O/T DSP Cards or Native Plugins

[NigelC]

Looking for any opinions off others using DAWs with their D8Bs!

Okay here is my setup: Mac Pro Nehalem Quad (2 × dual-core 2.66 GHz) with 8GB Ram and separate internal Hard Drives for the System, Audio and Sample Libraries running Logic 9.1.3 and various AUs such as East West Quantum Leap, Toontrack and NI

Now the East West stuff is fairly heavy duty hence the separate drive for Samples.

So far I have not really pushed my songs with plugin use as I am still getting to grips with all this kit and have not got to the mixing stage with anything yet! I have read many forums on how new CPUs can cope easily with multiple instances of plugins etc and how DSP cards are redundant (I am aware TC and SSL have recently got out of this market).

So my question is this: is there any point in adding say an SSL Duende PCIE (yeah I know its discontinued but I found some for sale still) to ease the burden on my system for say EQ and Compression? I ask because East West stuff is fairly memory intensive and I worry that although some people say they can run loads of plugins they are using low end stuff.

Bottom line are DSP cards needed with a Mac Quad or not? Opinions from those that have used either please!

[Petersueco]

I think that UAD is the best plugin platform for DSP plugins. I have three UAD-1 cards and almost all the plug for those cards. I'm saving up to get the "new" UAD-2 card and the newest plugs that are really awesome.

[NigelC]

Its not necessarily the quality of the plugins between cards I am asking about. I am aware of the UAD quality and the SSL one is also quite respected for the EQ/Compression based on the E/G types.

However I cannot decide if the cards are necessary any more on a computer of the spec I have. I have read that the increase in Bus traffic to get signals back and forth between cards and CPU can negate some of the freeing up of CPU burden and on newer CPUs make any gain negligable.

So what I want to know has anyone with a similarly specified computer to mine tried both scenarios and can you tell me if the cards boost/improve performance or are they just means to get those particular plugins.

[Petersueco]

In my case the UAD cards are the mean to get those exclusive plugs. There is also another thing that makes them quite unique: They had not been cracked yet, and probably will never be.

The specs of modern computers are catching up but those nice plugs are not available in native format.

I like to see it this way, while the computer takes care of the virtual instruments (and some nice native plugins), the UAD is the ice on the cake, and I can be sure that no "bedroom DAW-user" will have them. It is kind of exclusivity about them. And of course very nice quality. The main issue is that you can't try them out without owning a card...

Peter Holmquist.