Universal Audio Announces Asset Purchase Agreement with Townsend Labs Inc.

SCOTTS VALLEY, CA • June 11, 2021 — Universal Audio (UA), a leading manufacturer of professional audio recording hardware and software, is pleased to announce an asset purchase agreement with Townsend Labs Inc., the company behind the TEC award-winning Sphere L22 Microphone System.

As part of the agreement, the Sphere L22 microphone will join UA's industry-leading line of audio recording products, including Apollo interfaces and UAD Powered Plug-Ins.

Powered by proprietary microphone modeling technology, the Sphere L22 mic system provides a wide range of highly sought-after studio mic sounds with amazing accuracy, allowing for auditioning and selection of various mic types and polar patterns, even after audio has been recorded.

UA has partnered with Townsend Labs since 2017, most notably on the Ocean Way and Bill Putnam Microphone Model Collections for Sphere L22 on the award-winning UAD and Apollo platforms. UA will continue to support all of the Sphere L22 system’s current audio platforms, including UAD, AAX DSP, AAX Native, VST, and AU.

With this agreement, Townsend Labs founders Chris Townsend and Erik Papp will join the UA team, working to develop future microphone products under the UA brand.

“The Sphere L22 microphone is the perfect platform for us,” said Bill Putnam, CEO of Universal Audio. “With UA’s expertise in modeling vintage audio gear, and Townsend’s industry-leading mic modeling technology, we're poised to bring customers significant innovations in this fast-growing segment of the pro audio industry.”

About Universal Audio Inc.

Founded in 1958 by recording pioneer Bill Putnam Sr., and refounded in 1999 by Bill Putnam Jr., Universal Audio is best known for its classic, hand‑built analog hardware, award‑winning line of Apollo audio interfaces, and advanced UAD Digital Signal Processing technology for recording, mixing, and mastering audio. Headquartered in Scotts Valley, California, with offices in Los Angeles, Colorado, and Amsterdam, UA is focused on merging the best of vintage analog and modern digital technology. With its rich recording heritage, UA has been “Setting the tone since 1958.” www.uaudio.com

About Townsend Labs
Townsend Labs was founded in 2015 by thirteen-year Avid alum and DSP architect Chris Townsend, together with Erik Papp, previously CEO of Summit Audio Inc. In July 2016, Townsend Labs introduced their world-class patented microphone modeling system, Sphere.