My favorite audio plug-in maker, Universal Audio (UA) on Thursday released an update for its plug-in platform. UAD 5.6 includes many fixes and three new plug-ins. New in version 5.6 is the Manley Massive Passive & Massive Passive Mastering EQ. UA modeled the plug-in over six months and then had the models scrutinized by Manley’s engineering team. The Manley EQ was used on Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” Amon Tobin’s “Foley Room” and Tori Amos’ “A Piano: The Collection.”

UA Characterized the Manley as delivering “incredibly natural, organic results.”

Also released is the Precision Enhancer Hz. This plug-in allows the user to selectively add upper harmonics to bass fundamentals, sometimes referred to as “phantom bass.” According to the company the plugin extends the perceived bass response by up to 1.5 octaves.

The last plug-in released in version 5.6 is the EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverb. This is based on Wilhelm Franz’s EMT 140 released in 1957. The original 140 used a resonating metal plate to create ambience.

The Manley Massive Passive & Massive Passive Mastering EQ costs $299; the Precision Enhancer Hz costs $199 and the EMT 140 Classic Plate Reverb costs $199.

In addition to the three new plug-ins, UAD 5.6 also includes numerous bug fixes for some of the other plug-ins like Cooper Time Cube and 4K Channel Strip. The software is available for download from the company’s Web site.