Pioneering audio recording for more than 60 years.

Universal Audio was founded by Bill Putnam Sr. in 1958, initially focusing solely on manufacturing recording equipment for studios. Bill Putnam Sr. gained recognition and trust from renowned sound engineers of his time, including those working with Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, and many others. Bill Putnam Sr. was deeply passionate about sound recording and widely acclaimed as the 'father of modern recording.' His legendary studios and equipment continue to be in use even to this day.

Subsequently, Universal Audio merged with Studio Electronics Company (SEC) in 1961 and retained the marketing name Universal Audio. Later, Studio Electronics Company (SEC) acquired two more companies, Teletronix and Waveforms. The acquisition of Teletronix from Babcock enabled SEC to produce the popular LA-2A compressor later on. Shortly after that, SEC rebranded itself as United Recording Electronics Industries (UREI), still using the Universal Audio name alongside the UREI logo. However, in the mid-1970s, the Universal Audio label was removed from the UREI 1176 compressors. In 1984, JBL acquired the UREI business, releasing a series of mainly signal processing products, while the UREI name continued to be associated with these products.

Re-founded in 1999

Universal Audio was reestablished in 1999 by James Putnam and Bill Putnam Jr, the sons of Bill Putnam Sr. In its modern era, Universal Audio pursued two primary goals: to produce classic analog recording equipment in the footsteps of Bill Putnam Sr. and to design digital audio recording tools, such as plugins that emulate analog and vintage sounds. Universal Audio focused on recruiting experts in digital signal processing (DSP), resulting in plugins that offer the most authentic analog sound emulation in the audio industry. Products by Universal Audio have gained popularity among professional musicians and have been used in album recordings by artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Coldplay, Dr. Dre, Brad Paisley, and many more, from the past to the present.