New York City is the epicenter of music-making and recording studios in the Empire State, and the Big Apple has over 200 studios spread across the five boroughs. In doing so, New York City surpasses the rest of the state by having the most recording studios in a single region.
Numerous prominent names in the music business have recorded in New York City, including New York natives Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Lana Del Ray, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Q-Tip, A Tribe Called Quest, Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Lopez, as well as non-natives like Britney Spears, Beyonce, Destiny’s Child, Kanye West, Rihanna, Whitney Houston, Sia, Taylor Swift, and Gwen Stefani. For the first time, we are doing what no major outlet has done before, listing all the recording studios in New York State and the prominent singers who have made music there.
Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village has been the go-to studio for several recording artists and originally came to be in 1968 after Jimi Hendrix and his manager Michael Jeffery bought a newly defunct nightclub called The Generation. On August 26, 1970, Hendrix hosted the grand opening of his psychedelic studio lair to fellow musicians and friends. Guests included Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Ron Wood, and Patti Smith. Today, Electric Lady Studios is made famous by Jimi Hendrix and classic 70s sessions with The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and Patti Smith, among others, and maintains its reputation as the most hallowed grounds for recorded music. It is the oldest working and thriving recording studio in New York City.
“I put on my straw hat and walked downtown, but when I got there, I couldn’t bring myself to go in,” recalls Patti Smith in her award-winning memoir, Just Kids. “By chance, Jimi Hendrix came up the stairs and found me sitting there like some hick wallflower and grinned.”
Electric Lady has four studios available for artists’ use, A, B, C, and D.
Studio “A” is home to a fully restored Neve 8078 – a hand-wired analog console that as recently as 2011 absorbed 2500 hours of highly skilled labor, utilizing only the highest-end components. The console was later outfitted with Martin Sound Flying Faders II. The studio’s 35′ x 38′ live room boasts an impressive collection of vintage microphones, instruments, and amps, as well as an almost palpable history. It is Electric Lady’s largest and most versatile space.
For ten years, Studio C has been home to mix engineer Tom Elmhirst. Elmhirst has worked with artists like Adele, Frank Ocean, David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, and more, including 16 Grammy wins. He currently holds the record for most Grammys won by an engineer in a single year. Recent projects at Electric Lady include Adele’s “30,” James Blake’s “Friends That Break Your Heart,” and YEBBA’s “Dawn.”
Significant Artists who have recorded at Electric Lady include Beyonce (I am… Sasha Fierce,) Britney Spears (Oops I Did It Again,) Carly Rae Jepsen (Dedicated Side B,) Christina Aguilera (Stripped,) Destiny’s Child (The Writing’s on the Wall,) Gwen Stefani (The Sweet Escape,) J. Cole (For Your Eyez Only,) Kanye West (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,) Kid Cudi (Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager and Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon,) Lady Gaga (Joanne, A Star is Born, and Chromatica,) Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett (Love for Sale,) Lorde, (Melodrama and Solar Power) Lana Del Rey, (Born to Die, Ultraviolence, Honeymoon, Lust for Life, Norman Fucking Rockwell, and Chemtrails over the Country Club) Mariah Carey, (Caution,) Maroon 5, (Red Pill Blues,) Sia, (Music – Songs from and Inspired by the Motion Picture,) and Taylor Swift, (Lover, Folklore, Fearless (Taylor’s version) Red (Taylor’s version) and Midnighs.)
Premier Recording Studio has been graced by musicians such as Beyonce, Ne-Yo, Wiz Khalifa, Aaliyah, Usher, Justin Bieber, and DMX. J. Cole recorded his second studio album, Born Sinner (2013); Nicki Minaj recorded her fourth studio album, Queen (2018); and Travis Scott recorded his debut studio album, Rodeo (2015) at Premier. The facility has four studios at artists’ disposal, A, B, E, and F.
Studio A is made up of a 9′ x 15′ Lounge, an 18′ x 21′ Control Room, a 21′ 24′ Live Room, and a 9′ x 14′ Iso Booth. Studio B is made up of a 15′ x 18′ Lounge, a 20′ x 20′ Control Room, a 9′ x 14′ Iso Booth, and a 20′ x 21′ live room. Studio E comprises a 10 x 13′ Lounge, an 8 x 16′ Iso Booth, and a 16′ x 23′ Control Room. Studio F comprises a 10′ x 13′ Lounge, an 8′ x 13′ Iso Booth, and an 11 x 23 Control Room.
