{{short description|Chicago recording studio (1946–1989)}} {{About|the Chicago recording studio|the unrelated film production and distribution company known as Universal Studios|Universal Pictures|Universal Pictures' television and film studio complex|Universal Studios Lot|Universal Studios theme parks|Universal Parks & Resorts}} {{Infobox company | name = Universal Recording Corp. | logo = | logo_caption = 1947 company logo | industry = [[Recording studio]] | foundation = [[Evanston, Illinois]], U.S. ({{Start date|1946}}) | founder = [[Bill Putnam|Bill Putnam, Sr.]] | defunct = {{End date|1989}} | location_city = Chicago, Illinois | location_country = U.S. }}
'''Universal Recording Corporation''' was a [[recording studio]] in [[Chicago]] founded by [[Bill Putnam|Bill Putnam Sr.]] for the purpose of investigating new recording techniques and the development of specialized recording equipment.
Universal Recording was seminal in the development of experimental studio techniques. It was the location of the first use of [[Tape loop|tape repeat]] in a recording, the first isolated vocal booth, the first recording with multiple [[overdubs]] of a single voice, early [[eight-track recording]] trials and the first experiments with half speed disc mastering.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 August 2005 |title=Wasn't the Gold Coast once home to a world-famous studio? |work=Chicago Tribune |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2005-08-12-0508120303-story.html |access-date=17 August 2021}}</ref>
== History ==
=== Early history === Putnam established Universal Recording Corp. north of [[Downtown Chicago]] in [[Evanston, Illinois]], in 1946.<ref name="Temples">{{cite book |last1=Cogan |first1=Jim |last2=Clark |first2=William |title=Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios |date=2003 |publisher=Chronicle Books |location=San Francisco, United States |isbn=0-8118-3394-1 |pages=125–135}}</ref> His partners were Bernie Clapper (a former [[Valparaiso Technical Institute]] roommate) and Bob Weber (who Putnam had met while working with the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]). The initial investment, most of which Putnam had borrowed from his family, was $20,000. The Evanston facility consisted of one small studio with a [[Western Electric]] broadcast console and a [[Scully Recording Instruments|Scully]] [[Disc cutting lathe|recording lathe]] with [[Westrex]] system purchased from Otto Hepp. Putnam won a lucrative contract with to record and [[Broadcast delay|delay broadcast]] [[Electrical transcription|transcriptions]] shows for the [[Blue Network|ABC radio network]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Vitacoustic Label|url=http://campber.people.clemson.edu/vitacoustic.html/|access-date=25 August 2021|website=Clemson.edu|archive-date=12 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812064746/http://campber.people.clemson.edu/vitacoustic.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Recognizing the need for Universal Recording to have a location closer to downtown Chicago, Putnam took over the studios on the 42nd floor of the [[Civic Opera House (Chicago)|Chicago Civic Opera Building]] at 20 [[Wacker Drive]] in Chicago. He struck a deal with [[the Harmonicats]] to help facilitate a recording session and record release in exchange for a portion of the sales of the record. His use of the building's bathroom as an [[echo chamber]] for the recording of "[[Peg o' My Heart (song)|Peg o' My Heart]]" was the first artistic use of [[Reverb effect|artificial reverb]] in a popular song.<ref name=Temples/> The song sold 1.4 million copies and gave Universal Recording Corp. a big boost in income and new business.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Weir|first=William|date=2012-06-21|title=How humans conquered echo|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/06/how-humans-conquered-echo/258557/|access-date=2021-08-24|website=[[The Atlantic]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=A Brief History of The Studio As An Instrument: Part 1 - Early Reflections|url=https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/studio-as-an-instrument-part-1/|access-date=24 August 2021|website=Ableton.com}}</ref>
Universal Recording soon became the hotspot for the Chicago music business. Such artists as [[Patti Page]], [[Vic Damone]] and [[Dinah Washington]] came through the doors; [[Al Morgan (pianist)|Al Morgan]]'s "[[Jealous Heart]]" sold a million copies on the in-house '''Universal Records''' label.<ref name=Temples/>
In 1949, Universal Recording was granted a patent for "Double Feature", a method for putting two songs on each side of a 10-inch record. The technology was developed by [[Cook Records]] in New York and exclusively licensed to Universal Records.
