It’s fair to say that Universal Audio’s business model has changed pretty dramatically over the past few years. Previously known for releasing higher-end interfaces that contained the DSP required to power the company’s ‘vintage’ effect plugins, UA now also has a range of affordable audio hardware (Volt) and releases its software natively (both as perpetual licences and via he Spark subscription), so that it can be used in any DAW. And, as well as developing those classic effects, it’s also got a nice line in instruments.
Which brings us to the Electra 88 Vintage Keyboard Studio and the Capitol Mastering Compressor, Universal Audio’s two latest releases, which provide further evidence of the company’s new direction. The first is an emulation of a 1974 Rhodes Eighty Eight Suitcase Mark 1 electric piano; the second recreates the CM5511, an in-house hand-built tube mastering compressor designed by Capitol Studios. Both can be used with any audio interface, so no UA hardware is required.
