Scotts Valley company develops award-winning recording equipment

It’s a company rich in decades of musical history and Universal Audio in Scotts Valley still makes equipment for many Grammy award-winning artists.

Universal Audio was first founded in 1958 by Bill Putnam Senior. Putnam was a favorite audio engineer of legendary singers such as Frank Sinatra and Ray Charles.

Putnam passed away in 1989 and ten years after his death, his two sons decided to bring the company back to life.

“My brother and I restarted the company with a vision to capture the great old benefit of vintage analog equipment, but bring that into modern world,” said Bill Putnam Junior, CEO of Universal Audio.

Bill Putnam Junior said they wanted to recreate some of the older pieces of audio equipment his dad invented.

“We make some pieces exactly as they were made back in the 60s and then do stuff with a more modern approach, but still paying tribute to the classic heritage and the great circuits of the past,” said Putnam.

Bill Putnam Junior was able to bring the sounds of the past together with the sounds of the 21st century by using analog and digital technology.

“The vision was to take that old gear that maybe isn’t accessible to people now and do software simulations to get the sounds of old gear in the computer.”

They build 1176 compressors and 610 recording consoles, but employees at Universal Audio also now develop UAD Plug-ins to use digital technology in the recording studio.

“With that and a laptop you’d be able to get a vintage analog studio on your desk. It’s pretty cool,” said Lev Perrey, Director of Product Management for Universal Audio.

The technology Universal Audio is using allows recording artists to be creative and not lose the quality of sound they would get from using older equipment.

“Whether they’re a Grammy award-winning artist or someone like me who kind of hides away in the bedroom and makes music, I think the creative act is so important,” said Bill Junior.

Bill Junior’s father earned a Grammy nomination for a Ray Charles song he worked on. Bill Putnam Senior was also honored with a lifetime achievement Grammy after he passed.

Universal Audio received a technical Grammy several years ago which is given to people or companies who have contributed to technology of music production.

Today, Universal Audio continues to work with many famous music stars and most of the albums nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys use Universal Audio equipment.

To learn more about the company and the equipment made at Universal Audio click here.