Universal Audio UAD Plug-Ins ver.7.5 - Manual (Page 51)

UAD Powered Plug-Ins Manual - 51 - Chapter 3: API 500 Series EQ Collection
Historical Background
API (Automated Processes Inc.) was formed in 1968 with Saul Walker and
Lou Lindauer. API is perhaps most noted for their modular approach to equip-
ment manufacturing and for their now legendary 2520 amplifier. To this day,
the extraordinary headroom made possible with the 2520 offers consistent
analog performance even when using radical EQ curves. API quickly became
the leading audio broadcast console manufacturer for radio and television
networks and high profile stations. Soon after, recording studios both large
and small began using API. The API brand and the company’s commitment to
excellent audio design endures to this day.
The 550A became API’s standard channel module EQ when the company be-
gan manufacturing consoles in 1971. As the industry rapidly embraced the
sonic quality of the 550A, it quickly found it's way into many custom console
designs by Frank DeMedio and other leading engineers. Many of these con-
soles are still in use today. Forty years later, the 550A remains the standard
against which other EQs are measured, and it has played a major role in the
recording industry for decades. With virtually all existing units spoken for,
popular demand for this EQ resulted in API finally resuming production in
2004.
The API 500 Series EQ Collection Original Hardware