Get the authentic sound of the world's most famous rock & roll studio. 

Produce music in one of the most famous recording studios in history — including the room, mics, iconic console, and outboard gear — as heard on classic records from Nirvana, Metallica, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Rage Against the Machine, and more.*

Add the vibe and character of this legendary space to your drums, guitars, vocals, synths and more — right in your own bedroom or home studio.

• Place your drums, guitars, vocals, and more inside Sound City Studios' famous Studio A 
• Transform your sources with a collection of vintage hit-making mics
• Sculpt perfect guitar tones with expertly placed cabinet and mic setups
• Get the authentic tone of an iconic '70s custom British console, including 3-band EQ and inline compression, based on the legendary Sound City Studios' desk 
• Smash your tracks with Sound City Studios' collection of analog outboard gear including "secret weapon" Dolby A-style effects,** 1176 limiting, and more
• Put your sources in Sound City Studios' lush-sounding reverb chamber

*Use of artist names does not constitute official endorsement of Sound City Studios software.

**Product names used herein are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way affiliated with Universal Audio, Inc. These name(s) are used solely to identify products studied in the creation of the sound models found in Sound City Studios.

In this article

• Operational Overview
• Quick Start
• Studio View
• Mixer View
• Master Effects View
• Equalizer
• Dynamics
• Chamber
• Description Lists
• Factory Presets
• Technical Overview
• History
• Special Thanks

Operational Overview

Sound City Studios is a complete studio in the box, designed around the popular "re-mic" studio trick: Blast the room with your pre-recorded tracks over loudspeakers to transform your sound. The plug-in takes this re-miking concept much further. You can recreate specific Sound City Studios recording setups, with an array of mics that can be dragged to new positions. The plug-in replicates the radiating energy patterns of specific sources such as drums or piano, for unmatched sonic realism and was voiced using real Sound City Studios multitrack recordings, spanning the entire history of the studio.

Sound City Studios includes much more than modeled room sound. The entire audio path of the plug-in captures the tonality of Sound City Studios' famous console. The plug-in integrates tools and effects that were used at Sound City Studios, including features of the original console, outboard gear, and reverb chamber. Master Effects can be quickly enabled and disabled from Studio View, and effects can be reordered by dragging. 

Sound City Studios is built on the famous studio trick of "re-miking" the room for all-new sounds

Modes

Sound City Studios offers two modes of operation. It can be used as a "Re-Mic" processor when full immersion within Sound City Studios' studio space is desired, or in a traditional Reverb workflow using send/return paths mixed with dry signals.

Re-Mic

Use Re-Mic mode to mix through Sound City Studios. Re-Mic mode entirely replaces your recordings with Sound City Studios' complete room and microphone characteristics. Re-Mic mode retains the source-to-mic "direct path" component, a crucial part of every microphone's unique sound. For more information, see Understanding Re-Mic mode.

Reverb

Use Reverb mode to mix Sound City Studios with existing recordings. Reverb mode works as a short reverb effect by artificially removing Sound City Studios' source-to-mic "direct path" component of the mics. With Reverb mode, only the "halo" of the studio's early reflections and decay are heard. For more information, see Understanding Reverb mode.

Views

The Studio, Mixer, and Master Effects views present you with different ways to interact with the mics, level controls, and audio processors. The controls within each view are described later in this guide.

Studio

Studio View

In Studio View, you can make immediate changes to the studio sound. See Studio View for details.

• Choose Re-Mic or Reverb mode
• Choose from a variety of sound sources such as drums, speakers, vocals, and more
• Choose from extensive microphone options
  • Enable Close and Room mics and adjust their levels
  • Drag mics to reposition in the room
  • Adjust mic type, polar pattern, and on/off axis
• Show/hide Mixer and Master Effects Views the sidebar
• Quickly toggle the Room (and mixer), Equalizer, Dynamics, and Chamber effects

Mixer

Mixer view allows you to adjust levels, balance, and other mix settings for the microphone channels, and to adjust the master controls. It also provides Predelay and Mix controls in Reverb mode. See Mixer View for details.

Mixer View

Master Effects

Master Effects view allows you to adjust settings for three post-mixer effect modules, including EQ, dynamics, and chamber, and to adjust the master controls. In addition, you can rearrange the order of the effects modules by dragging. See Master Effects View for details.

Master Effects View

Equalizer

Sound City Studios features a three band, semi-parametric EQ module as found in the studio's recording console. See Equalizer for details.

Dynamics

Sound City Studios includes an easy-to-use dynamics module that gives you access to a range of venerable outboard and console dynamic processors. See Dynamics for details.

Chamber

In addition to the studio room, Sound City Studios' reverb chamber can be mixed into the output signal. See Chamber for details.

Quick Start

Use this section to quickly get started using Sound City Studios. 

Insert the plug-in

Load the Sound City Studios plug-in on a DAW track or bus. Sound City Studios works great on stereo tracks or submixes. For example, you can place the plug-in directly on a stereo drum track, or you can place the plug-in on a stereo submix bus, and then route the outputs of several other tracks to that bus track. 

Sound City Studios opens in Studio View. Studio View allows you to quickly and easily make changes to the overall operating mode, the source and mic selections, mic channel levels, mic settings, and mic distances, and to open the other plug-in Views.

Choose a mode

Choose Re-Mic mode to replace your entire audio signal with Sound City Studios' room, mics, and processors. For more information, see Understanding Re-mic mode. 

Choose Reverb mode to mix Sound City Studios in as a reverb effect, while preserving your dry sound in the mix. For more information, see Understanding Reverb mode.

Choose a Source

At the top of the screen, hover over a Source Category, then click a source from its menu. The bar below the active category is highlighted. Many source types and room positions are available. 

Toggle Room and Effects on/off

At the right side of Studio View, you can toggle the Room, EQ, Dynamics, and Chamber on and off independently. When any module is disabled, processor usage is reduced. 

Adjust mics

At the bottom of the screen, you can choose from up to three mics or mic pairs for each mic position: Close, Room 1, and Room 2. Click a mic to select it. The bar above the selected mic name is highlighted. Try the different mics to get an idea of their sounds.

Move mics around

Drag a mic to move it in the room. A custom cursor that indicates the drag direction appears when hovered, and the mic or mics are highlighted. Mics can move closer to the source, further from the source, or both. Overhead mics move up and down. Some room mics have fixed positions and cannot be moved.

Adjust mic levels

Below each mic, a slider allows you to quickly adjust the mic level for each mic or mic pair. 

Change mic polar patterns or mic axis

Some mic options have selectable cardioid or omnidirectional polar patterns. Try each polar pattern to hear how it changes the sound. 

On guitar cabinet sources, you can choose to place the Close mic on-axis or off-axis. Try both axis choices to hear how they change the sound. 

Mix the Mics

Sound City Studios includes a fully featured mixer for the three mic channels. To open the sidebar and show Mixer View, click the Mixer icon within the view select area on the right side of the Studio View screen. 

For each mic channel, you can adjust the microphone distance, apply cut filters, invert polarity, mute/unmute, and set output level. You can also time-align the mic channels. In the master section you can mono sum, swap the left and right channels and adjust master output level. In Reverb mode, you can add predelay, adjust the reverb mix (when used as an insert), and enable Wet Solo (for send/return use on an aux bus). For more information on these settings, see Mixer View controls.

Adjust Master Effects

Sound City Studios includes three effect modules that you can use to further process your sounds. 

To open the sidebar and show the Master Effects, click the Master Effects icon within the view select area on the right side of the Studio View screen. 

