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Latest Technical Bulletins

Please review the information on this page carefully before installing or using UAD-2 Satellite.

• UAD-2 Satellite is now supported for use under Windows 7 64-bit editions. See the Windows Compatibility section below for complete details.
• 64-bit versions of UAD Powered Plug-Ins are available now for Mac and Windows.
• The latest version of UAD-2 Satellite software for Mac and Windows is UAD v7.0.0. For a complete list of software changes and detailed release notes, see the UAD version history.
• We are actively working to enhance the compatibility and performance of UAD-2 Satellite. For optimized operation, visit this page regularly and update to the latest UAD software when a newer version becomes available.

Support Videos

 

General Information

UAD-2 Satellite documentation

After software installation, the UAD-2 Satellite user manuals are at these locations on the hard drive:

• (Mac) /Applications/Powered Plug-Ins Tools/Documentation
• (Win) Start Menu>All Programs>UAD Powered Plug-Ins>Documentation

UAD-2 Satellite manuals can also be downloaded here:

• UAD System Manual – UAD Meter & Control Panel application and general UAD-2 operations
  (see Chapter 11 for detailed UAD-2 Satellite instructions)
• UAD Plug-Ins Manual – Specific details about individual UAD Powered Plug-Ins

Other general information

• Main product page – General product information and FAQ
• UAD-2 FAQ – UAD questions that aren't specific to UAD-2 Satellite
• UAD-2 support page index – General information about UAD-2 functionality

Performance

• UAD Instance Chart
• UAD Host Application Compatibility
• RTAS & Pro Tools Compatibility

Other Information

• UAD-2 Powered Plug-ins Basics & FAQ
• UAD Version History & Release Notes
• Software Updates

System Requirements

The host computer system must meet or exceed these requirements to use UAD-2 Satellite:

UAD Minimum System Requirements

• (Win) Windows 7 64-Bit Edition w/SP1
• (Mac) OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, 10.7 Lion, or 10.8 Mountain Lion
• 2 gigabytes available disk space
• Available PCI Express (PCIe) slot for each UAD-2 card
• Available FireWire 800 port* for UAD-2 Satellite, Apollo, or Apollo 16
• 1024 x 800 minimum display resolution (UAD-2 PCIe and UAD-2 Satellite)
• 1024 x 900 minimum display resolution (Apollo and Apollo 16)
• Internet connection to download software and authorize UAD plug-ins
• Compatible VST, Audio Units, or RTAS plug-in host application software

*On Windows systems, Apollo, Apollo 16, and UAD-2 Satellite require a qualified PCIe-to-FireWire adapter card. See the product support pages for details: Apollo | UAD-2 Satellite

Operating systems not listed above are unqualified. Although unqualified operating systems may work, they are untested and unsupported. Prior UAD software for older operating systems and discontinued UAD products is available in the UAD software archives.

Note:

• For additional UAD-2 Satellite details, see the System Compatibility sections below: Mac | Win

Windows 7 System Compatibility

Known compatible and incompatible Windows systems, and UA-qualified PCIe-to-FireWire 800 adapter cards, are listed in this section. Additionally, the host computer must meet the minimum system requirements listed above.

Important Windows 7 Compatibility Notes

• Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite are qualified for use with 64-bit editions of the Windows 7 operating system with Service Pack 1 only. 32-bit editions of Windows 7, and all older Windows operating systems, are unqualified. Although these operating systems may work, they are untested and unsupported.
• Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite requires one of the UA-qualified PCIe-to-FireWire 800 adapter cards listed below. Built-in FireWire ports on any Windows computer are unsupported.
• FireWire device hot-plugging and system sleep are not supported.

About System Performance

• Generally speaking, modern systems (less than three years old) with a quad-core or better processor, such as an Intel i7, and 8 GB RAM are recommended for maximum performance due to significant improvements in the underlying technologies.
• Older underpowered systems may not deliver expected performance.

Incompatible Windows Systems

• The Dell Precision T3500 desktop computer is incompatible with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite.
• Built-in FireWire ports on any Windows computer are unsupported with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite (must use qualified PCIe-to-FireWire 800 adapter on PC systems).
• UAD-1 devices are incompatible with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite.
• Using Apple's Boot Camp to run Windows 7 on Mac systems with Apollo or UAD-2 Satellite is an unqualified configuration.

Qualified PCIe-to-FireWire 800 Adapter Cards for Windows 7 Systems

• The following PCIe-to-FireWire 800 adapter cards are qualified for use with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite on Windows 7 64-bit systems.
• Daisy-chaining external FireWire hard drives off Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite is not supported in this release. However, external FireWire hard drives may be connected to a separate FireWire adapter card so it has its own FireWire bus.