Random Chance Records in New York City was built by Farida Sheralam, and the studio’s website was created with NationBuilder. Sheralam was working on a book about the life of blues mandolinist James “Yank” Rachell (Blues Mandolin Man, University Press of Mississippi, 2001.) She thought about all of Rachell’s LPs that were out of date by that point, and in the process of obtaining the rights to Rachell’s music, Sheralam inadvertently created a record label. Sheralam obtained a bar code, website, advertising in blues magazines, etc. Then she started getting sent demos from artists, and the rest is history. Since then, Sheralam has kept the label going and has released some really good blues, jazz, Latin, world, and whatever CDs.
The Hit Factory Recording Studio on Broadway in New York City, owned and operated by Troy Germano and also known as Germano Studios, first opened in 1969. In 1975, when Troy was first beginning his career in the music industry, his father, singer, and record producer Ed Germano purchased The Hit Factory, incorporated it into a business, redesigned its studios, and created the logo it uses today, bringing his son along for the journey. Troy experienced the company from the ground up, starting in the tape library and eventually becoming Executive Vice President in 1984. Before opening its current location in the Noho District in 2008 and becoming known as Germano Studios | The Hit Factory, the studio moved around multiple times throughout New York City. Additionally, The Hit Factory has locations in other big cities like Los Angeles and Miami.
The Hit Factory/Germano Studios has produced music for Q-Tip (Amplified) Alicia Keys (Songs in a Mirror, Diary of Alicia Keys, and The Elements of Freedom) Beyonce (Dangerously in Love,) Britney Spears (Britney,) Celine Dion (The Color of My Love, Falling into You, and Let’s Talk About Love,) Christina Aguilera (Stripped,) Coldplay (X&Y,) Destiny’s Child (The Writing’s on the Wall and Survivor,) Jay-Z (The Life and Times of St. Carter,) Mariah Carey (Merry Christmas, and Butterfly,) TLC (Crazysexycool,) Ariana Grande (Sweetener,) Christina Aguilera (Liberation,) Nicki Minaj (Queen,) Kanye West (Yeezus and The Life of Pablo, Kid Cudi, (Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager) Lady Gaga (Born This Way) Lil Uzi Vert (Luv is Rage 2,) Mariah Carey (Merry Christmas II You,) Meghan Trainor (Title,) One Republic (Native,) Post Malone (Stoney, Hollywood’s Bleeding, and Twelve Carat Toothache,) and Rihanna, Rated R.)
The Hit Factory has two studios available for use by musicians. Studio 1 is the ideal recording studio for cutting basic tracks as well as mixing for your latest album or single. The live room recently added a C. Bechstein Concert L167 baby grand acoustic piano. The control room has the deepest array of analog outboard gear paired with an endless list of plugins unrivaled by any other U.S. music studio. This studio has become one of the top vocal recording environments in New York City, and what separates Studio 1 from any other recording environment is the complete privacy matched with the constant updating of its equipment and plugins.
Studio 2 is perfectly situated for those mixing projects that are geared toward the mix engineer and producer. The live room recently added a Bechstein A2 upright acoustic piano. The live room is predominantly utilized for lead & background vocals, key drum or guitar overdubs, or any writing session required. A 5-piece group of background vocalists, a string quartet, or a 6-piece horn section can be accommodated by the live recording space. The selection of analog outboard gear and near-field/mid-field monitoring is extensive and the main monitoring is the same Exigy S412G system with custom dual 18” subwoofers featured in Studio 1.
Battery Studios is Sony Music Entertainment’s New York City-based music production facility. Battery houses the technology to playback almost all existing audio formats and is capable of stereo and surround mastering, audio restoration and digitization, file verification, and immersive audio mixing. The studio has produced music for A Tribe Called Quest (People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, The Low End Theory, Midnight Marauders, Beats, Rhymes, and Life, and The Love Movement) Alicia Keys, Britney Spears (Baby One More Time, Oops I Did It Again, Britney, In The Zone, and Greatest Hits: My Peragotive,) JoJo (JoJo and The High Road,) and Nysnc (No Strings Attached and Celebrity.)
Threshold Recording Studio in Manhattan’s Midtown West neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen has been in operation since 1997, offering award-winning recording studios, music production, artist development, and commercial project management. Threshold Studios is a hands-on, owner-operated facility with an unparalleled client list from the best and brightest of Broadway to some of the biggest pop stars of the 20th century- and every major broadcast media outlet in between. The studio features top-of-the-line vintage analog and digital gear including Protools HD, logic pro x, and more.