Enable and adjust the Equalizer

Toggle EQ with the IN button. Adjust the Low, Mid, and High bands to taste with the EQ gain and frequency controls. For more in-depth information, see Equalizer controls.

Enable and adjust Dynamics

Toggle Dynamics with the IN button. For quick adjustments, select the processor type then adjust the Amount and Mix controls to taste. For more in-depth information, see Dynamics controls.

Enable and adjust Chamber reverb

Toggle the Chamber with the IN button. Adjust the Amount control to add more or less reverb. For in-depth information on the Chamber control, see Chamber controls.

Select a preset

Sound City Studios includes many presets designed to work as excellent starting points. Click the Preset area to search, filter, and choose presets from the Preset Browser. For more information on managing presets, go here. Factory preset descriptions are available here.

Studio View

Studio View presents a full visual representation of the studio, with the Source, the studio configuration, and the placement of the mics. The positions of the source and the active mics are shown within the room.

Studio View

The locations of the mics within the room are determined by the selected source and the microphone Distance parameters. 

Note: Mics that are muted are not shown in Studio View.

Studio View Controls

Studio View controls are always available whether the Mixer or Master Effects are shown.

Tool tips

To show informational tool tips, click the ⓘ at the lower right side of the plug-in screen. When highlighted, informational text is displayed as you hover over items in Studio View. 

Mode

Sound City Studios offers two modes of operation: Re-Mic and Reverb. Click a mode control to activate the mode. The current mode is illuminated.

For details about the differences between these two modes, see Modes overview. 

Re-Mic

Re-Mic mode entirely replaces your recordings with Sound City Studios' complete room and microphone characteristics. Re-Mic mode retains the source-to-mic "direct path" component, a crucial part of every microphone's unique sound. Predelay and Mix are not available in Re-Mic mode.

Important: For the intended design results and to minimize phasing when Sound City Studios is in Re-Mic mode, exercise caution to ensure the original dry signal is not mixed with Sound City Studios' processed output, as phase issues may occur. If you want to preserve your original dry source, use Reverb mode instead.

Reverb

Reverb mode works as a short reverb effect by artificially removing Sound City Studios' source-to-mic "direct path" component of the mics. With Reverb mode, only the ambience of the studio's early reflections and decay are heard. Due to the inherent nature of the Sound City Studios design, changes to the microphone Distance and Gain settings are less audible in Reverb mode than in Re-Mic mode. Predelay, Mix, and Wet Solo are only available in Reverb mode.

Source

A variety of audio sources, and their natural radiating patterns, were modeled for Sound City Studios. An audio source's placement within a room influences the energy of sound waves throughout the room. Therefore, the active source can have a significant impact on the sound in the room.

Note: Although all placements are optimized, any type of audio can be used with any source selection. Experimentation is encouraged. 

Choosing your source

To change the active source, hover over the Source category (Drums, Acoustic, Speakers, Vocal, or Ensemble), then select the desired source setup from the drop menu. The mic selections and recorded positions are displayed in the Studio View, and the bar highlights the selected category.

When you choose a Source, the mic options and positions return to their expertly curated default settings.

Note: This selection does not change the mixer's Filter, Polarity, Mute, Balance, or Level settings.

Source loading progress

When you select a new source, the source bar flashes while the plug-in updates the algorithm. Algorithm loading is displayed whenever the Source, Mic Select, Mic Distance, or Mic Polar Pattern controls are modified. The complete effect of these control setting changes are not heard until the display stops flashing. Sonic artifacts and/or additional host CPU usage may occur while the algorithm is updating. 

Note that source changes take longer than microphone changes to update. Other parameter changes are subject to shorter updates and are not reflected in the display. See Loading time and audio effects for related information.

Microphones

The microphone channels each have their own set of controls. Close mics are closest to the source, while Room mics are further from the source, to capture more room sound. Not all microphones are available for all sources, and some mics have different features than others. For a list of available microphones and their descriptions, see Available microphones.

Tip: Vocal Solo features two Close mic channels and one Room microphone channel.

Dragging mics to adjust Distance

You can adjust microphone Distance by dragging mics. To drag mics, hover over the mic you want to adjust. The mouse cursor changes to a double arrow. Drag to reposition the mics. This is the same adjustment as changing the Distance control in Mixer View. 

Note: Some mics may be offscreen, and cannot be selected to adjust their distances. Hiding the Mixer or Master Effects sidebar may reveal these mics. 

Mouse cursor when dragging mics

Mic controls

The mic controls are at the bottom of Studio View.

Mic selection

Select among the mics used for each channel within the mic selector footer. The selected mic type is highlighted. Hover over the microphone names to reveal mic images, and click to change the active microphone. The number of available microphones per channel, and their placements in the room, differ for each source.

Tip: Hold Shift while selecting a new microphone to retain the current mic to source Distance. 

Mic levels

Below each mic, a slider allows you to quickly adjust the mic level for each mic or mic pair. This is the same adjustment as adjusting the faders in Mixer View.

Mic polar patterns

You can switch some mics between cardioid and omnidirectional (omni) patterns. To change a mic's polar pattern, click the polar pattern you want to use. Cardioid patterns are more focused and produce a tighter, directional response, while omni patterns capture more room sound and produce a less directional image.

Mic placement (on or off-axis)

When you select a 4x12 or 2x12 cabinet in the Speakers category as the source, you can place the Close mic on-axis or off-axis. On-axis mics capture more of the brightness and edginess of the speaker, and off-axis mics capture a smoother, darker sound.    

Mixer View

Mixer view allows you to adjust levels, balance, and other mix settings for the microphone channels, and adjust the master output controls. When in Reverb mode, it also provides Predelay, Mix, and Wet Solo controls.

Mixer View

To open the sidebar and show the Mixer, click the Mixer icon within the view select area on the right side of the Studio View screen, or click the triangle ( < ) to show the sidebar with the Mixer or Master Effects section. Click the active view icon or the triangle again ( > ) to hide the sidebar.

Mixer View controls

The microphone channel strip controls are available in Mixer view. 

Distance knob

Distance varies the length between the microphones and the source. This is the control that adjusts when you drag mics in the room. This is the same adjustment as dragging the mics in Studio View. The available ranges and default values for Distance depend on the Source and Microphone settings. You can move some microphones towards the source, and some away from the source. Others can be moved in both directions. Still other microphones are in fixed positions. The Distance label below the knob indicates the distance in feet from the source position, and when a mic is FIXED.

Distance display

The Distance display shows the distance from the source to the microphones, in feet. If a mic channel is fixed, the Distance display reads FIXED. Fixed position mics are specialized setups placed near studio surfaces for specific audio results. When a mic channel is aligned, this label reads ALIGNED. For symmetrical mic pairs (those with mics nearly equidistant to the source), the display is an average of the two mic's distances. For asymmetrical mic pairs (those with significant distance differences) the display value is based on the mic nearest the source.

Tip: To return to the default value for the current microphone pair, click the DISTANCE text label.

Align button

When microphones are aligned, the sonic character of their placement in the room is maintained, but the time delay between the source and the microphones that occur in the physical realm is programmatically eliminated. To toggle microphone alignment on a channel, click the "clock" button below Distance. 

For additional details about this feature, see Aligning microphones overview. For related information, see Latency.

Cut filters

Independent High Cut and Low Cut filters derived from Sound City Studios' console can be enabled on each microphone channel. Click the switch to toggle the filter state. The cut filter frequency varies among the sources and channels. See Cut filter values for the filter values.

Polarity invert

This switch inverts the polarity (phase) of the microphone channel. Polarity may be useful when more than one microphone pair is enabled, but may be used creatively as well. See Phase considerations for related information.

