Product Overview

Supercharge Your Legacy Setup with Dedicated External Mixing Power

The Universal Audio UAD-2 Satellite FireWire QUAD Core is an external processing powerhouse engineered specifically for music creators, tracking engineers, and producers using FireWire-equipped studio computers. If your laptop or desktop CPU struggles, stutters, or chokes under the weight of modern, high-track-count mixing chains, this dedicated hardware accelerator expands your sonic capabilities. It provides full, unrestricted access to the legendary UAD Powered Plug-Ins library without exhausting your primary host system's processing reserves.

While native computer processors often struggle with the heavy mathematical algorithms required to accurately model non-linear analog audio components, the Satellite's internal SHARC chips handle this work seamlessly. Operating over rock-solid FireWire 800/400 connectivity, this portable desktop unit functions as a standalone mix engine. It allows you to stack rare vintage compressors, multi-stage channel strips, and classic tape machines simultaneously across dozens of active DAW tracks.

Product Description

Unrivaled Analog Circuit Modeling Science:

Universal Audio’s reputation is built on its precise component-level physical modeling. Rather than relying on generic digital filters or basic EQ shapes, UA's engineering group meticulously dissects, measures, and digitally rebuilds legendary vintage hardware piece by piece. The UAD-2 Satellite FireWire QUAD Core executes these complex mathematical calculations natively, capturing the exact harmonic saturation, phase variations, and organic warmth of the original physical units. This lets you inject true analog depth into your digital mixes.

Four SHARC Processors for Reliable Processing Power:

Inside the compact, rugged desktop chassis sits an array of four independent Analog Devices SHARC floating-point processors. These 32-bit chips form an efficient external processing grid completely dedicated to running your UAD plugins. The UAD platform is also highly scalable and modular: you can combine the UAD-2 Satellite FireWire alongside existing UAD-2 PCIe cards, other FireWire Satellites, or Apollo audio interfaces to dynamically scale your studio's total processing capabilities as your client workload grows.

Streamlined FireWire 800 Performance with LiveTrack Mode:

Featuring dual FireWire 800 ports, this hardware unit fits cleanly into your existing peripheral chain, allowing you to link downstream hard drives or audio interfaces effortlessly. It supports sample rates all the way up to 192 kHz. For tracking or overdubbing scenarios, the unit features a highly functional LiveTrack Mode. When engaged, LiveTrack bypasses standard DAW buffering, reducing processing latency to the absolute minimum so you can monitor or print your UAD plugins with tight, real-time feel.

Includes the Pre-Activated Analog Classics Plus Bundle:

To ensure your studio can deliver professional results right out of the box, the UAD-2 Satellite FireWire QUAD Core includes the Analog Classics Plus software suite. This collection provides a foundational toolkit of world-renowned mixing processors. You get legendary legacy editions of the Teletronix LA-2A Optical Audio Leveler, the fast-acting 1176LN/1176SE Classic Limiting Amplifiers, the highly musical Pultec EQP-1A tube equalizer, and the classic Fairchild 670 compressor. It also includes the UA 610-B Tube Preamp & EQ plugin, letting you add sweet tube warmth and harmonic depth to sterile digital stems.

Key Features

• QUAD SHARC DSP ACCELERATION: 4 independent floating-point SHARC processing chips provide reliable external DSP power to run complex UAD plugin chains.

• CPU OFF-LOADING ACCELERATION: Takes over heavy processing tasks from your host computer, allowing your native CPU to comfortably handle virtual instruments and automation.

• DUAL FIREWIRE 800 PORTS: Built-in dual FireWire 800 connectivity supports data-thru linking for daisy-chaining storage drives or multi-channel audio interfaces.

• LIVETRACK ZERO-LATENCY MODE: Bypasses host buffering to minimize active plugin latency, perfect for real-time tracking or monitoring.

• LOADLOCK CONSOLE CONTROL: Automatically reserves maximum required DSP per plugin channel so you never run out of processing power when writing automation or enabling features.

• ANALOG CLASSICS PLUS BUNDLE: Packed with iconic vintage studio tools like the Teletronix LA-2A, 1176LN, Pultec EQP-1A, Fairchild 670, and RealVerb Pro.

• UNIVERSAL DAW COMPATIBILITY: Runs flawlessly across major digital audio workstations, including Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, and Studio One.

• COMPACT & PORTABLE CHASSIS: Rugged, small-footprint external casing makes it easy to pack into a gear bag and take your premium mixing rig on the road.

Technical Specifications