Despite the name being synonymous with the recording industry since 1958, Universal Audio as we know it was actually reestablished in 1999. The original company, founded by Bill Putnam Sr., had produced studio equipment in the 1950s and '60s. Bill's sons, Bill Jr. and Jim Putnam, set out at the turn of the century to reproduce their father's classic analogue hardware, as well as digitally emulate recording tools for use by modern producers.
Their hardware reproductions include the legendary 1176LN compressor, and the UA 2-610 tube preamp, both originally designed by Bill Putnam Sr., and painstakingly reproduced to their original specifications. Newer designs such as the OX amp top box emulate speaker cabinets, mic placement, and studio effects while allowing guitarists to dial in their amp's sweet spot at headphone volumes.
Concerned with ushering the past elegantly into the future, Universal Audio also produce Apollo audio interfaces and Satellite hardware accelerators which provide instantaneous digital signal processing for use with a digital audio workstation. The plug-ins the company sells for these devices include emulations of Neve preamps, Moog filters, and the venerated echo chambers of Capitol Studios in Los Angeles.