“The world's most authentic amp models, no UA hardware required”: Universal Audio takes its Edge-approved amp pedals to the digital realm for the first time with $299 plugins
The UAFX Dream ’65 and Ruby ’63 pedals – which The Edge used during U2's Sphere residency – have been digitized alongside the Marshall-inspired Lion ’68
Universal Audio has announced three new amp plugins, which take a trio of the firm’s highly praised UAFX amp pedals to the digital realm for the first time.
Notably, Universal Audio has elected to digitize three of its most well-known UAFX pedals – the Dream ’65, Lion ’68 and Ruby ’63 – two of which were famously favored by The Edge during U2’s residency at the Las Vegas Sphere late last year.
Now, two years after the physical amp pedals arrived, Universal Audio has made two of The Edge-approved UAFX units available as native DAW plugins for direct recording.
Introducing UAD Ruby ‘63 Top Boost Amplifier - YouTube
On paper, the Dream and Ruby models are recreations of Fender and Vox amps, while the Lion’68– which arrived shortly after the first three – seeks to recreate the tones of a Marshall.
The physical units have all received rave reviews from Guitar World over the years, and so to see their applications be extended to hardware-free direct recording via digital means is pretty neat.
In the firm’s own words, these three are directly based on their physical counterparts, and use the same algorithms. They offer “the timeless sound” of a Fender, the “prized vintage Top Boost” of a Vox, and “all the gorgeous cleans, aggressive breakup, and hot-rodded roar” of three 100-watt plexi amps.
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Each plugin offers a range of amp-specific tones and add-ons, including a variety of tube-powered spring and vibrato effects, Rangemaster-inspired boosts and Maestro-style preamps.
Not only that, they offer a range of mic and speaker pairings, as well as a host of “expert presets” that let you dial in some previously curated tones, which can all be accessed within your chosen DAW.
There is, however, a slight catch: the UAD plugins all cost $299. To put that into perspective, the physical UAFX pedals will set you back $399. That’s only a $100 difference between pedal and plugin, which is rather bold. And you have to remember, with the exception of the Lion (which offers three amps), you only get one amp style per plugin.
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(Image credit: Universal Audio)
(Image credit: Universal Audio)
(Image credit: Universal Audio)
To further contextualize that price, Neural DSP offers plugin packages that comprise a bunch of amps and effects for considerably less. Its Matchless Suite, for example, is less than €100.
Not only that, IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube 5 Max – which has five amps and a huge range of effects – is currently available for just $99, and is by comparison usually around $299 at full price. Having said that, you do get the prestige of Universal Audio’s algorithms, and the knowledge that the tones have been literally approved by U2.
Plus, they're currently at an introductory offer of $149, which lasts until December.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
