One could argue that the walls of recording studios really do talk. Acoustically speaking they do, and so much of the sound of a record can be shaped by the spaces and places that they are recorded in. The consoles, the equipment, instruments, and the engineers and producers at the helm all combine together to form an alchemy necessary for making music, and if you’re lucky music history. Around the world, there are many legendary recording studios that were home to great artists, engineers, and producers, iconic technical developments, and cultural shifts. Here are a few studios whose walls could certainly fill volumes with music and stories.

Abbey Road Studio One, courtesy of Abbey Road.

Abbey Road

Iconic with its now famous zebra crossing, Abbey Road is one of the world’s first purpose-built recording studios, which was originally intended for use for recording full symphony orchestras. A former nine-bedroom home, purchased in 1929 by the Gramophone Company, Abbey Road underwent two years of construction before opening its doors. During that time, Gramophone Company merged with Columbia and became what is known today as EMI. All three original rooms are still intact today, with recent additions known as the Penthouse, the Gatehouse, and the Front Room.

Abbey Road is more than just a space where records are made; it's where much of modern recording technology was developed. The development and implementation of stereo (then known as binaural) was explored when the studio opened, but not thoroughly put to use until 20 years later or so. Innovators like Alan Blumlein, Len Page, and Ken Townsend were pioneers at the forefront of developing recording techniques and technology, including the first recording consoles. In addition to its famed rooms for recording, many records have also been mastered at Abbey Road. Making it a full-scale laboratory of recording and audio engineering. 

Notable gear started with the EMI REDD.37 valve console circa late-1950s from EMI Central Research Laboratories, which was later updated to the REDD.51 (circa mid-1960s). Many of the microphones in the collection today date all the way back to the 1930s, including the RCA 44BX ribbon, which is still in use. Other microphones spanning decades of use by some of the world's most renowned musicians are AKG D20, Neumann U47/ U48, and more. Incredible outboard gear included UREI 1176 Compressor, Pultec EQP1-A, Fairchild 660 Limiter (1960s), and more. And let's not forget their signature Plate and Chamber reverbs patchable from all studios in the complex.

Today, the consoles or desks that can be found, perhaps at a few other studios in the world are REDD.17, TG12345 MKII Desk, TG12345 MKIII Desk (which lives in Studio Three). There are world-famous pianos, keyboards (some of the first Moogs and Mellotrons!), and tape machines. No doubt there are entire books related to all of the treasures that Abbey Road houses. 

Over the years, many incredible engineers and producers worked at Abbey Road or were at the helm as part of an artists’ team. Here is a handful of them: Alan Parsons (who started his career at Abbey Road at the age of 18 as a tape op on the Beatles’ "Get Back" sessions), Chris Parker (known for his transparent and accurate recordings classical recordings), Ken Scott (Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Elton John, the Beatles), Geoff Emerick (the Beatles, Wings, Elvis Costello, Manfred Mann, Judy Garland), and George Martin aka "the 5th Beatle" (the Beatles, Jeff Beck, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black, Yoko Ono, Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Kenny Rogers, John Williams, Cheap Trick), just to name a few. 

Last but not least, the lineage of music that has been made at Abbey Road is truly astounding and carries on today, making it impossible to list them all. A few familiar names: Pink Floyd, James Horner, John Williams, the Beatles, Wings, the Hollies, Alan Parsons Project, Cliff Richard, the Buzzcocks, XTC, The London Symphony Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, Kate Bush, Oasis, Radiohead, Sam Smith, Florence + The Machine, Ed Sheeran, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Ravi Shankar, Blur, Massive Attack, The Spice Girls, Take That, and Nick Cave. 

Ocean Way Hollywood Control Room B, courtesy of Ocean Way Recording.

Ocean Way Recording (LA) 

Originally built in 1952 and called United Western, (which was part of a complex on Sunset Boulevard, in Hollywood), Ocean Way came into being in 1988 when Allen Sides purchased the studio. United Western Studios was one of the most successful studios of the 1960s. The studio was actually two buildings, and United had the larger Studio A (where Michael Jackson would eventually record many hits in the 1980s with Bruce Swindon), and a B room which was slightly smaller. Western, which was a second building, copied United and had similar-sized rooms. They also both incorporated smaller rooms for things like overdubbing and mastering.

Bill Putnam, who got his start in Chicago and then relocated to LA, was the owner from 1961-84. Known for his UREI recording equipment and custom Universal Audio consoles, Putnam teamed up with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra to found the United Recording Corp. studio complex. Later, Putnam and Sides connected and Sides started renting a room in the studio in 1982, and it was during that time period that his custom speaker designs were implemented throughout the facility.

