCIe card format) and UAD-2 Satellite QUAD Ultimate (FireWire format) packages offer an extensive library of more than 55 UA-developed plug-ins, up to and including UAD Software v6.3*. These UAD-2 Ultimate packages represent the definitive collection of more than 10 years of UAD plug-in development.
More Affordable UAD-2 SOLO, DUO, and QUAD Core Models
Alongside the new UAD-2 hardware and software introductions, UA is debuting new, more affordable pricing for the “Core” models of UAD-2 SOLO, DUO, and QUAD PCIe hardware and UAD-2 DUO and QUAD Satellite FireWire hardware. All UAD-2 Core models include the popular “Analog Classics” plug-in bundle, featuring the LA-2A Classic Audio Leveler, 1176LN/1176SE Classic Limiting Amplifiers, Pultec EQP-1A, and RealVerb Pro plug-ins. Additional UAD plug-ins can be purchased from UA’s Online Store. 
            
“We’re excited by the additional power and flexibility that this new UAD-2 lineup provides,” says CEO and Founder, Bill Putnam, Jr. “Not only has the processing power doubled with the UAD-2 OCTO model, but it’s now easier for users to customize their UAD-2 packages right out of the box. And with our new aggressive pricing for SOLO, DUO, and QUAD Core models, UAD-2 is now even more accessible to producers who want to add authentic analog tone in their recordings.
Estimated US Street Prices for UAD-2 Desktop (PCI-Express) and Satellite (FireWire) DSP Accelerators:
 
ModelCore BundleCustom BundleUltimate Bundle
UAD-2 OCTO (PCIe)
$1,499.00
$1,899.00
$5,499.00
UAD-2 QUAD (PCIe)
$999.00
$1,399.00
n/a
UAD-2 DUO (PCIe)
$699.00
$1,099.00
n/a
UAD-2 SOLO (PCIe)
$299.00
n/a
n/a
    
UAD-2 QUAD Satellite (FireWire)
$999.00
$1,399.00
$4,999.00
UAD-2 DUO Satellite (FireWire)
$699.00
$1,099.00
n/a
 
 
More information on the UAD Powered Plug-Ins platform:
http://www.uaudio.com/uad-plug-ins.html 
 
High-resolution images and other resources:
http://www.uaudio.com/press/resources/photos/uad2.html 

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