Brand	Model	Format	Controller	Source
Sonnet Technologies	Allegro FW800-E	PCIe-to-FireWire 800	TI XIO2213	www.sonnettech.com
Syba	SD-PEX30009	PCIe-to-FireWire 800	TI XIO2213	www.amazon.com
Important: These PCIe-to-FireWire adapter cards are qualified with the FireWire drivers included with Windows 7. When installing the cards, Windows will automatically use the built-in drivers. To avoid unexpected behavior, DO NOT UPDATE THE DRIVERS from the manufacturer's software disk or website, even if instructed to do so by the documentation included with the cards.

Tested Windows Systems

• The following Windows computers have been qualified in-house for compatibility with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite. Although other systems may work (subject to system requirements), these systems are known to perform well with Apollo and UAD-2 Satellite.

Mac System Compatibility

Compatible and incompatible Mac systems, and tested FireWire 800 adapters, are listed in this section. Additionally, the host computer must meet the minimum system requirements listed above.

Note: System compatibility identification is based on the Mac Model Identifier (see "how to find" below).

Tested Computer Systems

All Intel-based Mac systems with FireWire 800 have been tested in-house and the compatibility of these systems is listed below. Older Intel-based Macs with FireWire 400 only (those without Firewire 800) have not been fully tested with UAD-2 Satellite but we are not currently aware of any compatibility issues with those models.

Compatible Computer Systems

The following Intel-based Mac systems with FireWire 800 have been tested in-house and are known to be compatible at FireWire 800 and FireWire 400 speeds:

MacBook Pro 5,1 (15")	iMac 7,1	Mac Pro 3,1	Mac Mini 3,1
MacBook Pro 5,2 (17")	iMac 8,1	Mac Pro 4,1	Mac Mini 4,1
MacBook Pro 5,3 (15")	iMac 9,1	Mac Pro 5,1
MacBook Pro 5,4 (15")	iMac 10,1
MacBook Pro 5,5 (13")	iMac 11,1
MacBook Pro 6,1 (17")	iMac 11,2
MacBook Pro 6,2 (15")	iMac 11,3
MacBook Pro 7,1 (13")

 

 

Partially Compatible Computer Systems

The following Intel-based Mac systems with FireWire 800 have been tested in-house and are known to run UAD-2 Satellite at FireWire 400 speeds only*: 

MacBook Pro 1,2 (17")	Mac Pro 1,1	iMac 6,1
MacBook Pro 2,1 (17")	Mac Pro 2,1
MacBook Pro 2,2 (15")
MacBook Pro 3,1 (17")
MacBook Pro 4,1 (15")
MacBook Pro 4,1 (17")

*For the systems listed as partially compatible (those that operate at FireWire 400 speeds only), adding a PCIe-to-FireWire or ExpressCard34-to-FireWire adapter can add FireWire 800 compatibility. See list of recommended adapters below.

Incompatible Computer Systems

• PowerPC-based Mac systems are incompatible with UAD-2 Satellite
• The MacBook Pro 3,1 (“15-inch Mid/Late 2007”) is incompatible with UAD-2 Satellite

How to find the Mac Model Identifier:

Recommended FireWire Adapters and Repeaters for Mac Systems

FireWire adapter and repeater compatibility is based on the FireWire controller integrated circuit chip that is inside the various available retail products. The “known good” controller chips that have been tested in house are:

• TI XIO2213
• LSI FW643

FireWire adapters and repeaters that use either of these chips should perform well with UAD-2 Satellite. All other controllers we tested have proven to be unreliable with UAD-2 Satellite.

There is no reliable way to determine which FireWire controller chip a given adapter uses, other than viewing the silkscreen numbers on the IC chip itself. All the FireWire products listed in the following tables use one of the qualified controller chips.

Recommended Thunderbolt-to-FireWire Adapter

The Apple Thunderbolt to FireWire Adapter has been tested in-house and there are currently no known issues when using it with UAD-2 Satellite.

Recommended PCIe-to-FireWire 800 Adapters for Mac Systems

The following PCIe-to-FireWire adapters have been qualified for use with UAD-2 Satellite:
Note: Cards marked with an asterisk (*) are NOT recommended for Mac Pro 1,1 models

Brand	Model	Format	Controller	Source
Syba*	SD=PEX30009	PCIe	TI XIO2213	www.amazon.com
SIIG*	NN-FW0012-S1	PCIe	TI XIO2213	www.amazon.com

Recommended ExpressCard34-to-FireWire 800 Adapters for Mac Systems

Important: To disconnect UAD-2 Satellite when it is connected to an ExpressCard-to-FireWire adapter, unplug the FireWire cable instead of removing the ExpressCard adapter to avoid system instability.

