Capitol Chambers
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A startling recreation of the world's finest echo chambers.
Located below the iconic Capitol Tower in Los Angeles, Capitol Studios is arguably the most recognized studio in the world — and much of its legend can be traced to its hallowed, subterranean echo chambers. From Ray Charles to Frank Sinatra, Beck to Muse, these underground spaces continue to provide gorgeous hi-fi ambience that is simply unmatched.
Now, after years of R&D and close collaboration with Capitol Studios — including unprecedented access to four legendary echo chambers 30-feet beneath the studio — Universal Audio proudly presents the Capitol Chambers plug-in, a startling end-to-end recreation of the most popular echo chambers ever created, exclusively for UAD hardware and UA Audio Interfaces.Now You Can:
Record and mix with the world's only authentic plug-in emulation of Capitol Studios' prized underground echo chambers
Add the unmistakably dense, natural reverberation to vocals or drums — far beyond plate, digital, or simple convolution reverb
Create new sounds by repositioning Capitol Chambers' microphones using UA's Dynamic Room Modeling
Audition current and historical chamber configurations, plus new setups curated by Capitol's Steve Genewick
Harness the chamber's entire signal chain including amplifiers, speakers, custom preamps, and mics
Quickly pull up presets from legendary Grammy-winning engineers Al Schmitt (Ray Charles, Steely Dan), Darrell Thorp (Beck, Radiohead), Frank Filipetti (Madonna, Paul McCartney) and more
Take a Listen
Classic Echo Chambers Designed by Les Paul
Prized for their natural sound and dense ambience, acoustic echo chambers became a creative tool for pioneering, forward-thinking engineers by the mid 1940s — most notably UA founder Bill Putnam Sr. and the great Les Paul, the genius behind the Capitol chambers designs. Built from reinforced concrete and tuned using sloped ceilings and a trapezoidal shape, Paul's designs deliver a smooth, balanced decay and a completely natural room tone that can't be achieved in any other way.
Capturing Iconic Echo
In creating this amazing plug-in, UA sourced historic technical diagrams from the early '60s to precisely recreate microphone/speaker setups inside of Capitol's most coveted chambers, including the vintage omnidirectional Altec 21D mics and custom speaker/horn configurations, in their original hit-making positions. Current "modern" configurations dating from the late '80s were also captured, using the omnidirectional Shure SM80s, while new and creative mic/speaker combos were devised by Capitol's resident chamber expert, Steve Genewick.
Unprecedented Ambience Control
Capitol Chambers' Position slider gives you next-level control over spatial and time response, allowing you to reposition the chamber mics — no assistant engineer required. From the maximum distance stock positions, to direct speaker-to-microphone effects and proximity characteristics, the Capitol Chambers plug-in can subtly thicken vocals or drums, or soak strings with the most natural, complex sounding reverb ever recorded.
Powered by UA's Dynamic Room Modeling
Harnessing the same technology as the award-winning Ocean Way Studios plug-in, Capitol Chambers uses UA’s proprietary Dynamic Room Modeling technology, an exclusive combination of physical modeling and advanced measurement techniques. Whereas standard convolution reverbs only provide a sonic snapshot, Dynamic Room Modeling gives the Capitol Chambers plug-in nearly infinite ambient possibilities.
Deeper Still
Beyond a vintage recreation, the Capitol Chambers plug-in offers creative features for modern DAW workflows like Pre Delay, Dry/Wet mix, and Decay controls. A sweepable 80 to 750 Hz filter lets you minimize muddy bass going into the chamber, while Bass, Treble, and proportional Q Mid band lets you perfectly season the chamber's lush ambience. In addition, the Width control allows you to narrow the chamber's stereo field, for easily pinpointing a vocal or instrument in the mix. Finally, Decay lets you quickly shorten Capitol Chambers' natural reverb time, offering more scenarios to harness the most famous echo chambers ever made.
