Recording Studios

The Top Sounding Rooms in the World

FAME’s legendary Studio A and Studio B offer cutting-edge facilities for hit-makers, chart-toppers, and emerging talent at almost any budget. Melding the best of vintage and twenty-first century recording equipment and techniques, our studios are the perfect spaces for producing the exact sound you’re looking to put out into the world.

Fame Recording Studios offers an extensive collection of vintage and modern production gear with the ability to record in state-of-the-art digital or classic analog coupled with our world famous collection of historic and contemporary instruments that are yours to choose from.

Historic facilities. The latest technology. A sound like no other. World class engineers and staff. FAME Recording Studios has everything you need to get your sound.

Studio AStudio B

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 A EQUIPMENT LIST

  • CONTROL ROOM DIMENSIONS 15′ x 24′
  • STUDIO DIMENSIONS 24′ x 34′
  • UP TO 5 ISOLATION BOOTHS
  • NEVE 8232 CONSOLE
  • MCI JH-24 2″ 24 TRACK TAPE MACHINE
  • UREI MODEL 813 TIME ALIGNED MONITORS
  • YAMAHA NS-10M MONITORS
  • QSC 3800 AMPLIFIER
  • CROWN MICRO TECH 1000 AMPLIFIER
  • WHITE INSTRUMENTS SERIES 4000 GRAPHIC ROOM EQUALIZERS
  • Digidesign Pro-Tools HDX #12

Rooms tuned by Steven Durr and Associates

OUTBOARD GEAR

  • 1 UREI 1176 (BLACKFACE) LIMITER
  • 1 SONTEC PARAMETRIC EQ
  • 3 TUBE-TECH COMPRESSORS
  • 1 TUBE EMT 140 PLATE REVERB

*Some outboard gear in Studio B can float to Studio A

MICROPHONES

  • 5 NEUMANN U87 – reworked
  • 1 NEUMANN U47 FET
  • 1 NEUMANN TLM – 103
  • 1 Manley Gold
  • 1 RCA 77DX
  • 1 RCA 44
  • 1 RCA BK11
  • 1 BLUE BOTTLE WITH: B-0, B-6, B-7, B-8 CAPSULES
  • 2 BLUE HUMMINGBIRDS
  • 2 BLUE DRAGONFLIES
  • 1 BLUE MOUSE
  • 1 AKG 414 EB
  • 1 AKG D112
  • 2 AKG 452 EB
  • 1 AKG 451
  • 1 RODE CLASSIC TUBE
  • 2 RODE NT2
  • 2 SHURE SM81
  • 6 SHURE SM57
  • 1 SENNHEISER 421
  • 1 SE ELECTRONICS Tube SE5000
  • 1 MATCHED PAIR – SE ELECTRONICS SE1
  • 2 CROWN PZM
  • 3 EV MODEL 665
  • 4 EV 408
  • 1 EV RE20

INSTRUMENTS

  • 1 (ORIGINAL) HAMMOND A100 ORGAN WITH Type 122 LESLIE
  • 1 (ORIGINAL) WURLITZER 140b ELECTRIC PIANO
  • YAMAHA C7 GRAND PIANO
  • 1 KORG TRITON MUSIC WORKSTATION/SAMPLER
  • 1 ORIGINAL CORAL STAR
  • 1 ORIGINAL DAN ELECTRO BARITONE GUITAR
  • VARIOUS PERCUSSION
  • KALA UKE BASS
  • KALA SOPRANO UKULELE
  • KALA BANJO UKULELE
  • RECORDING KING BANJO
  • RECORDING KING RESONATOR
  • LOAR MANDOLIN
  • 67′ LUDWIG STANDARDS

AMPS

  • 68′ FENDER VIBROLUX

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.

STUDIO B EQUIPMENT LIST

  • CONTROL ROOM DIMENSIONS 12′ X 20′
  • STUDIO DIMENSIONS 25′ X 30′
  • SSL 6000E CONSOLE
  • 3 ISOLATION BOOTHS
  • ATC SCM 45A MONITORS
  • UREI MODEL 813 TIME ALIGNED MONITORS
  • EMOTIVA POWER AMPLIFIERS
  • AVI PRO TOOLS HDX #12

Rooms tuned by Steven Durr and Associates

OUTBOARD GEAR

  • 1 UTA UnFairchild 670M II
  • 2 Pultec EQP-IA3 Program Equalizer
  • 1 TUBE-TECH COMPRESSORS*
  • SUMMIT AUDIO ECS-410 EVEREST CHANNEL STRIP*
  • 3 EMPIRICAL LABS EL8 DISTRESSORS*
  • 1 TC ELECTRONICS M1 DUAL EFFECTS SIGNAL PROCESSOR
  • MOTU MIDI EXPRESS
  • 1 UREI 1176 (BLACKFACE) LIMITERS *
  • 2 TREE ROOTS/BRANCH PREAMPS
  • 1 COIL AUDIO CA-70*

* Can Float between rooms.

