Learn how UA recreated the rooms, gear, and reverb chambers that gave generations of artists — from Sinatra to Radiohead — their unmistakable sound.
In 2013 Universal Audio released the UAD Ocean Way Studios plug-in, marking a breakthrough — the world’s first true studio emulation. It gave producers the sound of two of the most acoustically revered rooms on Earth, complete with owner/engineer Allen Sides’ expert microphone placements and the studio’s unmatched mic collection.
More than a snapshot of tone, the original Ocean Way Studios plug-in captured the intent behind Ocean Way’s design — rooted in the belief that recording spaces are instruments in themselves. The impact was even greater knowing these “temples of sound” began life as United Recorders, designed by Universal Audio founder Bill Putnam Sr.
Twelve years later, the Ocean Way Studios Deluxe plug-in revisits our landmark title. It preserves the original room sound while adding a new immersive user interface, expanded source options, and detailed emulations of the studio gear that made Ocean Way Recording a legend.
Here, we sat down with Will Shanks, UA Senior Product Designer for Plug-Ins, to discuss revisiting a modern classic, the musicality of real rooms, and how this update captures a fuller portrait of Hollywood’s most storied recording spaces.
What inspired you to revisit the Ocean Way Studios plug-in after more than a decade?
The Ocean Way Studios plug-in has remained one of our most popular tools, and there’s been steady demand for a native version. After the success of our Sound City Studios plug-in, it felt like the right moment to bring Ocean Way forward with the same modern approach.
And what does “Deluxe” mean in this new version?
“Deluxe” signals that it’s fundamentally the same plug-in, but with a broader picture of the studios themselves — what you’d actually have access to if you were working there. It’s also a continuation of work that was limited by 2013’s technology. As Bill Putnam Jr. said, “It’s a completion of the collaboration between Allen, myself, and my dad.” Bill Jr. was deeply involved in the original project, overseeing the capture sessions, designing the first voicing tools, and working closely with Allen Sides on the voicings.
From left, Universal Audio CEO Bill Putnam Jr., UA Senior Product Designer WIll Shanks, and Ocean Way Studio owner Allen Sides in Studio A in 2010 developing the world’s first studio plug-in emulation.
Were you more focused on preserving the original sound or modernizing the experience?
While our tools and methods of capture have been refined, and our voicing systems to create Dynamic Room Modeling have evolved, the original recordings and voicings still hold up perfectly, so those remain unchanged. The redesign digs deeper into the tools each studio had and delivers a more immersive, visually rich experience. After setting a new bar with Sound City Studios, we felt compelled to bring that same depth to Ocean Way.
That says a lot about how you got it right the first time. Was the focus on adding the gear that lived in those rooms, or on making the experience more realistic?
Both. We wanted to include the classic equipment found in the control rooms — the tools the studio was famous for — along with a truer sense of what it’s like to be there. That meant adding the three reverb chambers designed by Bill Putnam Sr., who also designed the studios themselves. There’s also a subtle improvement in realism thanks to natural left/right microphone crosstalk. That detail wasn’t possible in the original Ocean Way plug-in, but it’s now part of Sound City Studios and Ocean Way Studios Deluxe. You might not notice it immediately, but it’s there.
Studio B as seen in the original Ocean Way Studios plug-in (left) and the Ocean Way Studios Deluxe rendering of Studio B (right).
Tell me more about the chambers. Were they part of the original recordings, or newly captured for the Deluxe version?
We’ve actually had these chamber recordings since 2010. We always planned to use them, but the right context never came along until now. It made perfect sense to finally bring them to light with Ocean Way Studios Deluxe.
From left, Fast-forward to 2025 — Allen Sides, Bill Putnam Jr., and WIll Shanks in Studio B putting the final touches on Ocean Way Studios Deluxe.
It’s wild how Capitol Chambers, Hitsville Reverb Chambers, and now these three from Ocean Way, all sound completely unique. Every chamber has its own design, equipment, and sonic fingerprint. Of the three included in Ocean Way Studios Deluxe, one comes from Putnam’s Western Recorders just down the street — the famous “meat locker” chamber we captured years ago. Back in the day, there were tie-lines between United and Western, so they could cross-patch chambers between studios. We’ve recreated that connection virtually.
Chamber A, designed by UA founder Bill Putnam Sr., deep inside United/Ocean Way Recording.
You mentioned how Sound City Studios set a new bar for what’s possible sonically and visually. How does that compare to other companies, or even to Ocean Way Studios Deluxe itself?
I’d have a hard time thinking any competitor could match the level of authenticity we’ve achieved — and expanded on — with our studio emulations. That said, the rooms themselves do most of the work. Sound City has a distinctive tone of its own, but Bill Putnam Sr.’s design sophistication and versatility at Ocean Way stand apart.
There’s a spatial balance and tonal distribution in both rooms that always feels “right.” Putnam called Studio B his “miniature concert hall,” and it was known to be his proudest design. Both rooms are still considered among the best-sounding spaces on Earth.
“The rooms at Ocean Way feel ‘alive’ because they’re finely tuned musical instruments.”
