Universal Audio WebZine
Volume 2, Number 2, March 2004
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UAD-1 Universe - This Month at Universal Audio

Employee Feature - Sophia Wardlaw, Sales Coordinator

UA Sales Coordinator
Sophia Wardlaw
Sophia Wardlaw (A.K.A. “Zossia”) is our Sales Coordinator, who handles the comings and goings of every unit we make. In addition, Sophia perhaps unknowingly fulfills a valuable role as a pillar of encouragement and camaraderie in the extended UA family. Not content with simply working in the average “9 to 5” environment, Sophia has helped in nurturing the unique UA working environment that people seem to thrive in.

Originally from Georgia (the Georgia in Eastern Europe), Sophia came to the states to attend school. Not long after, she met her man Jeffrey and got married. Sophia came to Santa Cruz with her husband at the beginning of 2002, and simply answered UA’s classified ad in the local newspaper looking for help with administration and Universal Audio has been a brighter place ever since.

What does the Sales Coordinator do?
“I make sure every order is received, processed and leaves the building--and everything in between. That puts me in a great position to work with pretty much everyone at UA, from the hardware production team to accounting. I also help with the trade shows.”

What’s the best thing about working at UA?
“For me, UA is about a great team of people. What makes my job easier? If you have good relationships within your team, it makes it worthwhile and very rewarding. I think people define what UA is all about. You can’t exclude the gear, but I think it is the people that really make it happen. I truly like and respect everyone who works at UA. We work hard and play hard – just like one big happy family. It also gives me great satisfaction in seeing how each individual really takes to heart what every one of us does here.”

How do you like participating in the trade Shows like NAMM and AES?
“I love trade shows! I love the energy, and getting feedback from our end users, and the sales channel. It’s also a very social environment, which I love. I’m a social freak. I love to be around people and that is what gives me energy.”

What’s your most memorable show?
“It has to be AES in New York 2003, when we won the TEC award for the 6176 Channel Strip. It was so intense it was almost unreal. Being there and hearing our name for winning the mic-pre award and being a part of that moment where the energy just couldn’t get any thicker was awesome. We all knew the 6176 was doing so well, from the endless ‘oh’s’ and ‘ah’s’ of our customers. People still want the 6176 constantly. There is never a slow time for that unit! Being there and seeing the tears and joy of the moment was something else. Having something dear to you do so well was a very rewarding experience. That is the moment in UA history that I will forever have in my heart.”

-Will Shanks

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UAD-1 demos at the Remix Hotel, Miami

UA will be joining all the leading software manufacturers at the Remix Hotel Event in Miami, Florida March 7,8,9 to show off the latest plug-ins for the UAD-1 DSP card. The event is hosted by Remix Magazine at the Ritz Plaza Hotel in South Beach. It’s a great opportunity for those interested or involved in the DJ/Remix/Electronica/Dance Music world to check out demos of the latest music production hardware and software.

We look forward to meeting our existing UAD-1 users there, while introducing new users to the UAD-1 plug-in family to hear and see what the UAD-1 can do for their productions.



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Winter Music Conference

Remix Hotel also coincides with the Winter Music Conference, the largest world event of its kind: From March 6 - 10, 2004 thousands of music industry professionals will gather in Miami’s South Beach for dance music's most anticipated event of the year. The Winter Music Conference in its 19th consecutive year is regarded as the singular networking event in the industry, attracting professionals from over 60 different countries.

Every aspect of the industry is represented including the top technological innovators, artists, DJs, producers, radio and video programmers, retailers, distributors, audio manufacturers and many more.

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UA at Frankfurt Musik Messe
UA will also be on the road to Europe demonstrating and exhibiting at the largest musical equipment show held in Frankfurt, Germany at the end of March/early April. Messe is attended by almost 1500 exhibitors across the entire musical spectrum from flugelhorn mouthpieces and hand-made eccentric instruments to the giants of the audio world such as Yamaha, and everything imaginable in between. DJ gear, lighting, stage PA’s, studio gear, guitars, drums, electronics, brass-band instruments - it's all at Musik Messe. If you’ve never been and can get there, its well worth checking out - quite a musical adventure!!