=== Walton Street === In 1955, Putnam built Universal Studios a new 15,000 square foot facility at 46 E. Walton Street. Putnam's company quickly became Chicago's largest independent recording studio, hosting sessions for artists from Chicago blues labels such as [[Vee-Jay Records|Vee-Jay]], [[Mercury Records|Mercury]] and [[Chess Records|Chess]]. Putnam and his studio's reputation grew quickly thanks to work with blues artists such as [[Muddy Waters]], [[Willie Dixon]], [[Bo Diddley]], [[Little Walter]], and [[Chuck Berry]], and jazz artists like [[Count Basie]], [[Stan Kenton]], [[Sarah Vaughan]], [[Dizzy Gillespie]], [[Ella Fitzgerald]], [[Little Walter]], and [[Duke Ellington]], who said Putnam was his favorite engineer.<ref>Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, Volume 37, Number 9, September 1989. [http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/afternoon_putnam.pdf ''An Afternoon With: Bill Putnam''], Retrieved on May 6, 2009.</ref> Putnam's period at Universal saw a number of 'firsts' for the recording industry, including the first use of tape repeat, the first vocal booth, the first multiple voice recording, one of the first to use 8-track recording (preceded by Les Paul and [[Tom Dowd]]), the first use of delay lines in the studio, and the first release, in 1956, of half-speed mastered discs (on the Mercury label.)<ref name=Temples/><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/afternoon_putnam.pdf |last=Sutheim |first=Peter |title=An Afternoon With: Bill Putnam |journal=Journal of the Audio Engineering Society |volume=37 |number=9 |pages=723–730 |publisher=[[Audio Engineering Society]] |date=September 1989 |issn=1549-4950}}</ref>
Universal Recording was the most advanced and largest independent recording facility in the country. Producers and arrangers such as [[Nelson Riddle]], [[Mitch Miller]] and [[Quincy Jones]] grew to prefer the studio for their [[big band]] and [[orchestra]]l recordings. Engineer [[Bruce Swedien]] began working for the studio. In 1957, Putnam sold his interest in Universal Recording and moved to Hollywood, where he established [[United Western Recorders|United Recording Corp.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://precambrianmusic.com/history1.htm|title=Phill Sawyer - recollections|author=|date=|work=precambrianmusic.com|access-date=17 February 2017}}</ref> Upon Putnam's departure, Bernie Clapper became President of Universal Recording Corporation.
By 1967, Universal was operating five studios 24 hours a day, and began a $1 million 26,000 square foot expansion of four additional studios and more.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Mad Studio Space Scramble on As Waxing Splurge Hits Chicago|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qiIEAAAAMBAJ&dq=RCA+studios&pg=PA11|magazine=Billboard|date=14 October 1967|access-date=3 October 2024}}</ref> Murray Alan became President of Universal Recording in the early 1970s. At its peak, Universal Recording Corporation employed over 400 people. In 1989, the Walton Street building was sold, and Universal Recording moved to 32 West Randolph Street. It closed for good shortly afterwards.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Benzuly |first1=Sarah |title=Murray Allen, 1930-2006 |url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/murray-allen-1930-2006-425060 |website=Mix Online |publisher=Future Plc |access-date=1 September 2021}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0pAZMZkHpA YouTube - Universal Recording part 1] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs_Rjrr0_NA YouTube - Universal Recording part 2] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDTI8DlmZ0s YouTube - Universal Recording part 3] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mQJ8-HkdsM YouTube - Universal Recording part 4] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P47HCAV49Vs Sweetwater Sound - Bruce Swedien (The Early Days at Universal Recording) Part 2] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF7FaI9OcqU Sweetwater Sound - Bruce Swedien (Inside Universal Recording Studios, Chicago) Part 3]
{{coord|41.88471|-87.62906|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-IL|display=title}}
[[Category:Recording studios in Illinois]] [[Category:1946 establishments in Illinois]]