The following ExpressCard-to-FireWire adapters have been qualified for use with UAD-2 Satellite:

Brand	Model	Format	Controller	Source
StarTech	EC1394B2	ExpressCard34	TI XIO2213	www.buy.com
StarTech	EC13941A1B	ExpressCard34	TI XIO2213	www.amazon.com

Recommended FireWire Repeaters for Mac Systems

FireWire repeaters are used to add additional FireWire ports to a FireWire bus and/or to provide FireWire bus power to devices that require it (such as the Apogee Duet audio interface). Repeaters are recommended instead of FireWire “hubs,” which may not perform optimally.

The following FireWire repeaters have been qualified for use with UAD-2 Satellite:

Product	Format	Notes	Source
Unibrain FireRepeater 400 – 3 Port	1394A (FW 400)	External Power Supply Required (Sold Separately)	www.1394store.com
Gefen FireWire 400 Repeater	1394A (FW 400)	External Power Supply Required (Sold Separately)	www.gefen.com
Unibrain FireRepeater 800 – 3 Port	1394B (FW 800)	External Power Supply Required (Sold Separately)	www.1394store.com
Unibrain FireRepeater-800 PRO – 4 Port	1394B (FW 800)	External Power Supply Required (Sold Separately)	www.1394store.com

Incompatible FireWire Hubs

Note: DO NOT BUY these hubs for use with UAD-2 Satellite:

• Belkin F5U526 FireWire 6-Port Hub
• IOGEAR Hi-Speed USB 2.0/FireWire 7-Port Hub
• Belkin F5U507 Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire 6-Port Hub for Mac mini

Quick Start: Installation, Registration, and Authorization

Follow the steps below to prepare UAD-2 Satellite for use.

1. Install the UAD Powered Plug-Ins software
   Launch the UAD installer downloaded from our website (recommended) or from the included disk. The installer will guide you through the process. Shutdown the computer before connecting UAD-2 Satellite (Mac systems can be hot-plugged after restarting).



 

2. Connect and power UAD-2 Satellite then restart the computer.
   Connect UAD-2 Satellite to AC power with the included external power supply, then connect UAD-2 Satellite to the computer with a FireWire cable (FireWire 800 cable included). Power UAD-2 Satellite on with the rear panel switch, then start the computer.
   

    

3. Open the UAD Meter & Control Panel application
   (Mac) The application can be accessed under the blue UA diamond icon in the OS X Menu Bar at upper right of screen, or click its icon in the Dock.
   (Win) Select the application from: Start Menu>All Programs>UAD Powered Plug-Ins>UAD Meter & Control Panel.



 

4. Open the “Plug-Ins” panel within the UAD Meter & Control Panel application
   Access the Plug-Ins panel by clicking the menu button in the UAD Meter window and selecting “Plug-Ins...” from the drop menu, or type Command-P (Mac) or Control-P (Win) as a shortcut.



 

5. Click the “Authorize Plug-Ins...” button
   Your web browser will launch and connect to the UA store. Our web pages will guide you through the process of creating an account, registering your hardware, and claiming bundled plug-ins. If your computer is not connected to the Internet, consult the UAD System Manual for offline authorization procedures.



 

6. Download the Authorization file
   Click the blue “Download Authorizations»” button on on the final web page to download the authorization file.



 

7. Load the Authorization file
   Double-click the downloaded auth.uad2 file (the file is downloaded to the default location specified by the web browser). After a few moments the Authorization Status window appears; click “OK” and UAD Powered Plug-Ins are ready for use.





 

8. Important! Adjust UAD-2 Satellite's FireWire setting
   To maximize UAD-2 Satellite performance, adjust the UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting in the UAD Meter & Control Panel. See Optimizing FireWire Performance in the next section for instructions.

Important: Optimizing FireWire Performance

About FireWire Bandwidth

FireWire bandwidth is shared between audio interface I/O streams, UAD plug-ins used within the DAW, and external FireWire hard drives. Available bandwidth also depends on the session sample rate; the higher the sample rate, the more bandwidth is consumed. FireWire bandwidth is displayed in the “FBW” meter in the UAD Meter & Control Panel application:

UAD Bandwidth Allocation

The UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting reserves FireWire bandwidth for UAD plug-ins used within a DAW. The default value (65%) allows audio interfaces to run at higher sample rates (88.2 – 192 kHz).

