Published 20/5/08
UA unveil future classic and update studio legend
The newest product in Universal Audio’s ever-expanding range of analogue hardware is the 710, a single-channel mic preamplifier and DI. Nicknamed the Twin Finity, it’s got both tube and transistor signal paths. It’s an incredibly flexible and versatile device, thanks to its ‘tone blending’ knob, which allows the user to mix the amount of signal from each signal path.
Turned full left, you hear only the transistor channel, while full right gives you signal from the tube stage, and setting the dial in the centre gives you an equal amount of both. Universal Audio say that, sensibly, the circuitry is phase-aligned, so users shouldn’t encounter any phase problems while blending between gain stages.
The other controls on the 710 include large knobs for input gain and output level, which can be set to deliver everything from clean tones to trashy (or tubey) distortion, while a series of switches enable the user to engage phantom power, a 15dB pad, and a low-cut filter.
Up to two UA 710s can be rackmounted in just 2U of rack space using a kit that’s included with each device but, out of the box, the unit comes in a neat desktop form factor, taking up a relatively small footprint. The UA 710 Twin Finity is set to cost just under £600 ($1000 in the USA) when it becomes available in July.
In other Universal Audio news, an Anniversary Edition of the classic 1176 has been announced. Only 500 of the 1176AEs will be produced, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the re-founding of Universal Audio by Bill Putnam Junior. The AE version of the 1176 combines features from the ‘A’ revision of the 1176 (often referred to as the ‘bluestripe’) and the ‘E’ revision from the early 1970s.
Other features of the new model include the addition of the 2:1 compression ratio found of the 176, a predecessor to the 1176. Because of this modification, the AE version has 2:1, 4:1, 8:1 and 20:1 ratios, instead of the 4:1, 8:1, 12:1 and 20:1 ratios found on the standard 1176LN (we’re told that the all-button trick will still work!). What’s more, a new ‘slo’ attack mode has also been added to the 1176AE, giving the user even more sound-shaping flexibility.
Die-hard gear nuts will be interested to know that the 1176AE will be the first of its kind to feature a black front panel with the blue stripe of the original UA 1176. It’s set to cost just under £2000 in the UK, and under $3000 in the USA.
Source Distribution +44 (0)208 962 5080
www.sourcedistribution.co.uk
www.uaudio.com
The newest product in Universal Audio’s ever-expanding range of analogue hardware is the 710, a single-channel mic preamplifier and DI. Nicknamed the Twin Finity, it’s got both tube and transistor signal paths. It’s an incredibly flexible and versatile device, thanks to its ‘tone blending’ knob, which allows the user to mix the amount of signal from each signal path.
Turned full left, you hear only the transistor channel, while full right gives you signal from the tube stage, and setting the dial in the centre gives you an equal amount of both. Universal Audio say that, sensibly, the circuitry is phase-aligned, so users shouldn’t encounter any phase problems while blending between gain stages.
The other controls on the 710 include large knobs for input gain and output level, which can be set to deliver everything from clean tones to trashy (or tubey) distortion, while a series of switches enable the user to engage phantom power, a 15dB pad, and a low-cut filter.
Up to two UA 710s can be rackmounted in just 2U of rack space using a kit that’s included with each device but, out of the box, the unit comes in a neat desktop form factor, taking up a relatively small footprint. The UA 710 Twin Finity is set to cost just under £600 ($1000 in the USA) when it becomes available in July.
In other Universal Audio news, an Anniversary Edition of the classic 1176 has been announced. Only 500 of the 1176AEs will be produced, celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the re-founding of Universal Audio by Bill Putnam Junior. The AE version of the 1176 combines features from the ‘A’ revision of the 1176 (often referred to as the ‘bluestripe’) and the ‘E’ revision from the early 1970s.
Other features of the new model include the addition of the 2:1 compression ratio found of the 176, a predecessor to the 1176. Because of this modification, the AE version has 2:1, 4:1, 8:1 and 20:1 ratios, instead of the 4:1, 8:1, 12:1 and 20:1 ratios found on the standard 1176LN (we’re told that the all-button trick will still work!). What’s more, a new ‘slo’ attack mode has also been added to the 1176AE, giving the user even more sound-shaping flexibility.
Die-hard gear nuts will be interested to know that the 1176AE will be the first of its kind to feature a black front panel with the blue stripe of the original UA 1176. It’s set to cost just under £2000 in the UK, and under $3000 in the USA.
Source Distribution +44 (0)208 962 5080
www.sourcedistribution.co.uk
www.uaudio.com
