Universal Audio

Universal Audio

Pioneering audio recording for more than 60 years.

Founded in 1958 by Bill Putnam Sr., Universal Audio has been synonymous with innovative recording equipment since its start. The favorite engineer of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles and many more, the late Bill Putnam Sr. was a passionate innovator. He is widely known as the father of modern recording, with many of his legendary studio and equipment designs still in use today.

Amongst other things, Putnam was the inventor of the modern recording console, the multi-band audio equalizer and the vocal booth. He was also the first engineer to use artificial reverberation in commercial recording. Alongside his friend Les Paul, Putnam was also involved in the early development of stereophonic recording.

Putnam started three audio product companies during his long career, these includes: Universal Audio, Studio Electronics and UREI. All three companies built equipment that remains widely used decades after their introduction. Some of these products are: The ubiquitous LA-2A and 1176 compressors, and the 610 tube recording console. The 610 console in particular stands as one of the most beloved designs in audio history. This was used to record everyone from Sinatra to the Beach Boys to Van Halen’s eponymous debut.

Universal Audio was re-founded in 1999 by Bill’s sons, James Putnam and Bill Putnam Jr., with two main goals: to faithfully reproduce classic analog recording equipment in the tradition of their father; and to design new digital recording tools in with the sound and spirit of vintage analog technology. To that end, Universal Audio employs the world’s brightest DSP engineers and digital modeling authorities to develop our award-winning UAD Powered Plug-Ins platform. Featuring the most authentic analog emulation plug-ins in the industry, our DSP gurus work with the original hardware manufacturers — using their exact schematics, golden units, and experienced ears — to give UAD plug-ins warmth and harmonics in all the right places, just like analog.