Does UA have enough pedals to put out a Multi-FX/Modeler?

[MirrorProfiles]

I’d love to see them have some sort of loader hub where we could mix and match a chain on the grid rather than load up a bunch of isolated plugs. I’d use their native amps more if I didn’t have to stack a full chain of plugs for effects. At some point it’s just easier to load a Neural plug and have everything in one spot.

Honestly surprised these aren’t more common - something like a UA FX pedal size, where you can choose a handful of your own amp sims and FX for a couple of presets. Basically spec’ing the amps and fx you need with no other waffle getting in the way.

So many modellers try to be entire workstations, and at the other end there’s the single amp pedals. The PodGO thing is sort of in between, but I don’t think it’s really marketed to be the coolest/best amps and effects for anyone to get through their set efficiently.

 

[Tito83]

UAD's amp pedals are great .. but it's like audiophile amplifiers. They have $25 of electronics stuffed into $1000 worth of metal enclosure and charge $25,000 for it. Those boxes could hold the entire line of algos they have.

Their amp pedals always seemed a terrible bargain to me. $400 for a digital emulation with basically zero features. If there’s that much processing power in there that it has to be that expensive there’s no reason it can’t do more or at least have some optional FX or MIDI or something.

This sounds a lot like going to a great restaurant and complaint that for the same money they charge for a single meal you could buy the whole menu at McDonald's.

 

[ian_dissonance]

This sounds a lot like going to a great restaurant and complaint that for the same money they charge for a single meal you could buy the whole menu at McDonald's.

If their product was 5 stars compared to everyone else’s 1 that would make sense. Their modeling is great, it’s not the be-all end-all and we’re still talking about digital emulations here. MAYBE at $200 they could convince me that they have something extra besides less features, er, I mean, easier operation.

 

[Tito83]

If their product was 5 stars compared to everyone else’s 1 that would make sense. Their modeling is great, it’s not the be-all end-all and we’re still talking about digital emulations here. MAYBE at $200 they could convince me that they have something extra besides less features, er, I mean, easier operation.

What got me that made me answer to your quote is that apparently you give zero value to quality - on that quote at least. To me this is very weird. The other guy said the modeling was great, but still thinks it's overpriced. I get it, to put a number on the expertise of the people involved and their time on product development is hard, but what it looks like to me is that, not only both of you, but in general these are taken for granted.

 

[ian_dissonance]

What got me that made me answer to your quote is that apparently you give zero value to quality - on that quote at least. To me this is very weird. The other guy said the modeling was great, but still thinks it's overpriced. I get it, to put a number on the expertise of the people involved and their time on product development is hard, but what it looks like to me is that, not only both of you, but in general these are taken for granted.

I’m not buying product development I’m buying amp modelers and there are a lot of options. I do appreciate quality, I also appreciate functional. A $400 pedal with a couple a channels that’s doing a digital emulation and can’t be switched via MIDI, run any additional fx, or offer the ability to customize the tones available doesn’t seem like a good VALUE regardless of the quality.

 

[Tito83]

...doesn’t seem like a good VALUE regardless of the quality.

Can't disagree more.

 

[KFF]

Just a response to the title...

They have bitch-tits... and are still trying to milk them.

Great product(s). Little (more pedals) further to go. Then... survey the playing-field. Do an Apple... charge 4k. Bluetooth connect it. Drop the mic... never update it...

Thanks a lot, bitchez!

But bitch-tits... come back?

 

[jmcecil]

This sounds a lot like going to a great restaurant and complaint that for the same money they charge for a single meal you could buy the whole menu at McDonald's.

I don't think that is a valid analogy, but I'm ok if you disagree. I've purchased the Lion, Ruby, Astra, Starlight, and Golden. I think sonically they are awesome. I quit buying them because the features they are missing (MIDI, direct preset access etc..) make them a PITA on a pedalboard. I don't think they are any better sonically than the other top tier multi-FX options, so the value per function just isn't there. And since they seem to be designed to be used in a studio more than a pedalboard rig, they are too limited. They don't really scratch either itch very well even though they sound great. Just my 2cents.

 

[ian_dissonance]

Can't disagree more.

That’s fine, I need more for there to be the VALUE at $400. IMO UA’s “prosumer” stuff really appeals to the crowd that’s likes to says “I spent $400 or more on each of the pedals on my board.” out loud for some reason.

 

[Orvillain]

Honestly, I think a $200-400, and maybe even higher, price point for a pedal is perfectly reasonable, depending on what it delivers. UA's big problem is they nerfed their pedals in order to sell to their boomer audience, who don't even know what a midi is or why they'd wanna sleep with him.

I do enjoy their pedals though. I don't explicitly agree that they are the masters of modelling anymore. Maybe it was true in the mid 2000's when their algorithms were a lot more capable due to the raw DSP power they had. But others have caught up massively, and a lot of companies aren't even using DSP chips anymore; they've moved to ARM Cortex based platforms, because it is cheaper and easier to develop for.

