Is Your Creative Graveyard Failing?
Is Your Creative Graveyard Filling Up? Is Your Creative Graveyard Filling Up?Yeah. Mine too. I’ve got 139 unfinished music projects
If you’ve ever scrolled endlessly through your UA plugin list wondering which Fairchild you were reaching for—this post is for you.
This is a living reference for every plugin offered by Universal Audio, broken into two core categories:
UA-Developed Plug-Ins — crafted in-house by Universal Audio (available as UAD-2, UADx, or via Spark)
Third-Party Plug-Ins — developed by partners like Chandler, Sonnox, and Brainworx but sold through UA
The goal here is simple:
Glance-friendly layout to help you quickly find what’s what
Use-case cues so you know when to reach for which tool
Free downloadable spreadsheet for filtering by type, tone, purpose, or brand—so you can actually remember what you own
This isn’t a full review of every plugin—just the essentials: what it is, what it does, and where it fits in your workflow. Scroll, skim, search, or sort the spreadsheet as needed. Dust off those digital shelves.
Let’s go.
1176 Collection (LN, Rev A, Rev E, AE)
Fast, punchy, and colorful FET compression. Great on vocals, drums, and parallel crush.
API 2500 Bus Compressor
Punchy VCA compressor with tone control and “Thrust” circuit. Perfect for rock drums and mix bus glue.
dbx 160
Hard-knee VCA compression—snappy and tight. Ideal for kick, snare, or synth bass.
Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor*
Hugely versatile. Models opto/FET-style compression with color options. Use it on just about anything.
Empirical Labs FATSO Jr / Sr*
Tape-style compression and saturation. Adds thickness and warmth to drums, vocals, and buses.
Fairchild 660 / 670 / Legacy
Iconic tube vari-mu with a rich, buttery sound. Fantastic on mix bus, piano, and strings.
LA-2A Collection (Silver, Gray, Legacy)
Classic optical compressor with smooth, slow attack. Vocals, bass, strings.
LA-3A Classic Leveler
Solid-state version of the LA-2A. Faster, punchier—great on guitars and vocals.
Manley Variable Mu
Silky vari-mu comp. Ideal for mix bus, mastering, and natural glue on stems.
Manley VOXBOX
Channel strip with optical compression, preamp, EQ, and de-esser. All-in-one vocal chain.
Neve 2254/E
Dirty, punchy diode-bridge compressor with attitude. Thickens bass, drums, and guitars.
Neve 33609
Classy, polished glue comp. Smooth and transparent—loves the mix bus.
Precision Buss Compressor
Clean and subtle VCA glue. Works on drums, stems, or full mix without adding color.
Precision Limiter
Transparent brickwall limiter for peak control during mixing or mastering.
Precision Multiband
Five-band dynamics processor for detailed tonal shaping and mastering.
Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor (Standard)
Two-stage (optical + discrete) comp with transformer options. The “boutique” master bus plugin.
Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor – Class A Edition*
Extra color and saturation. Developed by Brainworx. Use when “glue” needs grit.
Tube-Tech CL 1B*
Ultra-smooth optical compression with tube warmth. Pop vocal favorite. Developed by Softube.
UA 175B & 176
Early tube comps with vintage warmth and attitude. Predecessors to the 1176—vocals, horns, and drums.
Valley People Dyna-mite
Fast, funky, and flexible. Compression, limiting, gating, or expansion in one oddball plugin.
API 550A / 560 EQ
Classic 3-band (550A) and graphic (560) EQs. Punchy, forward, and great for drums and guitars.
API Vision Channel Strip
Complete channel strip with EQ, dynamics, filters, and preamp. Tight and aggressive—ideal for rock and pop.
Avalon VT-737sp
Smooth, hi-fi channel strip. Includes tube preamp, EQ, and optical compression. R&B and pop favorite.
Cambridge EQ
UA’s precision digital EQ with multiple filter types. Surgical and clean. Great for subtractive tone shaping.
Century Tube Channel Strip
Simple and warm channel strip with compression, EQ, and preamp. Great for quick vocals or acoustic tracking.
CS-1 Channel Strip
Modular channel strip combining EQ, compression, delay/mod, and reflection. Underrated for creative work.
Harrison 32C EQ
Legendary analog EQ used on countless hit records. Smooth, musical curves with a warm touch.
Helios Type 69
Vintage British EQ with big low end and open mids. Add instant color and vibe to guitars, vocals, or drums.
Neve 1073 / 1084 / 31102 EQ
Iconic British EQs. 1073 = bold and punchy, 1084 = extended options, 31102 = tighter curves.
Neve 88RS Channel Strip
Full channel strip from the Neve 88RS console. Modern Neve tone—refined and surgical.
Plugin Alliance bx_digital V3 EQ*
Surgical digital EQ with mid-side, mono-maker, and advanced mastering features.
Softube Trident A-Range EQ*
Colorful, musical EQ with strong filters and bold tone. Developed by Softube.
SSL E Series Channel Strip
Aggressive and snappy channel strip from the classic SSL 4000 E. The sound of 80s/90s rock and pop.
SSL G Series EQ
Smoother and slightly more transparent than the E Series. Great for subtle tone shaping.
V76 Preamplifier
Vintage German tube preamp with EQ. Warm, harmonically rich. Excellent for vocals and acoustic instruments.
