Universal Audio Hitsville Reverb wins Best Effects Plugin Award: TEC 2024

Last week during the 2024 NAMM Show, Universal Audio earned top honors in the Signal Processing Software (Effects) category at the Technical Excellence & Creativity (TEC) Awards for their Hitsville Reverb Chambers plug-in. This new effects processor faithfully captures the legendary analog reverb chambers behind Motown’s signature sound. Universal Audio won a total of 4 awards (most by any company) this year.

The two custom-built reverb chambers in the attic above Motown Records’ original Hitsville U.S.A. studio in Detroit were essential to the classic Motown sound. Artists like Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, and Stevie Wonder relied on these chambers to create the lush, smooth ambience that defined countless soul, R&B, and pop hits.

Using meticulous measurement and analysis — along with guidance from Motown engineers who built and managed the original hardware — Universal Audio expertly translated the chambers’ character into a faithful software emulation. Hitsville Reverb Chambers provides intuitive controls to recreate those legendary sonic textures or explore new creative possibilities.

With dedicated settings for each historic chamber, users can quickly put vocals, drums, guitars, and more into the heat of Hitsville with legendary tone. Advanced parameters allow producers to virtually reposition microphones throughout the modeled 3D space using Universal Audio’s proprietary Dynamic Room Modeling technology. This unlocks an endless array of rich, smooth reverbs beyond Motown’s original setup.

“Hitsville Reverb Chambers adds real-sounding ambience. It’s hard not to smile when you hear the extra life these iconic chambers give to your tracks. “ said Romesh Dodangoda who has worked with the likes of Motorhead, Bring Me The Horizon.