Studio A

Over the years, FAME’s historic Studio A has been home to countless, seminal recordings that have woven themselves into the American fabric, influencing several generations of musicians far and wide.

The famous sign above the entryway into the studios reads: “Through these doors walk the finest Musicians, Songwriters, Artists, and Producers in the World”. This is as true today as it was in 1961. Since it first opened its doors, Studio A has welcomed a literal who’s who of music royalty from Etta James, Wilson Pickett, and Aretha Franklin to Alicia Keys, Demi Lovato, the Revialists, the Raconteurs as well as Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit. They have all come searching for the beautiful, soulful, sonic footprint that defines FAME Recording Studios.  It has been said that the sound of Studio A is embedded into the DNA of American music through the mountain of classic music performed in this room.

Studio A’s lush acoustics and unique musical legacy have made it one of the most sought after recording studios in the world. It’s the room where Aretha Franklin found her sound. It’s the room where Wilson Pickett whaled on “Mustang Sally”. It’s where Clarence Carter has recorded for five decades. It’s the room where Duane Allman found his sound. It’s the room that continually produces chart-topping, generation-defining music year after year after year, including Gregg Allman’s choice as the studio to do his final album in.  As well as the 2019 #1 Americana album Muscle Shoals – Small Town Big Sound.

While retaining all the features and idiosyncrasies that make FAME Recording Studios a National Historic Landmark, we also take great care to stay above the curve when it comes to contemporary recording techniques. Over the years, FAME Recording Studios has built one of the  finest collections of vintage and modern recording equipment around. Lovingly cared for and painstakingly maintained, FAME’s selection of classic and state-of-the-art microphones, consoles, and instruments offers an unparalleled treasure trove of choice to fit any recording artist’s particular needs.

Studio B

Painstakingly refurbished and lovingly restored under the direction of world-renowned producer/engineer Glenn Rosenstein and Rodney Hall  — Studio B maintains all the classic features that made it a historic landmark while incorporating the latest in modern acoustic designs and construction methods.

Studio B’s control room benefits from a design found nowhere else in the world. It’s singular flying-bass-trap and LEDE configuration offers near-perfect room decay times and superb localization & staging. We’ve restored and re-coned the original Urei 813 monitors and powered them with custom hand-built Emotiva mono-block amplification. Our mid-field choice are the stunning ATC SCM45A Pro’s, an industry standard. The room-within-a-room design has been complimented by all Mogami wiring, complete tech power with fully separated ground isolation, and near silent HVAC ducting.

Housed inside of Studio B’s control room is our beautifully restored, vintage Solid State Logic 6056E 56-channel console. This desk was initially used in Stevie Ray Vaughan’s studio, where it recorded three of Vaughan’s studio albums, along with projects by Destiny’s Child, ZZ Top, Phil Collins, Leon Russell, Erykha Badu, and many more. Under the guidance of technicians Vince Fast and Greg Pace, these consoles have been reconditioned and commissioned – the SSL is now operating with an Atomic Instruments custom power supply, as well as a THD-Labs Tangerine dedicated automation computer.

FAME is also proud to welcome home  — The original studio B hand-built Universal Audio 12 channel console, custom ordered for Rick Hall by UA founder Bill Putnam, inventor of the 1176, LA-2A, and a host of other classic equipment standards. These two legendary consoles — mated in one acoustically brilliant control room — offer producers, engineers, mixers and musicians an unparalleled world class recording experience.

And, of course, sometimes you need to leave well enough alone. Studio B’s cutting room — one of the best sounding studio rooms on the planet — has been gently refreshed, leaving all of its superior sonic vibrance intact and providing a legendary recording experience like no other.

To provide a comfortable place to relax and create, we’ve repurposed FAME’s former studio tape library and converted it into the new Studio B lounge, a private and personal space exclusively for Studio B clients. This lounge — accessed from the control room — has been renovated with memorabilia from FAME’s historic past including original masters recordings, along with artifacts, documentation and photographs that spotlights a one-of-a-kind musical legacy, a legacy that continues to grow with every artist that walks through FAME’s hallowed doorways.