It's estimated that more than 1,000 albums were made at Ocean Way by Sides alone. The studio is named after Sides’ original studio space, which he started in a three-and-a-half car garage in Santa Monica, CA—mostly so that he could showcase his tri-amplified loudspeaker designs. He started out renting one room at the then Western Studios, and by 1988 owned and operated it until 1999 when it was sold, partitioned, and changed names. It was Cello Studios for a while, then EastWest Studios, and then in 2015 it became United Recording Studios, and at the time of this writing is listed as defunct. (Sides did go on to fund other locations, one of which (the Nashville location) is still in operation, but is owned by Belmont University.) 

Sides was so successful in these ventures that he also created Ocean Way Audio, which includes the aforementioned high-end monitors, a microphone (Sterling Audio ST6050), plug-ins, and more. Between the two founders Putnam and Sides, there has been a lot of iconic gear created, adding to the immense legacy of this studio. Putnam himself founded Universal Audio and invited the 1176 compressor.

The studio was known for its acoustics as well as its electrical engineering, innovations in recording equipment, and the foresight to create what was arguably an empire of sound. The studio has around 40 API 550a modules, an outboard collection of some seriously rare ITI ME230 parametric EQs, Electrodyne limiters, Pultec and Lang EQs, and a mic locker that may be worth a few kidneys. (At the time of Side’s ownership, it was noted for having a substantial collection of vintage valve and ribbon mics.)

Studio A houses a Focusrite console with 72 inputs, which is known for being one of the few ever built. Studio A is impressive in its size, and one of the largest rooms on the West Coast, if not all of the US. Studio B was slightly smaller and housed a Dalcon console, which was later sold to Nigel Godrich, and was replaced by Neve 8068/8088. Studio D has an 84 input Neve 88R. 

The lineage of incredible producers and engineers is equally impressive, as one would expect. Between Putnam and Sides alone is enough, but producers like Jack Joseph Puig, Ricky Minor, Bruce Swindon, and Quincy Jones have also worked there, just to name a few. The studio was renewed for always having good staff, many of whom went on to be great producers there as well. This included people like Bones Howe, Charles Brtiz, and Wally Heider. 

Everyone from Frank Sinatra to Green Day has recorded at this landmark studio. Counting backward, starting with the United Western Recorders era, there was Bing Crosby, Brian Wilson (Pet Sounds), and Elvis—even The Flinstones recorded there! Plus Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Fleetwoods, Sam Cooke, and the Mamas & the Papas. As Ocean Way artists continued to keep the studio in constant use, sometimes booked out and reserved with waiting lists five places deep. Before closing its doors, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Phil Collins, and Alanis Morissette all recorded at Ocean Way LA.

Electric Lady 

Founded in 1970 by Jimi Hendrix, with Jimi passing just a month after opening, he only ever got to spend ten weeks there before his passing. The year prior, the studio was a club called The Generation. The idea was to have a place for Jimi to jam. Eddie Kramer, a recording engineer who worked with Jimi nearly from the start of his career, suggested that they make it a recording studio instead since he was estimated to have been spending about $150,00 a year on recording at the time. The studio fell into disrepair during the 2000s but was eventually taken over and by 2010 was back in use by major artists. Lee Foster has been a true champion and steward of re-electrifying NYC’s Electric Lady. 

Its acoustic design was crafted by John Storyk, with many delays due to permits and flooding. The studio sits atop an underground river, and as such sump pumps had to be installed, and then soundproofed. A lot of care was given to ambient lighting, specifically for Jimi, who requested that the room have a lot of round curves and windows. Today, Studio A’s live room is still circular.

Aesthetically, not much has changed since Jimi commissioned the space, and today you can still see the space murals he had artist Lance Jost paint on the wall in Studio A. Today the studio has several bespoke guitars and a Wurlitzer that was purchased from Muscle Shoals Sound. Studio B has a custom purple SSL 9080—the only one in existence. Studio C has Tom Elmhirst’s Neve VR Console, along with ATC SCM50 monitors. Studio D is a new addition to the studio and houses Dan Aurbach’s Altec 9200 console, which is comprised of 16 Altec channels and eight Spectrasonic channels, with a Norman Druce Audio monitoring setup. 

Amongst some of the legendary producers and engineers who have worked at the studio or called it home are Eddie Kramer, Nile Rodgers, Mark Ronson, Michael Bauer, and Tom Elmhirst. Over the years, artists like BB King, Chuck Berry, Sly & the Family Stone, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, and David Bowie have all made records at Electric Lady.

For most of the 1970s, Stevie Wonder spent copious amounts of time recording there, seeking to divorce himself from his prior Motown sound, and “get as weird as possible”. Lou Reed, Hall & Oats, the Rolling Stones, Blondie, Gene Sim mons/Kiss, John Lennon & David Bowie recorded Fame there, and Patti Smith recorded Horses there. Later still, Chic and Nile Rodgers had sessions for ‘Le Freak’ sessions. During the 80s and 90s, artists like AC/DC, the Clash, Billy Idol, the Cars, Weezer, and Santana.

