In episode 3 of the Get To Know Your Gear series, the guys from Blorp Corp get to know/pimp the Universal Audio LA-610 Mk II Vacuum Tube Microphone/Instrument/Line Preamp.

This video demonstrates UA’s Moog Multimode Filter plug-in. 

Developed by UA in association with Keyfax New Media, Studio On Screen Vol.1 is aimed at Beginner to Intermediate Level DAW users interested in learning about the use of UA products via an audio-visual journey exploring all the steps a song goes through from demo through tracking, mixing and mastering to a record-company-ready CD master. The DVD is available immediately from UA’s online store my.uaudio.com/DVD at the promotional launch price of $29.95 until December 31st 2006 (a $10 saving from the regular MSRP of $39.95).

“The market is flooded with videos which promise to teach you how to produce music “like the pro” or “mix it like a record.” Said UA’s President, Matt Ward. ” The only problem is that a lot of customers don’t know the basics of how mic pres, compressors and EQs function. So, when we here at UA set out to make our first educational video, we wanted something which would fill in these blanks for a novice or intermediate engineer/producer while still providing enough tips and tricks to interest more seasoned pros. ”

UA Studio On Screen Vol.1: Recording & Mixing From Demo to Finished Master

• Recording Techniques: Mic Positioning, DI, Gain-Staging, Compression
• UA Hardware: 2192, 6176, 8110, LA-610 & SOLO/610 use scenarios
• Tracking Techniques: Audio industry engineering/production pro’s interviewed
• Mix Session examples: UAD powered plug ins. & Steinberg Cubase SX
• CD Mastering Session: Tutorial demonstrating Precision Series UAD plug-ins

Recording and Mixing from Demo to Finished Master takes viewers on the journey of a song; from its modest beginnings in a Solo/610, UAD-1 Project Pak fueled bedroom studio, to a professional recording studio, flush with UA mic pres and compressors and a UAD-1 stuffed DAW all the way to Coast Recorders in San Francisco, where Michael Romanowski masters the track using only the UAD Precision Mastering plug-ins. While this video is centered, on UA products, the concepts and applications presented will be of great interest to all desktop recording customers, whatever gear they use.

“The Desktop Console System (DCS) is a modular product family designed to upgrade and enhance DAW’s by elegantly combining the most useful large console features into a compact “micro-console” form factor. ” said Mike Barnes, VP Of Marketing for UA. “By collaborating with Scott & Rob Silfvast, two of the original founders and ex-executives of Euphonix, UA is poised to bring high-end console quality and pro features to project studios needing console features but with limited workspace and budgets.”

Key Features Of DCS Remote Preamp (Dual Pre & Cue Mixer)

• Dual Mono Or Stereo transimpedance Mic Pre/DI
• Mid-Side (MS) Recording with decoded monitoring
• Headphone amp with 3x Cue mix, Reverb & EQ
• Digitally controlled analog signal path via DCS-Link(tm)
• Remote up to 300′ from base station via CAT-5 cable

” By collaborating with UA, we have combined heritage, sonic excellence and our joint industry experience to design a modular series of desktop studio products. The DCS products uniquely take the best features and working methods of large-format consoles and allow these to be easily integrated into today’s more compact DAW-based studios.” said Scott Silfvast, Product Consultant and co-Founder of Euphonix. “Each DCS unit provides a unique solution for the DAW-based studio that helps to interface the analog part of the studio – humans, mics, instruments, headphones, speakers etc with the computer.”

Key Features Of DCS Monitor Master (Speaker & Cue Controller)

• Mixing/monitoring/recording premium-quality “console master section”
• 100% digitally controlled analog signal path via DCS-Link(tm) interconnect
• Five stereo inputs (three analog, two digital) and five stereo outputs
• Features such as mono sum, dim, mute plus L/R solo, phase and swap
• Flexible talkback & Reference grade 24 bit 192 kHz DAC

More information is available at the Universal Audio site.

“The 2-LA-2 is a feature-enhanced stereo evolution of the classic LA-2A sound redesigned to fit neatly into a 2U rack.” said Mike Barnes, VP of Marketing for Universal Audio. “Uniquely, the 2-LA-2 offers twin T4 cells (one fast and one slow) on each channel which means the 2-LA-2 can be used in conventional dual mono “classic” mode or in fast recovery mode as a stereo bus or drum group compressor which opens up many potential new uses of the LA-2A sound in recording, broadcast and live sound markets. ”

2-LA-2 Key Features

• Sound and circuit of the original Teletronix LA-2A
• Matched slow and fast optical T4 modules
• Linked stereo or dual mono operation
• 2U Rack, Custom UA Transformers, audiophile components
• Designed by original UREI(r) engineer, Dennis Fink

“With ten tubes and four T4 gain reduction modules, the 2-LA-2 is a real breakthrough in optical compression.” said Dennis Fink, Chief analog designer on 2-LA-2. “The real design challenge was to retain all the essence of the “LA” sound within a brand new circuit layout and squeeze it into the desired standard 2U rack. While the 2-LA-2 is not an exact component clone of our classic hand-wired LA-2, this new product created a great opportunity to evolve the next generation of the LA optical compression sound. By adding some extra unique features such as the twin socketed T4 cells on each channel, the 2-LA-2 even allows hardcore tweakers to substitute T4 modules to “tune” compression.”