MICROPHONES

  • 5 NEUMANN U87 – reworked
  • 1 NEUMANN U47 FET
  • 1 NEUMANN TLM – 103
  • 1 Manley Gold
  • 1 RCA 77DX
  • 1 RCA 44
  • 1 RCA BK11
  • 1 BLUE BOTTLE WITH: B-0, B-6, B-7, B-8 CAPSULES
  • 2 BLUE HUMMINGBIRDS
  • 2 BLUE DRAGONFLIES
  • 1 BLUE MOUSE
  • 1 AKG 414 EB
  • 1 AKG D112
  • 2 AKG 452 EB
  • 1 AKG 451
  • 1 RODE CLASSIC TUBE
  • 2 RODE NT2
  • 2 SHURE SM81
  • 6 SHURE SM57
  • 1 SENNHEISER 421
  • 1 SE ELECTRONICS Tube SE5000
  • 1 MATCHED PAIR – SE ELECTRONICS SE1
  • 2 CROWN PZM
  • 3 EV MODEL 665
  • 4 EV 408
  • 1 EV RE20

INSTRUMENTS

  • 1 (ORIGINAL) HAMMOND A100 ORGANS WITH TYPE 122 LESLIE
  • 1 (ORIGINAL) WURLITZER ELECTRIC PIANOS
  • 1 YAMAHA C5 GRAND PIANO
  • 1 ORIGINAL FULL SIZE ACOUSTIC HARPSICHORD
  • 1 KORG TRITON MUSIC WORKSTATION/SAMPLER
  • 1 ORIGINAL CORAL STAR
  • 1 ORIGINAL DAN ELECTRO BARITONE GUITAR
  • VARIOUS PERCUSSION
  • KALA UKE BASSES
  • KALA SOPRANO UKULELE
  • KALA BANJO UKULELE
  • RECORDING KING BANJO
  • RECORDING KING RESONATOR
  • LOAR MANDOLIN
  • 67′ LUDWIG STANDARDS

AMPS

  • 68′ FENDER VIBROLUX

Artists Who Have Recorded at FAME

 

AlabamaAlicia KeysAndy WilliamsAretha FranklinArt FreemanArthur AlexanderArthur ConleyAudrey LandersAva AldridgeBaker & MyersBand of HorsesBarbara PerryBen and SpenceBettye LavetteBettye SwannBill Haley & The CometsBill MedleyBilly CurringtonBilly Joe RoyalBilly OceanBilly YoungBobbie GentryBobby HatfieldBobby ManchinBobby Moore & the Rhythm AcesBobby WomackBrooke BentonBrothers UnlimitedBuzz CasonCandi StatonClarence CarterClyde McPhatterDan PennDarryl WorleyDobie GrayDon CovayDonny OsmondDrive By TruckersDuane AllmanDylan LeBlancElla WashingtonEtta JamesGary NicholsGeorge JonesGregg AllmanHank LocklinHank LocklinHeartlandIron HorseJames & Bobby PurifyJames BarnettJames GilreathJames GovanJames LeBlancJamey JohnsonJason Isbell & the 400 unitJerry Lee LewisJerry ReedJimmy HughesJoe SimonJoe TexJohn HiattJohn Paul WhiteJudd HallKing CurtisLarry Gatlin & The Gatlin BrothersLaura LeeLes Spoon TrioLinda CarrLinda DavisLittle RichardLiza MinnelliLoboLou RawlsLowell FulsonMac DavisMarcel StrongMarie OsmondMarty RaybonMarty StuartMatisyahuMatt Stell & the CrashersMitty CollierOdia CoatesOdia CoatesOtis ClayOtis ReddingPaul AnkaPaul ThornRay StevensRonnie Dunn (Brooks & Dunn)Rosecoe RobinsonSami JoShenandoahSolomon BurkeSoul SurvivorsSpencer WigginsSpooner and the SpoonsSpooner OldhamTerri GibbsTerry and the Chain ReactionThe Blind Boys of AlabamaThe Blues BustersThe Civil WarsThe Dell RaysThe DriftersThe FAME GangThe Forrester SistersThe Mark VThe OsmondsThe RamrodsThe ShootersThe Sweet InspirationsThe TamsThe Ugli StickThe Wallace BrothersTom JonesTommy RoeTravis WammackTravis WammackTurnpike TrobadoursVern GosdinWayd BattleWaylon JenningsWayne NewtonWet WillieWild CherryWillie HightowerWilson Pickett