This period was later followed by what some refer to as the Soulquarian period and saw artists like D’Angelo, Questlove, Erykah Badu, and more. The studio hasn’t slowed its pace since its renovation, drawing artists like Kanye West, Adele, Jay-Z, Kei th Richards, Daft Punk, U2, Taylor Swift, Interpol, Lana Del Ray, Rod Stewart, the Black Keys, Lady Gaga, and more. 

Want to learn more about Electric Lady Studios? Check out our blog on installing Studio B's Neve 8078 console. 

Hitsville control room, courtesy of Motown Historical Museum.

Hitsville/Motown Studio 

Founded in 1959 by Berry Gordy in Detroit, Michigan, Hitsville USA started as a house that Gordy purchased and converted for use as a record label admin building and recording studio. By 1966, the studio had a gross income of $20 million and created jobs for over 450 people. In 1968, Gordy purchased the Donovan building and moved the Detroit offices there. (These were demolished in 2006.)

By 1972, Gordy expanded his business to Los Angeles and Esther Gordy Edwards stayed on to run what was left of Motown’s Detroit Hitsville location. She and her secretary were responsible for preserving the studio building and Studio A. In 1985, it was converted into a museum where today the museum is maintained and operated by Edward’s granddaughter Robin Terry.

Motown was more than just a recording studio and label, and played a key role in racial integration, as young people enjoyed the music together, and danced together, at a time when the US was still segregated. Motown had subsidiary labels and also was instrumental in creating and releasing soul music that appealed to a wider audience because of its pop sensibilities. In 2021, after many changes of hands, the label returned to being its own standalone label. 

Over the years, the Motown sound became iconic and produced many hits topping the carts, with hit after consecutive hit. Gordy is said to have had his inspiration for making a factory of hits from watching cars be made on the Lincoln Mercury factory line. All aspects of production and business were done in-house: songwriting, management, grooming/styling/poise, arranging, recording, mastering, and more. 

Many of the instruments at the studio were responsible for the in-house style. This ranged from the house drum kit to the famous Steinway Grand (built in 1877, a model D grand) used by the Funk Brothers (and later restored by Paul McCartney in 2012 and is still in use today), Studio A was a simple rectangular room and earned the name “The Snakepit." The control room, barely acoustically treated was known to be small and cramped, utilizing a two-track set-up—moving to three-track in 1961, and then later eight-track.

There are rumors of a Motown EQ, crafted by the studio’s head of engineering, Mike McLean. He was known for modifying gear and even crafted a Motown DI. Motown had its own echo chamber, which is said to have been permanently ready to go. Through this many of the engineers working there at the time, would basically re-amp elements through this and blend them into the mix to create a sense of space. Other key pieces of gear that were part of the Motown sound were: Neumann U67 and KM84, both RCA 77 and 77-DX, AKG C12VR microphones, EMT 140 plate reverb, and an Echoplex tape delay. 

Over the years the list of incredible engineers and producers grew to be very impressive, starting with Gordy and McLean, but also included Russ Terrana (who started at the studio at the age of 23), William “Mickey” Stevenson, Brian Holland, La mont Dozier, Norman Whitfield, Bob Olhsson (mixing and mastering). 

Who could forget the incredible polished acts and chart-topping songs from this studio as well? The likes of Diana Ross/The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Funk Brothers, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (“You Better Shop Around”), Marv Johnson, Harvey Fuqua/The Ink Spots, Marble John, Eddie Holland and Mary Wells, The Marvelettes (“Please Mr. Postman”), The Four Tops, The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, the Contours, Edwin Starr, Martha and the Vandellas, The Velvelettes, the Spinners, the Monitors, Chris Clark, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Earl Washington, and the Eponymous Band, just to name a few! 

Trident Studios 

Built in 1967 by drummer Norman Sheffield of the group The Hunters, and his brother Barry. Trident Studios was located in London’s SoHo district until 1981, when it was sold to senior engineer Stephen Short and three other investors. By 1983, Short had bought out the other investors and re-imagined the studio as Trident 2. Over the years, the studio changed names and ownership multiple times, but the original building is still in place and the studio is still in operation today, focused on audio post for TV and Film.

Trident has a special part to play in rock and roll history, as it was a studio where artists could really experiment and let their hair down (and there was a lot of hair back then). The Beatles recorded their “White Album” there, and Queen in particular has a special story with this studio. The Sheffield brothers discovered Queen and formed a production company to sign the band just so they could get their music released. The band had no management or publishing at the time. Once the album was finished, it was difficult to find a label to sign the band, so the Sheffield brothers funded the album’s release themselves… and the rest as they say is history! 