Will Shanks, Senior Product Designer, Universal Audio
What makes the Ocean Way rooms so special?
I was recently there for a video shoot and learned something new — the studios have crawlspaces. There’s a controlled sub-frequency resonance in the floors that adds a subtle but unmistakable depth. I had no idea of the origin until Allen pointed it out.
Studio B, which sits farther back on the lot, has a taller cavity beneath the floor, so the effect is even stronger. While UA’s technology captures those details as accurately as possible, the rooms are really just doing what they do. They feel alive and right because they’re finely tuned musical instruments.
Ocean Way Recording’s legendary Studio A — where Frank Sinatra recorded “It Was a Very Good Year,” Green Day made American Idiot, and Kendrick Lamar recorded Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.
How did you approach capturing how instruments actually behave in those rooms?
Beyond the capture itself, each of the sources we created virtually “excites” the rooms just like their physical counterparts. A grand piano radiates bidirectionally, so our piano setting hits the room the same way. A drum kit fires in every direction, and so on.
The microphones act as lenses that bring focus to those sources and spaces. Combined with Allen’s mic placements across both studios, users can instantly try setups that would take days to recreate in real life. Add Dynamic Room Modeling — which lets you reposition mics — and you get a remarkable level of creative control over the acoustic environment. That’s really at the heart of Universal Audio’s studio emulation work.
Bill Putnam Sr.’s “miniature concert hall,” Studio B where Beck recorded Sea Change, Radiohead tracked and Hail to the Thief, and Ray Charles cut the seminal Modern Sounds in Country Western Music.
What do you think drives the desire to make music in a studio today, even virtually?
I think it comes down to auditory familiarity. You can add reverb to anything, but being in a real space — or a virtual one that feels real — hits differently. Our ears know when a room sounds right. Ocean Way also recalls a time when people made music together in the same space, all playing the same song. Even when you self-produce, there’s still that sense of community and connection.
And how does that translate into modern use for creators today?
Any close-miked recording can be re-imagined with our studio emulations. Drum machines, sample libraries, strings, horns — all of it can sound remarkably “real” once you add that natural movement of air, even virtual air. Ocean Way Studios Deluxe includes around 200 presets, many created by Ocean Way alumni like Allen Sides, Darrell Thorp, Joey Waronker, Johnny Morgan, and Chris Dugan. That sense of community carries into the design itself.
The consoles and gear at Ocean Way are legendary as part of the studio’s sonic fingerprint. How did you capture that character?
Studio A was built around a rare Focusrite console designed by Rupert Neve, which was modified for even better performance. All the Studio A recordings were made through that console’s electronics, so when we expanded Ocean Way Studios Deluxe, including the Focusrite 110 EQ was a natural step.
The extremely rare Focusrite Console built by Rupert Neve found in Ocean Way’s Studio A.
Studio B used the one-of-a-kind Dalcon console, custom-built for Bill Putnam Sr. All B-room recordings went through that desk, with API 550 EQs normalled to its channels. Both EQs are always available in the plug-in, and you can use them in either studio. The Dalcon later ended up with producer Nigel Godrich, which feels fitting given his history at Ocean Way.
The one-of-a-kind Dalcon console, commissioned for Studio B in 1968.
Each studio also features its classic dynamics lineup — Fairchild 670, multiple 1176, LA-2A, and dbx compressors — plus the A-Type “Air” and “Crush” modes we first created during Sound City Studios development.
Are there any new features that might surprise fans of the original plug-in?
We were able to virtually recreate the original “Re-Mic” studio trick in both rooms — blasting your guitar bus, drums, or group vocals through full-range speaker cabinets to transform the sound of a performance. The plug-in models UREI 813s in Studio A and Altec A-2s in Studio B’s iso room. The Altecs are massive theater drivers and they sound incredible.
We also refreshed the close-mic options for guitars and vocals. The guitar cabinets now feature fixed-position mics with axis controls, which combine naturally with the room mics for more intuitive blending. The same approach was applied to the three lead vocal close mics, giving users a setup that’s both familiar and far easier to use than what we shipped in 2013.
The Ocean Way Studios Deluxe plug-in adds Altec A-2 theater drivers for re-creating the original re-mic studio trick.
Those sound like great additions. The classic re-mic trick seems like the heart of the product. Can you explain how the two Modes — Re-Mic and Reverb — work?
The Modes define two distinct workflows. Re-Mic lets you mix through Ocean Way Studios. It completely replaces your original recording with the studio’s full room and microphone characteristics, while keeping the source-to-mic “direct path” that’s essential to each microphone’s sound.
Reverb Mode is designed for blending. It preserves your core tone and transients while adding only the halo of early reflections and decay. By removing that direct path, it functions as a short, natural reverb effect.
In practice, this gives you two creative options — to live inside the room, or to paint with its ambience. Ultimately, I hope they feel like we put them right there, right in these incredible temples of sound.
Thanks for reading! Thoughts? Comments? Let us know at uablog@uaudio.com
— Darrin Fox