Notable FAME Musicians

 

Aaron VarnellAl GambleAl LesterAlison PrestwoodAndrew LaneAndrew LoveAustin MooreAva AldridgeBarbara WyrickBarry BeckettBarry BillingsBen Cauley, Jr.Ben JerkinsBernard BrownBernie LeadonBerry OakleyBill CofieldBill DarnellBill HindsBob PatinBob WrayBobby WomackBowlegs MillerBrad KuhnCannonball AdderlyCarl JacksonChad GambleChalmers DavisCharles ChalmersCharles RoseCharles StratfordCherry SistersChips MomanChuck GodwinCindy RichardsonCissy HoustonClarence CarterClayton IveyCornell McFaddenDale QuillenDan PennDanny KirschDarryl HoldenDavid BriggsDavid HoodDennis GoodeDennis HoltDon CarteeDon SrygleyDonna HatcherDonna RhodesDonnie CarpenterDonnie FrittsDuane AllmanDuncan CameronEarl (Peanut) MontgomeryEarl FordEd LoganEddie HintonEddie StruzickEmmit GreeneEric EssixErik EkstrandErnie CollinsFloyd NewmanFred NewellFred ProutyFreddie JonesFreeman BrownGary BakerGeorge SouleGeorge WeaverGreg PaceHal WilliamsHarrison CallowayHarvey ThompsonHershey ReevesJack PeckJames (Brown) HookerJames MitchellJames StroudJamie McFarlaneJason IsbellJasper JacksonJeanie GreeneJeff KingJerry BridgesJerry CarriganJerry JemmottJerry MastersJessee BoyceJim BrownJim SealesJimbo HartJimmy EvansJimmy JohnsonJoe ArnoldJoe HamiltonJoe SouthJoe ZawinualJoey HolderJoey WilliamsJohn DavisJohn HarrisJohn WillisJohn WillisJohnny SandlinJoseph ArmstrongJunior LoweJustin HolderKen BellKenny MimsKimberly Morrison-ColeLarry ByromLaura StruzickLenny LeblancLeo LeblancLeon SherrillLittle JohnMac McAnallyMarie (Tomlinson) LeweyMark BeckettMark GrayMark O’ConnorMarlon GreeneMarty RaybonMarvell ThomasMickey BuckinsMilton SledgeNat AdderlyNorbert PutnamOscar JacksonOwen HalePaul FranklinPete CarrPig RobbinsRalph EzellRandall BramblettRandy McCormickRay LadsonRay StevensReggie YoungRick HallRob HajacosRobert ByrneRoger ClarkRoger HawkinsRonald HardyRonnie EadesRonnie OldhamSadler VadenSandra RhodesSean RaySonny GarrishSpooner OldhamStacey GossStacy GossStan ThornSteve NathanSuzy StormTarp TarrantTeddy GentryTerry McMillanTerry ThompsonTim GordonTim HensonTimmy EnglishTippy ArmstrongTom FloraTom RoadyTommy CogbilTravis WammackVassar ClementsWalt AldridgeWayd BattleWayne BridgeWes SheffieldWill McFarlaneWillie King

Want to to book recording studio time?

Call 256-381-0801 or send an email to: info@famestudios.com

Make your project shine by recording in one of the top sounding rooms in the world. Record alongside award winning engineers  musicians, songwriters and singers. Recording state of the art digitally or classic Analog. 

Take your project to the next level and find out why FAME is one of the world’s most famous recording rooms. Email or give us a call… We can work with almost any budget…. 

Testimonials

“We were trying to get that bass sound Arthur Alexander was getting in Muscle Shoals, we love his records.”

John Lennon, The Beatles 

 

“Muscle Shoals changed my whole approach to music. It affected anyone who ever heard the music that came out of there. And that’s pretty much everyone in the world”

David Z, Legendary Musician/Producer – Prince, Etta James, Billy Idol.

 

“More than any other locale or individual, Muscle Shoals has changed my life … musically and every which way.”

Jerry Wexler, Rhythm and the Blues – Co-owner Atlantic Records