Universal Audio UAD Plug-Ins ver.7.5 - Manual (Page 317)

UAD Powered Plug-Ins Manual - 317 - Chapter 29: Ocean Way Studios
“One man's junk is another man's treasure; and in this case, I was able to ac-
quire some old Fairchild limiters, UA tube limiters, Macintosh tube amps, and
enough equipment to completely fill my garage studio. It was the deal that re-
ally put me in business. However, there was a slight problem. I didn't actually
have the 6 grand, so I wrote a check, picked up the stuff, and within six hours
had sold enough gear to cover my check.” When Putnam returned and found
that his manager had been snookered into selling all this equipment for
$6,000, he wanted to meet him. As Sides explains, “There was no way to
ever anticipate what would take place. When I walked into Bill's office, he
gave me a long, stern look. That look eventually turned into a smile, and he
proceeded to offer me a partnership which involved buying out studios all
over the United States. Bill and I just clicked immediately and we became very
good friends and business partners in the following years.”
By 1976, things were going well at the Ocean Way garage, with sessions
around the clock. Bill was a frequent guest and loved listening to the tri-am-
plified front loaded theater horns in Allen's control room. Unfortunately, trying
to keep a low profile while running a commercial studio in a quiet residential
neighborhood proved to be much more tricky.
The Opportunity
of a Lifetime
As fate would have it, a lease
was about to expire for Studio
B in the United building.
When Sides approached his
friend about leasing the stu-
dio, Bill offered him a “sweet-
heart deal” on the space.
Sides quickly redesigned and
rebuilt the Studio B control
room, and moved all his
equipment in. Studio B was an
astounding acoustic space and Sides was thrilled. Bill felt that of all the rooms
he had designed and built, this was his favorite and he was very pleased that
his protégé would carry on the tradition.
Early sessions ranged from Neil Diamond, Chick Corea, Bette Midler, and all
the way to Frank Zappa. In 1982 towards the end of his career, Bill also
leased Studio A to Allen. Sides made a few control room changes, and Studio
A immediately became one of the most popular rooms in town again. One of
the first projects was Lionel Ritchie's “Can't Slow Down,” which sold 25 mil-
lion records and Michael Jackson's Thriller. Lionel and Michael became two