Ocean Way Recording was a series of
recording studios
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 ...
established by recording engineer and producer Allen Sides with locations in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
,
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, and
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Barthélemy (french: Saint-Barthélemy, ), officially the Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy, is an overseas collectivity of France in the Caribbean. It is often abbreviated to St. Barth in French, and St. Barts in English ...
. Ocean Way Recording no longer operates recording facilities, but Ocean Way Nashville continues to operate under the ownership of Belmont University.
History
Background
In 1972, Ocean Way founder Allen Sides opened a studio he had built in a 3 1/2-car garage on Ocean Way in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
for the purpose of demonstrating tai-amplified loudspeakers of his own design. In 1977, Sides, who had worked as a runner at
United Western Recorders
United Western Recorders was a two-building recording studio complex in Hollywood that was one of the most successful independent recording studios of the 1960s. The complex merged neighboring studios United Recording Corp. on 6050 Sunset Boule ...
in the late 1960s, purchased enough equipment from Putnam's company
UREI
United Recording Electronics Industries (UREI) was a manufacturer of recording, mixing and audio signal processing hardware for the professional recording studio, live sound and broadcasting fields.
History
Bill Putnam Sr. founded Universal ...
to completely fill the garage space for just $6,000, attracting the attention of Putnam. Sides and Putnam became friends and business partners, and Putnam offered Sides exclusive rights to sell UREI and United Western Studios' surplus equipment, providing Sides and his studio with a wide variety of studio equipment.
Ocean Way Hollywood
In 1976, after the lease on Sides' garage studio was abruptly canceled, Putnam provided space at United Western Recorders, leasing United Studio B to Sides. Six years later, Sides lease at United Western expanded to include United Studio A. When Putnam sold his companies to
Harman in 1984, Harman sold the Western building and its contents to Sides, who later also acquired the United building.
Sides renamed the United Western Studios complex Ocean Way Recording after the location of his former garage studio.
Ocean Way Studios operated the two-building complex from 1985 until 1999, when the former Western Studios building at 6000 Sunset Boulevard was partitioned, sold, and renamed Cello Studios. In 2006, the studio again changed ownership, and has since been in operation as
EastWest Studios
EastWest Studios (formerly known as Western Studio, a component of United Western Recorders and later Ocean Way Recording) is a recording studio complex located at 6000 West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally constructed by Bill Putnam in ...
.
Ocean Way Studios continued operations in the building at 6050 Sunset Boulevard until 2013, when it was sold to
Hudson Pacific Properties
Hudson Pacific Properties is a real estate investment trust with 15.8 million square feet of office buildings, 1.5 million square feet of sound stages, and undeveloped rights for 3 million square feet of additional commercial property. Its prope ...
. Since 2015 it has been known as United Recording Studios.
Ocean Way Nashville
In 1995, Sides and Gary Belz purchased the 1911 Church of the Advent, a 100-year old Brownstone church building in Nashville's
Music Row
Music Row is a historic district located southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Widely considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry, Music Row has also become a metonymous nickname for the music industry as a w ...
district, converting it to open Ocean Way Nashville the following year. In 2001, Sides and Belz sold the studios to
Belmont University
Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...
for use by the
Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business (CEMB). The university continues to operate the commercial studios, while also utilizing them as hands-on classrooms to teach audio engineering. Belmont University maintains license of the Ocean Way name and Sides remains a consultant.
[
]
Other Ocean Way studios
The Ocean Way Studios Group also included Record One
Record One is a recording studio complex in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Originally founded in 1979, the studio has been the site of numerous commercially successful and award-winning recordings. Since 2015, Record On ...
studios in Sherman Oaks, California, which was acquired by Sides in 1988, and another Ocean Way Studio location in Saint Barthélemy.
Ocean Way Recording no longer operates recording facilities.
Other Ocean Way companies
Sides is also the founder of Ocean Way Audio, a manufacturer of speaker systems. Ocean Way Drums, a partnership between Sides and producer Steven Miller, produces virtual instrument software.[
]
References
External links
Ocean Way Recording - About
See also
* United Western Recorders
United Western Recorders was a two-building recording studio complex in Hollywood that was one of the most successful independent recording studios of the 1960s. The complex merged neighboring studios United Recording Corp. on 6050 Sunset Boule ...
* EastWest Studios
EastWest Studios (formerly known as Western Studio, a component of United Western Recorders and later Ocean Way Recording) is a recording studio complex located at 6000 West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally constructed by Bill Putnam in ...
{{Coord, 34.09789, -118.32131, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-CA, display=title
Recording studios in California
Audio engineering
Buildings and structures in Hollywood, Los Angeles
Sunset Boulevard (Los Angeles)
Music of Los Angeles
Companies based in Los Angeles
Entertainment companies based in California
Entertainment companies established in 1984
Mass media companies established in 1984
Mass media companies disestablished in 2015
1984 establishments in California
2015 disestablishments in California