Mute

The Mute switch disables the microphone channel so it is no longer heard. Click the switch to toggle the mute state. When a channel is muted, the mute switch is illuminated, and the mics are hidden in Studio View. In Studio View, the microphone enable button is unlit when a channel is muted.

Tip: To quickly solo any microphone, Shift-click any Mute button in the Mixer, or any Enable button in Studio View. The selected mic channel is un-muted and the other mic channels are muted.

Balance

Balance adjusts the relative levels of the left and right mic signals, or pans a mono mic signal to the left or right. When the plug-in is used in a mono-in/mono-out configuration, this control is locked in the center position.

Tip: To quickly return to the center position, click the BALANCE text label. Click the L or R labels to pan hard left or right.

Gain Faders

These faders control the volume level of the microphone channel. The gain range is from off to +10 dB. Gain is at unity when set to 0. This is the same adjustment as dragging the mic level sliders in Studio View. 

Tip: To quickly return to the 0 dB (unity) position, click the associated "0" text label at the fader's unity gain position. Click any fader label to jump to that value.

Bypass

Bypass disables the mixer, all microphones, and the overall contribution of the room's sound. The button is lit red when the room and mics are disabled. This parameter is expressed as Room enable in Studio View. Microphones are removed from the studio when the room is bypassed. 

Tip: Use Bypass to process only with the Master Effects of Sound City Studios. The Master fader remains available when bypassed to adjust the plug-in's output level.

L/R Swap

This switch reverses the left and right channels at the output of the mixer. L/R Swap is useful for changing the perspective from the audience position to the performer position. 

Note: L/R Swap changes the output of the main room only. The Master Effects signals are not swapped.

Mono

Sound City Studios can be used in a mono-in/mono-out, mono-in/stereo out, or stereo-in/stereo-out configuration. The left/right stereo outputs of the mixer are summed to mono when the Mono switch is engaged. When the plug-in is used in a mono-in/mono-out configuration, this control is always engaged and the left/right output channels are summed.

Note: The Mono switch changes the output of the main room only. The Master Effects (for example, the Chamber) remain in stereo.

Master Fader

The Master fader controls the volume level at the output of the plug-in. The gain range is from off to +10 dB. Gain is at unity when set to the zero position.

Tip: To quickly return to the 0 dB (unity) position, click the associated "0" text label at the fader's unity gain position, or click any fader label to jump to that value.

Mixer view Reverb mode-only controls

These controls are only available when the plug-in is in Reverb mode. In Re-Mic mode, these controls cannot be adjusted.

Note: These controls adjust the main room sound only (the Chamber effect has its own controls).

Predelay

The amount of time between the dry signal and the onset of the reverb is controlled with this knob. The range is from 0 to 125 milliseconds. Predelay is cumulative with the inherent microphone delays.

Mix

Mix is used to set the amount of ambience when the plug-in is used in a track insert, versus a send/return configuration. The control determines the balance between the original dry signal and the processed signal.

If Wet Solo is enabled, this control is unavailable. 

Wet Solo

Wet Solo puts Sound City Studios into 100% wet mode. When Wet Solo is on, it is the equivalent of setting the Dry/Wet knob value to 100%.

Wet Solo defaults to On, which is optimal when using Sound City Studios in Reverb mode in the "traditional" reverb configuration (placed on an effect group/bus that is configured for use with channel sends). When Sound City Studios is used on a channel insert in Reverb mode, deactivate this control to adjust the Dry/Wet mix.

This control uses a logarithmic taper to provide increased resolution when selecting lower values. When the knob is in the 12 o'clock position, the value is approximately 15%.

Master Effects View

The Master Effects view of the plug-in can be used to apply EQ, dynamics, and ambience from Sound City Studios' reverb chamber. 

Master Effects View

To open the sidebar and show Master Effects, click the Master Effects icon within the view select area on the right side of the Studio View screen, or click the triangle ( < ) to show the sidebar with the Mixer or Master Effects section. Click the active view icon or the triangle again ( > ) to hide the sidebar.

Working with Master Effects

• To show Master Effects, click the Master Effects icon at the right of the plug-in screen. When shown, the Master Effects expand into Studio View, and when hidden, Studio view returns to full size.
• To enable any effect, click the IN button to toggle the module on/off. A module is enabled when its button is lit. 
• When a module is toggled off (IN button is unlit), Sound City Studios uses less processing power. 
• To toggle an effect module in Studio View, click its related icon. 

Reordering Master Effects

To reorder the effects, drag a Master Effect module to a new position. Hover over the bottom title strip of the module. A custom up/down cursor will appear. Drag the effect module to the desired position.

Equalizer

The Equalizer module allows you to adjust the frequency balance of the output from the mixer. 

Equalizer controls

Gain

The gain for each equalizer band is adjusted with the upper knob. Rotate the control clockwise to increase the gain, or counter-clockwise to reduce the gain.

Tip: Click the + or - labels to adjust the gain in 1 dB increments. 

Frequency

The equalizer low shelf, mid band, and high shelf frequencies are specified with the lower knob.

To set the equalizer band frequency, rotate the knob or click the frequency text label.

Low Band

• Frequencies: 35 Hz, 60 Hz, 110 Hz, 220 Hz

• Gain Range: ±15 dB

Mid Band

• Frequencies: 350 Hz, 700 Hz, 1.6 kHz, 3.2 kHz, 4.8 kHz, 7.2 kHz

• Gain Range: ±20 dB

High Band

• Frequencies: 10 kHz, 12 kHz, 16 kHz

• Gain Range: ±20 dB

Dynamics

The Dynamics module allows you to process the output of the mixer with six dynamics processors that were available at Sound City Studios. 

Dynamics controls

Amount

Amount adjusts the gain reduction, expansion, or other dynamic effects applied to the signal. Add more of the effect as you rotate the knob clockwise. 

Type

Rotate the switch or click the processor's text label to select the dynamic processor type. 

• Excite: Replicates the classic Sound City Studios trick using the Dolby A noise reduction system engaged on input only. It creates a unique multi-band dynamic effect similar to later "exciter" technology.

• Air: Also known as the "stretch mod," this disables the two lower bands of the Dolby A system to create an airy, hyped multi-band expansion. Often applied to vocals and solo instruments; use the Mix control to blend.

• Crush: A modified version of the Dolby A system converted to a single band. It provides an aggressive yet transparent room crush effect with a 4:1 compression ratio.

• Gated: Places a gate effect in front of the Crush compressor. Note that the gate is not affected by the Mix knob. Set Mix to 0% for gate-only effects.

• Bus: Based on the Sound City Studios' diode-based console compressor. Features a gentle 2:1 ratio and multi-stage auto release. Ideal for transparent bus compression or solo vocals.

• 1176LN: The classic UA 1176 FET limiter at a 20:1 ratio. It features progressively faster attack and release settings as the Amount is increased.

Mix

Controls the mix of the source signal with the dynamic processor's signal for parallel wet/dry effects. Rotate the knob clockwise to blend in more signal from the dynamics processor.

SC Link

Provides Linked (Stereo) or Unlinked (Dual Mono) dynamics sidechain operation.

• When SC Link is Off, the L/R dynamic processors are unlinked, and the amount of compression that occurs is completely independent for both channels, for creative effect. If one channel has higher signal peaks than the other channel, the left-right stereo image may shift.
• When SC Link is On, the L/R dynamic processors are stereo linked and the amount of dynamic processing is always the same for both channels. This setting prevents left-right shifting of the stereo image at the output that can occur when one channel has higher signal peaks compared to the other channel.

Tip: Click the text labels to switch the SC Link settings.

