Ableton Forum

as I understand it, the uad cards allow you to use vsts in the host that are processed by the dsp-power, so it doesnt affect the main processor.

I´ve got a novation nio that comes with a couple of effects, but if I choose to use them in live, they consume quite a bit of cpu. There is also another option, to use them on the line out of the soundcard. then it runs purely on its dsp power. if I do that, it will always affect the master channel, that only makes sense if I want to plug a guitar into the soundcard.

So my question is, are there other soundcards out there that work the way uad cards do?

The UAD cards are not soundcards, they are merely processors for their plugins. The Muse Receptors are also DSP boxes that relieve your computer from processing overload. The Metric Halo audio interfaces also have DSP on-board, similar to the UAD cards. You only run their plugins.

Dont waste your time or money with Muse Receptor.....What a scam

Don't forget that DSP resources are limited. This is both a limitation and a good thing.

Limitation - only so many instances of a UAD plugin can be run under the DSP, or only so many tracks and effects can be run on a DSP based DAW such as Protools HD, Pyramix (Mykerinos or Masscore versions) or SADiE.

However, you know what those limitations are ahead of the game, so that's your advantage (and note that doing things such as choosing 96 Khz samplerates effectively halves the amount of tracks or plugins in a DSP based system). UAD provide a chart as do Digidesign for Protools HD with it's TDM based effects. Using RTAS plugins however can cost extra voices and change how your configuration works.

Although DSP based effects can take load off your CPU they can still induce latency - UAD used to be strictly a tool for mixdowns only because of large latency, but now they have a 'tracking' mode which kind of reduces the plugin to 'eco' mode which is latency free in some cases or very low additional latency.

thx a lot guys, that was enlightning

the only ones i know that have 'true' dsp power built in like the UAD cards are metric halo (well the dsp versions of their cards)

they are great cards (i absolutely love them) but they cost some serious money.

Protools HD is based on DSP power. UAD, Powercore, SSL Duende (pci version), Liquid Mix etc all have DSP powered technology and Pyramix Masscore and Mykerinos cards.

I haven't personally used all of these (Protools HD, UAD 1 and 2, Powercore I am familiar with) but most DSP based stuff is pretty decent high end plugin wise. Some of this stuff is still struggling to adapt to new o/s and 64 bit technology, which is why many pro studios are still running 32 bit as they rely heavily on this DSP based technology.

leedsquietman wrote:Protools HD is based on DSP power. UAD, Powercore, SSL Duende (pci version), Liquid Mix etc all have DSP powered technology and Pyramix Masscore and Mykerinos cards.

I haven't personally used all of these (Protools HD, UAD 1 and 2, Powercore I am familiar with) but most DSP based stuff is pretty decent high end plugin wise. Some of this stuff is still struggling to adapt to new o/s and 64 bit technology, which is why many pro studios are still running 32 bit as they rely heavily on this DSP based technology.

well yes, but he asked for a sound card with dsp power that he can use within ableton live, right?

Yes. It's 5:13 a.m. here and I haven't slept yet, so methinks this is the time to catch some Zzzzzzzz's

10-4 buddy.

SubFunk wrote:

leedsquietman wrote:Protools HD is based on DSP power. UAD, Powercore, SSL Duende (pci version), Liquid Mix etc all have DSP powered technology and Pyramix Masscore and Mykerinos cards.

I haven't personally used all of these (Protools HD, UAD 1 and 2, Powercore I am familiar with) but most DSP based stuff is pretty decent high end plugin wise. Some of this stuff is still struggling to adapt to new o/s and 64 bit technology, which is why many pro studios are still running 32 bit as they rely heavily on this DSP based technology.

well yes, but he asked for a sound card with dsp power that he can use within ableton live, right?

thats still the kind of input I was searching, thx again leeds!

I've always been a fan of scope cards.

At the moment I have 3 cards (36 DSPs in total) in a G3 Mac connected through ADAT to a new laptop that runs Live (in stand alone mode, this system works at zero latency), but the scope environment can also run on the same computer as your sequencer, connected through ASIO. You can also set the cards to work as a UAD card would, and select plugs in the sequencer. However, the whole routing environment is scope's strongest point, apart from superb sound quality.

I'm getting the newest big muther in the summer...

Thread wouldn't be complete without mentioning the Focusrite LiquidMix. A pretty cool outboard DSP for various software emulations of classic compressors and EQs.

MartinOM28V wrote:Thread wouldn't be complete without mentioning the Focusrite LiquidMix. A pretty cool outboard DSP for various software emulations of classic compressors and EQs.

Well, leeds did mention it 5 posts back. So the thread was complete.

TC konnekt has DSP reverb and dynamics that run as VST.. and the scope cards are dope i'm ruing the day i sold my pulsar 2

Steinberg's new MR816 X and CSX interfaces, MOTU and RME all have DSP features in their audio interfaces too such as reverb/channel strip/dynamics etc and TC Konnekt as mentioned also include DSP features. Scope / Creamware / Metric Halo and others too.

Handy for tracking because you can use the DSP reverb etc which doesn't induce any load or (typically) latency, whereas a DAW's inbuilt FX or VST/AU are going to take some resources from the host computer, unless you use direct monitoring which means no VST/AU or internal DAW FX. Most vocalists prefer to have some sense of reverb/ambience while tracking and hate tracking dry live vocals.