Based on the deluxe version of one of the most popular and genre-defining US tube amplifiers, Universal Audio has produced one of the most authentic emulations of a genre-defining mid-1960s American tube combo as part of its UAFX pedal series. More than just a simple copy, the Dream '65 boasts customised boost circuits, immersive spring reverb/vibrato effects, and cab emulations that can be switched between Oxford, Greenback, and the powerful 200-watt model used by luminaries like Stevie Ray Vaughan. The pedal also offers a live mode, preset storage, and app control for extended functionality.
The Dream '65 has six controls and three switches that provide quick access to a wide variety of sounds, including an integrated spring reverb. The vibrato effect can also be configured using the Alt function. Universal Audio is known for its modelling expertise, and the Dream '65 certainly achieves an authentic reproduction of the original, including convincing dynamics and a realistic playing feel. Universal Audio's aim is to deliver tones that can be recorded directly and used live - however, some of the characteristic tones are also based on modifications, for example by Rivera and Dumble. This allows the user to switch from Stock mode with a clean neutral boost, to the clean Lead mode with more gain. The D-TEX mode adds an SRV mod to the amp for Texas Blues tones, and the Boost knob increases the amount of gain to achieve a singing solo tone.
With the Dream '65, Universal Audio has faithfully ported the sound of classic American tube amps to an amp-in-a-box pedal that's perfectly suited to live and studio use, or to complement "proper" amplifiers. However, the pedal is not only suitable for guitarists but also for keyboardists thanks to its stereo inputs and outputs. The pedal is able to detect which jacks are connected and adjust the internal signal routing automatically. Stereo inputs are processed in true stereo, and output as either stereo or mono depending on the connected outputs. Thanks to the Dream '65's intuitive operation, it is simple to switch between Live and Preset modes, in addition to being able to save tweaks to presets on the fly. Further functions can be accessed via the free app, with which the Dream '65 communicates via Bluetooth. Here, the user can select alternative configurations for the two footswitches, access a history of all presets ever saved, and load presets from artists and manufacturers that sometimes use options not accessible on the pedal itself.
Few manufacturers can draw upon a wealth of audio engineering experience comparable to that of Universal Audio. The company’s founding father Bill Putnam, along with his friend Les Paul, have an admirable reputation as trend-setting music producers and developers of legendary analogue studio technology. Putnam recorded Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, and Sarah Vaughan, and was Duke Ellington’s favourite sound engineer. He developed the famous 1176 Peak Limiter and distributed the Teletronix LA-2A level amplifier. This earned him a posthumous “Technical Grammy Award” in 2000. In 1999, Putnam’s sons, Bill Putnam Jr. and James Putnam, re-founded Universal Audio, transferring their father’s analogue vision and craftsmanship to the digital music world. Their product range includes audio interfaces, dedicated DSP farms, and a variety of plug-ins, as well as analogue hardware devices.
The Dream '65 is ideal for studio and live use, as a practical tool for demo recordings, or as a backup amp at concerts. The pedal can also be used in combination with real amplifiers using the four-cable mode, provided an effects loop is available. At the same time, Universal Audio has made sure that the Dream '65 also harmonises with real pedals and can be used effectively in different setup combinations. The Dream '65 is bursting with features: Three sound variations, integrated mods and boosts, vibrato, spring reverb, and precisely tuned speaker simulations, which are derived from the award-winning OX Amp Top Box and supplemented by a further three matched speaker simulations when the pedal is registered with UA Connect or UAFX Control. The result is a highly versatile pedal that impresses with a sound quality that belies its diminutive size.
Modelling by Universal Audio
Universal Audio is one of the market leaders in the field of modelling-based studio technology and effects units. Even classic tube amplifiers are emulated based on the circuit diagrams of the sometimes rare originals, right down to their individual components - including the specific values and characteristics. This minute attention to detail allows a virtual image of the original to be made digitally, which includes the latter's tonal characteristics and the variations that can be made to them using the controls provided. Simulations of sought-after boosters, the appropriate speakers, and supplementary effects are also included to enhance the basic sounds. And even though you wouldn't think it to look at the pedals, their stereo signal path means that two simulations are independently at work at the same time. It goes without saying, of course, that a master volume control is provided - so that signature tube saturation can be achieved at any volume level.