Quad Recording Studios in New York City has produced music for Alicia Keys (Diary of Alicia Keys,) Chris Brown (Heartbreak on a Full Moon,) Goo Goo Dolls, (Magnetic,) Jay-Z, Volume 2…Hard Knock Life and Vol. 3…The Life and Times of St. Carter,) Jessie J (Who You Are,) Kanye West (The College Dropout,) Mariah Carey (Rainbow and Charmbracelet,) Pop Smoke (Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,) Post Malone (Beerbongs and Bentleys, and Hollywood’s Bleeding,) Selena Gomez and the Scene, (When the Sun Goes Down,) and Taylor Swift, (Taylor Swift, and Fearless.) Quad is equipped with five studios for use by artists, Q1-5, and the event space Club Quad.
Q1, known as the best-sounding room in the city, can handle all your recording needs. Q1 offers an array of outboard gear and a 64 Channel Neve Genesys Black. The room uses the latest Augspurger technology making it one of the loudest and cleanest sounding rooms in the city. When not in the studio you can relax in the only private studio lounge with panoramic views of Times Square. Studio Q1 also offers a large live room capable of handling extensive tracking sessions.
Q2 is known as the medium format studio, with a built-in vocal booth making it ideal for vocal tracking and all sorts of production. Q2 uses a Dual 12” Augspurger system with 18” subs. Numerous hits such as Trains “Soul Sister“ have been recorded in Q2. The room comes with a private lounge and a small balcony overlooking Times Square.
Q3 is our most affordable room and uses one of Augspurgers newest products, the Duo 8 system. Equipped with a 35 sq/ft isolation booth, Q3 is perfect for in-the-box production and vocal tracking.
Q4 is Quad’s latest room and is located on the 12th floor. Built on the success of Quad’s infamous Studio Q1, Studio Q4 offers the same technology and vibe experience found throughout our legendary facility. With a dual 15’“ Augspurgers system accompanied by dual 18” subs, this system will shake you to the core.
Q5 is Quad’s largest room and houses the largest Augspurger sound system in the city. Frequented by mainly major labels, Q5 is also available for bookings by an independent artist. With a large live room and high-end preamps like Neve, SSL, and API, this room is ideal for large tracking sessions.
The Cutting Room Studios has two locations in New York City, located in the heart of Manhattan in Greenwich Village and Chelsea. The studio offers a variety of recording/mixing, music production, mastering, and more services. The Cutting Room has produced music for Cardi B (An Invasion of Privacy,) Lana Del Ray (Born to Die,) and Post Malone (Stoney.)
The Cutting Room offers two studios, A and B, and a control room for use by clients. Studio A is the main tracking and mixing room and features a 48 Channel Solid State Logic Duality Console, as well as a Yamaha C5 grand piano. Additionally, a large selection of vintage outboard gear is available in Studio A. The bright and spacious room with urban views along Lafayette and 4th Street provides clients with a relaxed creative environment while remaining in the heart of the city. For late-night sessions, rooms are equipped with Philips Hue lighting, so you can get the color and vibe just right.
Jungle City Studios in Chelsea, the art capital of New York, strives to bring back the golden age of New York City recording studios with an awe-inspiring artistic space never seen before. Founded by Rocco Berardi, Rosemary Spallina, Ann Mincieli, and Robert Baccigalupi and managed by Phil Spallina this three-room creative space fosters an intimate atmosphere while providing inspiring wide skyline views. Mincieli, longtime engineer and studio coordinator for Alicia Keys, has channeled her talents into making Jungle a technical prowess featuring the very best in vintage and modern technology. With over twenty years of experience in the music business, Mincieli has traveled the world engineering for some of the industry’s most renowned artists: Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Drake, Mariah Carey, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, and Whitney Houston, to name a few. Jungle City has been designed to please the most demanding and diversified lover of sound and music.
Additionally, Jungle City has recorded music for Alicia Keys (Girl on Fire, Here, and Alicia, Keys,) Ariana Grande (Sweetener, Thank u next and Positions,) Beyonce (4, Beyonce, and Lemonade,) Chris Brown (Heartbreak on a Full Moon,) Demi Lovato (Tell Me You Love Me,) Drake (Nothing Was the Same,) J. Cole (2014 Forest Hills Drive,) Jay-Z (Magna Carta Holy Grail,) Nicki Minaj, (Queen,) Justin Timberlake (The 20/20 Experience 1 & 2 and Man of the Woods,) Kanye West (The Life of Pablo,) Katy Perry (Prism) Lorde (Melodrama) Post Malone (Twelve Carat Toothache,) Rihanna (Anti,) Taylor Swift (1989,) The Weekend (Beauty Behind the Madness and After Hours,) and Zendaya, (Zendaya.)
