Hello,
What would have to happen for it to finally be possible to use the plug-ins of a UAD satellite (therefore VST2) in wavelab with a Mac Silicon?
Thanks
This is really a question for Universal Audio, not Steinberg or WaveLab.
Universal Audio made the unfortunate decision to not make their UAD-2 plugins VST3. Steinberg announced VST3 a LONG time ago and the end of life for VST2 a long time ago now too.
Universal Audio didn’t act on this. They decided to spend their resources developing other things (LUNA, microphones, amp simulators, etc.). Their plugins have become low priority.
The new UA Spark/UADx plugin versions are VST3 and run natively on Mac Silicon (rather than a UAD Satellite or PCIe card) but very few of their plugins are available at this time for UA Spark/UADx and even if they ever do get them all updated, it doesn’t mean that older sessions will be automatically converted from the VST2 to VST3 versions.
It’s a mess that Universal Audio created by not going VST3 back when nearly all other plugin developers did.
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Universal Audio has to make them VST3, finally.
They had more than 10 years to do the transition. That is much more time than Apple gives the developers to get used to a new OS version.
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And I have a feeling that something about the UAD-2 chip/architecture doesn’t allow VST3 to work, or work efficiently so they just gave up on it.
I just set up a new M2 Mac Pro and didn’t even put my UAD-2 Octo PCIe card in the Mac Pro since it’s basically useless to me. I put it in a spare Sonnet Thunderbolt Chassis that I can connect if I ever need it but I would bet some $$$ that I never connect it again.
Sad news.
I must now accept this fact.
Thank you all
Bye bye ATR102 
I bet they will introduce it as Native version sometime.
Yes, but at this pace, I would bet in the year 2027 
There are a handful of UA plugins I’d like to be using somewhat regularly but their lack of updates for modern DAW compatibly is alarming.
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Yes, so true.
By the way…
Wavelab’s user manual says : “WaveLab Pro supports WaveLab Pro-specific plug-ins, VST 2 plug-ins, and VST 3 plug-ins.”
Which is not 100% true, since VST2 plugins does not work on Wavelab with any apple computers running on silicon chips, unless you accept (!) to lose 20 to 40% of CPU power by running Wavelab via Rosetta or a VST2 host vst3 plug-in.
In my opinion, this is a misleading assertion, because without thorough verification, users will equip themselves with VST2 plug-ins running on expensive UAD satellites, which will not work unless they make an unacceptable power sacrifice.
I think Wavelab should be more rigorous in its communication to avoid major disappointments, like the one I had, and even if Wavelab isn’t responsible for that.
Is not WaveLab?
regards S-EH