Trident wasn't only known for recording great music, but also as a key innovator in audio engineering. It all began with the Trident A Range consoles, which were originally built and designed by Malcolm Toft. The A Range was known, though limited in its production run, for its EQ section. Artists like David Bowie, Rod Stewart, and Fran Sinatra made records with these consoles, prized for their sound and high-quality circuitry.

Trident Studios also were ahead of the curve in their use of Dolby Noise reduction and were also pioneering with their Ampex eight-track machine. The piano at Trident Studios, a unique handmade C. Bechstein, was also an important part of the sound of records made there. (It was sadly auctioned off in 2011—and the figure for which, and to whom have never been publicly released.) It can be heard on the Beatles, “Hey Jude” and Elton John’s “Your Song”. It is also said that their Tannoy monitors were also an important component of the Trident Studios sound. 

Amongst some of the legendary engineers and producers to have worked at Trident are The Sheffield brothers/Neptune Productions, Malcolm Toft, Stephen Short, Adam Mosley, Flood, Alan Molder, Mark ‘Spike’ Stent, Ken Scott, Roy Thomas Baker, and Robin Cable. 

There’s an incredible treasure trove of music to come out of Trident Studios across the decades. A few of them are: Manfred Mann’s “My Name is Jack”, David Bowie’s, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars”, Lou Reed’s “Transformer, Kiss, Peter Gabriel, Soft Cell, The Rolling Stones. Rush, Thin Lizzy, Tina Turner, T.Rex, Yes, Bee Gees, Frank Zappa, Genesis, Queen’s “Queen”, “Queen II”, and “Sheer Heart Attack”, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Visage, Yazoo, and Erasure. 

Hansa Tonstudio Control Room, courtesy of Hansa Studios.

Hansa Tonstudio 

Located in Berlin, once adjacent to the Berlin Wall and its guard towers, Hansa Tonstudio was originally built in 1913 as a guild hall, briefly serving as a chamber concert hall, and was even a cultural hub during the Weimar period. In 1962, it officially became a recording studio. Often referred to as “Hansa, By The Wall,” the large live room has become famous for its sound, along with one very special stairwell that possesses a coveted reverb. The large live room is 270 meters, with 7-meter-high ceilings. (Making it a similar size to Abbey Road Studio 2.)

The studio notably had no line of sight between the live room and control room, and so in many cases, artists and engineers relied on video camera systems and room mic for communication. There is a separate drum room, constructed of marble, with no adjacent surfaces, which is also still in use today. It is often used for other types of recording, not just drums, as it is prized for its unique bright quality due to the marble surface. Today the studio has expanded to include an upstairs studio, complete with modern recording facilities, a control room, and more. The original control room is now a bar in the building, but the studio and its spacious original live room are still in operation today. 

Unique to the studio is its custom-built SSL 4056E Console in blue. It has 64 channels and is still in use and maintained today. The studio also houses a collection of incredible outboard gear including some UREI 545 4-Band Parametric EQs, Manley Enhanced Pultec EQs, UREI 1176, 1178, and an LA-22, countless Lexicon Reverbs, AKG BX15, and 20 spring reverbs, a mic list that would make one weep (and Studer Tape machines, all still in use in Studio 1’s control room.) 

Some of the world's biggest names in music production have produced and engineered at Hansa, including Eduard Meyer, Tony Visconti, Gareth Jones, Flood, Mick Harvey, Use Nettelbeck, Michael Blakey, Peter Schmidt, Alex Wende, Alex Silva, Her bert Grönemeyer, Peter Wagner & Jack White, and Michael Illbert. 

Countless classic records have been made here, influenced by the space and also by being so close to The Wall (before its fall). Bowie’s “Low,” “Heroes,” and “Lodger” were all recorded at Hansa, and "Hereo’s" references and was inspired by the view from the studio overlooking the Berlin Wall. Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” and “The Idiot” were both recorded there during a similar period. U2’s “Achtung Baby” was captured there, as well as Depeche Mode’s “Construction Time Again”, “Some Great Reward”, and “Black Celebration”. Also recorded at Hansa were such artists as the Wire, the Birthday Party, Einsturzende Neubauten (who made great use of the legendary stairwell, and space), Nick Cave, and the Bad Seeds, (“Your Funeral, My Trial” and “The Firstborn is Dead”), REM’s “Collapse Into Now”, Supergrass, The Hives, Snow Patrol, Siouxsie, and the Banshees “Tinder box”, Killing Joke, Marillion, Brian Eno, and Green Day. 

Akane NakamuraLooking to outfit your studio like some of the legendary spaces above? Contact a Vintage King Audio Consultant via email or by phone at 866.644.0160.