SC Filter

The SC Filter (sidechain filter) options allow you to filter the input signal to the dynamics detector, to control the dynamics process across the frequency range. This three-way switch has the following settings:

• Tilt (left) – Applies a 3 dB/octave linear filter, for a low to high shift in the dynamic response to the signal across the frequency range. 
• Off (middle) – No sidechain filter is applied.
• Low Cut (right) – Applies a 12 dB/octave low cut filter at 150 Hz to minimize low frequency detection and reduce "pumping" with bass-heavy content.

Tip: Click the images to switch the SC Filter settings.

Chamber

The Chamber module allows you to mix in the return from Sound City Studios' reverb chamber. The natural response from the Sound City Studios chamber is represented by the Long setting, but we also include four shorter "beyond reality" settings for increased flexibility.

Chamber controls

Mics

The Mics switch allows you to choose one of three modeled mic pairs in the reverb chamber.

• KM84: Spaced small-diaphragm cardioid condenser microphones with excellent transient response and crisp high-end detail.

• R121: Modern classic figure-8 ribbon mics in a Blumlein arrangement; these provide a natural frequency balance to Sound City Studios' chamber.

• RE50: Spaced omnidirectional dynamic broadcast mics with a wide reach and natural frequency rolloff.

Amount

Adjusts the amount of chamber return signal, from 0–100%. This is not a wet/dry control, but a reverb level return. 

Decay

The Decay switch includes five positions, from Long to Short. Move the switch to adjust the decay. 

Tip: Click the text labels (and in between the text labels) to switch between the five decay lengths. 

Predelay

Predelay sets the amount of time before you hear the chamber return signal. Rotate the knob to set the predelay amount. The range is 0–250ms. 

Tip: Click the 0, 50ms, or 250ms text labels to set Predelay to those values.

Width

Sets the stereo width of the chamber return signal. Rotate the knob to set the width from 0% (mono) to 100% (fully stereo). 

Tip: Click the 0, 50, or 100% text labels to set the Width to those values.

Description Lists

Available microphones*

• 77DX: An iconic figure-8 pattern ribbon mic, presented in mono — the 77DX is an American classic found on sessions throughout Sound City Studios' history.

• C12: This beloved German condenser is an early large-diaphragm design providing a clear and present sound, employed here for mono cardioid use cases.

• C24: Sound City Studios' stereo C24 condenser features a quad large-diaphragm design, with fantastic off-axis response, used widely in Sound City Studios for stereo omni.

• C414: The compact and versatile C414 large-diaphragm condenser descended from the tube C12, a studio staple at Sound City Studios since the early '70s.

• U67: U67 tube large-diaphragm condensers are best known for warm and smooth tonality, and are often used as wide stereo pairs at Sound City Studios. On a close-miked cabinet, the vintage U67 condenser provides large-diaphragm punch and detail with its cardioid pattern response.

• KM54: The KM54 tube-amplified, medium-diaphragm cardioid features a nickel capsule that provides maximum on-axis sensitivity and vintage tone.

• KM84: A studio staple small-diaphragm condenser microphone, the KM84 has incredible transient response and imaging, perfect for capturing fine sonic details.

• M160: The M160's double-ribbon design adds vintage vibe when placed right up to the grille on the Cab sources in Sound City Studios, useful both on or off-axis.

• SM57: This dynamic cardioid studio workhorse has been a staple of guitar cabinet recordings for more than 50 years. The SM57 features a familiar bass roll-off and mid-range presence.

*Microphone names are all trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way affiliated with Universal Audio, Inc. or Sound City Studios. These microphone names, descriptions and images are provided for the sole purpose of identifying the specific microphones studied during Universal Audio's sound model development and to describe certain microphone sound qualities and performance characteristics.

Cut filter values

Drums (Live / Tight / Corner)

• Close: 45 Hz Low Cut / 10 kHz High Cut

• Room 1: 70 Hz Low Cut / 8 kHz High Cut

• Room 2: 70 Hz Low Cut / 8 kHz High Cut

Speaker (2x12 and 4x12 Cabinets)

• Close: 70 Hz Low Cut / 8 kHz High Cut

• Room 1: 160 Hz Low Cut / 6 kHz High Cut

• Room 2: 160 Hz Low Cut / 6 kHz High Cut

Vocal Solo

• Close: 70 Hz Low Cut / 10 kHz High Cut

• Room 1: 70 Hz Low Cut / 10 kHz High Cut

• Room 2: 160 Hz Low Cut / 8 kHz High Cut

All Other Sources

• Close: 70 Hz Low Cut / 10 kHz High Cut

• Room 1: 160 Hz Low Cut / 8 kHz High Cut

• Room 2: 160 Hz Low Cut / 8 kHz High Cut

* Vocal Solo has Close 1, Close 2 and Room Mics

Factory Presets

The factory presets* capture ideal microphone selections and placement positions for each source. Sound City Studios presets are available in the UAD Toolbar's preset manager. Presets are tagged, so you can easily find presets designed for Re-Mic and Reverb mode, as well as FX-Only presets which bypass the Room and use the effects only.

As a starting point, presets tagged Flat enable only a single mic setup, with the mixer zeroed out and all effects disabled. Use these presets to build up a sound based on a particular source setting. 

Choosing presets differs from simply choosing different Source and Microphone selections. The presets are designed to provide excellent starting points for customization, and as an easy way to quickly get a great sound.

Note: Some presets use Master Effects only, with the Room disabled. When you load such a preset, no microphones appear in the Studio View. 

• 1176 Gobo Snare: Heavy compression creates an explosive snare sound

• A Bangin' Drum Room: Heavy compression on mics balanced for a close yet roomy feeling, makes for a huge drum sound

• Acoustic - Live: Starting point for roomy acoustic instruments

• Acoustic - Piano: Starting point for piano

• Acoustic - Tight: Starting point for tighter acoustic instruments

• Acoustic Guitar Ambience - Live: Mono and stereo mic configurations add liveliness but maintain a focused acoustic guitar tone

• Aggressive Bass Space: Apply to synth basses to accentuate aggressive higher frequencies while keeping sub frequencies "in your face"

• Airy Horns: Based on 1976 horn section recordings, use in parallel to add space to thin horns

• Articulate Group Vocal: Add stereo ambience to a group vocal while maintaining clarity

• Attitude Cab V - Gobos: Add classic 2x12 cab tone and attitude to "no cab" with a tight space

• Background Vox Air: Based on recordings from 1976, add Air encode and Chamber reverb to lift background vocal stacks

• Ballad Strings: Add vibrancy and space to string or orchestral recordings

• Bass DI to Cab Grinder: Based on 1979 rock bass DI recordings, add amp grind to a flat bass track

• Beefy Elec Piano: Based on late '70s DI electric piano re-miked through a guitar cabinet and processed with Excite compression and air

• Beefy Stereo Guitars: Re-Mic config for a stereo guitar bus. Uses PA speakers with gobos, for guitars that were originally recorded through speaker cabs. Maintains stereo width, great for hard panned or double-tracked guitars. EQ'd to tame the low end on the 414s and subtle bus compression for "glue"

• Big Piano: Based on late '70s piano tracks, re-miked with 414s and a ribbon 77DX for cut

• Big Rock Drum Room: Hyped room tone with 1176LN compression adds impact and energy for great rock drums

• Big Wide Pads: Room mics add stereo width while Air encode and Chamber add plenty of brightness and a long tail for ethereal pads

• Bizarre Love Gate: Gated Chamber sound inspired by thwacky gates on '80s synth-pop hit

• Blues Horns: Transforms flat, close-miked horns to moody and lively brass

• Breathy Lead Vocal: Based on recordings from 1976, Air encode in parallel brightens up softer vocal passages