UA will be in Hall 5 Level 1 Booth#D91
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UA Sponsors 1st Prize in Young Film Makers Competition
UA is playing its part in giving young composers access to premium audio gear by sponsoring the 2004 5th Annual Young Film Composers Competition in collaboration with Guitar Center, and other leading pro-audio manufacturers. UA is providing the 1st prize: The TEC Award winning 6176 Channel Strip and a 2192 Master Audio Interface ( worth over $5k ). There are multiple prize categories and the Grand Prize Winner will also get to score one of the great Turner Classic Movies. The competition is open to US residents between the ages of 18-35. See the following links for more information.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Contest open to all legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C., with internet access, age 18-35 (as of March 31, 2004), except residents of Florida, past grand prize winners of this Contest (within the last three (3) years) or individuals under exclusive contract with a publisher. Subject to Official Rules and void in Florida and where prohibited. Contest ends March 31, 2004. For Official Rules, send a SASE to: "Young Film Composers Competition," c/o TCM Marketing, 1050 Techwood Drive, N.W., Atlanta, GA 30318 or log on to http://turnerclassicmovies.com/YFCC
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2192 Master Audio Interface Gets Rave Reviews

The 2192 continues to garner approval and a hardcore fan base in the industry, and was extremely well received in the first wave of reviews. Tape Op, Mix, Audio Media and Resolution all have January 2004 reviews. Here are just a few of the press comments:

"It was one of those moments that reminded me of the reason I became an audio engineer: for the sheer joy of being able to hear the stark beauty of sound. Another telling moment came when my partner, Joel, walked into the room and was shocked to find out I wasn't playing, but listening back."
--K.K. Proffitt, Mix Jan. 2004

"UA has done their homework, and it shows. After using the 2192, both Eric (Broyhill) and I bought one. Sonically, it will stand next to any high end converter around, and when you factor in that it has both A/D and D/A converters plus a comprehensive clocking section, it's an awesome box at any price, but it's not that expensive. And don't forget that the 2192 will go up to 192khz, making it a great investment for the future."
-- John Baccigaluppi, Tape Op Jan. 2004

"The sound is transparent and neutral, imaging is rock solid and noise conspicuous by its absence. Given ideal conditions, golden ears, and a bunch of high-end converters, I am sure differences would emerge, but for all practical purposes the 2192 is as good as it gets."
--Rob James, Resolution Jan. 2004

"I was impressed not only with the performance of the 2192, but also with the ease of interconnection and set up. Although the unit has an MSRP of $2795, it certainly ranks in terms of quality with the priciest of A/D D/A device available in the professional audio market."
Doug Mitchell, Audio Media Jan. 2004

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Dave’s no dog guy, and he was put to the test with our regular in-house cast of canine characters, like “Precious,” shown here defending her water dish.

PSN Editor Endures UA’s Kennel / Pro Audio Atmosphere
Dave Robinson, Editor of Pro Sound News Europe, dropped by this month for a whirlwind tour of Santa Cruz, a UA Factory Tour and to conduct an interview with UA big shots, while quenching his lust for oysters at a beach-front restaurant! Lastly, after negotiating blizzards and chains in his efforts to drive to us from the mountains, we decided it was only fair to let our British Bulldog "Precious" use her considerable "negotiation" skills on her fellow Brit to make certain that UA was uppermost in his mind for the long trip back to the UK ! Dave, who's speaking voice is now an octave higher, also promised to let "Precious" negotiate the PSN Europe ad insertion rates with Sam Patel and left us with the parting comment " In the short time I have known her, Precious has earned my deep respect, and she clearly has a passion for the audio industry... I imagine she has a long and lucrative career ahead in the new and emerging field of Press-Canine Relations. Next time, I promise to remember those dog treats."
-Mike Barnes

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