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UA Arrow - an ecosystem for gearaholics

C

cavemanbass

Nov 5, 2010
1,183
1,292
#1
I recently picked up a Universal Audio Arrow - it's a Thunderbolt 3 interface and advertised as ultra low latency; I got it to use for online (Jamkazam) jamming but quickly came to realize that getting audio in and out of a computer is just the beginning with this amazing little box.
What we have here is a beautifully crafted 2 channel preamp with DSP that can run any UA plugin in real time with no perceived latency (at least to my perception...). The range of plugins that are available includes just about every high end studio device you can think of, including Neve, Avalon, Manley, API, and many more.
Included with the purchase are LA2A, 1176, 610 mic pre / EQ, Pultec EQ, and about 10 others. The only one that I have much experience with is the LA2A (friend of mine has the current Teletronix US made version). The plugin version nails both the sound and the feel of it. The meter responds exactly like the HW version. I did not compare them side by side so this is just my recollection fwiw.
All of the plugins that I tried sound amazing. Very smooth response, detailed, refined, full range. The controls are laid out exactly as on the HW. There is metering on almost every module, and response - whether VU or LED - feels "real" for lack of a better term.
I've now spent hours with this little box, and enjoying every minute! A Distressor for $150? Sign me up!
Anyone that is recording a lot during covid, I highly recommend this thing. For certain gigs I would not hesitate to bring a laptop and the Arrow - takes less space then a large pedal board and easy setup. One note of caution - the $500 initial cost could be minor compared to all the plugins you might buy. However, all of the plugins are available for a free 14 day trial. You can activate a plug at any time and use it for two weeks before you have to plunk down yer hard earned cash.
Arrow.jpg

plugins.jpg
 
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#3
I’ve been jonesing for that one. If nothing else to get the Distressor plugin.

I got an SSL 2+ a few months back and really love the form factor. The headphone out, however, is weak. Curse of the USB power, I guess.

any idea if UA Thunderbolt 3 has similar power “stinginess” issues?

and did the lower latency make a difference with your JamKazam sessions?
 
#4
Apollo Twin or Quad is a better choice for a lot of folks, but if you only want to do simple home recording by yourself, the arrow works. If you already have an interface and want the plug-ins, you can always just get a UA Satellite.
 
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#6
DirtDog said:
I’ve been jonesing for that one. If nothing else to get the Distressor plugin.

I got an SSL 2+ a few months back and really love the form factor. The headphone out, however, is weak. Curse of the USB power, I guess.

any idea if UA Thunderbolt 3 has similar power “stinginess” issues?

and did the lower latency make a difference with your JamKazam sessions?
Click to expand...
I haven’t tried the headphone out but have similar issues with other interfaces driving my AKG’s... never enough power!
Haha the funny thing is latency on this unit is fairly high overall, despite all the marketing verbiage to the contrary. I’m seeing around 9.5ms in Jamkazam. My Focusrite usb gets down to around 7.5ms. Still usable but not what I was expecting! I have a MOTU M 4 on order which will be much lower.
 
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#7
willsellout said:
Apollo Twin or Quad is a better choice for a lot of folks, but if you only want to do simple home recording by yourself, the arrow works. If you already have an interface and want the plug-ins, you can always just get a UA Satellite.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info! There seems to be a whole universe of gear from UA that can be networked, I need to spend some time learning more. Right after I figure out the Neve channel strip... kid in a candy store doesn’t even begin to describe....
 
#10
cavemanbass said:
I haven’t tried the headphone out but have similar issues with other interfaces driving my AKG’s... never enough power!
Haha the funny thing is latency on this unit is fairly high overall, despite all the marketing verbiage to the contrary. I’m seeing around 9.5ms in Jamkazam. My Focusrite usb gets down to around 7.5ms. Still usable but not what I was expecting! I have a MOTU M 4 on order which will be much lower.
Click to expand...

The latency depends entirely on the sample rate you’re using.

I’m showing 5.4ms at 64 samples on my current session, 90ms at 2048 samples.
 
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#13
One thing I wonder about with the ecosystems like UA that rely on all the plugins—and this may not be the case at all—but since they are chunks of software made by different manufacturers, all trying to play nice together, I’m guessing they must each need regular updating, patching? And does that cause annoying or interruptions to the workflow?

So for example, when you go back to a mix from a year ago, might it throw a bunch of errors saying you need to update this and that plugin first?

Or does all this happen seamlessly?
 
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#14
cavemanbass said:
I haven’t tried the headphone out but have similar issues with other interfaces driving my AKG’s... never enough power!
Haha the funny thing is latency on this unit is fairly high overall, despite all the marketing verbiage to the contrary. I’m seeing around 9.5ms in Jamkazam. My Focusrite usb gets down to around 7.5ms. Still usable but not what I was expecting! I have a MOTU M 4 on order which will be much lower.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

My SSL clocks at 6.5ms.

going to plug in my Focusrite 6i6 to see if there’s a latency difference. I know the headphones are louder.
 
#17
ThinCrappyTone said:
One thing I wonder about with the ecosystems like UA that rely on all the plugins—and this may not be the case at all—but since they are chunks of software made by different manufacturers, all trying to play nice together, I’m guessing they must each need regular updating, patching? And does that cause annoying or interruptions to the workflow?

So for example, when you go back to a mix from a year ago, might it throw a bunch of errors saying you need to update this and that plugin first?

Or does all this happen seamlessly?
Click to expand...
Good question, maybe some of the longer term users have insight into this?
 
#19
cavemanbass said:
Good question, maybe some of the longer term users have insight into this?
Click to expand...
I also wonder, does a person pay for a plugin once, and own it “forever”? When it gets updated, are the updates free? Or does one have to keep paying, in some way or other, to continue to own the plugin? Multiplied by many plugins, that could get expensive, if thats the case.
 
#20
The big advantage of these interfaces is that they have internal processors that run the native plugins so you can use all of these plugins (limited by the computational power, some have 1, some 2, some 4 processors) with no recognizable latency at all, INDEPENDANT from the real latency of the interface (this would only count if you're using plugIns within your DAW). The processors make them more expensive than comparable interfaces. Some don't like being forced into the eco-system of these interfaces.
 
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