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R & B, Hip Hop Producer Hector Delgado Raves about the Mackie UAD-1 Card
At his Clockworklabs studio in Van Nuys, California, Hector Delgado cues up a vocal from a mix in progress. “I experiment a lot. It gives me a different sound, an edge.” The vocal, processed with Mackie's new Nigel Powered Plug-In for the UAD-1 card, pans from left to right with a sizzling blend of resonance and distortion. “I used the Bricks in the Wall preset and automated it in Nuendo to get this effect. I’m a big supporter of the UAD-1 – I love this product.” The cleverly named Nigel Guitar amp emulator is just one of a suite of “powered plug-ins” developed by Universal Audio for their ultra-amped up UAD-1 DSP card. The card, available for both PC and Macintosh, works within the Cubase, Nuendo and Digital Performer environments, and is marketed and distributed by Mackie Designs Inc. Delgado, a producer and engineer, got his start as a DJ on live concert tours. In the past 11 years, he has built his reputation working with a broad range of R & B, hip hop and gospel artists including Jil Scott, Andrae Crouch, Sunshine Anderson, Onyx, Next and the Outlaws. His signature style, though always developing, incorporates live instruments with electronic effects to bring out the nuance in the vocals gifts of his talented artists. “The day the UAD-1 card came out was the day my life changed,” chuckled Delgado. “The quality is unbelievable – with the UAD-1 I don’t have to make any compromises in my mixes. I was a little skeptical at first because in this business, quality usually comes with a high price. I never run out of DSP power now – even on mixes as large as 60 tracks with EQ and compression on every one. It’s crazy!” Delgado is quick to share his enthusiasm. “I have to show it to every one who comes in here. I strictly use the UAD-1 plug-ins now – I don’t touch anything else.” Delgado was drawn to the UAD-1 by the quality of the vintage analog reproductions of the 1176 limiter and LA2A compressor. “I had the hardware 1176 – the UAD version is so close to the original, it’s unbelievable. When I add the 1176 and LA2A to vocals, the artists’ first reaction is always ‘How did you do that?!’ Everything sounds so much bigger.” Delgado puts it this way, “I have the best of both worlds. I’m totally digital, but I can bring in that analog sound that everyone’s familiar with. It’s just the perfect combination.” While Delgado’s edge is his creative flexibility, he does have a few tried and true techniques for the UAD-1 plug-ins. Typically, his basic settings start with the EX-1 EQ as the first insert, adding highs and trimming lows on key vocals. On the second insert he turns to the LA2A with about 3db of compression, which varies according to the style of music. He brings in the 1176 to keep the levels up for his preferred “in your face” sound. Explains Delgado, “I don’t use a lot of reverb in my mixes. Mine is more of a warm sound. I keep the tweaking to a minimum, just adjusting the taste a little bit here and there. The EQ on the EX-1 is really, really, really beautiful. I don’t have to toy around – just a quick move here and there and it brightens up real quick.” The simplicity of UAD-1 plug-ins is a major draw for Delgado. “It is totally user friendly. When I first got the card, I installed it and boom – I was immediately remixing songs about to go out – they sounded so good with the UAD-1.“ While Delgado is mixing exclusively with the UAD-1 and Powered Plug-Ins now, he’s got his mind on the upcoming release of a Pultec EQ from Mackie. “I heard it at NAMM – it sounded so, so ridiculous! (Editor: Meant with the most positive of connotations.) It’s torture to wait for it!” In the meantime, Delgado is busy in his Clockworklabs anticipating a project on the horizon with an artist “too big to name.” His conclusion? “I work with top caliber singers and rappers. They know quality and they expect quality. The UAD-1 plug-ins give me that quality.” |
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