More information is available at the Universal Audio site.

Version 4.4 includes a 14-day fully functional demo of the second Neve licensed plug-in – the 33609 Bus Compressor. Registered UAD-1 customers may purchase full authorizations of the 33609/33609 SE two plug-in bundle for US$249 from my.uaudio.com

“The Neve 33609 is our most sophisticated plug-in emulation to date and stunningly captures all the subtleties of this classic diode-bridge hardware design.” said Mike Barnes, VP of Marketing for Universal Audio. “Like our 1073 plug-in, we bundle both an exacting no-DSP expense version and a DSP-optimized version (33609SE) for higher instance count scenario’s and also added a unique headroom switch to optimize DAW compression “sensitivity” for use on inserts, groups or the master stereo bus. ”

Key Features:

• Exclusively Neve licensed/UA modeled 33609 bus compressor
• Compression curves and nonlinearities modeled to exacting detail
• Auto-release settings offer program dependent qualities
• “Software-only” controls link and additional 20 dB output gain
• Stereo or mono operation/ SE Version for Higher instance counts

“The completely step-controlled 33609 has its own unique sonic signature created by separate compression and limiter sections, each with their own threshold, recovery and bypass controls.” said Seath Ahrens, UA’s Director of Software. “The compressor section offers five ratio selections and the mono/stereo switch decouples the left and right gain reduction elements and allows us to offer a mono plug-in option with reduced DSP use. But version 4.4 is not only about the 33609, the engineering team has also been working hard on Mac/Intel and X64 driver development. Within days you will see first a Mac/Intel preview release (public beta) which means the UAD-1e can be used on the latest generation of Mac Pro desktops. Win X64 support will follow closely in Q4 2006.”

The UAD-1e Express PAK (US$499 street) and Expert PAK (US$999 street) will both ship in Q3 2006 bundled with UA’s core 15 free Mix/Gtr FX plug-in suite plus a UAD$100 (Express) and UAD$750 (Expert) voucher that customers can use to pick and purchase UA plug-in authorizations online.

“The UAD-1e Express PAK and Expert PAK offer DAW users with new PCIe-based Mac/PC computers access to UA’s DSP-powered and sonically superior mixing and mastering plug-ins.” said Mike Barnes, VP of Marketing for Universal Audio. “This is the first big milestone in our UAD strategy to offer a wider range of UAD solutions, help our customers cross-grade to new systems and give them total flexibility to choose precisely which plugs they actually want at the UA online store – my.uaudio.com.”

Features:

• UAD-1e Express PAK ($499 with UAD$100 plug-in voucher for my.uaudio.com)
• UAD-1e Expert PAK ($999 with UAD$750 plug-in voucher for my.uaudio.com)
• UAD-1 & UAD-1e can be used together seamlessly in the same system
• Cross-grade UAD$ voucher program for existing UAD-1 users who buy a new UAD-1e.

Customers keep their UAD-1 & purchase an Express PAK for an extra UAD$100 voucher, or purchase an Expert PAK for an extra UAD$250 voucher.

“The PCI Express (PCIe) bus offers exceptional performance, lower system overhead, and higher reliability for low-latency audio signal processing while allowing us to maintain software compatibility with legacy PCI and PCI-X systems.” stated Joe Bryan, VP of Technology. “This approach allows users to mix and match UAD-1 and UAD-1e cards in any combination for maximum flexibility. The PCIe bus and ExpressCard system interfaces are vastly superior to other high-speed interconnects, and allow us to run many more channels (up to 254 channels per card), operate reliably at higher sample rates, and offer much more powerful DSP expansion than alternatives using FireWire or EtherNet. Put simply, PCIe is the professional solution.”

About the UAD-1 (PCI) & UAD-1e (PCIe) DSP Cards

At the heart of every UAD DSP Card & Powered Plug-Ins bundle is the same revolutionary UAD DSP technology. Because of its high resolution, floating-point processing, ultra high-speed memory and hardware dithering, the UAD-1 delivers outstanding high-headroom sound quality at sample rates from 32 to 192kHz. Unlike other DSP cards, the UAD-1 uses a single, unpartitioned vector processor, allowing for larger and more sophisticated plug-in algorithms. These algorithms offer a new level of power and complexity not found with host-based plug-ins. By reducing the burden on the computer’s CPU, the host DAW application can deliver more tracks, automation and native effects or instruments.