 

[Tito83]

I don't think that is a valid analogy, but I'm ok if you disagree. I've purchased the Lion, Ruby, Astra, Starlight, and Golden. I think sonically they are awesome. I quit buying them because the features they are missing (MIDI, direct preset access etc..) make them a PITA on a pedalboard. I don't think they are any better sonically than the other top tier multi-FX options, so the value per function just isn't there. And since they seem to be designed to be used in a studio more than a pedalboard rig, they are too limited. They don't really scratch either itch very well even though they sound great. Just my 2cents.

To me the UA pedals, the amps specifically, are the best currently. That said I'll mostly gig with my Ampero 2 Stage. So it's not like I'm saying everyone should use them, I myself mostly don't live.

But I get this vibe quality comes last when it's even mentioned.

That’s fine, I need more for there to be the VALUE at $400. IMO UA’s “prosumer” stuff really appeals to the crowd that’s likes to says “I spent $400 or more on each of the pedals on my board.” out loud for some reason.

Value is that they sound better than everything else IMO. It's fine if you don't agree. People will also value differently certain features, and even value the same feature differently depending on their current needs, and it's absolutely normal.

But when you say they lack value regardless of the quality, than there's a very fundamental disagreement between our positions.

 

[Jarick]

UAD's amp pedals are great .. but it's like audiophile amplifiers. They have $25 of electronics stuffed into $1000 worth of metal enclosure and charge $25,000 for it. Those boxes could hold the entire line of algos they have.

For sure. The plugins are excellent and the pedals are very clearly pulling from those. I’m not saying the pedals are a rip off as I haven’t used them and they are priced in line with competition. But it’s hard to think about spending $1500 on pedals with $200 of plugins in them.

That’s where the uafx stuff isn’t for the kitchen sink player but the one who needs a specific thing and doesn’t want to fuss around.

 

[hunter]

They don't do well with presets and menus on hardware. So if they'd release such a unit it would probably be a box with a few knobs and buttons and an unreliable bluetooth app to edit stuff on tiny sliders.

So I'd rather they don't - because I'd have to buy it and would surely swear a lot.

 

[JiveTurkey]

The Woodrow was one of the quickest dial-ins I've ever had to sounding really good on a modeler. Albeit for an amp that is not in my normal daily driver wheelhouse. I think that is a big thing is limited options plus someone with actual EARS tuned these amp sounds to where if you are ignoring not even complex gigging functionality and focusing on tones; they are very nice sounding. I still want to try the Anti. I am not spending the money on anything from them though.

 

[HotRats]

Not sure this is entirely fair. Their plugins are still essentially the benchmark for analog emulation, and it’s all the competition copying their entire product line, as well as an abundance of the same gear being copied again and again, and an explosion in the consumer market that’s driven prices down. They were probably a bit slow in actually joining the race to the bottom, but their plugins are still the benchmark that all others compare against when it comes to analog modelling.

I think everyone saw through the need for DSP years ago too for what it actually is (expensive copy protection), but it doesn’t really change the fact that their models are still (by and large) better than the competition.

100% agree.
I've been a UA user since UAD-1 dsp cards and there's nothing like their plugins.

And their highend hardware is top notch quality too.
I have an apollo quad firewire that's is working non stop since 2012 or so and had no issued at all. I true workhorse.

They also have always been fair with their customers, Imho. Plus ins are expensive but are on sale all the time and dsp users had all the native conuterparts for free.

 

[Whizzinby]

Originally their pedals focused on single channel amps where you dial in a core tone and you’re done. That’s why midi hasn’t stopped those from becoming a bit of a standard in the pedalboard rig crowd. How many presets do you need of a blackface fender tone? Chunk a drive or two in front and you’re done. But all these early pedals are based on amps you dial a tone in on and then either work the volume knob on your guitar or stack drive in front.

The simplicity is part of the attraction.

I still think omitting midi was dumb as shit because it would have added zero fuss to those that wanted to ignore it, but we do have to accept that some people want simple solutions and these pedals have been wildly successful for what they are.

Not everyone is doing a cost to value equation (durr durr HX Stomp durr durr) to find a simple solution for good guitar tones.

 

[HotRats]

To answer the OP question I don't think they will ever do a full modeller or a multi fx unit.

The reason is, imho, that they know that throwing stuff into a single box decrease the value of the single algorithm and that's not how they work.
They give the higest value to the algo and want you to percive it the same.

They've always been forcused on making a single plugin that does a single thing in the best way, without deviating from what they are modelling. They add few extra features here and there but they stick to the original hardware.

They way I see their pedal is a continuation of the same approach. It's a kind of "black box" approach.
Do you want a plexi? here's the best plexi into an encloure and an UI that make you want to play and not think about anything else (as much as possible nowdays).

They have no intention to dive into an infinte list of feature requests and possibilities a platform like a modeller will have.