UA Blog
Apollo Artist Sessions Vol. I: Fab Dupont & Liza Colby
In this Apollo Artist Session, watch and hear producer/engineer Fab Dupont (Jennifer Lopez, Mark Ronson) as he records Liza Colby's "Open Eyed" exclusively through the first generation Apollo FireWire audio interface with Realtime UAD Processing and a UA 4-710d Four-Channel Tone-Blending Mic Preamp.
Mix Prep and the Top 8 Mistakes You Should Avoid
Learn eight common mistakes made in preparing mixes for mastering with insight from esteemed engineer Pete Doell.
Rik Simpson on Producing Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto
Jay Z, PJ Harvey, Natalie Imbruglia, and Portishead are just some of the acts that Rik Simpson has engineered, produced, or mixed during his career. But the biggest name on Simpson’s résumé is undoubtedly Coldplay. Simpson (with two Grammys as a producer to his name) has worked on three of their albums, including their latest, Mylo Xyloto, which he co-produced, engineered, and helped mix.
Analog Tape Recording Basics
These days, owning an analog tape machine is somewhat akin to driving a classic car, with ongoing maintenance, scarcity of parts, and exotic fuel (analog tape) that's expensive and hard to find. So while a handful of top studios still offer those classic spinning reels (and the engineers to maintain them), the good news for the rest of us is that there are now more convenient ways to achieve that classic magnetic sound.
1176 and LA-2A Hardware Revision History
We get occasional calls here at Universal Audio from people wanting to know what era some Universal Audio, UREI or Teletronix piece they bought on the vintage market dates from. So in this post, we're offering a complete revision history of two of our most popular reissues, the 1176LN Classic Limiting Amplifier and the Teletronix® LA-2A Classic Leveling Amplifier.
Understanding Audio Data Compression: MP3s, AACs, and more
Data compression schemes like MP3, FLAC, AAC, and other relatives have fundamentally changed music as we know it. Daniel Keller breaks down the different formats, and how data compression can change the music you make, and how you listen to it.
The Basics of Reverb
From Bill Putnam Sr.’s legendary United/Western echo chambers to modern digital units, artificial reverb is fundamental to modern recording. Learn how this remarkable effect came to be, and how its use — and abuse — can make or break your tracks.
Legendary Mix Engineer Michael Brauer Talks with Universal Audio
Michael Brauer has enjoyed an illustrious 30-year music career, mixing chart-topping albums by renowned artists including Coldplay, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones. Last month he nabbed the coveted Best Engineered Album Grammy Award for his work on John Mayer’s Battle Studies