Universal Audio (company)

Last updated
Universal Audio, Inc.
Company type Privately held company
Industry Pro Audio
Founded1999;25 years ago (1999)
FounderBill Putnam, Jr. and Jim Putnam
Headquarters
Scotts Valley, California
,
United States
Products Audio signal processing hardware and digital signal processing software
OwnerBill Putnam, Jr.
Website http://www.uaudio.com/

Universal Audio is an American company that designs, imports, and markets audio signal processing hardware and effect pedals, audio interfaces, digital signal processing, virtual instrument, and digital audio workstation software and plug-ins.

Contents

Founded in 1958 by Bill Putnam, Sr. with products produced under the Universal Audio brand through the mid-1970s, the company was re-established in 1999 by his sons Jim and Bill Putnam, Jr.. The company produces modern versions of vintage Universal Audio, UREI, and Teletronix analog recording equipment, as well as hardware and software for digital recording on the UAD-2 platform. [1]

History

Original Company

Universal Audio, Inc. was founded alongside the United Recording Corporation by Bill Putnam Sr. in 1958. Putnam’s intention was for Universal Audio to serve as United’s manufacturing arm, with the company initially operating out of the United Recording premises at 6050 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. During its first few years, Universal Audio produced a number of tube-based audio processors, the most famous being the 610 preamplifier. [2] These processors also served as components in custom recording consoles built by Universal Audio for various studios. [3]

In 1961, United Recording acquired Studio Supply Co. and rebranded it as the Studio Electronics Corporation (SEC). The focus of SEC was the creation of fully-fledged studio systems built around the equipment produced by Universal Audio. In October 1961, all manufacturing was moved to Western Recorders, a nearby company in which United Recording had gained a majority stake. [4]

While Universal Audio as a company was eventually absorbed by Studio Electronics in December 1965, the brand itself continued with individual products retaining the Universal Audio label. This merger also coincided with another relocation, this time to an 8,100 square foot premises at 11922 Valerio Street in North Hollywood. [5]

Studio Electronics acquired two additional brands in 1967: Teletronix and Waveforms. The acquisition of Teletronix from Babcock allowed SEC to begin production of the popular LA-2A compressor. [6] Waveforms on the other hand expanded the product catalog into the area of precision audio test instruments. [7] In light of these acquisitions, and anticipation of more, SEC was rebranded as United Recording Electronics Industries (UREI). Products would continue to carry their own brand names alongside the UREI badge until the mid-1970s, at which point the Universal Audio label was removed from Revision H of the 1176 compressor. [8]

As part of Putnam's sale of United Western Recorders, UREI was acquired by JBL in 1984. JBL released a number of products, primarily equalizers, with the UREI label.

Revival

In 1999, Universal Audio (UA) was reestablished by Bill and Jim Putnam, the sons of Bill Putnam, Sr.. A software-based sister company, Kind of Loud Technologies, was also co-founded by Bill Putnam, Jr. and Jonathan Abel, who had met at Stanford University through the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. The two companies merged to offer both hardware re-issues of classic Universal Audio and Teletronix recording products, and virtual emulations of audio equipment from a range of manufacturers, including officially-branded emulations of original UA and Teletronix products.

Products

The first product introduced by the re-established Universal Audio in 1999 was a re-issue of the 1176LN. The original design was reproduced and revised thanks to the extensive design notes left by Bill Putnam. [4] The company subsequently re-issued an updated version of the Teletronix LA-2A. [9]

UA introduced its line of Apollo audio interfaces in 2012. These interfaces offered onboard DSP that allowed signals to be monitored in realtime through UA plugins. Subsequent models of Apollo also incorporated a technology called Unison, which improved the authenticity of preamp emulations by matching both the impedance of the original hardware as well as its gain level "sweet spots". [10]

At the 2020 NAMM Show, UA announced that it would expand its Console software into a fully-featured DAW called LUNA. The software will be freely available to owners of any interface (not only Apollo), and now is compatible with Mac OS and Windows.

Awards

The company has won several TEC Award awards [11] [12] and a FutureMusic Platinum award along with a Technical Grammy Award in 2009.

Related Research Articles

Avid Audio is an American digital audio technology company. It was founded in 1984 by Peter Gotcher and Evan Brooks. The company began as a project to raise money for the founders' band, selling EPROM chips for drum machines. It is a subsidiary of Avid Technology, and during 2010 the Digidesign brand was phased out. Avid Audio products will continue to be produced and will now carry the Avid brand name.

Opcode Systems, Inc. was founded in 1985 by Dave Oppenheim and based in and around Palo Alto, California, USA. Opcode produced MIDI sequencing software for the classic Mac OS and Microsoft Windows, which would later include digital audio capabilities, as well as audio and MIDI hardware interfaces. Opcode's MIDIMAC sequencer, launched in 1986, was one of the first commercially available MIDI sequencers for the Macintosh.

Milton Tasker "Bill" Putnam was an American audio engineer, songwriter, producer, studio designer, and businessman. He has been described as "the father of modern recording". He was the inventor of the modern recording console and is recognized as having been a key figure in the development of the postwar commercial recording industry.

Native Instruments is a German company that develops, manufactures, and supplies music software and hardware for music production, sound design, performance, and DJing. The company's corporate headquarters and main development facilities are located in Berlin, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo, London, Paris, and Shenzhen.