Important: If using sample rates of 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, we recommend increasing the UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting to allow more UAD plug-ins to run within the DAW. See the table below for recommended values.

Recommended Maximum UAD Bandwidth Allocation Values

Sample Rate (kHz):	44.1, 48	88.2, 96	176.4, 192
Without external FireWire hard drive:	80%	70%	55%
With external FireWire hard drive:	55%	40%	20%
I/O buffer setting for best playback results:	512	1024	2048

To change the UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting:

1. Quit all DAW software (UAD hosts must be quit to change this setting).
2. Open the UAD Meter & Control Panel application.
   (Mac) The application can be accessed under the blue UA diamond icon in the OS X Menu Bar at upper right of screen, or click its icon in the Dock.
   (Win) Select the application from: Start Menu>All Programs>UAD Powered Plug-Ins>UAD Meter & Control Panel.



 

3. Open the “FireWire” panel within the UAD Meter & Control Panel application. Access the FireWire panel by clicking the menu button in the UAD Meter window and selecting “FireWire...” from the drop menu, or type Command+F (Mac) or Control+F (Win) as a shortcut.



 

4. Change the UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting (shown below) by clicking the up or down arrows, or click+hold the value for a drop menu.

 

UAD Bandwidth Allocation Notes:

• Important: If switching to a higher sample rate, set the UAD Bandwidth Allocation BEFORE opening a session.
• To run more UAD plug-ins within a DAW, use USB, eSATA, or internal hard drives for audio session files instead of FireWire drives.
• UAD-2 Satellite has intelligent FireWire bus monitoring. If audio playback is compromised, a “FireWire Interrupt Detected” dialog appears. If that occurs, decrease the UAD Bandwidth Allocation setting for reliable playback.
• UAD Bandwidth Allocation values in the table above are recommended as starting points for FireWire bandwidth tuning. Depending on external FireWire hard drive usage (e.g., how many audio tracks are being streamed), lower values may be needed for increased FireWire hard drive loads, or higher values can be used for increased UAD plug-in counts when FireWire hard drive usage is lower.
• (Mac) FireWire performance is better on some systems versus others due to the FireWire controller chips they contain. In general, newer Mac Pro, iMac, and Mac mini systems contain a superior FireWire controller chip and will deliver better FireWire performance than MacBook Pro systems. There is no simple method to determine which controller is used.

FireWire Bus Notes

FireWire Bus Power

• The included power supply is required for UAD-2 Satellite operation (UAD-2 Satellite cannot be bus powered).
• UAD-2 Satellite does not supply bus power from its FireWire ports to other devices.
• When using a FireWire device that requires bus power, connect that device directly to a FireWire port that supplies bus power, such as the host computer itself, or an externally powered FireWire repeater that is specifically designed to supply bus power.

Combining UAD-2 Satellite with other FireWire devices

• As a general guideline, UAD-2 Satellite should be powered on after all other FireWire devices on the bus are powered on.
• If UAD-2 Satellite is on the same FireWire bus as UA's Apollo or Apollo 16 audio interface, the UAD-2 Satellite MUST be powered on after Apollo/Apollo 16 is powered on.
• See Multi-Unit Support below for additional information about combining UAD FireWire devices.

Mac Pro FireWire Ports

• Mac Pro systems have FireWire ports on the front and rear of the computer. For optimum performance with older Mac Pro systems, connect Apollo to a FireWire port on the rear of the Mac Pro instead of the front.

FireWire Bus Tuning

• To maximize FireWire bus performance, the UAD Bandwidth Allocation may need to be adjusted. See Optimizing FireWire Performance above for additional information.

Multi-Unit Support

Maximum of two UAD FireWire devices

• Concurrent use of up to two UAD FireWire devices together in one computer system is supported. Specific UAD-2 Satellite multi-unit support is detailed below.
• We are actively developing support for more than two UAD FireWire devices with the same computer.

Combining multiple UAD-2 Satellite units

• Combining two UAD-2 Satellite units together in one computer system (without Apollo/Apollo 16) is a supported configuration.

Combining UAD-2 Satellite with Apollo/Apollo 16

• If UAD-2 Satellite is on the same FireWire bus as Apollo/Apollo 16, the UAD-2 Satellite MUST be powered on after Apollo/Apollo 16 is powered on.
• Combining UAD-2 Satellite with one Apollo or one Apollo 16 together in one computer system is a supported configuration.
• Combining UAD-2 Satellite with two Apollo or two Apollo 16 units that are multi-unit cascaded together in one computer system is not a supported configuration.

