UAD Spark Plug-Ins Explained

UAD Spark is a large collection of some seriously heavy-hitting plugins that will get a healthy amount of use in many projects. In this extremely comprehensive UAD Spark tutorial series, Groove3 instructor Alberto Rizzo Schettino walks you through many different plugins from the set, including channel strips/preamps, compressors/limiters, EQs, tape recorder simulations, reverbs, and other effects. You'll become familiar with the features and parameters of each plugin and hear it demonstrated on various sources and in different contexts. By the end of this UAD Spark video course, you'll be able to use each plugin with confidence and add them to your workflow right away! These Spark videos are for new users of UAD Spark plugins.

Part 1

• Introduction (01:01) - Alberto introduces the course and the approach behind the following chapters.

• NEVE 1073 Preamp & EQ: Part 1 (17:54) - Take a deep dive into one of the most revered pre-amplifiers and equalizers: the NEVE 1073. Find out every detail about its musical nuances along with classic ways of approaching its controls without being intimated by its fame.

• NEVE 1073 Preamp & EQ: Part 2 (13:53) - Alberto continues with his deep dive into the NEVE 1073.

• UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection: Part 1 (18:36) - The 1176 is the king of compressors: hard, blunt, effective. Follow Alberto as he takes you through the unit and its different revisions, going full-ahead into why this has become a constant presence in every record.

• UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection: Part 2 (22:50) - Alberto continues breaking down the 1176.

• UA 1176 Classic Limiter Collection: Part 3 (19:50) - Alberto wraps up the deep dive into the 1176.

• Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveler Collection: Part 1 (20:51) - The thickness and tone of an LA-2 makes it one of the most sought-after compressors. With its elusive scarcity of controls, it's capable of lifting any sound to new heights.

• Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveler Collection: Part 2 (12:06) - Continuing on from part 1, Alberto continues his deep dive into the plugin.

• Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveler Collection: Part 3 (08:07) - Alberto continues our look at the plugins by using it on bass and guitar.

• Teletronix LA-2A Classic Leveler Collection: Part 4 (10:34) - Alberto wraps up our deep dive by using the plugin on vocals.Alberto wraps up our deep dive by using the plugin on vocals.

• Pultec Passive EQ Collection: Part 1 (23:19) - Learn everything there is to know about the legendary Pultec EQ. Study its controls, learn the simple but effective interactions of its curves, and then apply it all with a number of real-world scenarios.

• Pultec Passive EQ Collection: Part 2 (10:12) - Alberto continues to show us the power of the EQ on drums.

• Pultec Passive EQ Collection: Part 3 (07:48) - Continuing on, Alberto uses the EQ on the bass and guitar.

• Pultec Passive EQ Collection: Part 4 (13:19) - Wrapping up our deep dive into Pultec Passive EQ Collection, Alberto works on some vocals.

• Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder: Part 1 (22:16) - One of the closest emulations to the real thing, this plug contains an elaborate "behind-the-curtains" set of controls. Become a master of the Studer A800 and treat it as if it was your tape deck for any record.

• Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder: Part 2 (19:17) - Alberto continues our deep dive by using the plugin on drums.

• Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder: Part 3 (17:31) - Alberto wraps up our deep dive by using the plugin on bass, guitar, and vocals.

• Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb: Part 1 (18:09) - Explore the features of the beautiful and complex Lexicon 224: one of the most tone-rich, ultra-dimensional, and mesmerizing reverb units, whose tone has graced the music of many past records and continues to do so today.

• Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb: Part 2 (13:15) - Alberto continues his deep dive into the plugin, using it on drums.

• Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb: Part 3 (15:37) - Alberto wraps up our deep dive by using the plugin on drums, bass, guitar, and vocals.

• Brigade Chorus (13:18) - Discover the appeal of this classic pedal, now an in-the-box, faithful emulation of a classic that can be used on any source material. Learn how to make it work for you through various use-case scenarios.

• API Vision Channel Strip: Part 1 (28:37) - The API legend is available to you, completely in-the-box. In this video, Alberto goes through every control and knob, unveiling some of the tricks he learned on the real desks, which UAD faithfully modeled, in this plug-in.

• API Vision Channel Strip: Part 2 (22:02) - Alberto wraps up our deep dive by using the plugin on bass, guitar, and vocals.

• Hitsville EQ Collection: Part 1 (15:14) - The Motown times have never been out of style, and this simple unit sounds just fantastic. Follow Alberto as he tests it on various sources and reveals some of his favorite tricks.

• Hitsville EQ Collection: Part 2 (17:35) - Alberto wraps up his deep dive on the Hitsville EQ Collection.

