So after using this mic for about 9 months and buying a Neumann u87 , I have come to the conclusion that the uad sphere is trash . The uad u87 profile doesn’t respond like the real u87 . The sound produced from the sphere is cheap sounding . I believe they are using cheap Chinese capsules and I could honestly tell it was cheap when I first unpacked it . The mics grill reminds me of an mxl mic . I wish I would have never fallen for the uad trap . None of the plug ins will give you the same results as the hardware . Yes the plug in is cheap , but imo after working on world class gear I’ve came to the conclusion some mics make , tracking , and mixing so much easier . Do yourself a favor and buy the real gear that will actually give you better results and speed up the recording / mixing process .