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
F. Liedholm
September 9, 2021
Dude what
I was hoping this would do to drums what most reviews claimed. I tried it and it does it all whilst being usable on so much more. The best artificial room sound to me. Can get att little...
Read MoreŠ. Kominko
August 31, 2021
Absolutely brilliant.
This plugin gave my drums liveliness, amazing space. Excellent work friends from Universal Audio.
Read MoreJ. Gregg
August 18, 2021
Interesting mashup of effects.
I like this. I had a good feeling about it; and it really was a valuable addition to a long list of plug ins. It's both a good seasoning of room ambience that you can add in if you want a...
Read MoreM. Stopa
August 16, 2021
Add some life
I love the way it adds life to dull recordings. It’s an instant gamechanger in certain situations, but needs to be handled with care ;)
Read MoreF. fournot
August 16, 2021
Just as if we were really on this place
I would say that as I'm expecting to complete this plug with all others concerning Ocean Way, in addition of the the Mic collection which is appropriate, then I'll be able to...
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
F. Liedholm
Dude what
I was hoping this would do to drums what most reviews claimed. I tried it and it does it all whilst being usable on so much more.
The best artificial room sound to me. Can get att little phasy at times. The re-mic mode is really interesting. Great plugin.S. Ferreira
Fantastic!
What a great room sounding plugin. 5 stars!
Š. Kominko
Absolutely brilliant.
This plugin gave my drums liveliness, amazing space.
Excellent work friends from Universal Audio.J. Gregg
Interesting mashup of effects.
I like this. I had a good feeling about it; and it really was a valuable addition to a long list of plug ins. It's both a good seasoning of room ambience that you can add in if you want a nice acoustic environment 'substituted' while in re-mic mode (which is auto %100 wet) and there are nice mic emulations to experiment with in that mode. Or, if you want to use it more like a reverb; it's good like that, as well. I've given 4 out of 5 bc there are a few things that would have made it more useful, and I don't understand why they have that kind of limitations built in. For instance, if you want to use certain mics, you have to use the set up for a recording of a type of instrument that you might not be using. This may result in immersing your recording in a part of the room that wasn't quite as optimal for what you were really recording. And, actually I do appreciate the professional suggestion of where the mics should be, as a default, but I would have given all 5 stars if there were a little more flexibility to move the mic pairs on a left right axis and if you could move the place where you are recording around within the room instead of having to choose that you are recording a choir, or strings, to get your source 'placed' in a different part of the room. That changes the mic choice that you have. Also, don't do that. I know it's not specifically a mic emulation plug in. So, I wouldn't expect there to be a giant selection of different mic choices. But, whatever mics you do offer use of within the plug in, should be available for whatever set up, or source that the user wants to record. Other than those few critiques on what could have been better, I would definitely recommend giving this one a shot. It changes your recordings in a very pleasing and uncommon way. I think it's good for people who record actual instruments in less than ideal settings. It also works to give a more realistic sound to virtual instruments. A lot of value for the buck, even if it is a little pricey. The three sets of mics with separate levels and panning allow you to create an original stereo image for even mono tracks that is very interesting. Or, you can just use one pair and get a new sound out of your original track by changing the distance/type of mic used.
M. Stopa
Add some life
I love the way it adds life to dull recordings. It’s an instant gamechanger in certain situations, but needs to be handled with care ;)
F. fournot
Just as if we were really on this place
I would say that as I'm expecting to complete this plug with all others concerning Ocean Way, in addition of the the Mic collection which is appropriate, then I'll be able to situe recordings in another studio than mine. A few different of course...
B. Larsen
On every mix I do
Fantastic plugin. Put it on a send, add instruments, pick a preset and adjust to taste. Amazing results. It’s like placing the entire band INSIDE Ocean Way Studios. Also, great tool to fix instruments where the source recording isn’t ideal using the remic mode. Highly recommended.
S. Kim
Damn!
Strangely real
E. Bureau
Incredibly realistic
This thing is a life-saver! I often work with bands and situations where things have been recorded under sub-optimal conditions. Typically I experience drums with no 'room to breath', acoustic guitars that are too 'up and close'. In those situations, this plugin is really a lifesaver! I use the BX20, EMT140 and Capitol for reverb effects, but this to restore life to recordings that were flat and dull. Try for example to recreate a set of perfect ambience mics for your drum-kit and then compress those! Or to tame transients of acoustic strummed guitar by placing them in a room, rather than reaching for a comp/limiter.
B. Hickey
Adds new depth to anything
Ocean Way Studios is an amazing tool for creating room and depth. Not only does it realistically create the effect of "room mics" on a source, but it also lets you completely change the tone and character of something by changing the microphones and positions in the plugin!
E. Tillmon
Room Sound
Makes things sound 3D
L. Tian Siung
Real
sounds real!
D. Murphy
Wonderful sense of real space.
Sounds like you're there.
B. Jordana
OCEAN WAY STUDIOS
ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLUGINS EVER
K. Kim
for audio recorder
It seems to be the most necessary plug-in for audio recording.
From string and brass classical sounds to band sounds, you can record in a wide recording studio.J. Elander
Just what Doctor ordered!
Crappy acoustic space at home ? If you have a Townsend L22 and Ocean Way close your eyes and you are in NY, LA, or Nashville ... great !
C. Silva
This is sort of, like, the "make things sound real" plug-in
Fantastic on re-mic mode if you need something to sound more "roomy". Reverb mode on an AUX works wonderfully too - I haven't heard a more natural sounding reverb. It is a real utilitarian plug-in. Everybody who records at home should try this.
I just wish the electric guitar cab sims would sound brighter. Also, the mic placing for guitar cabs was a bit odd (the close mic is too far away, when we all know it is so common to place at least one mic up close). Still, we can remedy these things with the built-in EQ and by moving mics closer. I felt I could make some electric guitars sound less artificial and less DI-like. This is the main thing for me as a guitarist.
It also got really nice features to deal with phase cancellation and mic delay as well. Experiment with other sources, it may be worth your while: I thought the Drums sources didn't sound bad at all for distorted electric guitars.
I haven't made my mind about processing vocals though. I couldn't get usable sounds, personally. But all in all, a great plug-in to have in your arsenal if you can't afford to book studios too often or just have to record from home like we all have to at the moment.M. Williams
Drum Kit Mix Saving Device
Receiving a multi-track to mix and discovering that the drum set needs to sound bigger than the "lounge room" it was recorded in, and to do it in a quick and natural way with OCEAN WAY STUDIO Plugin was a time and stress saving option! Love it!
J. de Back
Great on drums
Great plugin to create a sense of space and get a massive drum sound. Also works well on vocals if you want to add interest. Doesn’t work on everything though so audition first but all in all a great plugin!
J. Batayeh
Makes any sound — sound alive
I use Ocean Ways to make my drums softer around the edges—and to make any instrument or whole mix sound like it is being played in a beautiful sounding room. Just add it to anything that sounds a bit lifeless and you won’t be disappointed!
