Universal Audio has just launched Verve Analog Machines and Verve Analog Machines Essentials, two new native UAD plugins focused on analog saturation and coloration. Both plugins utilize UA’s renowned analog modeling expertise to provide a range of vintage-inspired effects.
Verve Analog Machines
The full Verve Analog Machines plugin offers 10 different analog machines, each with its own distinct character:
- Sweeten, Warm – tape saturation
- Edge, Thicken, Vintagize – lo-fi textures
- Glow, Distort – tube preamp saturation and distortion
- Overdrive, Fire, Sputter – more aggressive distortion tones
The simple controls (Drive, Tone, Warble) allow you to quickly dial in the desired effect, from subtle warmth to heavy distortion. Verve Analog Machines is on sale for $99/€109 intro price until April 30th, 2024 (regular $199).
Free Verve Analog Machines Essentials
Verve Analog Machines Essentials is a free, stripped-down version of the plugin. It includes 4 of the 10 machines:
- Sweeten (tape warmth)
- Warm (deeper tape saturation)
- Thicken (lo-fi grit)
- Vintagize (vintage tape tones)
Essentials has just a single Drive control for even easier operation. It’s being offered as a free download until April 30th, 2024.
Additionally, the first 6,176 users who download Essentials will also receive the Galaxy Tape Echo plugin for free.
Both plugins run natively on Mac and PC and support AAX, AU and VST formats. No UA hardware is required. To learn more about the plugins, please visit the official UA website.
Is It Worth It?
Universal Audio has been radically changing its business model over the past few years. First, they introduced native plugins, then the subscription model (thankfully, still optional), followed by very aggressive marketing campaigns, and now the release of Verve Analog Machines.
These plugins sound good, as you would expect from Universal Audio, and look pretty – that is, unless you hate skeuomorphism and fancy graphics. That said, there’s nothing groundbreaking here, and most users probably already have plugins that cover these areas (check out, among others, our IK MUltimedia Mixbox review and the recent iZotope Trash comeback). To me, it looks like a well-made repackaging of bits and parts of Universal Audio’s fantastic catalog of plugins.
For those who are just starting to make music with a computer, Verve Analog Machines might be a nice option. They are foolproof, sound good, and you can try a basic version for free. The price for the full version is also quite fair. However, more experienced producers and musicians can probably pass on these without regrets, as they likely have similar tools in their arsenal already.