• Bright Acoustic - Gobos: Add brightness and roominess to guitars or any acoustic instrument

• Bright Female Vocal - Live: Subtle room tones and brightening EQ add character and ambience to vocal tracks

• Brightzilla: Uses Chamber to emulate a 480 plate

• Buildings: Room through the Chamber creates the sound of an outdoor, as if surrounded by high-rise buildings

• Chugging Electric Guitar - Live: Add beefiness to rhythmic electric guitar

• Clapper: Add brightness, depth, and liveliness to claps

• Classic Rock Vocal: Add subtle room tone to vocal recordings to place the singer in front of the band

• Clean Room: Only uses Room 2 mic, keeping the room tone out of the way of the original signal

• Clear Lead Vocal: Two close vocal mics and Air encode work to lift vocal front and center, with stereo ambience for a naturally clear sound

• Comeback: Chamber with long pre-delay

• Crushed Live Snare: Heavy compression and chamber add grit and space to snare

• Crushed Pepper and Honey: Parallel crush and sweetening EQ with no Room. Use on drum bus or master bus for lots of character

• Dead Kick Fixer: Based on recordings from 1976, adds Air encode to help light touch and boomy kick drums cut through the mix

• Dirty Amp Clav: Based on late '70s rock sessions, use to make a DI clavinet dirty and punchy

• Dirty Blues Shag: Based on baffled and tight original recordings from 1974, add thickness to drums with reduced reflections

• Dirty Vintage Drums: Ideal for adding liveliness to very dry, close-miked drums or tight samples

• Disco Strings: Classic string ensemble sound with close and room mics

• Dobro Lol Blues: Based on baffled and tight original recordings from 1973, add depth to dead drums and space to guitars

• Drum Bus Live: Live Re-Mic config for stereo drum bus, great for combining recorded tracks and samples into a single multi-miked kit. Subtle EQ cleans up room boxiness and Crush dynamics enhance the room mics

• Drum Slam Dunk: Three-mic configuration time-aligned with gobos creates tight, punchy low end with detailed mids and highs highlighted by Crush dynamics

• Drums - Corner: Starting point for drums in the wood corner

• Drums - Live: Starting point for drums with open space

• Drums - Tight: Starting point for drums with gobos

• Dulcimer Ostinato - Gobos: Acoustic space tuned for adding room and liveliness to dulcimer

• DX Bass Room: Subtle enough to enhance percussive bass sound while maintaining punch

• Early Blue 90s: Based on 1991-92 sessions, uses slightly compressed room mics for drum ambience

• Electric Sitar Space: Add dimension and ambience to sitar recordings

• Electronic Snare Ambience: Everything aligned in order not to skew transients, and just enough compression to make the snare pop

• ElectroRoom: Thick room that will beef up an 808

• Elong Gate: Yep... a long gate

• Ensemble - Horns: Starting point for horns

• Ensemble - Strings: Starting point for strings

• Feel My Heat Vocal: Beautiful presence and subtle space for any vocal

• Firework Show: Uses pre-delay on both the Room and the Chamber to simulate the long, bouncy reflections of a firework show

• Flat n Dry Mono Vocal Fixer Upper: Add life and sparkle to a dry flat, vocal, with Air encode and a medium Chamber for stereo width

• Folk-Soul Vocal - Live: Clean and vibrant vocal sound with subtle room tone

• Forgot the Room Mics: Reverb mode setting adds stereo room mics to close-miked drum kits. Also great for samples, e-drums, or anything else recorded without a dedicated room mic

• Frozen Acoustics: Excite adds dynamic sparkle and fast transient compression. Use for finger-picked acoustic guitars a la Keith Olsen

• Full Kit on a Send - Corner: Send your drum bus to this preset for open, natural and musical room tone from the wood corner

• Full Kit on a Send - Gobos: Send your drum bus to this preset for open, natural and musical room tone with gobos for control

• Full Kit on a Send - Live: Send your drum bus to this preset for open, natural and musical room tone in the live room

• Funky Horns: Make your horns shine with this multi-mic setup that adds depth and character

• Gang Vocal: Adds dimension and character to group vocals

• Gate the 808: Based on early Chicago House trick to make an 808 sound bigger, when most producers could not afford sample-based drum machines

• Gladiator Chamber: Thick compressed chamber through the mics

• Glassy Air Acoustic: Based on recordings from 1976, Air encode in parallel adds glass and jangle to dark acoustic tracks

• Gospel Dom Vox: Based on early '70s choir tracks with room chamber for cathedral or hall type ambience

• Group Choir Vocal: Room and Chamber adds space and texture to group vocals

• Group Vocal Pads: Room tone widens the stereo field and adds dimension to sustained vocal pads

• Guitar - 2x12 Live: Starting point for DI/no cab electric guitar with a 2x12 in the live room

• Guitar - 2x12 Tight: Starting point for DI/no cab electric guitar with a 2x12 and tighter room

• Guitar - 4x12 Live: Starting point for DI/no cab electric guitar with a 4x12 in the live room

• Guitar - 4x12 Tight: Starting point for DI/no cab electric guitar with a 4x12 and tighter room

• Guitar - PA Live: Starting point for electric guitar in the live room

• Guitar - PA Tight: Starting point for electric guitar with tighter room

• Guitar Diver n Holy Piano: Based on early '80s heavy-metal sessions, guitar cabinets were placed where the piano usually sits. Use with pre-recorded tracks to blend in the wood corner ambience

• Guitar Solo Thickener: Accentuated midrange adds presence and character to guitar solos

• Intimate and Round Corner Kit: Close mics add character and subtle space ideal for drums

• Krushed Drum Knots: Based on metal recordings from 2001 with crushed room mics added to drums

• Languid Strings: A blend of close and room mics adds beautiful space for strings or other acoustic instruments

• LCR Wide Rock Guitar: Based on 1979 rock guitar recordings where mics are spread across the stereo spectrum, use to add width to mono rhythm guitars

• Lead Guitar Ambience: Re-mic config for lead guitars recorded through a speaker cab. Uses PA speakers without gobos. Best as an insert on mono tracks, but also works on stereo buses without hard panning

• Live and Bright Drum Room: Room mics and Air encode add sparkle and depth to any drum recording

• Live Guitar Tracking Room: Based on rock recordings where multiple mics were used to create a wide spread. Use with "no cab" guitar tracks

• Memphis Style Horns: Add dimension and classic soul character to horns tracks

• Mighty M Cab - Live: Huge 4x12 cab tone with gentle console compression for "no cab" guitar tracks

• Mono Guitar C12 - Live: Two mono C12s add close, roomy tones to acoustic guitar recordings

• Mono Piano Space: Apply to mono piano recordings for beautiful stereo width and space

• My Big Drums: Drums in the corner with heavy Excite processing, adds lots of character to dry kick drums

• Organ-ic Room: Complements a B3 organ and Leslie sound

• Parallel Vocal Ambience: Reverb mode setup for lead vocals creates subtle space around the vocal and adds presence from parallel Excite dynamics

• Percussive Piano: Based on late '70s piano tracks with Excite compression and air, and Chamber patched in for reverb

• Pizz Strings: Beautiful texture and space complement plucked stringed instruments

• Plucked Acoustic Guitar - Gobos: Tight acoustic space ideal for plucked guitar or stringed instruments

• Plucked Synth Space: Adds "thwack" to synths

• Power Chord Guitar - Gobos: Tight room sound thickens and focuses heavy guitar tones

• Punk Rock Cab V - Live: Perfect for adding depth and classic tone to aggressive and rebellious heavy guitar recordings

