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Randy and Jor
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Introducing UAD-1 Support for RTAS!
Universal audio is proud to announce RTAS support for the UAD-1 via FXpansion's third party VST-RTAS Adapter. This adapter will be a free download for all Studio Pak and Project Pak owners via the my.uaudio.com website. Original Mackie card owners can purchase the full version of the adapter directly from www.fxpansion.com.
This special version of the FXpansion Adapter welcomes users of Pro Tools(r) LE software on Mac OS 10.2 and later and on Windows XP to the UAD-1 family. This special version of the VST-RTAS adapter is designed specifically to work with the UAD-1; it will not work with other VST plug-ins. If in addition to using a UAD-1 card with your Pro Tools LE system, you wish to use other VST plug-ins, you must purchase the full version of the FXpansion Adapter, which is available from FXpansion.
The VST-RTAS adapter converts the UAD-1 plug-ins for Windows and for OSX into RTAS compatible versions to be used in Pro Tools and Pro Tools LE. Now users of Pro Tools can take advantage of the great sounding UAD-1 inside of Pro Tools.
NOTE: In this release, only Pro Tools LE is supported on Mac and Windows. While "adapted" UAD-1 plug-ins did work in initial tests on a TDM system, Universal Audio recommends the use of our TDM plug-ins for Pro Tools TDM systems.
How it Works
The FXpansion adapter consists of a configuration application that will detect your UAD-1 plug-ins, convert them automatically, and put them into the proper Digidesign plug-in folder for use in Pro Tools.
The configuration utility is very easy to use. It consists of two buttons, one to scan and detect your VST plug-ins and the other to delete the converted or adapted plugs. There are also 3 optional radio buttons for advanced use. Also in the application is a small window titled "Block size for buffered Plug-ins". This user editable field allows you to select the Buffer size you wish to adapt and convert the plugs. Note that this setting is independent from the ProTools hardware buffer size, which you will generally want to change to the same matched value simultaneously. A value of 1024 is recommended for mixing; lower values can be set specifically for your tracking needs. Once this setting has been set and the plugs have been converted, you can launch the application again and change this parameter to compensate for tracking and mixing. Simply open the configuration application and type in your desired buffer size and quit the application. There is no need to re-convert the plugs after you have done this the first time. If you decide to change the buffer size in the middle of a session, you must save and exit pro tools before the new buffer setting takes effect. This value can be set in the VST-RTAS configuration application as described above.
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VST-RTAS Adapter Configuration Utility
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Pro Tools LE does not support automatic delay compensation. In order to compensate for the latency introduced by the plug-ins, use the included UAD Delay Comp plug-in. This plug-in allows you to easily shift tracks without UAD-1 plug-ins on them to line up with the tracks with UAD-1 plug-ins. Simply insert a UAD delay comp plug on all audio tracks that do not have a UAD-1 plug on them. The easiest way to compensate for this is to insert 2 or more delay comp plugs on the last two or more inserts of every audio track in your session. You can then simply insert a UAD-1 plug-in in place of the Delay Comp plug. This method has proven to be the easiest way in managing latency when using the UAD-1 when the application does not support automatic delay compensation,
Using the UAD-1 Delay Comp plug-in
It is recommended to use individual Delay Comp plugs instead of changing the value of one Delay Comp to a value of 2 when using 2 UAD-1 plugs. This is because of the extra buffer of delay added from the FXpansion adapter. (Please see the UAD-1 manual for more information regarding the use of Delay Comp plugs).
Please also see this Webzine article written for Digital Performer users (DP also does not currently support automatic delay compensation) showing how the UAD Delay Comp plug-in should be used. http://www.uaudio.com/webzine/february/index.html
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VST-RTAS Adapter Configuration Utility
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Known issues for the VST-RTAS Adapter
- If you are receiving any DAE interrupt errors during playback with M-box or 001 hardware on Mac OSX, try reducing the MIN_GNT setting in the UAD-1 Meter Configuration window (in our tests, a value of 64 works best).
- Inserting a plug-in while the transport is playing may cause an internal DAE interrupt error. Simply restart playback if this occurs, or only insert plug-ins while the transport is stopped.
- Bypassing the UAD-1 plug-ins with internal Pro Tools bypass will affect the latency (i.e. if you bypass a track with a UAD-1 plug on it, the track will shift relative to the other tracks). If you want to bypass a UAD-1 plug-in without affecting the delay through the plug-in, use the bypass control built into the plug-in UI itself.
- Multi-mono plugs are not supported.
- M-box Distortion. This is a known Digidesign issue posted on their forums stating that on both G4 and G5 systems, at random times the Mbox will output a static or white noise at high volume levels.
- Digidesign requires Windows XP M-Box users to update to Windows XP Service Pack 1 for USB Audio improvements.
Adapter Support by FXpansion
All technical support for the adapter is handled by FXpansion. FXpansion's website features a support email address and an online forum for support and exchange of tips and information with other VST-RTAS users, moderated by FXpansion.
For more information read our RTAS FAQ.
Questions about the operation of UAD-1 plug-ins is handled by Universal Audio Support.
Questions or comments on this article?