Universal Audio Celebrates 8 NAMM TEC Award Nominations for 2026

Building upon 3 TEC Award wins in 2025, UA is Recognized Across Hardware and Software Audio Tools in 2026 

SCOTTS VALLEY, CA – October 9, 2025 – Universal Audio, Inc. (UA), a worldwide leader in audio production tools, is proud to announce that eight of its music and audio products have been named finalists for the 41st annual NAMM Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards.  

Honoring the best in pro audio, the TEC Awards recognize the innovations shaping the sound of recorded music, live performance, film, television, video games, and multimedia. Now in its 41st year, TEC Awards are known as the highest achievement in the music industry.

Since Universal Audio's first TEC Award win in 2003 for the 6176 Vintage Channel Strip, UA has collected a record-breaking 37 awards. This year’s nominations reflect UA’s broad impact on music creation and production, spanning Apollo audio interfaces, UAFX guitar pedals, UAD plug-ins, and the groundbreaking LUNA Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).

8 TEC Award Nominations for Universal Audio

Apollo x16D

Category: Signal Processing Hardware
Perfect for live sound or networked recording studios, Apollo x16D delivers elite-class Apollo X sound and realtime UAD plug-in processing over Thunderbolt and Dante®, giving front-of-house engineers studio sound in venues from stadiums to houses of worship. Apollo x16D is currently on stadium tours with the likes of Iron Maiden, The Black Keys, Backstreet Boys, Paul Simon, Kendrick Lamar, and more.  

Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special Amp

Category: Musical Instrument Amplification & Effects
Perfectly capturing rare early models that brought the amp into the spotlight to later iterations used on famous LA sessions, the UAFX Enigmatic '82 Overdrive Special Amp delivers 30 years of legendary ODS tones in a single pedal, offering the sound of some of the most coveted and expensive guitar amps in history.

Apollo Twin X Gen 2

Category: Computer Audio Hardware
Apollo Twin X puts decades of inspiring analog studio sound right on user's desktops, featuring high-resolution audio conversion, Unison™ mic preamps, and realtime UAD processing, so creators can record through plug-ins from Neve, API, Manley, Auto-Tune, and more with near-zero latency.

Apollo Monitor Correction Powered by Sonarworks

Category: Amplification Hardware / Studio & SoundReinforcement       
UA and Sonarworks teamed up to bring DSP-based room and headphone correction to Apollo X Gen 1 and Gen 2 interfaces. By combining the standalone Sonarworks SoundID Reference app, a measurement microphone, and Apollo Monitor Correction running on Apollo, creators can fully calibrate their listening environment for the flattest frequency response and best mix translation.

UAD Dream '65 Reverb Amplifier

Category: Musical Instrument Software
The UAD Dream '65 plug-in perfectly captures a "golden unit" 1965 reverb combo amp, famously used on stages and in studios across six decades of hits — from pop, rock, and country to funk, soul, and more. Based on the award-winning UAFX pedal, the plug-in delivers all the essential controls for getting incredible amp tone right inside any DAW.

A-Type Multiband Dynamic Enhancer

Category: Signal Processing Software (Effects)
The first and only end-to-end emulation of the vintage multiband “compansion” processor found in some of the world’s biggest studios, the A-Type UAD plug-in unlocks the presence and top end sizzle that’s perfect for pushing vocals straight to the front of the mix.

Apollo e1x Remote-controlled Unison Preamp

Category: Microphone Preamplifiers
Apollo e1x adds remote-controllable Unison mic/line preamps to Apollo x16D interfaces, putting legendary preamp sounds from API, Neve, Manley, SSL, and more on stage, at front-of-house, or in multi-room studios using Dante networked audio.

LUNA 1.8.4

Category: Workstation Technology / Recording Devices
LUNA is UA's free DAW that’s built for the future of music creation, delivering the incredible sound of an analog studio with smart AI‑powered tools that make recording easier, allowing creators to unlock creativity and sound like the records they love.

The 41st annual TEC Awards ceremony will be held between January 20-24, 2026, at The NAMM Show in Anaheim, California.

Learn more about Universal Audio: https://www.uaudio.com/ 

Learn more about the 41st Annual NAMM TEC Awards: https://www.tecawards.org/ 

Download images and press materials: https://u.audio/tecawards-finalists-2026-pr

About Universal Audio Inc.
Universal Audio (UA) is a pioneer in audio and music production tools, with a rich 60-year history of craftsmanship and innovation. UA today enables millions of audio and music creators worldwide, with industry-standard Apollo and Volt recording interfaces, UAD plug-ins, UAFX pedals, advanced audio machine learning, LUNA recording suite, and UA Custom Shop hardware. UA is headquartered in Scotts Valley, California, with passionate employees worldwide — united by our goal of "Inspiring Sound for Generations."

©2025 Universal Audio, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, pricing, and availability are subject to change without notice. The "Universal Audio" name, UA "diamond" logo, “Apollo,” “Apollo Twin,” “UAD,” “Powered Plug-Ins,” and “LUNA Recording System" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Universal Audio Inc. *All other trademarks contained herein are property of their respective owners, which may or may not be affiliated with Universal Audio Inc. Specifically, the Neve, 1084, 1073, MOOG, Studer, Spitfire Audio, Orange Tree Samples, and Loops de la Creme trademarks are used with permission. Other marks, including Steinway, are used to suggest the products that were studied in the creation of LUNA Instruments, but are not in any way affiliated with Universal Audio.