• Real Jazz Piano: Add instant vibe and realism to any piano recording

• Real Slap: Pre-delay on the room mimics the real world response of an echo slap back with diffusion

• Rich Female Vocal - Live: Classic ribbon mic captures clean and present female vocal with subtle room tone

• Rock Piano: Classic piano room tone and texture with 1176 compression

• Rockabilly Ribbons: Based on 1990 Americana sessions, uses ribbon mic in the wood corner for extra punch

• Sa Squash: Compresses the Chamber to make the tail as long as possible

• Sax-Fest: Chamber and compression add big room tone and space to saxophone or other brass recordings

• Scoring Stage: Shorter, darker chamber to simulate rooms like Trackdown and Teldex

• Seventies Background Vocals: Re-mic config for stereo background vocal bus. Lots of Air encode compression, for classic '70s background vocals. Maintains stereo width well, great for hard-panned vocals

• Sizzler: Lots of Air and nothing else, use where you would normally use OTT for sizzle

• Smooth Jazz Piano: Room-heavy mic blend adds beautiful ambience and space to dry piano

• Sound City Studios Snare - Corner: Classic Sound City Studios snare drum tone heard on countless records in the wood corner

• Sound City Studios Snare - Gobos: Classic Sound City Studios snare drum tone heard on countless records in the room with gobos

• Sound City Studios Snare - Live: Classic Sound City Studios snare drum tone heard on countless records in the live space

• Stereo Clean Guitar Air n Verb: Excite brings out air and jangle in clean electric guitars, and Chamber adds ambient width

• Stereo Drum Machine Punch: Sidechain-filtered Crush compression brings out kick while compressing snare and toms for punch and depth

• Stop Draggin Drums: Reverb mode settings based on the 1981 session with U67s placed across "woody" wall to add thick air to drums and band playing live in the room

• Stop Draggin Guitar Lead Room: Reverb mode setting based on the 1981 session, recreating the roomy lead guitar sound. Use with a miked guitar track

• Stop Draggin Guitar Lead w2x12 Room: Re-mic mode setting based on the 1981 session, recreating the roomy lead guitar sound. Use with "no cab" guitar track

• Strummy Acoustic Space - Live: Add depth, dimension, and presence to acoustic guitars

• Super Tight Room: Just the close mic for tight ambience

• Sweet R&B Corner Kit: Asymmetrical mic placement adds beautiful space and texture to dry drums

• Synth Bass Space Maker: Add stereo width, depth, texture and character to a mono synth bass

• The Classic: Standard room mics setup great for drums, guitar and more, a great starting point

• Thick Acoustic Space - Gobos: Classic Sound City Studios recording setup creates ambience and space for any acoustic instrument

• Thick Shag: Based on baffled, tight original recordings from 1974. Adds thickness to drums without heavy reflections

• Tidy M Cab - Gobos: 4x12 cab with tight room tone and console compression adds width and liveliness to "no cab" electric guitar

• Tight High Electric - Gobos: Width, depth and character perfect for electric guitars

• Toronto Strings: Based on early '70s string tracks with added depth from room mic and parallel chamber

• Twelve String Acoustic - Live: Add natural width and dimension to lifeless acoustic guitars

• Upfront: Uses Excite to replace OTT and add thwack

• Upright Bass Place: Add organic texture and stereo width while accentuating finger-picking and fret noises

• Vocal - Group: Starting point for group vocal

• Vocal - Solo: Starting point for solo vocal

• Vocal Choir BVGs: Close stereo and hard-panned room mics retain width, with a mono room ribbon front and center for warmth, topped off with Air compression

• Vocal Choir BVGs 2: Close mono condenser mic keeps presence front and center, wide room mics retain width, topped off with Excite compression

• Wet & Present Vocals: Re-Mic config for lead vocals, embraces the sound of the room while keeping the vocals on top of the mix with a healthy dose of Excite, great for indie rock vocals

• Wide Cross Room Warmth: Uses a U67 in the middle of the room panned left, and another in the back corner panned right for a wide spread. Plenty of Crush compression, a healthy low cut and boosted midrange warmth, great on all instruments

• Wide Drum Corner: Compressed and hyped drum room adds plenty of width

• Wide-2-Narrow: Wide room mics and a long mono chamber create dynamic and interesting movement in the stereo field, great for staccato instruments

• Yacht Rock Piano: Roomy mics and Chamber reverb add vibe and space, while maintaining clarity for piano

*Product names used herein are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way affiliated with Universal Audio, Inc. These name(s) are used solely to identify products studied in the creation of the sound models found in Sound City Studios.

Technical Overview

Sound City Studios reinvents ambience processing with UA's proprietary Dynamic Room Modeling technology, an exclusive combination of signal processing and advanced measurement techniques. Eclipsing standard convolution reverbs — which can only provide a static snapshot — Dynamic Room Modeling opens up the full spectrum of the studio's ambience possibilities. 

Specifically, Dynamic Room Modeling models the unique radiation properties of various sources, as recorded through a selection of microphones that can be repositioned in the room, in real time, by simply dragging. This technology allows you to immerse your tracks in one of the world's most famous recording studios, with an unparalleled level of sonic realism. 

Ideal mic selections and placements are provided in Sound City Studios, along with a detailed package of Sound City Studios' console and outboard effects — the exact room and setups used to record some of the biggest acts of all time. 

Sound City Studios is sonically superior in terms of overall model accuracy and dynamic customization to any previous room modeler.

Modes overview

Sound City Studios offers two modes of operation: Re-Mic and Reverb. These modes process signals in fundamentally different ways. 

For additional details about Reverb and Re-Mic modes, see Understanding Re-Mic mode and Understanding Reverb mode.

About recorded sound components

Whenever a sound source is recorded in a naturally reverberant space, there are three primary sound components (shown below) that are captured by the microphone.

• Direct signal – This is the sound path that travels directly between the source and the microphone, without any reflected sounds from the walls, floor, ceiling, and objects.
• Early reflections – These are the still-distinct individual reflections that are reflected off the walls, floor, ceiling, and objects before reaching the microphone.
• Late field (aka reverb tail or ambience) – This is the indistinct "wash" that decays over time, that consists of all reflections in the room. The tail is usually considered the main component of reverb.

Understanding Re-Mic mode

Re-Mic mode is a tool for "replacing" the original dry audio signal.

In Re-Mic mode, Sound City Studios essentially plays your recorded tracks through virtual sources placed in the room, then captures them with an array of ideally-placed microphones. The processed signal captures the sonic signature of the studio, the source and its radiation patterns, and the microphones with more accuracy and realism than is possible with generic impulse response players or other reverb processing.

Using Re-Mic mode

Use Re-Mic mode to mix through Sound City Studios. Re-Mic mode entirely replaces your recordings with Sound City Studios' complete room and microphone characteristics. Re-Mic mode retains the source-to-mic "direct path" component, a crucial part of every microphone's unique sound. Predelay, Mix, and Wet Solo are not available in Re-Mic mode.

The illustration below shows how to configure the Re-mic workflow in a DAW. In this example, all the drum outputs are routed to a submix bus instead of the main outputs. Sound City Studios is inserted on the submix bus return, and the plug-in is configured in Re-Mic mode. Note that effect sends are not used in this configuration.

In Re-Mic mode, the dry/wet Mix control is not available, so the original dry signal does not stack or "phase" against the modeled direct component signal. Instead of an effect bus return (or mix control), the desired ambience is adjusted with the studio, source, and microphone selections, along with microphone placements and their relative levels.

Note: Because Re-Mic mode is the complete recorded signal, the plug-in output is inherently louder in Re-Mic mode.