An All-Star Collection of Artist Presets
The Capitol Chamber's plug-in features carefully crafted presets from a stunning roster of Grammy-winning engineers and producers. From recording industry icon Al Schmitt (Ray Charles, Steely Dan) to Mark Linett (The Beach Boys, Los Lobos) and Frank Filipetti (Madonna, Paul McCartney), Darrell Thorp (Beck, Radiohead), and more, you can experiment using the same settings that professionals who know every nook and cranny of Capitol's famous chambers use every day.
Capitol and the Capitol logos are trademarks of Capitol Records, LLC, registered in the United States, European Union, and other jurisdictions, and are used under license.
“I’ve been using the chambers at Capitol Studios for nearly 25 years, now I finally get to take them with me when I work outside of Capitol.”
– Steve Genewick (Ray Charles, Queen, Frank Sinatra Jr.)
“While tracking at Capitol Studios, I always capture the chambers. Now I can have same sound at my fingertips anytime. This is my new use‑on‑everything reverb. ”
– Darrell Thorp (Beck, Radiohead, Charlotte Gainsbourg)
“Some of the best echo chambers in the world are now just a click away. The interface is simple and self explanatory — the sounds are extraordinary.”
– Mark Needham (The Killers, Neon Trees, P!nk)
“With the Capitol Chambers plug-in, UA has created a truly flexible, physical space. Let that sink in for a second…”
– John Paterno (Robbie Williams, Badly Drawn Boy, Bonnie Raitt)
“The UAD Capitol Chambers plug-in is amazing. It has so much depth, character, and authenticity. It sounds just like you're there.”
– Chris Dugan (Green Day, Iggy Pop, U2)
“The UAD Capitol Chambers plug-in is meticulously crafted, complete with various mics and mic placements. It’s a remarkable piece of the past — accurate and powerfully versatile.”
– Richard Chycki (Rush, Aerosmith, Dream Theater)Customer Reviews
M. Wagner
June 22, 2019
"What Can You Say"
This thing, right out of the gate, Is gorgeous. When I loaded it up the first time on default, NO CHANGES I was looking for a way to make sure I wouldn't loose it(I Know ,I Know, Its the...
Read MoreT. Hinterholzinger
June 22, 2019
Thank you so much, Al and Steve for making this possible!
Since I first met Al, I‘ve been dreaming of getting a chance to use those great chambers. For sure those are the most often heard and adored reverb chambers of recorded music history....
Read MoreB. Busch
June 22, 2019
Easy, elegant, done.
OK, so this one probably wouldn't be your best choice for speed metal or the like, but for music that has a lot of open space and in need of that sonic "spackle," or smokey haze,...
Read MoreP. Coffin
June 21, 2019
New Era of Reverbs
Honestly, so good. Totally 3D, and just sounds real. Incredible!
Read MoreL. SCHARK
June 20, 2019
just as expected
This plugin is simple to use and yet, there's no other reverb that sounds like this one. I'm even considering another UAD-2 accelerator to use it more. Highly recommended. Amazing depth and...
Read MoreN. de Leon
June 18, 2019
2019 Best reverb plug-ins in the world.
This plug-Ins will give you a warmth vintage sounds on any style of music any instruments work sound good and at NdL records we love it on vocals. Different vibes in a very good way
Read More -
Key Features
Exclusive echo chamber emulation licensed and endorsed by Capitol Studios
The world's best-sounding and most in-demand echo chambers, designed by Les Paul
Gorgeously natural, uniquely dense chamber ambience, for reverb buses or individual sources
Choose from Capitol’s most popular chambers (2,4,6,7) with varying mic/speaker configurations representing modern to historical setups
Captures amplifier, speaker, custom preamp, and microphone chain for unprecedented realism
Fine tune ideal placement with continuously adjustable microphone positioning using UA's Dynamic Room Modeling
Other features include adjustable Decay, Pre Delay, sweepable cut filter, three-band EQ, Dry/Wet mix, and Width
Artist presets from Grammy-winning engineers Al Schmitt (Ray Charles, Steely Dan), Darrell Thorp (Beck, Radiohead), Frank Filipetti (Madonna, Paul McCartney), and more
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Customer Reviews
Capitol Chambers
M. Wagner
"What Can You Say"
This thing, right out of the gate, Is gorgeous. When I loaded it up the first time on default, NO CHANGES I was looking for a way to make sure I wouldn't loose it(I Know ,I Know, Its the default) but thats how impressed I was with it. It only gets better from there.
