“When I service a unit, I feel like I'm part of the band who sent it in. Music is my life, and anything I can do to get my own music out, or to help someone else to get their music out, makes me very happy and blissful.”

What do you do for UA?
I repair all of the returned customer units, which are relatively few because of UA's great quality. I also bench-test and optimize new units.

Sounds like the Maytag repairman's sob story. How long have you worked for UA?
Over two years.

Where did you work before UA, and what did you do?
E-mu Systems for 13 years. I was a Production Tech there as well.

I understand you are now using UA software. How are you using the UAD-1?
Every way that I can think of! I love the Pultec and Cambridge EQ's for my final mixes. I use Nigel all the time on my Strat tracks, and sometimes even on my Guild 12-string. The 1176 and LA-2A compressors are so close to the hardware versions that it's scary! I like to put my acoustic 12-string and my vocals through the LA-2A to give those tracks more depth and to bring them right up to the front of the mix. The reverbs are also very sweet. I don't use any other plug-ins now!

Do you use any other UA gear?
I love to use the 2-610 for my 12-string and vocals. I plan on buying an LA-610 when they're less in-demand. As with the plug-ins, I love to use the LA-2A when I can, for the acoustic music and vocal stuff.

Tell me more about your musical background.
I started playing guitar in 1966. I sing, play electric and acoustic guitar, and keyboards. My biggest inspirations and heroes have been The Beatles (especially George Harrison) and YES (especially Jon Anderson). I'm interested in music as a spiritual healing power and a higher level of emotional communication. Music is my form of meditation and my best way to communicate to others. I have composed, performed and self-recorded ten albums--mostly instrumental, emotional, cosmic space music for meditation. It can be considered soundtrack music for inner travels and visions. I also play folk rock, kind of like CSN and Bruce Cockburn. I've played locally in Santa Cruz and have played on some tracks on two albums by French keyboardist Cyrille Verdeaux.

What's cool about working with Universal Audio?
It is a great pleasure and honor to be associated with Bill Putnam's name and legacy. He was a true pioneer and electronics wizard who helped set the standard for recording techniques and equipment. I feel like a kid in a candy store surrounded by all of this incredible gear. I wish that I could have at least one of every product! I am very thankful to work at UA. Everyone here is great and a team player with the common goal of continuing where Bill Putnam Sr. left off, using the highest standards for making the best musical equipment possible. When I service a unit, I feel like I'm part of the band who sent it in. Music is my life, and anything I can do to get my own music out, or to help someone else to get their music out, makes me very happy and blissful. Sing and play on. Om, peace and "All you need is love"...

Michael Osterhoudt's self-released catalog can be purchased directly from Michael's own Omgrown Recordings.

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Upcoming Events ...

March 2005 AES Meeting Notice Subject: Old School/New School Speaker: Paul Stubblebine Place: Coast Recorders, 1340 Mission St, San Francisco, CA Time and Date: March 22, 2005, 6-10PM Join us for a tasting of two approaches to music recording. In the large room at Coast Recorders (a Bill Putnam-designed room) a band will be set up to record. There will be two parallel recording chains: on one hand a bunch of outmoded old tube mics, feeding a lot of old-fashioned gear and a hopelessly out-of-date analog recorder. On the other hand, a lot of sleek, modern, solid-state mics, into current mic preamps and a digital workstation loaded with plugins. Hear for yourself as we switch between the two. (Caveat: this is just for fun.Please, no wagering.) Address: 1340 Mission St, San Francisco, CA  94103 Tel:(415)863-6009

Remix Hotel, Miami, will be held March 24-26 at the Eden Roc Resort in South beach, Miami. UA will be exhibiting alongside many of the major names in high-tech audio. Remix overlaps with the Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival, so for those DJs, Remixers and dance music/electronica enthusiasts, this will be the major event on the 2005 calendar.

The UA team will also be over in Europe for the Frankfurt MusikMesse show in Germany, to be held April 6-9. MusikMesse is the biggest global musical equipment show, and UA will be exhibiting both new hardware and software products in association with our German distributor, SEA.

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Artist • Engineer • Producer Gossip ...
Ex-Talking Head turned producer Jerry Harrison has been assisting us with the development of the new Roland plugs for the UAD-1, lending us his ears and studio facility in Sausalito. Jerry's vintage Dimension D's came in useful in shooting-out our plug-in emulation against a selection of three different hardware revisions. Read Jerry's profile at NNDB.

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Tech Talk ...
The first 8110 and 4110 mic pres are finally coming out of hand-production, after some finishing tweaks to get them to the most exacting quality standards. Mix magazine and Pro Sound News will be getting the first of the review units, so look out for features on these stunning multichannel mic pre's in the coming months.

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News and Schmooze ...
The UAD-1 coupon promotion launched at NAMM in January 2005 has been extremely well-received, and for those still contemplating buying a UAD-1 or an additional card, there has never been a better time to do so.

Check out the coupons and savings on our promo page.

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Word on the Street ...
Look out for new reviews hitting the streets, including a new UAD-1 review in the excellent British Pro-Audio magazine Resolution. The 2192 will also be reviewed in the upcoming issue of Recording magazine (U.S.).

The LA-610 has also been put through its paces by Electronic Musician (U.S.), so watch for that in-depth review in the next issue.

And...be sure to check out the UAD forums, which are always buzzing with the latest UAD plug comparisons, ideas, and mix philosophies. We'd also like to point out that the forum is independently operated and moderated, so UA does not edit or control these opinions. We do, however, check in from time to time to clarify any issues or debates.

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