Ocean Way Recording was a series of recording studios established by recording engineer and producer Allen Sides with locations in Los Angeles, Nashville, and Saint Barthélemy. Ocean Way Recording no longer operates recording facilities, but Ocean Way Nashville continues to operate under the ownership of Belmont University.

TASCAM is the professional audio division of TEAC Corporation, headquartered in Santa Fe, Santa fe. TASCAM established the Home Recording phenomenon by creating the "Project Studio" and is credited as the inventor of the Portastudio, the first cassette-based multi-track home studio recorders. TASCAM also introduced the first low-cost mass-produced multitrack recorders with Simul-Sync designed for recording musicians, and manufactured reel-to-reel tape machines and audio mixers for home recordists from the early 1970s through the mid-1990s. Since the early 00's, TASCAM has been an early innovator in the field-recording and audio accompaniment to video with their DR-series recording platforms. TASCAM celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021.

Arturia is a French electronics company founded in 1999 and based in Grenoble, France. The company designs and manufactures audio interfaces and electronic musical instruments, including software synthesizers, drum machines, analog synthesizers, digital synthesizers, MIDI controllers, sequencers, and mobile apps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automated Processes, Inc.</span> American audio equipment manufacturer

Automated Processes Inc. is an American company that designs, manufactures, and markets mixing consoles and signal processors, including modular signal processor units in the 500-series format standard that evolved from early API mixing consoles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TC Electronic</span> Danish audio equipment manufacturer

TC Electronic is a Danish audio equipment company that designs and imports guitar effects, bass amplification, computer audio interfaces, audio plug-in software, live sound equalisers, studio and post-production equipment, studio effect processors, and broadcast loudness processors and meters. In August 2015, the company was purchased by Music Group, a holding company chaired by Uli Behringer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UREI</span> American audio equipment manufacturer

United Recording Electronics Industries (UREI) was a manufacturer of recording, mixing and audio signal processing hardware for the professional recording studio, live sound and broadcasting fields.

Dayton Burr "Bones" Howe is an American record producer and recording engineer who scored a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, often of the sunshine pop genre, starting in 1965 with the Turtles cover of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe," and continuing with most of the hits of the 5th Dimension and the Association. With the exception of Closing Time, he produced and engineered all of Tom Waits' releases with Asylum Records, some of which are considered among the artist's best recordings. Their almost decade-long collaboration has been described as "one of the great artist-producer partnerships". Howe performed music supervision on several feature films, and was one of the first industry members to serve as both producer and engineer of the hit records on which he worked. In addition, he was occasionally credited as a musician on recordings as "Dayton Howe".

The Soundscape R.Ed (1997–2001) was the second generation digital audio workstation manufactured by Soundscape Digital Technology Ltd. It was renamed the Soundscape 32 after Mackie acquired the product and continued to be available until around 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LA-2A Leveling Amplifier</span> Audio compressor

The LA-2A Leveling Amplifier is an audio compressor produced by Teletronix Engineering Company from 1965 until 1969, and reissued in 2000 by Universal Audio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Microphones</span> American audio electronics company

Blue Microphones is an American audio production company owned by Logitech that designs and produces microphones, headphones, recording tools, signal processors, and music accessories for audio professionals, musicians and consumers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1176 Peak Limiter</span> Audio compressor

The 1176 Peak Limiter is a dynamic range compressor designed by the American engineer Bill Putnam and introduced by UREI in 1967. Derived from the 175 and 176 tube compressors, it marked the transition from vacuum tubes to solid-state technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apogee Electronics</span> American audio manufacturer

Apogee Electronics Corp. is an American manufacturer of audio interfaces and audio converters, USB & iOS microphones as well as audio production software.

Musical outboard equipment or outboard gear is used to process or alter a sound signal separately from functionality provided within a mixing console or a digital audio workstation. Outboard effects units can be used either during a live performance or in the recording studio.

PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. is an American manufacturer of professional audio equipment and software, used to create, record, mix, and master music and other audio. This includes their line of digital audio workstation (DAW) software, Studio One. In November 2021, it was announced that the company is to be acquired by Fender.

The Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor Compressor/Limiter is an audio compression unit designed by Dave Derr and first sold in 1995. The name is a portmanteau of distortion and compressor.

References

  1. ↑ "Universal Audio UAD2". Sound On Sound. November 2008. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "United Recording Corp. Newsletter" (PDF). Studio Electronics Inc. September 1964.
  3. ↑ Cogan, Jim (2003). Temples of Sound. San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC. pp. 30–41. ISBN   0-8118-3394-1.
  4. 1 2 Fuston, Lynn. "UA's Classic 1176 Compressor — A History". Universal Audio. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  5. ↑ "United & Affiliates Newsletter" (PDF). Studio Electronics Inc. March 1966.
  6. ↑ "United & Affiliates Newsletter" (PDF). Studio Electronics Inc. July 1967.
  7. ↑ "United & Affiliates Newsletter" (PDF). M. T. Putnam.
  8. ↑ "1176 and LA-2A Hardware Revision History | Universal Audio". www.uaudio.com. Retrieved 2020-02-15.
  9. ↑ Cooper, Michael (November 2000). "Universal Audio LA-2A". Mix. Future Plc. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "Set Up Unison Technology with your Audio Interface | Universal Audio". www.uaudio.com. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  11. ↑ "THE 33RD ANNUAL NAMM TEC AWARDS WINNERS" . Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  12. ↑ "32nd Annual TEC Award Winners" . Retrieved 2018-03-17.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.