Bill Putnam Jr – Universal Audio

Anz2006-03-245x100 Resolution 22.2.2006 13:55 Uhr Seite 1 meet your maker What are the technical processes involved in creating a reissue of a classic processor; how Bill Putnam Jr real are the component sourcing issues and how authentic is the result? Universal Audio’s CEO and the man behind much of the direction in the company’s Sourcing components is a big deal. I call it forensic engineering. When recreating a processor, we try analogue and digital products discusses the hardware/plug-in issue, the right to keep everything as original as possible. This ingredients, system modelling, and why it’s all just about allowing people to sometimes involves tracking down parts that have long been out of production. We’ve gone so far as to express themselves. ZENON SCHOEPE track the equipment used to make these parts from the original manufacturer all the way through the more serendipitous. decades of company mergers and acquisitions to their ‘Our father, Bill Sr, passed away in 1989. When new owners and worked with them to remake the the time came to sell the family home, Jim and I original parts on the original equipment. were faced with the Herculean task of cleaning out There is also a synergistic element that we have his workshop and storage areas. At fi rst, we enjoyed experienced from the research and analysis required sorting out all the old test equipment, boxes of parts for creation of our plug-ins. For example, there are and bits and pieces of consoles and half-cannibalised some subtle programme-dependent effects introduced 1176s. But struggling to decide what to do with all of by the LN (low noise) circuitry that Brad Plunkett this history and, well, junk was wearing us out. Just developed for the 1176LN. An understanding of as we were about to close the door on the project and these subtle, but important effects came out of our retire to a cold beer, Jim came across our dad’s old work towards creating a digital model. Intimate design notebook. We spent the evening poring over understanding of circuit elements and their perceptual his notes, realising that this was the map to every impact becomes important in recreating classic gear, technical problem he’d ever solved. That’s when the both analogue and digital. lights came on and we decided that to bring back Universal Audio and its products was our destiny. You’re one of the few companies that ‘Jim and I struggled with what to call our company reissues classic hardware and also and products. It was important to us that this designs plug-in ‘equivalents’; isn’t there a endeavour be a tribute to our father, as it would not contradiction in this stance? have been possible without him. A little investigating Not at all. As mentioned previously, from an innovation revealed -— much to our surprise -— that his original perspective these dual pursuits trade off each other in NIVERSAL AUDIO WAS founded in the company name, Universal Audio, as well as the a positive manner. 1950s by Bill Putnam Sr as a natural extension correct product names were available for use. After From the beginning, UA’s mission has been to Uof his success as a recording engineer, studio all, what could be more suited to authentic, classic break down barriers between digital and analogue designer, and inventor. Putnam was a favourite reproductions than the original names? — bring warmth and character to the digital world, engineer of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, and ease of use to the analogue world. Furthermore, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and many other What’s special about UA gear? we have customers who are most comfortable in a music icons of the time. The studios he designed and We take our role as a provider of tools to the traditional analogue environment and customers who operated were acclaimed for their distinctive sound creative community seriously. We believe we have are most comfortable in a modern digital environment. and provided a fertile environment for his innovations a responsibility to our customers to help them realise We believe it’s our job to help creative individuals and experiments. their creative ideas as best we can. This means within both of these environments be as productive In 2000, Bill Putnam Sr was awarded the Technical making our stuff easy to use, reliable, affordable, and as possible, by giving them the tools that allow them Achievement Grammy post humously in recognition of his above all, good sounding. It also means answering to express themselves as fully as possible with the multiple contributions to the recording industry including the phone and treating them with respect when they best results attainable. You want to plug it in, or you the fi rst use of artifi cial reverberation, effects sends, and call and ask us questions. We aren’t just out for a want the plug-in? Whatever you like, either way it’s the vocal booth. Universal Recorders in Chicago, United fast buck, we believe in the long-view: make our not a compromise. and Western in Los Angeles (now Ocean Way and Cello) customers happy and keep them happy in a way all preserve elements of his room designs. that’s sustainable as a company. Ultimately it’s all How closely can a plug-in match the sound and Putnam started three audio manufacturing about the community we live in. We choose to live in performance of the hardware it is based on? companies during his career — Universal Audio, a community of artists and creative people: that’s who We qualify the plug-ins so they are within unit to unit Studio Electronics, and Urei — and all three built we are and that’s who our customers are. variation, and match the reference units in double-blind products that remain widely used decades after their tests. In most cases, the plug-ins are modelled after a introduction, including the LA-2A and 1176. In technical terms, what is it about certain items highly desired or well known ‘golden’ unit (like the AlWAYS In 1999, Bill Jr and James Putnam relaunched of old outboard that earns them classic status? Fairchild 670 from Ocean Way, or the EMT Plates at Universal Audio and merged with audio software This isn’t a technical issue, it’s a philosophical issue. The Plant), so they may even outperform a typical company Kind of Loud Technologies with the goals The designers understood not just the technology unit. All our plug-ins are tested in the studio over a long ONEONE STEP STEP AHEAD. AHEAD. of reproducing classic analogue recording equipment itself, but most importantly how it needed to work time period and go through several weeks (sometimes . www.ıCLOCK-net.de designed by their father and his colleagues and to within the creative environment. Many pieces of months) of testing and evaluation by a large team of research and design new recording tools in the spirit classic gear seem to share an ease of use, with a experts before we ship them. Many times, this is the of vintage analogue technology. desired artistic result. The designers followed the most stressful part, because we get really picky. REDUNDANT MULTIPLE CLOCK SYNTHESIZER ‘Having grown up in the music industry, we Hippocratic Oath: ‘First, do no harm.’ On an old EQ, AND VIDEO REFERENCE GENERATOR naturally assumed that’s where we would remain,’ the choice of controls might seem quirky, but then What are the technical processes involved in says UA CEO Bill Putnam Jr. ‘Jim, a touring musician you realise it’s really hard to make it sound bad. Those creating a plug-in equivalent of hardware and W! and recording engineer, and our older brother Scott, choices weren’t accidents; they were determined by where are the compromises and limitations? NEW!NNEW!E UK’S ISATION OF a busy studio designer in Southern California, were real audio engineers in real recording situations, not The fi rst step is to locate the ‘golden’ reference units SYNCHRONISATIONYNCHRON OFE FUK’SEREN CE SSYNCHRONISATIONC CLOCK ROF UK’S the fi rst to follow in my father’s path. I took a technicians in a lab attaching shiny knobs to a panel. and the shop manuals. Next, the circuitry is studied MSFSF ATOMICATOMI CLOCK REFERENCEEQUEST! MMSF ATOMICABL CLOCKE ON R REFERENCE more circuitous direction, working in a number It was about what was right for the creative process and some preliminary measurements are taken. A DSP AVAILABLEAAVAILABLEVAIL ONON REQUEST!REQUEST! of engineering companies before undertaking my and the music, not just what was possible. This focus model of the system is created and prototyped, and the doctorate in Electrical Engineering at Stanford. It was on quality extended to the choices of components too. model’s parameters determined from the schematics there that I became closely involved in the Center for Things were built to last, and simplicity was the key. and measurements. Sometimes there are strange Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), Simplicity requires great components. Like a simple non-linear components that need special attention, »iCLOCK is the most comprehensive solution I’ve seen specialising in signal processing. However, the event meal of fresh tomato, basil, oil and pasta; with the and these will be analysed separately before being to the clocking needs of an entire installation.« MUTEC GmbH Rob James, Resolution, January 2006 Siekeweg 6/8 · 12309 Berlin that led us to start (or reinvent) Universal Audio was right ingredients, it can be sublime. integrated in the main model.

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