Universal Audio Debuts at Audio Engineering
Society Convention
September 24, 1999
Audio companies come and go, but a very few return
for a second engagement. Over 30 years ago, the late M.T. "Bill" Putnam
founded Universal Audio as the manufacturing branch to his many studio holdings.
The products he designed and acquired endure – some, like the 1176LN
Limiting Amplifier, are still considered virtually indispensable in the studio.
Today, Putnam's sons, William and Jim announce the return of Universal Audio in
a new form, with a new mission: authentic reproductions of vintage analog equipment
and innovative digital recreations of landmark technology.
The company will unveil its flagship product line, Universal Audio Classics,
at AES. Initial releases are authentic reproductions of the 1176LN Solid State
Limiting Amplifier and the Teletronix LA-2A Leveling Amplifier. While prices have
not yet been finalized, the LA-2A is expected to fall below $3500, the 1176 LN
less than $2500. Both models are due to ship in Q1 2000. In addition to the Classics
line, the company is capitalizing on Putnam's signal processing background, with
both software and hardware digital emulations of several classic products including
the 1176LN and the LA-2A, currently in development.
The UA adventure began several years ago, when Bill and Jim faced the task
of selling the family home, which required sorting through their father's workshop.
According to Bill, "At first, we enjoyed sorting out all the old test equipment,
boxes of parts and bits and pieces of consoles and half-cannibalized 1176s. But
struggling to decide what to do with all of this history and well, junk was wearing
us out. Just as we were about to close the door on the project and retire to a
cold beer, Jim came across our dad's old design notebooks. We spent the evening
poring over his notes, realizing that this was the map to every technical problem
he'd ever solved. That's when the lights came on and we realized that to bring
back Universal Audio and its products were our destiny.
"Jim and I struggled with what to call our company and products. It was
important to us that this endeavor be a tribute to our father, as it would not
have been possible without him. A little investigating revealed -– much to
our surprise – that his original company name, Universal Audio, as well as
the correct product names were available for use. After all, what could be more
suited to authentic, classic reproductions than the original names?"
These products represent the culmination of a marathon of investigative design,
parts hunting in remote corners of the country, tweaks, re-tweaks, and careful
qualification of vendors. With obsessive attention to detail, UA CEO William Putnam
set a company goal of absolute authenticity; nearly a year was spent locating
and qualifying vendors for the more obscure parts. Each product is hand-built
and tested individually. Modern quality control is applied, but convenience is
always surrendered in the interest of authenticity. Says Putnam, "On the
LA-2A, for example, black wax lacing is used in place of contemporary tie wraps.
At every turn, we opted for original over 'improved' – these products had
to be absolutely true to the originals in both design and performance."
As they come off the line, each unit is carefully "tuned" and tweaked
for optimal performance. Currently Universal Audio has units in circulation among
industry cognoscenti to "bless" their performance. "My dad gave
Bruce Swedien a matched pair of silver faced 1176s many years ago. Bruce now has
a set of my 1176s right next to them in his rack," said Putnam. He adds,
"It is absolutely essential to us that these perform as well as the originals.
The character has to be there, or we won't ship them. That's why we're taking
the time for feedback from the best ears in the industry. Of course, everyone
will have his opinion, but we're confident that we've nailed it."
Universal Audio is based in Santa Cruz, California. Founded by M.T. "Bill"
Putnam's sons, William and Jim, the company also employs Suz Howells, former head
of Product Marketing at Digidesign, as its Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
William Putnam's background includes stints in a number of engineering companies
before undertaking a doctorate in Electrical Engineering at Stanford. It was there
that he joined the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA),
specializing in signal processing and physical modeling. He is also a partner
in Kind of Loud Technologies, a surround sound tools developer, as is Howells.
Jim Putnam is a respected recording engineer and musician, currently on tour with
the Radar Bros. in Europe.
Universal Audio
PO Box 3818
Santa Cruz, CA 95063-3818
(831) 454 0630 voice
(831) 454 0689 fax
www.uaudio.com
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