Two Generations of Sonic Innovation: Based in Scotts Valley, CA, Universal Audio (UA) has been renowned for several generations as a premier manufacturer of audio production tools, blending the warmth of vintage analog sound with modern digital precision. Founded by engineer and audio recording pioneer Bill Putnam Sr. in 1958, the company’s original impact on the recording industry came from manufacturing classic '50s-era tube driven mixing consoles (most notably the UA 610) that were used to record numerous legends of the time, from Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra. The company’s '60s-era compressors helped shape the sound of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and other iconic artists and bands. Fifteen years after Putnam’s passing in 1999, his sons Bill Jr. and Jim brought Universal Audio into the new century, developing an enviable rep with pro recording engineers and producers by creating, like their father, products synonymous with quality, innovation, and craftsmanship. Their two main goals have been to faithfully reproduce classical analog equipment in his tradition and design digital recording tools driven by that aesthetic, sound, and spirit.
Flagship Products: Universal Audio Apollo interfaces are premium Thunderbolt 3 (and USB) audio interfaces featuring elite-class conversion, Unison mic preamps and onboard HEXA/QUAD Core DSP for real-time UAD plugin processing. The Apollo Solo is a portable 2-in/4-out interface with one Unison preamp (x2 total outputs) and single-core DSP (SOLO). The even more popular Apollo Twin X (Duo/Quad) features 10-in/6-out, two Unison preamps and high end conversion with DUO (2) or QUAD (4) core DSP. The Apollo x4 is a more powerful desktop unit with 12-in/18 out, four Unison preamps and QUAD-core DSP. Another core Universal Audio product is series of the UAD plug ins. They are renowned for their high fidelity, analog modeled sound, designed to emulate classic hardware processors. They are available in two main formats—UAD DSP (running on Apollo/UAD-2 software) and UAD Native (running on a computer’s CPU).
Latest Products: In 2023, Universal Audio introduced four new compact effects pedals to the award-winning UAFX lineup. Built upon powerful UAFX processing and UA’s world leading analog modeling, the Orion Tape Echo, 1176 Studio Compressor, Heavenly Plate Reverb, and Evermore Studio Reverb single footswitch stompboxes are designed to empower guitarists to create immersive soundscapes with pristine sonic authenticity. The company’s initial rollout of microphones in 2022 included the world class UA Bock tube mics handmade in Santa Cruz; the award-winning Sphere L22 Modeling Microphone (able to accurately emulate 34 classic studio mics) and the Standard Series, designed for home recording, podcasters, and content creators.
Contact Universal Audio, 832-440-1176
