So close, yet...
The current blow-out prices of UAD1e cards are attention getting. If you own an 8-core MacPro and are thinking of taking the plunge on the UAD1e, be aware of the following.
To recap: UAD is blowing out it’s stock of UAD1 & 1e cars. They are still honoring the vouchers that came with the cards, so you can buy an Express Pak for $299 and get a $100 voucher and, with the promo going on right now, you also get a $150 coupon when you register the card. That’s $250 for use at the UAD online store. (It’s like getting the card for $50 in my warped “stay broke forever” reasoning). With the expert pak you pay $599 and get a total of $900 vouchers and coupons.
Anyway, I have always been curious about the UAD line and figured with some of these sale prices + promos, it would be a good time to give the card / plugins a try and, if I like them, maybe upgrade next year to a UAD2. So I bought a UAD1e. Got it installed. Sound quality is good. DSP power not so much — there’s a reason the UAD2 came out — but enough to add some spice here and there.
My problem is stability. I’m using the card in Digital Performer 6. DP6 has been really very stable for me…maybe crashed at most twice in the last couple of months. Since installing the UAD, it’s crashed/quit maybe 4 times yesterday. My UAD meter says I have plenty of juice left as I’m only using 50% of available DSP…
So I went a searching through UAD support forums and, lo and behold, there is a problem with the UAD1e and 8-Core MacPros:
Mac Pro 8-core and UAD1 don’t work!
Now the title is a hyperbolism; it does work (at least for me), but the random crashes have forced me into the “save every 5 minutes” mode which is a pain (especially if you forget). However, I have not tried runinng the card/plugins in Logic which is where a lot of the pain seems to be.
Apparently the UAD2 had an issue also, but this issue was resolved in the 5.1 software update:
UAD-2 = spinning beachball and system lock-up?
It is not clear however that the UAD1e issue has been resolved by this fix.
UAD 1 on 8core with 5.0 software
I tend to think it has not been fixed, since I am having weird and random crashes similar to some of those described in the UAD1e threads. Mind you, I’m still getting work done as these crashes are relatively infrequent (like I noted earlier, “only” 4 yesterday). But that is still a hefty number compared to the stable system I had before.
If I learn more, I’ll be sure to post the info here.
[EDIT: And here is more....]
From UAD1 FAQ
Is Apple’s new 8-core Mac Pro compatible with the UAD-1e?
“Some users are experiencing problems with Apple Mac Pro computers and Logic 8, when used with UAD Powered Plug-Ins. The problems manifest as CPU spiking, and occasional halting of playback. They seem to occur more often on the 8-core model. We have determined that this problem stems from the unique way in which Logic 8 treats plug-ins on a track with no audio currently passing through it. We are currently examining workarounds but have no definitive solution at this time. Please note that other hosts besides Logic 8 work fine with UAD-1e on the Mac Pro models, including the 8-core.
Therefore we do NOT currently recommend purchasing either a UAD-1e or UAD-1 to use with this specific CPU/DAW configuration. If you have any question regarding above please call Universal Audio Customer Support from 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, Pacific Standard Time.”
Folks with other DAWs (LIVE and DP) report problems also though the majority of complaints seem to come from LOGIC users.