Universal Audio

“Analog enthusiasts can be confident that the new UA LA-3A is a painstaking and exact replica right down to the original board layout with just 3 modern enhancements that depart from the original design for easy modern studio integration. We added XLR’s to compliment the barrier strip, IEC power for modern international compliance and a rear-switch for the popular “Gain Mod” option that was often soldered to the boards of original LA-3A’s.” said Joe Bryan, Universal Audio, VP Of Engineering.

Features:

• Custom Reissue UA Transformers & T4 Cell
• Rear Panel, “Gain Mod” switch, Barrier Strip & XLR’s
• Discrete, Class A Amplifier-Up to 50 dB gain
• Designed by ex-UREI® engineer, Dennis Fink

“The LA-3A has seen incarnations under both the Teletronix/Universal Audio and UREI® brands and can count many of worlds top engineers amongst its fan base. The new UA clone is based on the most popular UREI®/Universal Audio faceplate version,” said Mike Barnes, UA’s Director Of Marketing. “As with previous UA reissues, our engineers have invested a great deal of research, time and energy in getting the board layout, components and custom transformers exactly right and where they still existed, we returned to the original part vendors. Sonically, we then went through a process of matching and delicately tweaking the signature sound via precision measuring and then real-world studio listening tests until we were satisfied that we were within the unit-to-unit variation of the revered originals.”

Price And Availability:

The LA-3A will have an estimated US street price of $1499 and be available in Q2 2005.

The UAD-1 Ultra Pak is designed for the demanding DAW professionals who need premium sonic quality for mixing and mastering applications and want a large UA plug collection in one convenient bundle. The Ultra Pak includes the award-winning UAD-1 DSP card, plus a complete suite of 24 powered plug-ins including, all the classic UA vintage emulations.

UA uses unique proprietary circuit modeling techniques to capture every subtle nuance of analog studio mainstays such as the 1176LN, LA-2A, Pultec EQP-1A, and Fairchild 670. The UAD-1 also offers innovative “UA Original” plug-ins to enhance production including the Cambridge EQ, Nigel Guitar Processor, Channel Strip, RealVerb, DreamVerb and the highly prized Plate 140. Ultra Pak also delivers the Precision Limiter and Precision Equalizer from the Precision Mastering Series which have been rigorously engineered and studio-tested to reach a sonic class only shared with the very best analog and digital hardware units.

Features:

• The most extensive Mixing and Mastering plug-in bundle offered by UA.
• Includes UAD-1 DSP Card & 24 Plugs covering classic compression, EQ, Reverbs, Guitar FX/delays/modulation and Precision mastering tools.
• Least expensive means to get the most complete set of UA plug-ins in one bundle.
• 32k to 192k sample rate support, up to 4 cards per system
• AU/VST/DX/MAS(OS9) & RTAS – Mac OSX, OS9 & WinXP,Win2K, Win98

“Ultra Pak responds to requests from both users and dealers for the “ultimate” UAD-1 bundle with everything in one package” said Mike Barnes, Director Of Marketing for Universal Audio. “Adding plugs such as the Pultec Pro, Plate 140, Precision Limiter and brand new Precision Equalizer to an already stellar product is the icing on the cake. Ultra Pak is now the best one-stop solution for DAW mixing and mastering. For a complete set of premium audio tools, this is absolutely the lowest price per plug and most amazing value UAD of all.”

For more information, visit the Universal Audio site.

The first three Roland products to be released as UAD-1 plug-ins, the Dimension D Chorus, the CE-1 Chorus and the Roland RE-201 Space Echo, will be made available to customers over the course of 2005.

“Universal Audio has a demonstrated ability to create extremely accurate emulations of classic signal processors,” said Tom Stephenson, Roland’s Manager of Recording Technologies. “In order for Roland to license its trademarks, we must be certain that the level of quality and performance our customers have come to expect is maintained. This is why we are so pleased that Universal Audio will be developing these plug-ins for their UAD-1 platform.”

“We are truly honored to have been selected by Roland to emulate these classic products,” said Universal Audio’s president Matt Ward. “This is a great tribute to the care and detail our DSP and user interface designers put into each plug-in emulation we create. These Roland products have been very high on the request list of our UAD-1 customers and they will be very excited by this announcement.”

Universal Audio plans to release the Dimension D to the UAD-1 user base in the second quarter of 2005. The CE-1 chorus will follow in Q3 and the RE-201 will be release in Q4, 2005.

TDM v1.2 is a free upgrade for existing Universal Audio customers who own one of UA’s classic TDM plug-ins: the 176LN/SE, LA-2A Compressor/Limiters or the Pultec EQP-1A vintage EQ.

Version 1.2 integrates full support for Pro Tools 6.4, and the Accel DSP card which allows us to offer not only significantly more plug-in instances, but also 96k support.

TDM Version 1.2 is also available as a free 14-day demo download from their web site featuring all of UA’s TDM plug-ins.