Capitol Chambers
Beautifully modeled echo chambers from Capitol Studios. Warm, organic, and dripping with vibe. Great on vocals, piano, and orchestral.
DreamVerb
UA’s flexible algorithmic reverb with deep tweakability. Less vintage, more utility. Good for unique spaces and creative FX.
EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverb
Warm, lush plate reverb. Great on vocals, drums, guitars. A classic for a reason.
EMT 250 Electronic Reverb
One of the first digital reverbs ever. Quirky and dark with tons of character. Good on vocals, snares, and vintage FX.
Hitsville Reverb Chambers
Modeled after the Motown reverb chambers. Vintage and mid-forward with a distinct ‘60s feel. Vocals, tambourines, and soul vibes.
Lexicon 224
Classic digital reverb with shimmering tails and modulated character. Big on vocals and synths.
Lexicon 480L
Studio legend—cleaner, wider, more flexible than the 224. Great for polished modern mixes or spacious ambient textures.
Pure Plate Reverb
Lightweight, great-sounding algorithmic plate reverb. Designed for real-time use with low DSP. Great for vocals and acoustic guitar.
Brigade Chorus
BBD-style analog chorus based on the classic Boss CE-1. Thick and gooey—great for guitar and synths.
Cooper Time Cube MkII
Unique garden-hose delay with fast, snappy reflections. Adds presence and stereo width without sounding “wet.”
EP-34 Tape Echo
Based on the Echoplex. Warm, saturated tape delay with tone-shaping. Killer on vocals, guitars, and synths.
Galaxy Tape Echo
Roland Space Echo emulation. Gritty, warbly, dubby. Delay + spring reverb. Great for lo-fi, ambient, or retro FX.
KORG SDD-3000 Digital Delay*
1980s digital delay with tone-shaping and modulation. Great for rhythmic delays and vintage guitar FX.
RAW Distortion
Trashy distortion plugin based on tube and transistor circuits. Includes gating and tone-shaping. Use for dirty FX, synths, and drums.
Studio D Chorus
Based on the Roland Dimension D. Subtle stereo widener—no modulation swirl, just gentle depth.
Ampex ATR-102
Mastering-grade tape machine. Subtle to rich saturation with detailed tape controls. Use on mix bus or mastering chain.
Oxide Tape Recorder
Simplified tape emulation. Push it for warmth and glue with fewer tweakable controls. Great for quick mix thickening.
Studer A800
Multitrack tape deck with tons of tone-shaping. Use across stems or groups. Adds glue, roundness, and subtle compression.
Thermionic Culture Vulture
Tube-based distortion and saturation. Go from mild warmth to blown-out chaos. Great on synths, guitars, and FX.
Moog Multimode Filter XL
Filter plugin, not a synth—but a powerful Moog-modeled processor with stereo modulation and drive. Great for synths, drums, and automation sweeps.
PolyMAX Synth
UA’s original virtual analog polysynth. Easy to use, lush sound, vintage-inspired. Good for pads, basses, and leads.
Ravel Grand Piano
Deeply sampled model of a Steinway Model B. Rich, dynamic, and cinematic. Great for pop, scoring, or solo piano.
Waterfall B3 Organ
Faithful emulation of a vintage Hammond B3 with Leslie. Lush tonewheel organ for soul, rock, jazz.
Moog Multimode Filter XL
Filter plugin, not a synth—but a powerful Moog-modeled processor with stereo modulation and drive. Great for synths, drums, and automation sweeps.
PolyMAX Synth
UA’s original virtual analog polysynth. Easy to use, lush sound, vintage-inspired. Good for pads, basses, and leads.
Ravel Grand Piano
Deeply sampled model of a Steinway Model B. Rich, dynamic, and cinematic. Great for pop, scoring, or solo piano.
Waterfall B3 Organ
Faithful emulation of a vintage Hammond B3 with Leslie. Lush tonewheel organ for soul, rock, jazz.
Hemisphere Mic Collection
UA’s mic modeling system for the Sphere DLX microphone. Includes models of Neumann, AKG, Telefunken, RCA, and others. Switch mic types after tracking.
Little Labs IBP (In-Between Phase)
Analog phase alignment tool for multi-mic setups. Tightens low end and clears up phasey messes—especially on drums or guitar cabs.
Little Labs Voice of God (VOG)
Subharmonic resonator used for voice and kick drum enhancement. Adds weight and presence without mud.
Mic Modeling Bundle (Sphere DLX)
Full set of mic models for use with Sphere DLX, includes Hemisphere models + bonus classic mics. A must-have if you track vocals or instruments.
Precision De-Esser
Transparent, fast de-essing. Easy to tune and use on vocals or harsh cymbals.
Precision Enhancer kHz
Adds subtle top-end clarity or sparkle. Use with caution—great for “air” on vocals or overheads.
Precision K-Stereo Ambience Recovery
Mid-side processor that enhances width and ambiance. Subtle mastering tool—originally developed by Bob Katz.
Download the Apple Numbers Spreadsheet so you can filter all of your UAD plugins with extra knowledge.
Is Your Creative Graveyard Filling Up? Is Your Creative Graveyard Filling Up?Yeah. Mine too. I’ve got 139 unfinished music projects
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