Billboard’s List Of Top Recording Studios

Billboard Magazine recently posted a list of its top recording studios in the world. The article didn’t specify exactly how these studios were selected, but it seems to be built around how many hit artists use the facility. Still, it’s difficult to argue with their choices, as the ones selected are considered some of the best in the world and most have been for some time. There was no order chosen, just a “best of” list. They are:

ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS — London

AIR STUDIOS — London

BERNIE GRUNDMAN MASTERING — Los Angeles

CAPITOL STUDIOS — Los Angeles

CRITERIA RECORDING STUDIOS — Miami

CONWAY RECORDING STUDIOS — Los Angeles

EASTWEST STUDIOS — Los Angeles

ELECTRIC LADY STUDIOS — New York

GATEWAY MASTERING STUDIOS — Portland, Maine

THE POWER STATION AT BERKLEE NYC — New York

GERMANO STUDIOS — New York

HENSON RECORDING STUDIOS — Los Angeles

LARRABEE STUDIOS — Los Angeles

MIX THIS! — Pacific Palisades, Calif.

REAL WORLD STUDIOS — Box, Wiltshire, England

OCEAN WAY NASHVILLE — Nashville

METROPOLIS STUDIOS — London

ISLAND SOUND STUDIOS — Honolulu

RECORD PLANT — Los Angeles

SOUND CITY STUDIOS — Los Angeles

STERLING SOUND — New York

SUN STUDIO — Memphis

UNITED RECORDING STUDIOS — Los Angeles

THE VILLAGE STUDIOS — Los Angeles

What’s interesting here is that the majority of the studios mentioned are in Los Angeles, while only one was from Nashville, which at one time probably had as many great studios as anywhere in the world.

There were other surprises as well. For instance, Island Sound Studios is not one that I was even aware of, and Sun Studio in Memphis, while certainly legendary, isn’t really a place where today’s artists can work the way that they’re used to. There were also 3 mastering studios on the list, and Bob Clearmountain’s Mix This! is a personal studio for his use only.

That said, any list of top studios would surely be up to the whim of the list maker, since there are so many great places that are known, and so many others that turn out hits that don’t have the production community’s awareness. In the end, a list of top recording studios still comes down to popularity and taste.