Universal Audio’s UAD Capitol Studios brings the recording environment of one of Hollywood’s best-known studios into a native plug-in. It models Capitol Studios A and B, allowing producers and engineers to place vocals and instruments in virtual recording rooms, use modeled vintage microphones, process signals through studio consoles, and add ambience from the facility’s underground echo chambers.
Recreating Capitol Studios A and B
Located in the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, Capitol Studios has been associated with recordings by artists across several generations. UAD Capitol Studios recreates the acoustic environments of Studios A and B, giving users access to their modeled room characteristics and recording setups directly inside a DAW.
The plug-in uses Universal Audio’s Dynamic Room Modeling technology to let users move virtual microphones around the modeled spaces and hear the acoustic response change in real time. This makes it possible to adjust microphone placement rather than work with a single fixed room capture.
Two operating modes serve different recording and mixing workflows. Reverb mode adds the modeled studio ambience while retaining the source’s original sound. Re-Mic mode replaces the original room and microphone character, recreating the impression of recording the source in one of Capitol’s studios.
Vintage Microphones and Decca Tree Setups
UAD Capitol Studios includes a virtual microphone locker based on microphones associated with the facility. Models include the U48, C12, U67, and M50, with microphone setups curated by Capitol Studios engineer Steve Genewick. Users can reposition microphones within the virtual room to explore different perspectives and tonal results.
For orchestral and ensemble recording, the plug-in also provides Decca Tree microphone configurations. This three-microphone arrangement is commonly used to capture strings, horns, and vocal groups with a stable stereo image. The center and side microphones can be mixed independently, while room settings offer additional control over the acoustic character.
Four Underground Echo Chambers
The plug-in extends beyond the two main recording rooms with access to four echo chambers beneath Capitol Tower: rooms 1, 3, 5, and 8. These chambers provide additional options for adding natural reverberation and depth to individual tracks or groups of instruments.
Users can retain each chamber’s captured decay or shorten it beyond its natural acoustic behavior. Pre-delay and stereo width controls provide further flexibility when fitting the chamber sound into a mix.
Capitol Consoles and Analog Processing
UAD Capitol Studios also models elements of the facility’s console and outboard signal chains. Users can process tracks through console EQ and dynamics, then add familiar studio processors including 1176LN limiting, LA-2A leveling, and the Capitol Mastering Compressor.
The processing modules and echo chambers can be arranged in different orders, allowing engineers to build custom signal chains within the plug-in. This makes the software more than a room reverb: it combines acoustic modeling with a virtual recording and mixing environment.
Compatibility and Availability
UAD Capitol Studios runs natively on supported macOS and Windows systems, so Universal Audio hardware is not required. It supports VST3, AU, and AAX plug-in formats and uses an iLok account for license management. The UA Connect application is required for managing the native plug-in installation and authorization.
For engineers who want more than conventional room reverb, UAD Capitol Studios brings several parts of a classic recording facility into one plug-in. Its combination of modeled studio rooms, vintage microphone setups, Decca Tree configurations, echo chambers, and console processing offers a broad range of options for shaping recorded sources within a DAW.
