Universal Audio WebZine
Volume 4, Number 7, September 2006
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Playback: You Send Us Your Music, and We Play it Back

Thanks to Rich Ayres for supplying this month's countrified Playback. Rich got the sound he was looking for using only UAD plug-ins and presets. Check it out!

August '06 Winner: Rich Ayres

It's Gonna Get Better.mp3

Rich writes:

I used UAD plug ins ONLY, no other, on every track, including the master section on my latest composition called "It's Gonna Get Better".

I wanted to try a mix using all factory presets, and that's what I've done. I wanted to see if these presets alone would add up to a good mix, and if they could be trusted. They can.

I'm on Protools LE and I have that damn AMD-8131 chip in my Mac, so as soon as I decided on which preset or presets, I bussed the audio to a new track and made the old one inactive, therefore making cpu usage a non issue. This took some time, but was well worth it.

I used the new Neve 1073 EQs, a UAD compressor (LA-2A or 1176) if needed, and the Plate 140 on a couple tracks. I used the Nigel for the lead guitar, Roland Dimension D on the clean and 12 string guitars. I also used the Dimension D on the lead and harmony vocals, oddly enough [that's not too odd -ed].

I was looking for that 70's Ted Templemen vibe, and using just presets, I got it. The Precision Multiband, Precision EQ, and Precision Limiter are used on the master section with selected presets only. I discovered that not only is UAD making the best plug-ins available, but they are taking some serious effort in designing presets that can save us from ourselves! Thanks UAD.

Rich Ayres, owner/operator of River City Recording in Sacramento California.