Product Overview

Supercharge Your Mix Sessions with Dedicated Professional Horsepower

The Universal Audio UAD-2 Satellite Thunderbolt 3 QUAD Core serves as a specialized, external computational turbocharger for your modern project or commercial recording studio. Designed specifically for audio creators who find their laptop or desktop CPUs choking under the weight of modern, high-track-count mixing chains, this hardware accelerator gives you full, unrestricted access to the legendary UAD Powered Plug-Ins library without necessitating a costly computer upgrade.

While native computer processors struggle to handle the complex mathematical equations required to accurately model nonlinear analog audio behavior, the Satellite’s internal SHARC chips are built from the ground up for this exact task. Operating natively on both macOS and Windows systems via high-bandwidth USB-C shaped Thunderbolt 3 ports, it delivers a massive processing buffer. This allows you to stack rare vintage compressors, complex tape machines, and graphic room emulations across dozens of active channels simultaneously, entirely independent of your primary computer system's limitations.

Product Description

Unrivaled Analog Modeling Science Behind the Box:

What sets the UAD platform apart is the incredible precision of Universal Audio’s engineering group. Rather than applying generic digital filters, UA undertakes exhaustive physical modeling of classic studio hardware, digitally "rebuilding" prized vintage units component by component. The UAD-2 Satellite QUAD Core runs these exact algorithms natively, capturing the unpredictable harmonic saturation, quirky phase changes, and deep three-dimensional depth of the original physical hardware. This puts the genuine tone of rare studio tools right inside your monitor mix.

Four SHARC Processors for Scalable Mixing Power:

Under the sleek, dark-grey metallic hood of the QUAD Core version are four high-efficiency SHARC floating-point DSP chips. These chips function as an elite external processing engine dedicated solely to your plug-in processing. The UAD platform is also fully scalable: you can seamlessly integrate the UAD-2 Satellite Thunderbolt 3 alongside existing UAD-2 PCIe cards, other Thunderbolt Satellites, or Apollo audio interfaces. This makes it an incredibly cost-effective way to scale up your studio's processing power as your tracking and mixing projects grow.

Blazing-Fast Thunderbolt 3 Performance and Daisy-Chaining:

By utilizing cutting-edge Thunderbolt 3 technology, this DSP accelerator operates with the ultra-fast speeds and high-bandwidth performance of an internal PCI Express card slot. It handles vast track counts at ultra-low sub-2ms latency with incredible driver stability. The rear panel features dual Thunderbolt 3 ports, allowing you to effortlessly daisy-chain additional high-speed peripherals—such as external SSD arrays, premium audio interfaces, or even 4K/5K computer displays—directly through the Satellite, keeping your workspace neat and clutter-free.

Includes the Analog Classics Plus Plug-In Bundle:

To get you crafting professional mixes immediately, the UAD-2 Satellite Thunderbolt 3 QUAD Core includes the curated Analog Classics Plus software suite out of the box. This collection provides foundational analog tracking tools, featuring premium legacy editions of the Teletronix LA-2A Optical Audio Leveler, the fast-acting 1176LN/1176SE Classic Limiting Amplifiers, the iconic Pultec EQP-1A and Pultec Pro tube equalizers, and the legendary Fairchild 670 compressor. It also includes the UA 610-B Tube Preamp & EQ plugin, giving your native mixes instant warmth, punch, and unmatched analog musicality.

Key Features

• QUAD SHARC DSP ACCELERATION: 4 independent floating-point SHARC processing chips provide massive external DSP power to run heavy UAD plug-in chains.

• CPU LIBERATION: Offloads intensive plug-in calculations onto the external hardware, freeing up your computer's native CPU for virtual instruments and DAW tasks.

• BLAZING-FAST THUNDERBOLT 3: Blazing-fast PCIe-level bandwidth speeds providing impeccable stability and sub-2ms latency performance.

• DUAL PORTS FOR DAISY-CHAINING: Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports make it easy to connect downstream accessories like high-res displays, storage drives, or audio interfaces.

• BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY: Fully backward-compatible with Thunderbolt 1 and 2 devices on macOS (using a certified Apple adapter).

• WORLD-CLASS PLUG-IN ACCESS: Unlocks full access to the award-winning UAD library featuring over 100+ co-developed titles from Neve, SSL, Manley, API, and Lexicon.

• ANALOG CLASSICS PLUS BUNDLE: Includes legendary dynamic and EQ plugins like the LA-2A, 1176, Pultec EQP-1A, Fairchild 670, and UA 610-B Tube Preamp.

• FAN-FREE SILENT OPERATION: Rugged, ultra-quiet desktop enclosure design ensures your studio environment remains completely noise-free during critical listening.

Technical Specifications