Larrabee Sound Studios is a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

complex in

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, 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 an American audio engineer based in California. He won three Grammy Awards: the first for mixing ''Growing Pains'' for Mary J. Blige in 2007, followed by '' El mal querer'' for Rosalía in 2018, and ''Hyperspace'' for Beck in ...

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 700-square-foot live room. An 80-channel Solid State Logic 9098 XL K-series console is the hub of this studio's 430-square-foot control room. Studio 2, the home studio of mix engineer

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

, 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. History Most historical writing ...

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 renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

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 US No.1 hits " Will You L ...

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western music ensemble, bands that play Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, or Contemporary R&B, R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeepi ...

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

, 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 and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...

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

Teddy Riley Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American record producer, singer, and songwriter credited with the creation of the R&B and hip-hop fusion genre, new jack swing. Musical artists who utilized Riley's production and songwri ...

was the first to work at Larrabee's new studio, producing tracks for Michael Jackson's '' Dangerous''. 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''), also known by its Spanish name Paseo de Cahuenga, 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, Califor ...

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 a Grammy Award winning American producer, mixer and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He has worked with Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Kesha, Pink, Iron And Wine, Fall Out Boy, Al Green, 21 Pilots, Yebba, Vic ...

, 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.

Notable personnel

Dave Aron David Royce Aron (August 29, 1964 – March 11, 2019) was an American recording engineer, live and studio mixer, record producer, and musician. Early life Aron was born and raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey, the son of 1950s be-bop trumpet play ...

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 Studio ...

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 work ...

Sylvia Massy Sylvia Lenore Massy is an American record producer, mixer, and engineer. Her first major breakthrough occurred with 1993's ''Undertow (Tool album), Undertow'', the full-length triple platinum-selling debut for Los Angeles alternative metal band ...

References

{{Coord, 34.1456, -118.3629, display=title Recording studios in California Companies based in Los Angeles