Ocean Way Studios
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Welcome to Ocean Way Studios — the world’s first dynamic room modeling plug‑in.
Developed by Universal Audio and Allen Sides, the Ocean Way Studios plug-in for UAD-2 hardware and Apollo interfaces rewrites the book on what’s possible with acoustic space emulation.
By combining elements of room, microphone, and source modeling, Ocean Way Studios moves far beyond standard impulse response players and reverbs — giving you an authentic replication of one of the world’s most famous recording studios.Record live or mix through Ocean Way Recording’s legendary Studio A and Studio B
Use “best of the best” vintage microphones from Allen Sides’ world-renowned collection
Choose among Allen Sides’ favorite room positions with 8 source types, for stunningly accurate sound dispersion behaviors
Position, blend, and process three mic pairs (Near / Mid / Far) in real time
Retain mic bleed, proximity, and other naturally occurring behaviors for realism far beyond other reverb/ambience plug-ins
Re-mic loops and soft synths to bring them to life
Take a Listen
Learn how to Add Ambience to Close-Miked Drums
Grammy-winning engineer Vance Powell (Jack White, The Dead Weather) and the Ocean Way Studios and the Neve 33609 Compressor plug‑ins.
The Legendary Rooms of Ocean Way
From the opening of Bill Putnam’s United Recording in 1957, to the annexing of neighboring Western Studio in 1961, to their reinvention as Ocean Way Recording under Allen Sides — the famed “Studio A” and “Studio B” at Ocean Way Studios have shaped the sound of countless classic records. From Ray Charles and the Beach Boys, to the Rolling Stones, and Radiohead, music creators have sought out the sound of these beautifully balanced rooms for more than five decades.
Dynamic Room Modeling
Ocean Way Studios reinvents ambience processing with UA’s proprietary Dynamic Room Modeling technology, an exclusive combination of signal processing and advanced measurement techniques. Whereas standard convolution reverbs only provide a sonic snapshot, Dynamic Room Modeling offers the full spectrum of a studio’s ambience possibilities. Specifically, Dynamic Room Modeling provides the unique dispersion properties of various sources, as recorded through various vintage microphones that can be positioned in each room — in real time — via a simple click-and-drag interface. This technology gives the Ocean Way Studios plug-in a shocking level of sonic realism.
An Unrivaled Microphone Collection Under Your Control
With virtual access to $250,000 of hand-picked, vintage microphones, Ocean Way’s microphone setups and Distance controls are the centerpiece of the plug-in. The setups capture the ideal microphone selections and placements for each room and source type.
Up to three vintage microphones pairs (Near, Mid, Far) are available in each setup, allowing for creative sonic blending. Click-and-drag the microphones to position them in the room, then EQ and filter their sound as desired — complete with mic bleed and proximity effects.Transform Tones With Reverb and Re-Mic Modes
Ocean Way Studios offers two modes of operation: Reverb mode, using send/return paths to mix wet and dry signals; or Re-Mic mode, to fully immerse the original source audio within Ocean Way’s rooms. Re-Mic mode is by nature “fully wet,” and can be used to entirely replace your original room and microphone sounds with the fabled sound of Ocean Way.
“Ocean Way Studios instantly adds incredible depth, size, width, and vibe to your music. It's like owning a re-amp box for one of the best sounding studios in the world.”
– Jeff Juliano (John Mayer, Shinedown, Train)“The Ocean Way Studios plug-in sounds so good and has the right amount of flexibility. The workflow mimics the actual choices at the studio very nicely…it sounds authentic and rich — like those rooms with those mics.”
– Joey Waronker (Atoms for Peace, Beck, Other Lives)“The Ocean Way Studios plug-in lets me mix with a new sense of space, adding a whole new level of depth to my mixes.”
– Andrew Dawson (Jay-Z, Fun.)“Every session I've done at Ocean Way has been an unparalleled experience with amazing results. The plug-in offers an incredible opportunity to realistically add those sonics to any musical project with stunning realism.”
– Richard Chycki (Rush, Aerosmith, Dream Theater)“It’s great to finally be able to add a real room vibe to sounds that otherwise didn't have one. The Ocean Way plug-in helps bring a mix together with depth and space.”
– Ryan Hewitt (Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Avett Brothers)“I assumed the UAD Ocean Way Studios was a reverb, but it's way more than that. I've been down the rabbit hole since I installed it and I'm not ready to come out yet.”
