A Letter From Bill Putnam, Jr.
___________________________________________________________
- i -
by Babcock Electronics Corporation. My father, Bill Putnam, Sr., purchased the product rights and the
name Teletronix from Babcock Engineering in 1967, folding it into his Studio Electronics Corporation
shortly before he changed the name to UREI.
The 2-LA-2 retains the same key gain reduction components and simple controls found in the LA-2A,
but adds the convenience of a stereo-matched tool made more versatile for today’s studio. It uses only
the finest audiophile quality parts, from metal film resistors and WIMA capacitors to custom input and
output transformers for an extremely low noise floor. While not an exact component clone of the classic
LA-2A, the 2-LA-2 utilizes a similar tube-amplified, all discrete design, and, like its ancestor, the
2-LA-2 compression comes from applying audio signal to an electro-luminescent light panel which
shines on a photo-electric cell, which in turn controls gain. This customized element, called the T4,
provides a dual-stage, program-dependent release time which results in extremely transparent and
natural-sounding compression.
Designed by original UREI® engineer Dennis Fink, the 2-LA-2 provides matched T4s for stereo
operation while retaining the core “sonic signature” components in order to deliver the same
trademark sound of the LA-2A long treasured by engineers worldwide. From drum bus to master bus,
vocals to vibraphones, the 2-LA-2 delivers the same authentic, smooth as silk gain reduction you’ve
come to know and trust with the LA-2A, conveniently reconfigured into a two-channel package.
Most of us at Universal Audio are musicians and/or recording engineers. We love the recording process,
and we really get inspired when tracks are beautifully recorded. Our design goal for the 2-LA-2 was to
build a dual/stereo compressor that we would be delighted to use ourselves—one that would capture
the character of the original LA-2A to create a device that induces that
“a-ha”
feeling you get when
hearing music recorded in its most natural, inspired form.
Developing the 2-LA-2—as well as Universal Audio’s entire line of quality audio products designed to
meet the needs of the modern recording studio while retaining the character of classic vintage
equipment—has been a very special experience for me and for all who have been involved. While, on
the surface, the rebuilding of UA has been a business endeavor, it's really been so much more than
that: in equal parts a sentimental and technical adventure.
We thank you, and we thank my father, Bill Putnam.
Sincerely,
Bill Putnam, Jr.
