UAD2 Massive Passive Stereo EQ

Reviews | UAD-2 Manley Massive Passive
104
T
here’s little doubt that UAD’s
move to version two of its
hardware has unlocked some
serious processing power –
you only have to look at the accuracy
and quality of the company’s most
recent additions to know that their
recreations of classic hardware are
only improving.
That said, when it comes to
modelling, there’s hardware and then
there’s hardware. The legendary Manley
Massive Passive EQ is the latest classic
UAD has ‘replicated’ and it’s reportedly
proved their greatest challenge yet. Due
to the problems posed by the internal
architecture of the hardware Massive
Passive, which gets its name from its
unique use of only resistors, inductors
and capacitors to shape sound, the
question is: can UAD do it again?
Passive aggressive
The Massive Passive EQ functions
unlike most other EQs in several ways.
Firstly, whereas most tend to offer boost
or cut by either turning to the right of
centre for gain increase, or to the left for
decrease, Massive Passive is different.
It offers 0-20dB of cut or boost via the
same dial, with a boost (green) or cut
(red) button above selecting whether
you’re enhancing or reducing volume of
a chosen frequency.
What’s also unique about this EQ is
that the four frequency bands overlap,
so while the second band covers 82Hz
to 3.9kHz, the third operates between
220Hz and 10kHz, for example. This
might initially seem baffl ing but actually
it’s incredibly fl exible, as below the gain
boost/reduce dials, you’ll fi nd both
bandwidth and frequency dials to focus
the range of any given frequency band
and hone in on specifi c ones
respectively. At the very top, you can
select shelf or bell shapes for each
individual band, so it’s pretty clear this
is an EQ with fl exibility at its core.
Introducing the bands
The overlapping bands mean that you
can use Massive Passive for some
radical tone shaping, by dropping the
volume of a specifi c offending
frequency in the middle of a larger
group of others being boosted, without
the usual ‘holes’ more regular EQs tend
to create in these circumstances. It’s
also a sumptuous EQ to use on sounds
that need less radical treatments – with
its clarity and air on vocal parts and the
warmth of the modelled tube distortion
particularly noteworthy.
The UAD Massive Passive actually
bundles as two plug-ins – one intended
for insert treatments and the other as a
mastering tool. The latter offers
optimised settings specifi cally for
mastering, with more appropriate gain
and bandwidth capabilities and honed
options for the centrally-placed low and
high-pass fi lter controls.
Summing up
The UAD platform goes from strength to
strength, evidenced not only be the
exceptional sonics of this plug-in but by
Manley’s own endorsement of it. It’s a
winning formula – by recreating the
performance and sound of classic gear
of this type, UAD introduce a new range
of users to Manley and strengthen their
own reputation in the process.
None of this will matter to you – but
the sound of the plug-in will. And to put
it bluntly, if you don’t love it, you need
your ears tested.
SPECS
System Requirements
UAD-2 Card
PC: Microsoft Windows XP
(Home, Professional, or x64
Edition), or Windows, Vista
(x86 or x64)
Mac: OS X 10.4.x or 10.5.x
All Platforms: Available
PCIe x1/x4/x8/x16 slot for
UAD-2 card, 256MB RAM
(512MB recommended),
200MB hard drive space,
1024 x 768 or higher
resolution monitor.
Compatible VST, RTAS, or
Audio Units plug-in host
application software
UAD-2 Manley
Massive Passive
Stereo EQ | $299
UAD model another classic. Jono Buchanan fi nds
out if they’ve met their match in the Massive Passive
VERDICT
STABILITY
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VALUE
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EASE OF USE
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VERSATILITY
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RESULTS
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A unique sounding EQ with power
and versatility at its faithfully
modelled heart.
WHAT IS IT?
A software version of the
Manley Massive Passive
EQ bringing a legendary
and complex EQ to the
UAD-2 platform
CONTACT
Who: Source Distribution
Tel: [phone]
Web: uaudio.com
HIGHLIGHTS
1 Phenomenal modelling
and sound
2 Flexible and sophisticated
operation mode
3 Suitable as an insert or
buss EQ
ON THE DVD
FMU228.rev_uad 104 26/5/10 5:39:1 pm