– Andrew Scheps (Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Duke Spirit)“Hearing drums through Ocean Way Studios plug-in is like being transported to Ocean Way! The true sound of Studio A or Studio B applied to anything I want.”
– Chris Dugan (Green Day, Iggy Pop, U2)“The Ocean Way Studios plug-in allows me to get the tone of two great Bill Putnam rooms, with the ability to customize the mic choices and distance options. It’s the next best thing to actually being there.”
– John Paterno (Robbie Williams, Badly Drawn Boy, Bonnie Raitt)Watch The Reviews
5-Minute UAD Tips
Ocean Way Studios plug-in
Customer Reviews
a. mansilla
July 10, 2020
Ocean Way Studios
Great rooms, the ambiences are very goods, I tried for vocals, electric guitars, saxs and drums, is already part of all my...
Read MoreA. Love
July 8, 2020
Very good
Love it. I've used it as a buss on brushes drums and guitars. So amazing how it sets it back into the stereo field.
Read MoreA. Love
July 8, 2020
Very good
Love it. I've used it as a buss on brushes drums and guitars. So amazing how it sets it back into the stereo field.
Read MoreA. Love
July 8, 2020
Very good
Love it. I've used it as a buss on brushes drums and guitars. So amazing how it sets it back into the stereo field.
Read MoreS. Kozlowski
July 2, 2020
Had a demo for one hour and purchased!
Okay, the combination of Luna, Neve Summing and this plugin have changed the game for me. Finally, the proverbial "glue" I've always been chasing has come together in my mixes....
Read MoreR. Kirk
June 29, 2020
Saved my drum tracks!
On a recent song I needed more of a live, cohesive kit-in-a-room sound than the dry, isolated drum tracks I originally recorded. Re-mic really rescued and transformed the individual tracks...
Read More -
Key Features
Breakthrough acoustic emulations of Ocean Way Recording’s legendary Studio A and Studio B
Dynamic Room Modeling combines room, microphone, and source models for unprecedented realism
Incorporates sonic profiles of vintage microphones from Allen Side’s world-renowned collection
Includes mic bleed and mic proximity effects for stunning accuracy
Choose from eight instrument / vocal source types with unique dispersion patterns
Position and blend between three vintage mic pairs (Near / Mid / Far) in real time
Use in “Reverb” mode, mixing wet and dry signal; or “Re-Mic” mode, replacing your original room and mic sounds altogether
Preset mic selections, placements and creative direction by Ocean Way’s Allen Sides
Requires UAD-2 DSP Accelerator Card or Apollo Interface, available from authorized dealers worldwide
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Customer Reviews
Ocean Way Studios
a. mansilla
Ocean Way Studios
Great rooms, the ambiences are very goods, I tried for vocals, electric guitars, saxs and drums, is already part of all my productions!!
A. Love
Very good
Love it. I've used it as a buss on brushes drums and guitars. So amazing how it sets it back into the stereo field.
A. Love
Very good
Love it. I've used it as a buss on brushes drums and guitars. So amazing how it sets it back into the stereo field.
A. Love
Very good
Love it. I've used it as a buss on brushes drums and guitars. So amazing how it sets it back into the stereo field.
S. Kozlowski
Had a demo for one hour and purchased!
Okay, the combination of Luna, Neve Summing and this plugin have changed the game for me. Finally, the proverbial "glue" I've always been chasing has come together in my mixes. The simple trick of putting Ocean Way on all my busses makes my songs sound coherent in a way I've never achieved before. Undoubtedly, this is due to my ignorance of how to make things sound coherent without this plugin, but I don't care. My guitars, bass and drums all sound like they belong together in a way I've never achieved before. Maybe I could have done this with any convolution reverb? I dunno, but I'm really happy I bought Ocean Way during the UAD 2020 Summer Sale. BTW: what folks say about this plugin being a DSP hog is true, Ocean Way eats SHARC DSP chips.
R. Kirk
Saved my drum tracks!
On a recent song I needed more of a live, cohesive kit-in-a-room sound than the dry, isolated drum tracks I originally recorded. Re-mic really rescued and transformed the individual tracks while I used reverb mode on an effects bus to emphasize more of the room itself. I’ve had this PU for years and always appreciated the reverb mode but had no idea until recently how great Re-mic can be for fixing tracks at the source (before eq, etc). It’s no cure-all for crappy recordings.. but it’s almost miraculous how good it DOES work.
