Universal Audio UAD-2 Satellite USB - OCTO Core

UAD-2 Satellite is a portable USB 3 DSP Accelerator that lets you run Universal Audio’s industry-defining powered plug-ins on Windows.

Making records has become a global enterprise, which means that sometimes your audio processing equipment has to travel along with you. With Universal Audio’s UAD-2 Satellite OCTO Core USB 3 DSP Accelerator, you can travel light and still have the sound of racks of the world’s finest analog gear. UAD-2 Satellite OCTO Core, a sleek, ultra-portable, USB 3 processing unit does the job with its OCTO-core processor and universal power adapter. UAD-2 Satellite OCTO Core also includes Universal Audio’s “Analog Classics” plug-in bundle, so you can take as many LA-2A, 1176LN/SE, and Pultec EQP1-A processors as your USB 3-based windows machine can handle. Next time you find yourself on the road with projects that still need recalls, take along a UAD-2 Satellite OCTO Core with all your UAD powered plug-ins and tweak mixes wherever you are.

Universal Audio UAD-2 Satellite USB OCTO Core unique features:

• Run UAD Powered Plug-Ins via USB 3 on Windows-based PCs
• Portable UAD-2 Satellite Accelerator unit lets you take UAD plug-ins “on the road,” mixing on Windows
• Includes UA’s “Analog Classics” bundle featuring Legacy editions of LA-2A Classic Audio Leveler, 1176LN / 1176SE Classic Limiting Amplifiers, Pultec EQP-1A, Pultec Pro, and RealVerb Pro
• 8 SHARC floating-point processors

Universal Audio UAD-2 Satellite USB OCTO Core key features:

• Access over 90 plug-ins from Ampex, Lexicon, Roland, Studer, Neve, Manley, SSL, EMT and more (sold separately)
• Gives native systems a DSP boost for running larger mixes,
• Compatible with Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Live, Digital Performer and more
• Combine with other UAD-2 devices, including UAD-2 PCIe cards, and Apollo audio interface
• VST, AU, RTAS, Pro Tool 12 AAX support

Outside The Box

The UAD-2 Satellite OCTO Core is an external DSP unit that connects to Windows based desktop and laptop PCs via a USB 3 connection. That’s right, a simple USB cable is all it takes to plug into Universal Audio’s ultra accurate analog hardware emulations. UAD-2 Satellite DSP Accelerators come in a sleek and easily portable package with a choice of two processor configurations: the QUAD or OCTO—with four or eight Analog Devices SHARC floating-point processors respectively. The rear panel of the UAD-2 Satellite OCTO Core has a USB 3 port, power supply connector, and a Kensington Lock, to make sure your UAD-2 Satellite USB OCTO Core always travels securely with you (and not someone else).

For additional mixing power, the scalable UAD-2 Satellite USB OCTO Core can be combined with other UAD hardware, including Apollo, Apollo 16, and desktop computers equipped with UAD-2 SOLO, DUO, QUAD, or OCTO PCIe DSP Accelerator Cards. The differences between the two are primarily their different connection protocol and form factor.

Inside The Box

To free your laptop or desktop for other functions, such as mixing audio, running samplers, or soft synths, the actual plug-in processing is offloaded to the UAD-2 Satellite OCTO Core DSP Accelerator. The end result is that you can add substantial power to your studio and run more professional mixes on your system. To help you get guaranteed performance out of UAD-2 Satellite OCTO, there are settings in the UAD Meter and Control Panel that let you allocate the fixed amount of USB bandwidth that UAD-2 Satellite will consume. This ensures the same number of plug-in instances is available from session to session. The UAD-2 Satellite USB OCTO Core includes eight SHARC processors, and its USB 3 SuperSpeed technology offers reduced plug-in latency compared to FireWire 800.

The UAD-2 OCTO Core comes with the UA “Analog Classics” plug-in bundle, which includes Legacy editions of LA-2A Classic Audio Leveler, 1176LN / 1176SE Classic Limiting Amplifiers, Pultec EQP-1A, Pultec Pro, and RealVerb Pro. Of course, you can add whatever UAD plug-ins you like at any time. The UAD-2 Satellite OCTO can run the full library of UAD-2 powered plug-Ins, giving you access to stellar emulations of the world’s most popular and sought-after analog gear at your disposal, ranging from studio classics to modern must-haves.

What separates UAD plug-ins from the rest is physical modeling of classic audio hardware. Universal Audio’s engineers, which comprise some of the world’s leading DSP authorities, including PhD-level scientists from Stanford, MIT, and Cambridge, essentially “rebuild” vintage analog gear in the digital world, component by component. That’s how UAD-2 plug-ins replicate the exact and sometimes quirky, non-linear behavior of analog hardware—bringing its rich, three-dimensional sound and euphonic character “in the box.”

Physical modeling is a much more difficult and time-consuming process than the signal modeling approach used by many other “emulation” plug-ins. UA’s meticulous approach means that UAD-2 plug-ins not only sound like the original vintage hardware; they behave like the original devices, at even the most extreme settings.

Apart from the pure science of physical modeling, the quality and accuracy of UAD Powered Plug-Ins can also be attributed to the relationships Universal Audio maintains with its partners. UA goes right to the source of the hardware, whether it’s Roland, Neve, Manley, Studer, SSL, Lexicon, Empirical Labs, EMT, Trident, etc. Using original manufacturer’s schematics and “golden” units, UA engineers work closely with the original designers throughout the development process, ensuring that UAD plug-in emulations are as close to their analog counterparts as possible.

Perhaps the greatest advantage of the UAD-2 DSP Accelerator cards is the ability to add new plug-ins as your needs or desires dictate, or as new ones are developed—and when it comes to customer feedback, UA does take requests. The UAD-2 library now features over 90 plug-ins, co-developed with the biggest brands in audio, including Studer, Ampex, Lexicon, Eve, Manley, Roland, SSL and more. These exclusive plug-ins can be purchased alongside UAD-2 DSP Accelerator hardware as part of the “Custom” and “Ultimate 2” packages, or you can buy UAD plug-ins à la carte from UA’s online store.

With records being made in multiple locations, now more than ever it’s important to have portability and repeatability. Travelling with outboard gear is rife with liabilities and expenses, and of course we all know that an analog box in one studio won’t sound exactly the same as the same model in another. Universal Audio has solved these problems and made traveling with your favorite gear easy with the UAD-2 Satellite OCTO Core DSP Accelerator.

Professional mixers and engineers such as Mick Guzauski, Joe Chiccarelli, Ryan Hewitt, and many more, have been mixing hits with UAD plug-ins as a mainstay of their processing power. Thanks to the UAD-2 Satellite OCTO Core DSP Accelerator and UAD powered plug-ins, that same high quality processing is now available for Windows users.

Hit the road, or take your hits on the road—whichever comes first—or work from any space-challenged location with a Universal Audio UAD-2 Satellite OCTO Core USB DSP Accelerator. For more information, call or chat with an RSPE representative today.