• Galaxy Tape Echo (26:04) - Alberto's passion for soundscapes will help you learn the beautiful tone of this legendary unit, in which the slightest change of a knob can design a whole new universe.

• Pure Plate Reverb (13:59) - Plate reverbs are a must-know for any producer and sound engineer. This simple, yet incredibly effective plug-in is capable of emulating the lush and rich sound of the most famous (and bulky!) plate reverbs.

• Studio D Chorus (13:51) - Learn how this unit has become a staple for fattening and expanding any sound that passes through it. Follow Alberto as he utilizes it on a number of different sources, through some of his favorite settings.

Part 2

• UA 175B & 176 Tube Compressor Collection (16:48) - Two incredible tube compressors, each with its own unique tone, are discussed. Learn what makes each one peculiar, their strengths and common points, along with the delicate interactions of some parameters like headroom, calibration, and envelope times, across the various ratios. These units can help you get tone as much as they can control your dynamics in a very musical way with their variable knee.

• Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip Pt. 1 (16:43) - Alberto takes you to a complete tour of the legendary 737SP channel strip, explaining how he has been using his hardware unit in the studio for years to track and mix. UAD has modeled the interactions between the preamp, compressor, and EQ stages of this unit, with its massive Class A sound and tube-infused color. Learn how to give instruments the spotlight they deserve.

• Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip Pt. 2 (10:07) - Alberto continues his exploration of the Avalon VT-737 Tube Channel Strip.

• Capitol Chambers (16:45) - Tune your ears to four of the most beautiful reverb chambers in the world and build a long-term memory and feel for the various colors and setups that this plug-in offers. Capitol Chambers is a hybrid reverb plug-in, featuring both algorithmic and impulse response capabilities, that can redefine the standard on how effortless it can be to dial in ambience and reverberation to any track.

• dbx 160 Compressor (12:20) - This is the legendary 160 VU modeled in all his heft and smack. Join Alberto as he shows you the various features and iconic settings that made this VCA compressor a staple in many studios. By applying it inline and in parallel, you'll get easy evidence on how this unit imparts a specific sound, especially to percussive material, that you have been hearing on countless records.

• Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor Compressor (23:16) - Alberto takes all he has learned in years of using his two hardware compressor units to track and mix anything - from rock to electronica, original scores to wicked synth lines - and transfers it effortlessly to this UAD plug-in. A Distressor is a chameleon of a compressor with a very unique and modern soul that transpires, regardless of the settings. Learning the intricate interactions of its deceptively simple design is key to utilize it at its best for any occasion.

• Manley Tube Preamp (12:06) - Nothing beats the added musical beauty of a well-built tube preamplifier. Join Alberto as he tests the Manley Preamp on various sources, highlighting how its euphonic character just speaks for itself and comparing various settings and slight changes that open the sound palette to enrich your tracks.

• Oxide Tape Recorder (09:25) - A trustworthy, workhorse tape recorder plug-in, this works effortlessly the moment you instantiate it on your track. Listen to its peculiar spectrum expansion and enhancing, the buoyancy of the tape effect, and the gentle beautification of the tracks, which can make mixing a song much easier than expected.

• Teletronix LA-3A Classic Audio Leveler (12:14) - Learn why the solid-state brother of the LA-2 is a legendary unit whose specific tone, color, and compression behavior are irreplaceable. Alberto guides you through its features and some of his favorite use-case scenarios, with detailed scrutiny of the high-frequency emphasis and gain reduction interactions, along with the tone contrast of the Compress and Limit modes. The LA-3A is still unrivaled in the poised but marked forwardness and glue it imparts to any track.

• Helios Type 69 Preamp & EQ Collection (22:38) - One of most revered channel strips in the world, and one of the oldest UAD plug-ins available, is now out as a preamp and EQ unit. Explore the endless possibilities of its musicality, with the effortless approach to anything it touches. Alberto will cover its most evident traits in frequency management, and also the least-known shades of tone processing, thanks to the interaction of the line/mic preamp gain with the EQ part, or by working in contrast through cutting mid frequencies to let the surrounding areas of the spectrum come to life.

• Manley Variable Mu Limiter Compressor (18:23) - Manley's flagship dynamic processor is now available as a native plug-in, and the fame of this Vari-Mu unit has created some of the highest expectations. This compressor/limiter is one of the most popular choices in hardware, in many recording studios in the world. It works equally great as a tracking device and as a mix finalizer, with all the tasks in-between. In comparison to other classic Variable Mu devices, the Manley possesses a unique character and peculiar interaction of its parameters, that Alberto will guide you to learn and - most importantly - feel, in order to gain the connection with the unit required to instinctively make it sing on any track.