F. Silvestry
So much more than Reverb...
Have had a terrific experience using this plug in on recorded guitars and drum overheads, especially when they were recorded in challenging environments (i.e. my studio). Using this with the UAD 55 Deluxe or the early Marshall amp models is a pretty great way to track guitars that have realism and depth without screaming added reverb. This is also great for adding some depth realism to virtual keys, strings, and synths and allowing them their place in the mix as well. Great plug in on many many levels.
J. Jäck
Adds life to the Mix
That plugin is amazing, especially for dry recordings for example in a vocal-booth. It adds a natural feeling to the sound and makes everything more authentic.
G. Polito
OMG!
Man, put it everywhere. That gives you a real space, a real sound. Totally in love with it!
A. Nesterov
It works
This is really useful, It’s rather hungry for your shark processor, anyway it provides your a good room for your voice or instrument, so I like it. It’s good deal.
A. Nesterov
It works
This is really useful, It’s rather hungry for your shark processor, anyway it provides your a good room for your voice or instrument, so I like it. It’s good deal.
a. moreno
Awesome!
Thank you so much
D. Guier
Magic
Everything sounds more better with this plug-in. I don’t even need to worry about where I record in my room, I don’t even set up microphones anymore, I’m beginning to get a custom to just taking instruments right out of Musician‘s hands because I’m finding their not really needed anymore with this plug-in, eventually I just got rid of all the musicians. I don’t even load up my daw anymore with tracks, I just press go on the plug-in and out pops this amazing sounding track! Thank you so much. All kidding aside, I like the plug-in if you don’t overuse it. It can get kind of phasey (sp)but if you do it right you can add beautiful three-dimensional depth to your recording.
T. Adams
Real space!
So good to have the sound of great spaces to sit your drums, or anything in, of which you can move around in, and to be able to shift and vary the proximity of different mics to your liking! Genuinely sounds like you have tracked in these great rooms. A different presence than “reverbs”. Nice plugin!
T. Engel
Feine Sache
Funktioniert besonders gut bei Drums. Ansonsten, wie fast alles von UAD super.
M. Meloni
excellent
a unique plug in, a must have
M. Martini
Spatial Simulator
I use this “simulator” on my orchestral mock-up. The real response that give me it’s magnificent.
I can choose the positions of each strings section, front or back. At the side or behind. Very simple user interface. But powerful and efficient. Surely don’t give you a long reverb tail, because these spaces are not concert theater halls. But if you need of a vivid, real ambience, you won’t regret on this simulator. Five stars!K. O'Reilly
A must have.
Not being as rich as I would like I have to choose which plug ins to buy carefully. For me, OWS is the best purchase I could have made. I was struggling to get the depth I was looking for in my mixes, recording at home it’s difficult to get the sense of space that comes with studio recordings. Enter Ocean Way Studios. Immediately my mixes sound so much deeper, it also makes mixing easier because you can place things further away which naturally sounds quieter and that helps a lot with natural balance. It gives a sense of real warmth to everything it touches, it’s a joy to throw on a midi kit and feel it come to life. I’ve been mixing an ep for a friend recently and with this plug in I’ve been able to put his vocal extremely close to the listener (through the u47!), the guitar just behind (with a u67!) and everything else (strings, piano, sax etc) behind that. The controls are easy to use, the level of control over the parameters (distance and microphone) is excellent. It has instantly made my mixes sound better. It’s a real go to for me. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in acoustic mixing, if you’re poor like me get it in the sale. It’s definitely worth it!
M. Hodne
Shockingly good for orchestral purposes
I tried using this with my Audio Modeling instruments (physically modeled instruments, not samples), which are incredibly dry. Previously I've tried to re-create a room sound by blending different reverbs, but that took a lot of work to get right, and always had a harsh, synthetic sound to it. This on the other hand sounds terrific with very little effort, and you can emulate having both a close and room mic. Now it sounds almost uncannily realistic. Love it to bits!
P. Mues
Enter the 3 dimensional space
I don’t write a review for every UAD plugin I own. It would take too much time... :) but for this one I really want to make an exception! I use the plugin on everything! It brings my mixes to life. It’s like I moved from a 2 dimensional sheet of paper to 3 dimensional space. And that space sounds like it’s “alive”. The plugin is so good that it really fools your ears and brains. I must say that you should really take your time to get to know it. As it has so many parameters. But the all the presets are a really good starting point. A must-have plugin!