i got a uad-1 project pak in my computer.. and i couldnt see myself makin music with out one... bumpus is right about the synths tho... but if u just want it for effects on vocals, or live instruments ect,,, then it will get the job done well. i was using the waves diamond bundle for a minute... then i got the uad-1 and it changed the way my vocals sound... the compressors sound great... and the eq's sound alot warmer to me than the waves ones... But i would do some reasearch on different dsp cards before making ur decision....but a DSP cards is really good to have in a computer based set-up.