Combining UAD-2 Satellite with non-FireWire UAD devices

• UAD-2 Satellite can be combined with UAD-2 PCIe, and/or UAD-2 SOLO/Laptop (within the other contraints listed above).
• Up to four UAD-2 devices can be combined together in one computer system (within the other contraints listed above).

General Usage Notes

Quit audio software before disconnecting UAD-2 Satellite

• Important: To avoid software errors, quit all audio software applications that are using UAD-2 Satellite and/or UAD Powered Plug-Ins before disconnecting UAD-2 Satellite from the computer. This includes any DAW software, Apollo's Console application, and UAD Meter & Control Panel application.

UAD Presets

• When logged into the computer under an account that does not have administrator privileges, saving UAD preset files via the UAD Toolbar will result in an "Unable to save preset file" dialog. If this occurs, log in with an administrator account, or use the DAW's preset management tools.

Windows-Specific Notes

• For optimum performance with most DAWs, disabling Windows AERO is recommended.
• The "Enable CPU Optimization" option in the UAD Meter & Control Panel application's Configuration panel may need to be disabled when using Pro Tools on Windows systems.

System Sleep

System Sleep Is Not Supported.

Important: Quit all UAD plug-in host software and power down and/or disconnect UAD-2 Satellite before system sleep.

While UAD-2 Satellite is active, system sleep is not supported. Follow these guidelines when using UAD-2 Satellite:

• Disable sleep.
  (Mac) Open the System Preferences*>Energy Saver pane and drag the “Computer Sleep” slider to “Never” (far right position).
  (Win) Select Start Menu>Control Panel>System and Security>Power Options>Change when the computer sleeps, then next to “Put the computer to sleep:” select “Never”
• Before sleeping the system when UAD-2 Satellite is active, quit all plug-in host applications (including UAD Meter & Control Panel and Console applications) then power off or disconnect UAD-2 Satellite.
  (Mac) After system wake is complete, UAD-2 Satellite may be powered up and/or reconnected.
  (Win) Since hot-plugging is not currently supported, shutdown the computer before reconnecting and/or powering UAD-2 Satellite.

*System Preferences.app is located in Applications/Utilities, or click the Apple icon in the menu bar (upper left of screen) and select “System Preferences” from the menu.

FireWire Audio Interface Compatibility

Universal Audio Apollo
UAD-2 Satellite is fully qualified for use with UA's Apollo audio interface. See the Apollo support page for complete compatibility details.

MOTU “Mk3” interfaces: For optimum performance when using the recent FireWire audio interfaces from MOTU with the “Mk3” series moniker (828mk3, 896mk3, Traveler-mk3, UltraLite-mk3; including all “hybrid” models) with UAD-2 Satellite, we recommend booting the computer and powering the MOTU interface before powering UAD-2 Satellite. Additionally, UAD-2 Satellite should be power cycled after each time the computer is restarted.

Apogee Duet I (FireWire-based) interface: Some Macs have only one FireWire port (e.g., MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac Mini). This creates a compatibility issue for the Apogee Duet, because the Duet requires bus power and it has no external power input. In order to use the Duet and UAD-2 Satellite on systems such as these, a FireWire repeater is recommended (some FireWire “hubs” may not perform optimally). FireWire repeaters can be connected to an unused port on UAD-2 Satellite then connected to the Duet. UAD-2 Satellite must be directly connected to the single port on the computer to ensure full FireWire 800 performance (i.e., more simultaneous UAD plug-in instances).

The diagram below illustrates the proper method of connecting Apogee Duet with UAD-2 Satellite (note an extra FireWire cable is required because of the additional device between UAD-2 Satellite and Duet). See Chapter 11 in the UAD System Manual for additional FireWire connection example diagrams.

The Apogee Duet issue can alternately be addressed by adding a second FireWire bus and connecting the Duet directly to the host computer’s built-in bus while UAD-2 Satellite is connected to the alternate FireWire bus. For some notebook computers, a second FireWire bus can be added via an ExpressCard adapter; a list of compatible adapters is below.

Apogee recently announced the Duet II audio interface, which uses the USB protocol instead of FireWire. Although we have not tested the Duet II in-house, we have not encountered any UAD-2 Satellite issues with USB-based interfaces.

International Power Supply Adapters

UAD-2 Satellite includes an external international DC power supply with changeable AC connectors to match the AC socket in various countries. To change the AC connector:

1. Press and hold the button on the AC connector marked “PUSH"
2. Rotate the AC prongs counter-clockwise to remove the connector
3. Insert the desired connector and rotate clockwise until it snaps into place.

Note: The removable connectors are keyed so they cannot be inserted incorrectly.