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UAD Powered Plug-Ins Manual - 563 - Chapter 57: History
CHAPTER 57
History
Bill Putnam Sr.
The name M.T. “Bill” Putnam retains a unique status in the audio industry hall of fame- it's leg-
endary even among those who are considered to be legends themselves. Called the “father of
modern recording” by no less a luminary than Bruce Swedien, and a “visionary, responsible for
motivating new thinking,” by respected studio engineer Tom Hidley, Putnam was a true renais-
sance man in the world of sound and music. As a record producer, engineer, inventor, writer,
singer, technician, studio owner and businessman, he excelled at combining his talents in a cre-
ative way. A pioneer in recording studio acoustics, Putnam is acknowledged to be the first per-
son to use artificial reverberation for commercial recordings. He also developed the first multi-
band equalizers, and with his company Universal Audio, was responsible for the development
of classic equipment like the 1176LN and UREI® Time Align monitors. He was involved in the
early development of stereophonic recording, and founded studios in Chicago, Hollywood and
San Francisco whose legacy still lives on today.
Early Interests Born in 1920 in Danville, Illinois, he was influenced by his father, a businessman
who also put on radio programs, including a number one country music show. Young Putnam's
interests surfaced early; in Boy Scouts he earned a merit badge in wireless, building a crystal
set and a one-tube radio. By 15 he was taking the ham radio operator's exam and constructing
his own equipment. In high school both his artistic and technical sides emerged full on. He
worked repairing radios and renting out P.A. systems, while also singing on weekends with
dance bands (for five dollars a night, which included the P.A. rental!), developing his interest
in the music business, and realizing, as he has said, that “musicians were my favorite people.”
Universal Recording Corp. Opens in Chicago Technical college followed, then work at radio
stations, and radio engineering work for the Army during World War II. In 1946 Putnam
started his own recording studio, Universal Re-
cording Corp., in Evanston Illinois. His goals at
the time, besides having a successful business,
were the development of new recording tech-
niques and specialized equipment for recording
studios.
To that end the manufacturing company Univer-
sal Audio, which later became UREI®, was
formed. Most of the equipment, including the
console, for Universal Recording was built by