Jungle City is equipped with four studios, East, West, North, and South, and Rooftop Lounge for recording artists. Jungle City Studios Penthouse Studio East features a retro-futuristic design which includes a cutting-edge 48-input SSL Duality Console and a vintage EMI TGI12345 Mark III Console. With the perfect blend of analog and digital gear, Jungle City’s Penthouse Studio East can accommodate any project. Whether it’s recording or mixing an album project, 5.1 surround mixing, video shoots, hosting a listening session or just having an event, the 2400 sq foot space is completely private and is well-fitted with all the latest technologies. The Dual 15″ Augspurger monitors were explicitly built for the dimensions of the room and are beautifully set in the control room glass.
The Penthouse West Studio is one of Jungle City’s two larger studio accommodations. Mirroring Penthouse East, it features a retro-futuristic design that includes a cutting-edge 48-input SSL Duality Console and a vintage EMI TGI12345 Mark III Console. With the perfect blend of analog and digital gear, Jungle City’s Penthouse can accommodate any project, whether it’s recording or mixing an album project, 5.1 surround mixing, video shoots, hosting a listening session or just having an event, the 2400 sq foot space is completely private and is well fitted with all the latest technologies.
One of two mix/overdub/production suites on Jungle City’s 10th floor, the North Studio is outfitted with a 32-input Avid D-Control and Pro Tools HD4 with Expansion Chassis. Centered around Digidesign’s Icon D-Control, Studio North is the perfect room for working in the box. The 32-input Icon is the ideal control surface for both Stereo and 5.1 Surround mix sessions. The room is perfectly complemented by a 16-channel EMI Chandler Limited Mini Rack Mixer for summing as well a 2-Channel Lavry Blue converter. Studio North also is equipped with the Antelope Isochrone OCX-V and Isochrone 10M Rubidium Atomic Clock for a tighter, more focused sound that will translate flawlessly in your final mix through our custom 15″ Augspurger Main Monitors and 18″ Pioneer Subwoofers.
The Penthouse South Studio, lushly appointed with custom work counters, innovative, perforated absorbing diffusers, and acoustically-tuned walls, is one the most versatile rooms in New York City. At the core of the room is the dual-functional Euphonix S5 Fusion console with the ability to become a 64-channel digital desk at the touch of a button. The Euphonix S5 Fusion is one of the most cutting-edge digital consoles using Avid’s latest Madi Converters which allows you to mix utilizing Euphonix’s 40-bit floating point processing.
The Smooth Spot Recording Studio in Midtown Manhattan is owned by Michael Kevin Walsh, offers a wide array of video and editing services, and is the ideal place for opera, jazz, R&B, rock, pop, voice-over, and musical theater artists in New York City. At the heart of this New York City studio is a whisper-quiet isolation booth where artists can record vocals using the highest-quality microphones available. Whether this is your first time in a recording studio or you are an accomplished professional, The Smooth Spot Recording Studio is the perfect place to record any track.
Flux Studios is a six-room, 10,000 sq. ft. cutting-edge recording, mixing, and mastering music studio located in the East Village of New York City.
Featuring acoustics by Fran Manzella, the Dangerous Room offers a 36-channel 1974 custom Neve console, a Pro Tools HDX system with 32 channels of Avid HD I/O, Focal and ProAc monitors, and the best selection of vintage and modern outboard gear as well as full assortment of up to date plugins, including the complete UAD collection, Waves Horizon bundle and all Avid, Sonnox, Soundtoys, and Flux plugins among others. The Dangerous room, like all Flux Studios’ rooms, is 100% Thunderbolt compatible, allowing visiting producers and engineers to use their personal computers to drive the room’s infrastructure if they desire to do so. It’s the fastest and easiest way to convert a home studio project into a professional project without export and plugin hassles.
Dangerous’ 486 sq ft live room has two separate isolation rooms and a vocal booth with a full line of sight into the live room and the control room. The live room is modular and can be separated into two sonically isolated 200 sq ft rooms with a line of sight. The live room also features a collection of high-end instruments and amps, including a Yamaha C6 Grand Piano with Disklavier system, late 70s Yamaha Recording Custom drums, a 70s Fender Rhodes, a 70s Wurlitzer electric piano, and a 60s Hammond C3 organ with matching Leslie.