Only downside: Its a HOG W/ long loading times. But It's worth it. IMOT. Hinterholzinger
Thank you so much, Al and Steve for making this possible!
Since I first met Al, I‘ve been dreaming of getting a chance to use those great chambers. For sure those are the most often heard and adored reverb chambers of recorded music history. Using those every day now, besides my Bricasti and EMT plates. The UAD 480L is another big break through in making high quality reverb affordable and easy to use for us all. It combines wonderfully with the Capitol chambers. Just dial in Als favourite settings into both plugins and try to get great sounds from your microphones. Instant historic US greatness - I can feel Barbara, Natalie, Diana, Paul Anka and Frank...
B. Busch
Easy, elegant, done.
OK, so this one probably wouldn't be your best choice for speed metal or the like, but for music that has a lot of open space and in need of that sonic "spackle," or smokey haze, this one is pretty magic. A good option when a plate or spring draws too much attention. Elegant, unique, old school sound, that falls into place, and you can dial it up in seconds. Very little fuss to get to a great sound. Great work team.
P. Coffin
New Era of Reverbs
Honestly, so good. Totally 3D, and just sounds real. Incredible!
L. SCHARK
just as expected
This plugin is simple to use and yet, there's no other reverb that sounds like this one. I'm even considering another UAD-2 accelerator to use it more. Highly recommended. Amazing depth and so easy to use.
N. de Leon
2019 Best reverb plug-ins in the world.
This plug-Ins will give you a warmth vintage sounds on any style of music any instruments work sound good and at NdL records we love it on vocals. Different vibes in a very good way
L. Decavele
Soooooo nice !
Need a natural reverb for Steinway piano tracks records. Amazing !!! So realistic ! Happy with this plugins... As all of UAD plugins
j. lee
Reverb is over.
Since Capitol Chamber.
D. Lambrianos
Unique
Even though I have Bricasti, all UAD reverbs, Altiverb and almost every plugin in the market Capitol Chambers is unique I have can not find this kind of reverb anywhere.
Good job UAD again!!!J. Nix
AMAZING
Plug sounds absolutely fantastic. Unreal.
J. Caputo
Wow! ...just Wow!
I've got some great reverb options including Altiverb and Seventh Heaven. I've long felt that UAD fell a bit short in the reverb department, but no longer. With Capitol Chambers they've caught up. This reverb is just stellar!
R. Holl
Capitol Chambers
Great ! Thanks UAD !
J. Eisinger
In love.
Sounds better than any other reverb but uses a lot of DSP. But seriously it sounds amazing.
D. Marais
Utterly stunning
What a joy to use. Hauntingly beautiful and evocative.
S. Roefs
Something special!
Ooh la la! This is a really gorgeous and special reverb! Nothing quite like it.
J. Roecker
Adds girth...
Great verb for adding body to a sound! Have been using it to add body then send it through another verb for the long tails. Great plugin!
l. wilson
Awesomeness
As the owner owner of Quad 2 ultimate this is my go to plugin
R. Polson-Lahache
Best digital reverb out there thus far!
This is my fav reverb hands down. Lot’s o’ vibe and you can add eqs and compressors on its bus for extra colour. Been wanting to have access to this kind of a sound.
P. Conrad
Best echo/reverb yet
This is by far my favorite echo/reverb plugin now. The sound is just natural and awesome. You gotta demo this plug-in but beware!! You will want it.
F. Schoffelen
Perry Hotter and The Chambers of Reverbness
I use altiverb, chroma verb,FabFilter Pro-R, Ocean way and EMT 140 a lot. These Capitol Chamber reverb-instances are well balanced and bring almost any solo voice or instrument to life. I have tested acoustic guitar and vocals extensively and am very impressed with the EASE of dialling in the Goodness. There is a Putnam chamber on altiverb as well that I can get close to this...but only close. Chamber 4 from Al is a go-to. It is somehow related to how original signal and reverb signal are mixed together again that brings an extra sauce compared to others. Love it.
