Universal Audio’s name is synonymous with heritage and quality. Founded in the 1950’s by Bill Putnam Sr., Universal Audio was a natural extension of his unparalleled success as a recording engineer, studio designer, and inventor. Putnam was a favorite engineer of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and many other music icons of the time. The studios he designed and operated were acclaimed for their distinctive sound, and provided a fertile environment for his innovations and experiments.

In 2000, Bill Putnam Sr. was awarded the Technical Achievement Grammy® in praise of his multiple contributions to the recording industry, including the first use of artificial reverberation, effects sends, and the vocal booth. Universal Recorders in Chicago, and United and Western studios in Los Angeles (now Ocean Way and EastWest studios, respectively) all preserve elements of his original room designs.

Putnam started three audio manufacturing companies during his career: Universal Audio, Studio Electronics, and UREI. All three built products that remain widely used decades after their introduction, including the ubiquitous LA-2A and 1176. Bill Putnam Jr. later succinctly described, “He was a guy that built equipment to solve problems in the studio.”

In 1999, Bill Jr. and James Putnam re-launched Universal Audio and merged with Kind of Loud Technologies — a leading audio software company — with two main goals:

• Faithfully reproduce classic analog recording equipment designed by their father and his colleagues
• Research and design new recording tools in the spirit of vintage analog technology
  

Today, Universal Audio is fulfilling that goal, bridging the worlds of vintage analog and DSP technology in a creative environment where musicians, analog designers, and DSP engineers intermingle and exchange ideas every day. Digital or analog, UA remains committed to the “hand assembled” ideal that has long been forgotten by other audio manufacturers.

Now recognized as a worldwide leader in both DSP audio modeling and building true analog classics, Universal Audio is proud to offer a full range of audio production hardware and software. These products are winning the hearts and ears of producers and engineers worldwide, as they have for more than 50 years.