Outstanding Music Studios (Vol. 1)

There are thousands of music studios out there in the world. It is hard to oversee them all, especially if you are searching for unique places that shall support your creative journey and make the production time with your team an unforgettable experience. To facilitate your search of the perfect location, I present you four outstanding music studios from around the world that could be your next recording studio to go.

Royal House Recording (Detroit, United States)

Highlights:
- Console: SSL Duality SE (48 Channels)
- Monitoring: 4x15“ Main Monitors with TAD Components, 2x18“ FaitalPro Subwoofers, Barefoot Sound MicroMain27 Gen2, ATC SCM25A Pro, Genelec 1032, Yamaha NS-10
- Preamps: Neve 1073 CV, Neve 1084 CV, API 3124
- Microphones: Sony C800, Neumann U 47 FET Collector’s Edition

For more details and a full gear list: http://www.royalhouserecording.com/

Clients: Lupe Fiasco, Chris Brown, Lil Dicky, R. Kelly, Lil Yachty, Post Malone, Dej Loaf, and many more

Royal House Recording, located in Detroit, contains live recording spaces, a kitchen and dining room, an elegant lounge and media centre, full gym, basketball court and an outdoor patio with a fire pit. Thanks to those amenities, the three million dollar music compound allows the artists to work with uninterrupted creative flow and ensures a private environment and privacy for the artists with its perimeter wall.

The construction of the Victor Saroki-designed complex started in May 2014, was built from the remains of an old manufacturing warehouse and was finished in August 2015. Since then, according to the owner Rodger Goodman, Royal House Recording has been fully booked since the complex opened its doors with the intention to bring back the status of Detroit's music industry legendary past.

Goodman worked over 15 years as a sound engineer and producer in Los Angeles at top LA studios such as Record Plant, Larabee and Paramount and worked with a number of successful artists like Lupe Fiasco, Lil Dicky, Dej Loaf and Asher Roth.

Black Rock Studios (Santorini, Greek)

Highlights:
- Console: SSL 9080 J Series (80 Channels)
- Monitoring: Genelec 1035B, KRK VXT6, Yamaha NS10, Genelec 8040, Genelec 8050
- Preamps: Neve 1081, Neve 1073
- Microphones: AKG C12 VR

For more details and a full gear list: http://blackrock-studios.com/

Clients: One Republic, Justin Bieber, Bring Me The Horizon, Sido, Jay Sean, and many more

Since 2009, when Black Rock first opened its doors, a lot of famous stars recorded in the Santorini-based music studio. Its owner Kostas Kalimeris began working in his first recording studio at the age of 17, and since then has worked on over 300 albums and consulted on the Greek version of The Voice. Kalimeris bought the former hotel building and transformed it into a state-of-the-art music production facility. 

Nowadays, a broad range of artists from various music genres are regularly visiting his beautiful studio complex where the musicians also have the chance to stay overnight like in a hotel. Black Rock's secluded location facilitates that musicians can focus on their work without being distracted. The studio is surrounded by the Aegean Sea with impressive views out over Santorini's dramatic, plummeting black cliffs. That perfect atmosphere ensures that the creatives can work comfortably on the next, new hit.

JRS - Jazzanova Recording Studio (Berlin, Germany)

Highlights:
- Console: Neumann Console (32 Channels)
- Monitoring: Neumann KH 420, Neumann KH 870, Neumann KH 310, Quested H108, Yamaha NS 10M
- Preamps: Telefunken/Siemens V76, Neve 1081, BAE 1073, BAE 1084, Chandler Germanium
- Microphones: Neumann U47 (long body & FET), Neumann U67, Neumann M147, Neumann M149

For more details and a full gear list: http://www.jazzanovarecordingstudio.com/

Clients: Rihanna, Jason Derulo, Lenny Kravitz, Dirty Loops, Incognito, Kwabs, Black Bear, Lorde, Max Herre, Udo Lindenberg, Tim Bendzko, and many more

The six-room studio in the heart of Berlin provides you next to the control room, being the home of a very rare Neumann console, with a piano, drum, vocal and editing room as well as a stylish kitchen and cosy lounge area. JRS's owner Axel Reimer, also a member of the Nu Jazz group Jazzanova, is active in the areas of music production, performance and recording for more than 30 years.

The Church Studios (London, United Kingdom)

Highlights:
[Studio 1]
- Console: EMI Neve with 1091 EQ/Pre modules (72 Channels)
- Monitoring: Acoustic Energy AE22 Pro, Barefoot MicroMain 27, EAR 890, Yamaha NS10M
- Preamps: API 3124, Chandler Limited TG2, EAR 824 M
- Microphones: Neumann U47 FET, AKG The Tube

[Studio 2]
- Console: SSL 4000G (56 Channels)
- Monitoring: Augspurger Monitors Custom-made, Yamaha NS10M
- Preamps: API 3124V, Neve 1091
- Microphones: see Studio 1

[Studio 3]
- Console: Shadow Hills Equinox, Neve 20-Channels Sidecar
- Monitoring: Barefoot MicroMain27, Yamaha NS10M
- Preamps: API 512C, Neve 1073 LB, Universal Audio 6176
- Microphones: see Studio 1

For more details and a full gear list: http://thechurchstudios.com

Clients: Bob Dylan, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, U2, Florence + The Machine, Jamie Lidell,  Kanye West, Tom Jones, Usher, and many more

Back in the 80s, Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox (Eurythmics) converted their rented church room into a brand new recording studio where they worked on their debut album "Sweet Dreams" (1984). Later, they purchased the building from its owner back then. Exactly 20 years after the release of Sweet Dreams, David Gray brought the studio into a new era in 2004 by buying the impressive complex. But as a lot of big studios struggled after the entire music industry drastically changed over the last decade that came along with a general decline of record sales and label budgets, the Church Studios were nearly before its shutdown. 

In 2013, the leading UK producer Paul Epworth became the new owner of the studio and thereby saved the complex and its heritage from being sold to a property developer. 

That was it for this week, and I hope you enjoyed the quick journey through those outstanding, unique music studios. It was the first attempt to include such type of an article in my blog article collection. If the article was successful regarding its reader and click counts, you can expect more volumes of that type in the future. Have a nice week!