DAW signal routing with Sound City Studios in Re-Mic mode on a drum submix

Understanding Reverb mode

Use Reverb mode to mix Sound City Studios with existing recordings. Reverb mode works as a short reverb effect by artificially removing Sound City Studios' source-to-mic "direct path" component. With Reverb mode, only the ambience of the studio's early reflections and decay are heard. Predelay and Mix are available under Reverb.

Using Reverb mode

The illustration below shows a traditional auxiliary effect bus send/return configuration in a DAW. In this example, Sound City Studios is inserted on the effects bus, the plug-in is configured in Reverb mode, and the Wet Solo control is enabled (100% wet). Individual reverb amounts are set with the send control for each individual channel, and the overall reverb amount is set with the bus return fader.

Tip: This configuration conserves CPU resources when the same effect settings are desired for multiple channels, instead of using multiple copies of the plug-in on individual channels.

Sound City Studios can also be used on individual tracks as with any plug-in. In this case, adjust the track's reverb amount with the Mix control.

DAW signal routing in Reverb mode using a traditional effect send/return configuration

Dual-mode (Re-Mic and Reverb mode) example

The illustration below shows how to use both Re-Mic and Reverb modes with two instances of the plug-in, combining the workflows of the two previous examples. The illustration combines a drum submix being used for Re-Mic mode, while a send/return routing is being used for guitar and vocals in Reverb mode.

DAW signal routing with two Sound City Studios plug-in instances.
Re-Mic mode on the drum submix, Reverb mode for guitar and vocals

CPU usage

Sound City Studios' processor usage is reduced when any module (Room/EQ/Dynamics/Chamber) is disabled. To preserve CPU, disable any modules you are not using. 

Sound City Studios microphone details

In addition to the studio room acoustics, the microphones used in the development of Sound City Studios are a significant contributor to the tonality and fidelity of the plug-in.

Sound City Studios contains nine different types of microphones, in various combinations of single mics and pairs. Additionally, some of these microphones can be switched between cardioid and omnidirectional polar frequency response patterns. 

Polar patterns

Available mic selections change with each source setting. For some mic selections, you can change the polar response between cardioid and omni. In Studio view, you can see the polar patterns of the mics that are currently active. 

In simplistic terms, omni microphones are equally sensitive to sound pressure levels from all directions, while cardioid microphones are more sensitive to sound from the front of the mic and less sensitive to sounds from the rear of the mic. Figure-8 microphones are equally sensitive at the front and rear of the mic, but less sensitive at the sides. The result of this is more room tone from omni and figure-8 mics, and more directionality from cardioid mics. Experiment with the different types of mics and polar patterns to find the sound that works best for your source.

On-axis and off-axis mics

When using a 4x12 or 2x12 Source from the Speakers category, close mics have the option of on-axis or off-axis placement. On-axis placement gives a brighter, more present and direct sound. Off-axis placement gives a darker sound with less of the "edginess" of the speaker cone and a smoother, less peaky response. 

Note: You cannot change polar patterns for the 4x12 or 2x12 mics. 

Close, Room 1, and Room 2 mic positions

Up to three microphone setups are available for each Source, with various combinations of single microphones and microphone pairs. Each microphone or microphone pair can be active simultaneously for creative sonic blending. Close mics are closest to the source, while Room 1 and Room 2 mics are further from the source, to capture more room sound. You can freely adjust mic distances for most mics by dragging the mics in the Studio view. 

Note: The Vocal Solo source has Close 1, Close 2, and Room mic channels. Close 1 and Close 2 have fixed positions. 

Independent controls

Each microphone or microphone pair has its own set of controls that can be independently adjusted. The individual microphone controls are Selection, Distance, High Cut Filter, Low Cut Filter, Polarity Invert, Balance, Mute, and Level. For details about how to operate these controls, see Microphones.

Generally speaking, the closer the microphones are to the source, the less room ambience is captured by the microphones, so room microphones will tend to have more ambience (sound more "live") than close microphones

Note: Just as in the physical realm, there can be signal phase interactions when using more than one microphone simultaneously. For details, see Phase considerations.

Mic positions

The microphone placement positions within the studio rooms were designed in consultation with Sound City Studios alumnus Bill Drescher and historical reference documentation. Changing the microphone positions can vary the distance, height, and stereo width of the microphone placement, depending on the microphone or microphones selected. 

Distance

The distance from the microphones to the source can be dynamically adjusted using the Distance controls, or by dragging the microphones in Studio View. Just as when recording with microphones in the physical realm, the mic-to-source distance can have a significant impact on the sound that is captured.

The room will sound tighter and more present when mics are closer to the source; conversely, the room gets "bigger" when mics are further from the source. Sound City Studios modeling includes the proximity gain and increase in low frequencies that occurs in the physical realm; the signal can become noticeably louder as microphones are moved closer to the source.

Aligning microphones overview

When recording a sound source, there is an inherent delay between the source and the microphone. This delay is the time it takes for the sound waves to physically travel from the source to the mic (see About recorded sound components). The further the mic is from the source, the longer the delay time.

When a microphone pair in Sound City Studios is aligned by clicking the Align button, the inherent mic delay is artificially removed so the sound source "reaches" the mic instantaneously, without changing the mic position's tonality. This setting is useful when the source audio signals need to remain time-aligned, or simply for their own physically-impossible sonic effects. This feature has the same result as adjusting track timing manually in a DAW. 

Removing the source-to-mic delay can be especially useful in these scenarios:

• If a source is recorded with a distant room mic, it will play back later in relation to sources that are close-miked. Typically, you can compensate for this delay in your DAW by manually shifting the track forward in time so it aligns with the other instruments. With Sound City Studios, aligning the mics removes this delay automatically.
• When the microphone pair is distant from the source, the additional microphone delay can be problematic for performers when tracking while monitoring through the plug-in. Aligning the mics reduces this monitoring latency.

Tip: The most realistic room emulations are recreated when this delay is retained (aligned off). This is because the inherent source-to-mic delays provide important auditory cues that our brains use to interpret the acoustic space.

Illustration of Distance Delay. When set to Aligned, distance delay time is eliminated.

Acoustic balancing

All rooms have time and frequency-dependent resonances that impact the loudness and sonic balances within the room. Microphone selection and placement and the audio source positions change these resonances and balances as well.

The acoustic response of Sound City Studios is iconic, but still subject to these real acoustic principles. Because the plug-in accurately models the sound sources and microphone positions, certain combinations of sources, mics, and distances may cause the level balances to seem too quiet or too loud, or not perfectly centered in the stereo field. Some mic configurations in Sound City Studios are not symmetric by design. As you would in the real world, you can use the mic Gain, Balance, and Polarity controls to compensate for these imbalances or for creative control

Phase considerations

When recording in the physical world, it is possible for phase issues to occur when more than one microphone is used on a source. The sonic characteristic of "phasing" (comb filtering) results when frequencies that are being captured by more than one microphone are emphasized because they are summed (signals in phase) or de-emphasized because they are canceled (signals out of phase).

Phase issues resulting from the use of multiple microphones can usually be reduced by adjusting the placement of the microphone(s), or inverting a microphone's polarity.

Phasing with Sound City Studios

We worked hard to make phasing a non-issue with Sound City Studios. However, if you do encounter phasing, simply moving a microphone or changing a mic channel's polarity will usually provide excellent results. Phasing is generally not an issue in Reverb mode due to removal of the microphone direct component.

Important: Phasing can occur if you mix unprocessed tracks with the same tracks processed through Sound City Studios in Re-Mic mode (for example, by routing a send to an aux track with the plug-in). For illustrations of proper DAW routing in Re-Mic mode, see Using Re-Mic mode and Dual-mode (Re-Mic and Reverb mode) example.

