Larrabee Sound Studios is a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

complex in

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, originally established in 1969.

Facilities

Located at 4162 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, Larrabee has six studios, three tracking spaces, and a production/mastering suite, centered around a large, extensively-decorated atrium.

Studio 1, where

Jaycen Joshua Jaycen Joshua is a mix engineer and music producer who owns the revered Canton House Studios in Studio City, California. Joshua started his mix career in 2005 when he became partners with his mentor Dave Pensado and formed The Penua Project. Joshu ...

is resident

mix engineer A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...

, is the second-largest studio space at Larrabee, with a 65-square-meter live room. An 80-channel Solid State Logic 9098 XL K-series console is the hub of this studio's 40-square-meter control room. Studio 2, the home studio of mix engineer

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work. Life and career M ...

, has similar proportions and a similar console to Studio 1. Studio 3 is slightly larger, and also has a recording console similar to Studio 1. Studio 4, sometimes referred to as "The Rat Pack Room" has a 48-channel Solid State Logic Duality Delta console. Studio 5 is a production room with two isolation booths. Studio 6, formerly the Schnee Studio control room, has a 72-channel Solid State Logic Duality console. Studio A, sometimes called the "Bordello Room" because of its crimson walls and velvet fabrics, is a smaller studio set up for mastering.

History

Larrabee West

The original Larrabee Studio location, named after its location on Larrabee Street in

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

was co-founded by singer-songwriter

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

and her husband, lyricist

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the List of Billboard number-one ...

in the 1960s. In 1969, Jackie Mills, a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, and co-founder of the short-lived Ava Records, purchased the studio together with his wife Dolores Kaninger. The couple operated the studio until 1985, when they sold it to their son Kevin Mills. This original Larrabee Studio location became referred to as Larrabee West after the establishment of Larrabee North in 1991, and remained in operation until 2003.

Larrabee North

In 1991, Larrabee Studio acquired another studio located at 4162 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood and renamed it Larrabee North. Originally founded by Len Kovner in 1973 as Davlen Sound Studios,

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance mu ...

purchased the space in 1983 and renamed it Oasis Recording Studios.

Teddy Riley Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre. Riley credits Barry Michael Cooper with giving the genre its name.Hogan, Paul. " Tedd ...

was the first to work at Larrabee's new studio, producing tracks for Michael Jackson's ''

Dangerous Dangerous may refer to: Film and television * ''Dangerous'' (1935 film), an American film starring Bette Davis * '' Dangerous: The Short Films'', a 1993 collection of music videos by Michael Jackson * ''Dangerous'' (2021 film), a Canadian-Ameri ...

''. Both of the studios at this location underwent major remodels in 1995-1996, and Larrabee added a large atrium with lounge space in 2000. After selling Larrabee West, Larrabee North became the company headquarters and main location, referred to simply as Larrabee Studios.

Larrabee East

In 1999, Larrabee acquired Andora Studios, a facility in the

Cahuenga Pass The Cahuenga Pass (, ; Tongva: ''Kawé’nga'') is a low mountain pass through the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Hollywood Hills district of the City of Los Angeles, California. It has an elevation of . The Cahuenga Pass connec ...

which was originally built in the 1970s as Tom Jones' Britannia studio. This studio became known as Larrabee East. In 2005,

Dave Way Dave Way is an American producer, mixer and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He has worked with Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Kesha, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, Ringo Starr, Shakira, Phoebe Bridgers, John Doe, Sa ...

, his wife and former Larrabee East studio manager Jamie Way, and other investors purchased the studio, renaming it The Pass.

Schnee Studio

In 2015 Schnee Studio, which was located adjacent to Larrabee Studios, was sold and merged with Larrabee to become Larrabee Studio 6. In the late 2010s, this Larrabee studio was under extended lockout by

Harvey Mason Jr. Harvey Jay Mason Jr. (born June 3, 1968) is an American record producer, songwriter, movie producer and current CEO of The Recording Academy. He has written and produced songs for artists including Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Deniece Wil ...

Notable personnel

Dave Aron David Royce Aron (August 29, 1964 – March 11, 2019) was an American recording engineer, live music, live and studio Audio engineering, mixer, record producer, and musician. Early life Aron was born and raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey, the so ...

Dave Pensado Dave Pensado is a Grammy Award-winning mix engineer. His career began in Atlanta in the 1970s and 1980s doing live and studio sound engineering. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1990. He mixes between 200 and 250 songs a year at Larrabee Studios ...

Rob Chiarelli Rob Chiarelli (born January 13, 1963) is an American record producer, mix engineer, musician, published author and multiple Grammy Award winner. Widely recognized as a music producer for Will Smith and ''Men in Black II'' (2002), Chiarelli's wo ...

Sylvia Massy Sylvia Lenore Massy is an American record producer, mixer, engineer, instructor and author. Massy is renowned for her multifaceted production/mixing and engineering skills, with her first major breakthrough occurring with 1993's '' Undertow'', th ...

References

Recording studios in California Buildings and structures in Hollywood, Los Angeles Companies based in Los Angeles {{US-media-company-stub