Universal Audio has announced the introduction of its first microphone lineup in the company’s 60‑year history, including handmade UA Bock tube mics, the Sphere L22 modeling mic that’s designed to accurately emulate 34 classic studio mics, and Standard Series mics for content creators.
“We’re excited to bring UA’s audio expertise to microphones, and to bring something new to the table,” says Bill Putnam, CEO/founder of Universal Audio. “With Bock, Sphere, and the new Standard Series mics, there’s a UA mic within reach of every serious creator, ready to inspire great recordings, performances, and content for a lifetime.”
Handmade in Santa Cruz, CA, the new UA Bock mics represent a trio of tube and FET‑based models designed by David Bock, who joined the UA team with the purchase of his Bock Audio brand in 2020. “The UA Bock mics are the best-sounding and most beautiful mics I’ve had the pleasure of designing over my long career,” Bock states. “These mics are going to have discriminating singers, producers, and audio engineers smiling from ear‑to‑ear.”
Standard Series mics include the SD‑1 dynamic for vocal and broadcast/podcast applications and the SP‑1 pencil condenser for stereo recording of instruments and live performances. On the digital side, with the technology acquisition of Townsend Labs in 2021, UA welcomes proprietary Sphere Modeling Microphone technology and modeling specialist Chris Townsend to the its team.
Select UA microphones are now shipping to UA dealers worldwide. The lineup:
Standard SD-1 dynamic, now shipping, $299 USD MAP
Standard SP-1 pencil condenser (pair), summer 2022, $399 USD MAP
Sphere L22 modeling mic, now shipping, $1,499 USD MAP
UA Bock 187 FET condenser, fall 2022, $1,249 USD MAP
UA Bock 167 tube condenser, fall 2022, $2,999 USD MAP
UA Bock 251 tube condenser, fall 2022, $5,999 USD MAP
UA Standard Series and Bock microphones include presets for use with UA Apollo audio interfaces. Go here for more specifics.