Latency

Sound City Studios is subject to increased latency compared to other UAD plug-ins. The increased latency may be noticeable when tracking through Sound City Studios if the plug-in is in Re-Mic mode and/or on individual tracks in Reverb mode. 

Therefore, when tracking live performances while monitoring through Sound City Studios, we generally recommend using it in Reverb mode in a typical send/return configuration, where the additional time-based effect latency will not affect the monitored performance.

Tip: Latency can be reduced further by aligning mics.

Loading time and audio effects

When certain parameters are changed, Sound City Studios Studio's modeling engine is updated and numerous recalculations are performed by the plug-in.

While these recalculations happen quickly, they are not instantaneous. Sonic artifacts may be audible, and CPU usage can increase, during these recalculations.

DAW automation limitations

Load time and/or sonic artifacts during algorithmic recalculations may be an impediment if controls are modified with DAW automation during mixdown. To prevent such artifacts, avoid adjusting these specific Sound City Studios controls with DAW automation during mixdown:

• Source
• Mic selection
• Mic distance
• Mic polar pattern
• Mic orientation (on/off-axis)
• Mic Align setting
• Mic low and high cut filters
• Mic phase
• Mic channel mute
• Mic channel balance
• Mic channel level faders
• Plug-in mode (Re-Mic or Reverb)

If you require DAW automation for Sound City Studios controls, it is recommended that only static snapshot automation (instead of continuous automation) be used for the above parameters. Additionally, static snapshot automation should be used only when the signal being processed is not audible. For example, automate only between musical phrases.

History

By Product Designer Will Shanks

Note: Use of artist names does not constitute official endorsement of Sound City Studios software. 

Founded in 1969 by Tom Skeeter and Joe Gottfried, Sound City Studios was built in a former Vox amplifier production warehouse in Van Nuys, California. Sound City Studios soon became an indispensably musical space in shaping some of the most beloved and influential rock records ever made. As the focus of Dave Grohl's film documentary Sound City, the studio has placed its sonic imprint on records for over 50 years. From the seminal '70s sounds of Fleetwood Mac's eponymous album, to '80s hits by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, to Nirvana's Nevermind, Sound City Studios' unique sound still sets the foundation for truly great recordings. The studio continues to be family-owned and operated with the highest degree of care and attention for each client.

Here are some of Sound City Studios' most notable bands and artists:

Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, Grateful Dead, Santana, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, The Black Crowes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Killers, Phoebe Bridgers, Queens of the Stone Age, Neil Young, Cheap Trick, Joe Cocker, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Leon Russell, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Kings of Leon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, REO Speedwagon, Arctic Monkeys, Dio, Tool, Slayer, Slipknot, War, Ratt, Kansas, Fear, Kyuss, Rick Springfield.

"I wouldn't be who I am right now if it weren't for Sound City Studios. What a lot of people don't take into consideration is the importance of the room where something was recorded." - Dave Grohl

Sound City Studios partnership

Owner Sandy Skeeter (daughter of founder Tom Skeeter), granted Universal Audio unprecedented access to capture the one-of-a-kind Studio A, heard on Sound City Studios' biggest records. Over a three day period, UA's design team was able to capture Sound City Studios with a tailored selection of historically correct classic microphones. With technical assistance provided by Sound City Studios alumnus Bill Drescher, we recreated many well-loved and historically accurate room and microphone setups.

Universal Audio recreated everything from tight, gobo-surrounded drums and guitars channeling Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham, to a wide-open room sound with full reflectivity, as heard on Nirvana's Nevermind. We captured the intimate, yet complex "wood corner" setup so essential to Tom Petty's drum sounds, complete with asymmetrical room mics and mono ribbon mics.

For Sound City Studios' decades-spanning grand piano recording setup, we surrounded the piano with room microphones and stereo overheads. We set up mics in the center of the room to capture breathtaking vocal, horn, and string recording setups. For re-miking options, we captured classic 2x12 open and 4x12 closed-back guitar cabinets. We even recreated the original "re-mic" studio trick of placing speakers in the studio to blast the room with any pre-recorded source you like, for all new room sounds. These "PA" options employ a pair of Sound City Studios' own vintage UREI speakers, which were designed by UA founder M.T. "Bill" Putnam.

Studio tools and effects

While Sound City Studios' custom console was purchased in 2011 by Dave Grohl, the plug-in features the same essential console features and sound, and some of Sound City Studios' signature outboard effects. All mixer channels are infused with the console's natural filtering, and feature the same per-channel cut filter slopes. The Master Effects section includes the console's  3-band EQ. The dynamics section includes the original diode-based console compressor, along with UA's ubiquitous UA 1176LN limiter. 

All-new for Sound City Studios, the dynamics section features the Dolby A noise reduction units used as "secret weapon" dynamics, employed by Sound City Studios engineer Keith Olsen and other in-house engineers. These original units were found high in the studio's loft and brought to our headquarters for careful study. To round out the effects, we captured Sound City Studios' lesser-known (but fantastic sounding) reverb chamber, enhancing it with three microphone options and a range of shorter "beyond reality" decay lengths.

The evolution of Dynamic Room Modeling

It has been over ten years since Universal Audio released Ocean Way Studios, the first-ever dedicated studio emulation plug-in. Since that time, our  technical prowess modeling and measuring rooms with Dynamic Room Modeling has steadily evolved. Honing our techniques with projects like Capitol Chambers and Hitsville Chambers, we've perfected our system of room capture and signal post-processing, with award winning, best in class results for focused, natural room presentation. 

When you reposition microphones, all of the natural behaviors regarding microphone proximity and stereo spread are better than ever. Our technology to reproduce the natural radiation patterns of acoustic sound sources has increased dramatically. The level of design sophistication and realism in Sound City Studios is unparalleled in any other room emulation product. 

And the product is simply fun to use: you can freely swap sources, change mics, change mic polar patterns, drag mics to new locations, position guitar cab mics on or off axis, and even blast the room with "back in the day" style re-miking techniques. Working with Sound City Studios is like having a fully operating studio, but with the ability to instantly switch setups that would take hours in the real world.

Checking our sources

There is historical gravity attached to the sonic fingerprint of Sound City Studios – a sound that is indelibly imprinted in our minds through so many landmark recordings. To make sure that the result was incredibly detailed and faithful, we spent hundreds of hours listening to classic multitrack recordings made at Sound City Studios, painstakingly comparing the output of our plug-in to the sources. 

Our unparalleled attention to detail ensures that Sound City Studios replicates the correct energy dispersion patterns for every source. In addition, we spoke to dozens of Sound City Studios alumni throughout the entire development process, taking in as much of their historical insight and amazing stories (including amazing ghost stories!) as we could. We have taken great care to realize a faithful rendition of Sound City Studios' one-of-a-kind sound and experience, and we hope you get as much joy using it as we did creating it.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Bill Drescher, John Paterno, Blake Mills, Tony Berg, Billy Bush, Matt Wallace, Will Kennedy, Sylvia Massy, Beau Hill, Rich Costey, and Greg Fidelman. Extra special thanks to Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, and John "Lou" Lousteau. ULTIMATE thank you to Sandy Skeeter, who agreed to let UA through Sound City Studios' doors to benefit all of the creatives of the world with this wonderful tool. In fond memory of Tom Skeeter, Joe Gottfried, and Keith Olsen.

Product names used herein are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way affiliated with Universal Audio, Inc. These name(s) are used solely to identify products studied in the creation of the sound models found in Sound City Studios.

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