The Dungeon room, acoustically tuned by Vicoustics and powered by Focal Trio11 Be + dual Sub6 speaker system, provides an impeccable listening environment for modern music production. Outfitted with a 9.1.4 DOLBY ATMOS setup powered by Focal speakers and managed by a Trinnov room correction system, this room is ideal for mixing in both stereo and spacial audio formats, as well as providing an inviting atmosphere for producing, writing, and recording. The full Pro Tools HDX system, featuring 24 I/O via an Avid HD IO along with a Universal Audio Apollo x8, is readily accessible via Thunderbolt for producers who want to work on their computer and still have access to the room’s gear. The built-in computer features Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, and Ableton Live 9, as well as an up-to-date series of UAD Complete, Sonnox, Soundtoys, FabFilter, NI Komplete plugins, and the Waves Horizon Bundle.
The 208sq ft control room is designed to accommodate writing sessions with easy access to keyboards and instruments. It boasts an assortment of preamps and compressors by brands such as Avalon, dbx, Shadow Hills, Universal Audio, and CAPI among others. The center of the studio is a 24-channel Digidesign D-Command digital console. The accompanying 250sq ft live room has concrete floors and a 12ft ceiling height with a separate vocal booth and an amp iso. Flux Studios has a long list of instruments including a collection of analog synths perfect for writing and tracking sessions.
The Transporter Room is Flux Studios’ all-in-one creative room, designed to allow producers and musicians to quickly go from writing to recording instruments and vocals, and from creating beats to mixing. Powered by Barefoot Master Stack speakers, an SSL Matrix board, and a selection of vintage Neve preamps and various analog compressors, Transporter is the premier writing room in the building. Over the years it has been the launching pad for major artists like The Strokes, The Rapture, Mark Ronson, John Hill, ASAP Ferg, and many others. The large 282 sq ft control room has a vocal tracking area surrounded by TubeTrap treatment, a customized upright piano, analog synths, Fender electric guitar and bass guitar, and midi keyboards.
The Fabulous Room is a mixing and mastering studio featuring the highest quality analog and digital gear for a super clean signal flow. It boasts a full assortment of outboards by Dangerous, Neumann, GML, Mercury, API, and many others. Ample space and a flawless listening environment via Focal monitors make it a premier mixing and mastering facility. The Fabulous room also houses an arsenal of vintage analog and hard-to-find synths making it a perfect space for writing and producing. Inspiration comes rapidly when sitting in front of a real CS80 or a perfect Prophet V, Octave Cat, or MS20 among others.
The inspiration room is a writing and production room with perfect integration of a range of digital and analog instruments via a Universal Audio Apollo extended system. The real-time processing power of the UAD hardware and software enables the producer to focus on writing music rather than patching cables.
Home to legendary producer David Kahne, the Revolution room is an ideal production room with a 205 sq ft control room and an adjacent vocal booth that enables tracking of vocals and instruments. The 12ft ceilings make it a pleasant listening environment while two large windows provide natural light during the day.
Mirrortone Studios is one of the premier recording studios in New York City, with over a decade of producing music for Grammy-winning artists, major labels, and indie musicians alike. In addition to being one of the most sought-after artist-run recording studios, Mirrortone has composed music and provided audio-post services for agencies, brands, commercials, television, feature films, apps, branded content, and videos of all types. Mirrortone offers several services including mixing/mastering, artist/album recording, original music production, track production, professional score recording, and more.
Mirrortone Studios was founded by Jay Rothman and Roman Molino Dunn, who also serve as composers and producers. Rothman is an award-winning New York-based Composer, Producer, and Sound Designer scoring films, and commercials, producing bands, and creating sound design for people and companies of all sizes around the globe. Dunn is an award-winning composer, Billboard-charting music producer (a.k.a Electropoint), and co-owner of Mirrortone Studios in New York City. He has composed and produced music for advertising agencies, corporations, television commercials, TV shows, feature films, radio, and internet campaigns, and his productions have climbed the top 20 Billboard and iTunes charts.
James Quesada serves as a recording and mixing engineer at Mirrortone Studios. Quesada’s engineering style is equal parts industry polish and indie grit. He’s known for being easy to work with, creating an artistic environment, and having fun while getting the important work done. Having worked on countless albums, EPs, singles, and post-productions, he finds inspiration in every genre from garage rock to future trap, radio drama to film score. More than working in any genre, Quesade loves working with people.